In as we speak’s hybrid-first world, infrastructure should do greater than ship uptime. It should allow transformation. Lightedge, a purpose-built hybrid cloud and colocation supplier, is redefining what safe, scalable infrastructure appears like for regulated industries. With a customer-first mindset and a flagship underground knowledge heart in Kansas Metropolis, Lightedge is constructing for the long run, powered by a safe IP spine and wavelength providers from Lumen.
Underground Innovation Meets Enterprise-Grade Connectivity
As Lightedge expanded its nationwide footprint, it confronted rising complexity throughout knowledge heart interconnectivity, compliance mandates and AI readiness. Their purchasers—spanning finance, healthcare, manufacturing and retail—demanded high-performance environments with zero downtime and full regulatory alignment.
To satisfy these calls for, Lightedge wanted a community associate that might ship low-latency, high-throughput connectivity throughout geographically dispersed markets. The safe IP spine and wavelength circuits supplied by Lumen create the inspiration for seamless interconnects between knowledge facilities. By selecting wavelength circuits, Lightedge allows constant low latency and efficiency, with every circuit taking a precise path that by no means modifications. This delivers predictable connectivity and deliberate failover for mission-critical workloads.
Lumen® Devoted Web Entry (DIA) is one other cornerstone of Lightedge’s method. Leveraging the deeply peered world Lumen community, Lightedge blends bandwidth to supply dependable, high-quality web service. The in depth community attain and powerful peer relationships imply purchasers profit from sturdy, scalable connectivity throughout areas.
Safety is paramount. Lightedge deploys Lumen® DDoS Mitigation Service at key websites, defending towards distributed denial-of-service assaults and supporting the supply and integrity of their community.
Strategic Collaboration Drives Innovation and Progress
Lightedge’s partnership with Lumen started with a transparent aim: unify their infrastructure to help hybrid cloud environments and AI workloads. Leveraging each experience and help from UPSTACK, a number one supplier-neutral know-how advisor, Lightedge optimized its community design by implementing numerous, active-active wavelength paths and route redundancy throughout all knowledge facilities.
“Zero downtime is the aim, and the community is the gross sales software,” stated Brad Carrell, Accomplice and Managing Director with UPSTACK. “Fiber cuts occur daily. The purchasers by no means discover.”
Along with its market intelligence, UPSTACK’s mission administration experience was essential, with an skilled supervisor overseeing installations and circuit supply to assist guarantee each implementation met expectations. This strategic method has delivered measurable outcomes. Since 2024, Lightedge has saved roughly $1 million yearly via optimized circuit design and supplier choice. These financial savings are reinvested into increasing AI-ready platforms, modernizing community materials and enhancing buyer outcomes.
“Resilience isn’t nearly as we speak. It’s about constructing infrastructure that lasts,” stated Sean Stenger, Chief of Employees at Lightedge.
Hybrid Flexibility Meets Compliance-first Infrastructure
Lightedge’s hybrid-first technique blends colocation, personal cloud and public cloud integration to satisfy purchasers wherever they’re of their IT journey. Their seven purpose-built knowledge facilities, together with areas in Des Moines, Omaha, Austin and Raleigh, are designed to help scalable, safe and compliant environments.
The Kansas Metropolis (SubTropolis) knowledge heart, positioned 150 toes underground in a limestone mine, presents pure cooling, bodily safety and proximity to the nationwide energy grid. This distinctive facility exemplifies Lightedge’s dedication to long-term infrastructure resilience and innovation.
“Being underground is cool, however being near the facility grid is even cooler,” stated Stenger. “This knowledge heart might be right here for many years. It’s rock strong.”
Lisa McLin describes the underground facility as “the center of your buyer’s enterprise. You wish to shield it,” highlighting Lightedge’s dedication to safeguarding mission-critical workloads.
Buyer Expertise on the Core of Each Choice
In an business usually criticized for commoditization, Lightedge stands out for its white-glove service and human-centric help. Their Enterprise Assist Group supplies tiered shopper administration, 24/7 knowledgeable help and proactive communication, driving loyalty and long-term development.
“We’re extra than simply infrastructure. We grow to be an extension of our clients’ IT groups,” stated Stenger. “All the pieces we do is constructed from that kernel of making that buyer expertise.”
Lisa McLin echoes this sentiment: “We win as one versus profitable as a person. Teamwork and accountability drive shopper success.”
Future-ready Infrastructure for AI and Edge Computing
As AI turns into integral to enterprise operations, Lightedge is scaling its infrastructure to help high-power workloads, liquid cooling and GPU-as-a-Service platforms. Their retrofit technique helps be sure that older knowledge facilities are remodeled into AI-ready environments with out compromising efficiency or compliance.
“Latency and resiliency are nonetheless important, even within the age of AI,” stated Stenger. “Lumen permits us to stretch the boundaries round innovation.”
Lisa McLin provides, “We’re always taking a look at methods to innovate, considering forward of the place know-how goes and the way we get there early on. Leveraging AI instruments helps us enhance service and associate outcomes.”
With the Lumen portfolio and nationwide footprint always evolving, Lightedge is well-positioned to satisfy the rising demand for personal AI infrastructure, workload portability and edge-optimized options.
Simplifying Hybrid Cloud for Regulated Industries
Lightedge’s journey displays the facility of strategic collaboration. By partnering with Lumen and UPSTACK, they’ve constructed a resilient, scalable infrastructure that empowers organizations to navigate change, meet compliance mandates and unlock transformative outcomes.
“Our messaging facilities round true hybrid flexibility,” stated Stenger. “The optionality of a hybrid mindset permits us to ship the fitting answer, to the fitting workload, on the proper time.”
To be taught extra about Lightedge’s transformation, learn the total buyer success story.
Go to our buyer story library to find out how organizations in just about each business are reaching their enterprise targets.
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