Inflow Turns Five

Today I opened my e-mailbox to find a press release from Inflow noting that the company has reached its fifth anniversary. It was the latest in a flurry of recent press releases by the Denver-based managed hosting provider, each touting the success of an individual data center or the continuation of a customer contract. I've resisted writing about most of these, as the information was interesting but not necessarily new (a critical component of "news"). But sometimes getting older can be noteworthy, and so it is with Inflow as it turns five.

Anniversaries aren't always newsworthy. Back when I worked at a daily newspaper, I once debated this point at length with a church secretary who believed the paper absolutely needed to write a front-page story (with a photo!) about her church's 223rd anniversary. "Ma'am, the least you can do," I advised, "is offer me a round number. Something ending with a zero or a five."

But in today's data center industry, remaining independent and solvent after five years is an accomplishment. And while Inflow's releases don't always contain news, they relect the company's belief in the satisfied customer as a marketing tool. Virtually every Inflow release contains a customer testimonial, or perhaps two, as in today's anniversary release (quoting Fuddruckers and Wizmo Inc).

The industry's failures have created a credibility crisis. Many companies shopping for data center services are more likely to trust recommendations from other businesses than promises from providers. After all, I'd wager that none of the hosting and colocation providers who've filed Chapter 11 or "migrated" customers mentioned either of those potential outcomes during their marketing pitches. Inflow has satisfied customers, and it's leaning on them as it tells its story.

"Over the last five years, the market has seen drastic change," said Art Zeile, chief executive officer for Inflow. "Only the strong have survived and we are thrilled to continue to support our growing list of customers." And get support from them, as well.