Data storage and management can be critical to the success of any organization. However, it becomes even more so when the mission of your organization is helping others in their time of need.
Charlotte- and Denver-based provider of data center colocation and hybrid IT solutions Flexential has partnered with the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) to help the hunger-relief organization grow its impact in the local community.
“This is the part that for me… is the most rewarding part working with organizations driving an impact in the local community,” Tom Meyers, regional VP at Flexential, told NTX Inno. “To me, it’s all about the ‘Why’ of what we do. We want [the NTFB] to be able to focus on what they do every day.”
Prior to the partnership, the NTFB was hosting its data on-premise, but lacked the workforce to maintain it. In addition to causing a burden of managing the infrastructure while working with multiple vendors, the NTFB is also a FEMA disaster location, which meant it ran a serious risk in the event of a power outage. With Flexential, the NTFB’s data will be on the company’s VMware Cloud Verified platform.
The partnership makes more sense since Flexential operates one of its more than 40 data centers within two miles of the NTFB headquarters, allowing Flexential to develop a point-to-point solution. Flexential also intends to provide professional services and disaster-recovery-as-a-service.
With the help, the NTFB plans to scale its outreach. Last year, the organization provided access to about 77 million meals in the region. However, as part of a recently implemented 10-year plan, it hopes to provide access to nearly 92 million meals by 2025. According to the food bank, it provides more than 200,000 meals each day.
“Flexential made what could be a very complicated process simple and easy for us,” said Mark Elrod, senior manager of IT at the NTFB, in a prepared statement. “Overall, Flexential is giving us the peace of mind that our data is in safe hands so we can focus on what matters most: fighting hunger.”
"To me, it’s all about the ‘Why’ of what we do."
Flexential is also doing more than just IT services for the food bank. As part of the company’s annual Giving Thanks campaign, in which Flexential and its employees give back to the 21 markets that it operates in, it is making a cash and food donation to the NTFB. Flexential will also be making similar donations in about 25 other communities. According to Meyers, the company will donate about 7 million meals this year.
“They’re providing meals and assistance for folks... so they want to be able to provide those services during a tough situation,” Meyers said. “We like to think we’re the glue to stitch it all together. Part of our charter is to be engaged and active in the communities we serve.”
The IT company was launched in 2000 as Peak 10. The company changed names in January 2018, following its $1.67 billion acquisition of fellow IT company ViaWest by Peak 10’s PE owner GI Partners in June 2017. The acquisition made the combined Flexential one of the largest data center services providers.
