Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company has signed an agreement with C Spire, a telecommunications and technology services company, for data center services to support its enhanced business continuity program.
Key factors in Southern Farm Bureau’s choice were the geographical proximity of C Spires’ new 23,800-square-foot $20 million data center that it plans to open in November 2014, the high-end certified rating of the center, being a single provider including fiber connectivity and being a Mississippi company with locally-based teams and a true commitment to a high level of customer service, said Charles Allen, VP and CTO of the insurer.
“Since 1946, our mission has not changed. Our employees and 3,800 agents are committed to meeting the financial service needs of families across the Southeast with superior products and services,” said Charles Allen, VP and CTO of Jackson-based Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. “This means investing to ensure that in times of greatest need, our customers can rely on us to continue to provide the highest quality services and support without interruption by the most advanced technology and information services infrastructure.”
The new C Spire data center is located on a 6.5-acre site at the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in Starkville, Mississippi. C Spire plans to complete construction on the initial phase in November 2014, when Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company and other firms are expected to begin using the center.
When it opens, the center will be one of only 52 in the U.S. with a Tier 3 or 4 rating, the highest in the industry based on data center certifications by the Uptime Institute, C Spire said.
