The Svoboda & Williams real estate agency mediated the sale of a 17,947 sq. m. plot of land for Seznam.cz Data Centers, a subsidiary of the domestic internet leader Seznam. A second data center, which the company will build purely for its technological needs, will be constructed on the land.
Seznam.cz is one of the few Czech companies that operate their own data centers. As Seznam’s technological complexity continues to increase, it is trying to come up with its own solution to keep its huge gears running without depending on third-party products. In addition, having its own data centers provides the company with a great competitive advantage, as well as opportunities for further development: “The way we thrive in the digital world is reflected in the physical one. Our infrastructure needs to absorb higher and higher demands on computing power and data storage. Data is the oil of the 21st century. It is generated not only by our user services, but also to a considerable extent by the infrastructure itself,” explains Vlastimil Pečínka, technical director at Seznam.cz and managing director at Seznam.cz Data Centers.
Seznam.cz Data Centers provided clearly defined parameters that the land, or existing building, had to meet. In the end, the company chose a plot of land in Benátky nad Jizerou that included an unfinished industrial hall with a valid building permit. “The process of redefining a project and giving it a new purpose is much quicker than obtaining a brand new building permit. Also, the plot is close to other data centers, but will have a different fiber-optic connection, which will eliminate risks in the event of the failure of one of the data networks. It was therefore the option that best suited the company’s needs out of all the suggested properties,” says Jiří Čadek, Senior Property Consultant Svoboda & Williams.