IO, a company operating six data centers in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Singapore and soon London, has announced plans to separate into two independent companies. IO will focus on colocation and cloud hosting services, while newly-formed BASELAYER will pursue data center hardware and software business.
The new company, BASELAYER, will comprise IO’s modular data center hardware and data center infrastructure management software. The company expects to complete the separation in early 2015.
It was only seven years ago that brothers George and William Slessman and business partner Anthony Wanger launched IO with a mission to transform the data center industry.
“Our growth has exceeded our expectations – and given the breadth of our company’s innovations – we have decided to split our product portfolio into two,” said George Slessman, co-founder and chief executive officer at IO.
IO initially launched their colocation services back in 2007, layering optimized thermal efficiency onto traditional offerings. Shortly after, in 2011, the company invented a patented modular data center with intelligent management and control mechanisms to drive further efficiency and density.
The story intensified in 2012 when IO developed a data center operating system to better manage its data centers as it expanded its footprint globally. IO’s open cloud services marked the next chapter as it offered companies the scale and network needed for a future-proof data center environment.
IO Customer Base
“We have built two strong, but distinct businesses,” George Slessman added. “By separating the two, we create clarity of purpose to accelerate the growth of both companies. This decision introduces two market leaders – each with talent and resources directly focused on their core competencies.”
William Slessman, co-founder and former chief technology officer of IO, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at BASELAYER. George Slessman and Anthony Wanger will continue to lead IO in their current roles as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President, respectively. IO will continue to be headquartered in Phoenix.
BASELAYER, to be headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, will leverage the technology and customer base that originated at IO. The company’s data center products enable service providers, enterprises and governments to intelligently provision their data centers. BASELAYER customers will be enabled to bridge the gap between data center operators and IT.
