North Dakota’s remote rural atmosphere–and the safety that accompanies it–is becoming a boon to companies worldwide seeking a safe place to store their backup data.

A Bismarck Tribune article written by Crystal Reid details Bismarck-Mandan’s attempts to bring in server farms that could this back-up data.  BTINet in Bismarck is one.  From the article:

The fact that North Dakota is so removed from major business hubs comes with the advantage that it’s also removed from major natural disasters and other threats. Hurricanes on the coast, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and other natural disasters on the coasts presented concerns about where back-up data was stored, both Stafford and Staiger said. Consequentially, companies began to realize that distance should be put between primary and back-up data systems, which is what’s driving the scattering of server locations all over the nation.

“What once was, we’re too remote to be considered, actually becomes a benefit,”Stafford said. “Our remote location, because we’re away from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes … we have a lot of these coastal places saying we’re absolutely perfect.”

Other advantages:the bricks and mortar of a building holding servers will cost less than real estate in larger cities, utility prices and availability are on par for these small-to-mid-range facilities, and the workforce is educated and honest, Staiger said.

These server facilities would bring in higher-paying jobs, averaging somewhere in the $50,000 to $65,000 range, Staiger said.

Data storage is one more thing North Dakota has to offer the world!