The US$17.3m project, which took two years, involved numerous updates and additions to the 49-year-old data center, which houses Bridgestone Americas’ core IT systems.
Prior to the renovation, Bridgestone data systems were spread over multiple locations. The renovation has enabled the systems to be relocated to one centralized venue, which simplifies operations and offers more reliability and virtualization. The 10,000ft² data center floor features an environmentally-friendly cooling system, which enables Bridgestone to reduce its mechanical cooling usage. The building also allows for a more robust disaster recovery plan.
The improvements include investment in the Akron IT workforce, helping to retain approximately 80 local technical jobs. The data center is also home to a print shop that employs approximately 60 positions.
