Digital Realty Launches Second Data Centre in Frankfurt

FRANKFURT, Germany, Nov. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today the grand opening of its second data centre in Frankfurt.  This nine-megawatt facility is the first of three buildings to be built on the new Digital Realty campus in Sossenheim, Germany, an established data centre hub approximately three miles west of downtown Frankfurt.  The Wilhelm-Fay-Strasse site in Sossenheim is expected to support the development of up to 27 megawatts of data centre capacity, and will be connected via dark fibre to Digital Realty's existing facility on Lyoner Strasse, establishing a carrier-neutral and fibre-rich connectivity hub with access to major carriers, Internet service and exchange providers, as well as leading global cloud service providers. 

Expansion demonstrates commitment to customers and their operations in Germany
"Frankfurt is one of the most important data centre markets in the world – second in size only to London in the European region.  Given its central location, excellent infrastructure, and concentration of leading international businesses, Frankfurt is widely regarded as the connectivity, commercial and financial capital of Germany," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein.  "We are pleased to be able to support our customers' global growth requirements on our state-of-the-art Sossenheim campus." 

Digital Realty convenes industry experts to explore the impact of new data security regulations
To commemorate the launch of its second data centre in Frankfurt, Digital Realty hosted a roundtable forum on the ground floor of the new facility to discuss the impact of stringent new data protection rules in Europe.  Industry experts from a diverse group of organisations participated in a lively, wide-ranging discussion on topics including the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which was enacted to strengthen and unify data protection regimes for all individuals within the European Union.  

In conjunction with the grand opening and roundtable forum, Digital Realty shared the results of a research paper it commissioned from IDG regarding the impact of data protection laws in Germany.  The study revealed that, while awareness of and confidence in organisations' ability to meet GDPR requirements is high, familiarity with the specific requirements was less universal, suggesting a somewhat mixed level of preparedness.  In addition, opinions were almost evenly split on expectations as to how data protection approaches will evolve in Germany over the next five years.  A plurality of respondents expects rules to become stronger, but almost as many anticipate that rules will be relaxed to facilitate greater business activity. 

"Cybersecurity is not only a hot topic in Europe, especially with GDPR coming into effect, but in Germany it's an established protocol, subject to significant governance and regulatory oversight," said Rob Coupland, Digital Realty's Managing Director, EMEA.  "The research IDG conducted on our behalf provides valuable insight into how attitudes toward the protection of data are evolving, and the impact this might have for the future of business in Germany."  

Find more information on:

• the new data centre in Sossenheim, Frankfurt
• the IDG research

About Digital Realty
Digital Realty supports the data centre, colocation and interconnection strategies of more than 2,300 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centres located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.  Digital Realty's clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from financial services, cloud and information technology services, to manufacturing, energy, gaming, life sciences and consumer products. 

https://www.digitalrealty.com/

Media Inquiries
Amanda Sehmar
Marketing Manager
Phone:  +44 203 873 0140
[email protected]

For Additional Information:
Andrew P. Power
Chief Financial Officer
Digital Realty
(415) 738-6500

Investor Relations
John J. Stewart / Maria S. Lukens
Digital Realty
(415) 738-6500
[email protected]

Safe Harbour Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to the opening of our Sossenheim data centre, including the expected timing, benefits and capabilities of the Sossenheim data centre, the expected demand and economic conditions and outlook in Frankfurt and German in general, the IDG research paper, and expected trends on data protection, including GDPR.  These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following: the impact of current global economic, credit and market conditions; current local economic conditions in the metropolitan areas in which we operate; decreases in information technology spending, including as a result of economic slowdowns or recession; adverse economic or real estate developments in our industry or the industry sectors that we sell to (including risks relating to decreasing real estate valuations and impairment charges); our dependence upon significant tenants; bankruptcy or insolvency of a major tenant or a significant number of smaller tenants; defaults on or non-renewal of leases by tenants; our failure to obtain necessary debt and equity financing; risks associated with using debt to fund our business activities, including re-financing and interest rate risks, our failure to repay debt when due, adverse changes in our credit ratings or our breach of covenants or other terms contained in our loan facilities and agreements; financial market fluctuations; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; our inability to manage our growth effectively; difficulty acquiring or operating properties in foreign jurisdictions; our failure to successfully integrate and operate acquired or developed properties or businesses; the suitability of our properties and data centre infrastructure, delays or disruptions in connectivity, failure of our physical and information security infrastructure or services or availability of power; risks related to joint venture investments, including as a result of our lack of control of such investments; delays or unexpected costs in development of properties; decreased rental rates, increased operating costs or increased vacancy rates; increased competition or available supply of data centre space; our inability to successfully develop and lease new properties and development space; difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and completing acquisitions; our inability to acquire off-market properties; the impact of the United Kingdom's referendum on withdrawal from the European Union on global financial markets and our business; our inability to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to reporting companies; our failure to maintain our status as a REIT; possible adverse changes to tax laws; restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities; environmental uncertainties and risks related to natural disasters; losses in excess of our insurance coverage; changes in foreign laws and regulations, including those related to taxation and real estate ownership and operation; and changes in local, state and federal regulatory requirements, including changes in real estate and zoning laws and increases in real property tax rates.  For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017 and current report on Form 8-K filed July 10, 2017.  The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 

SOURCE Digital Realty

Related Links

http://www.digitalrealtytrust.com