Pouchet: We're seeing a lot of investment and a lot of capital available for this marketplace. CRE is looking at how to invest money and what they're going to build. They tend to acquire tenants that are long-term lessees or outright owners. Once they find a home for these computers, they leave them there and replace them every three to five years. The space tends to be well occupied for long periods of time. They still use a lot of co-location space and smaller facilities, but the need for critical IT space and data-center space is not going away. They're looking at where they are going to develop, when and how. Data centers are popping up more and more in people's radar as a viable use for money and real estate. We are starting to see more money go there. I can't speak to the ROIs of data centers vs. the ROIs on other buildings, but we're seeing financial players and developers take a lot more interest in the sector. Instead of waiting for the silver bullet, people will take this land and start reeling in data-center developers.

GlobeSt.com: Why are there risk and uncertainty within the end-customer community for data centers, and how are these risks being managed?

Pouchet: There are risk and uncertainty in a couple of categories in data centers: the when and the how. Most organizations in terms of business and IT demands have a hard time forecasting when they will need their next data-center space. They know they need to expand, but they don't know exactly when. They'll either wait until a building is totally maxed out and then go, but by that point it's too late. Or, they'll look for someone who is building one and negotiate with them. But the other option is the pre-manufactured construction technique, which will help them figure out part of it. They can look for where their next expansion is going to be, then use these techniques to help build them out quickly; it only takes a matter of months. That space could eventually be turned into an office or a warehouse, but it can also be used as a data center.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about today's data centers?

Pouchet: Data centers make really good neighbors. There's not a tremendous amount of traffic going in and out of the building. They use a lot of energy and water, but there are not a lot of people there. They just need the critical infrastructure: the fiber, bandwidth and wireless connectivity. They don't need a tremendous amount of resources or amenities, so they've become a good anchor. Other high-tech players want to be located nearby: finance, hospitals, biotech labs, etc. They each may have their own data center, but a large data-center buildout helps pull in adjacent-related high-tech, biotech, pharmaceutical and finance companies. They tend to stay in the space for 10 to 20 years, so there's not a lot of turnover. It's a good place for tradespeople: electrical journeymen, facilities people and AC maintenance work.