The American ICT firm Softlayer selected Amsterdam as the location for their new European headquarters. According to the Dutch newspaper Parool, the company aims to increase its market share in the European market from this new base.
Softlayer offers web services such as web hosting and site maintenance to approximately 23,000 customers globally. In November 2011, Softlayer plans to open its new data centre in Amsterdam along with a network Point of Presence (PoP). The Amsterdam Area is an excellent location for ICT companies to set up; primarily due to its proximity to the Amsterdam internet hub AMS-IX. This is the largest data transport hub in the world, known for its superior quality and low cost.
The advantageous tax climate and excellent digital infrastructure attracts major international ICT companies to the Amsterdam Area, which is becoming the software and IT capital of Europe. More than 50% of all Forbes 2,000 companies active in ICT have an office in the Amsterdam Area.
Equinix, a company operating International Business Exchange data centres, and British Telecom (BT), one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services, recently opened data centres in the Amsterdam Area.