"These are typically large projects which will create local jobs by way of construction and as well as for operating the data centre," said Osama Arafat, CEO of Q9 Networks. "We expect to hire IT staff to operate the data centre on a 24/7 basis."

While the primary objective of the Kamloops facility is to serve EDS and the provincial government, the new data centre is also "strategically positioned" to achieve a few things for Q9 customers, Arafat pointed out.

"It's going to act as a disaster recovery business continuity data centre for some of our existing customers in Calgary as well as new customers in the Vancouver or lower mainland area, so it basically expands our footprint and gives our customers an additional option for diversity," he said.

Q9 currently operates two data centres in Calgary, with a third under construction. The Toronto-based data centre services provider also operates facilities in Toronto and Brampton.