In business, redundancy is generally synonymous with waste ”” with one notable exception.
“Most businesses can”™t afford redundant servers,” said Christopher Furey, founder and CEO of Virtual Density L.L.C., a managed IT services and cloud computing firm. “We can”™t afford not to offer redundant servers.”
This spring, Virtual Density celebrates its five-year anniversary and marks one year since moving from the Danbury-Brookfield border to the heart of downtown Danbury.
Now that he”™s here, Furey, a 30-year veteran of IT management, is intent on pitching the downtown as a location ripe for business activity.
“When I moved to Danbury, I really made a commitment to this city,” Furey said. “I love it here. … Downtown Danbury might have a bad reputation, but it”™s only a reputation.”
The move has been a boon for business and helped Virtual Density to stay online during Hurricane Sandy and the ensuing winter storms, said Furey, who after two relocations in five years is sold on downtown Danbury.
“For anyone looking for office space, why wouldn”™t you want the visibility a downtown offers?” Furey said. “What we need to let folks know is, while they can be in an office building somewhere, they could also be part of the community.”
In addition to the foot traffic a downtown location brings, Furey said he was drawn to Danbury”™s City Center thanks to the underground wiring.
“We didn”™t go down during the worst of the worst storms of the past 12 months,” he said.
Furey, who previously founded Savvy Networks and served as CEO of Another 9 L.L.C. in Tarrytown, N.Y., formed Virtual Density in Tarrytown in March 2008.
The company acquired MagsNet, an Internet service provider (ISP) and web hosting provider, in March 2010, and relocated to the firm”™s offices on Federal Road in Danbury.
As part of its search for a more permanent home, Furey said the company looked at the Matrix Corporate Center in Danbury, noting that “it”™s a great property.”
But, he said, “The downtown needs some vitality. … The landlords here, they”™re not asking for guarantees. They”™re happy to have you.” At its present location, Virtual Density pays a third the rent it had on Federal Road, Furey said.
Just as he seeks to debunk any negative talk about the downtown, Furey said one of his primary goals is to educate clients on the values ”” and truths ”” behind the cloud, which he describes as “This vague thing that people are interested in but don”™t fully understand.”
“There”™s a difference between the cloud and the fog,” Furey said, referencing “this rumor that the cloud is not secure.”
Furey likened Virtual Density to HBO, “But we deliver business servers over the wire, not entertainment.”
Virtual Density works primarily with startups, emerging growth companies and other small to midsize businesses that don”™t have the capital on hand to pay for high-priced servers.
“When you”™re small, you need to be nimble and understand what the business risk is,” he said.
Instead of depending on hardware, which Furey says can be expensive to buy and repair and which still requires backups, Virtual Density helps companies to store files and back up entire systems ”” including any files and applications ”” on remote servers that are in turn supported by multiple ISPs and electrical sources.
Today, Virtual Density provides a range of data backup and disaster recovery services, hosted website and email services and managed IT.
“We went from, ”˜Can we back up files and folders”™ to ”˜Can we get a company back on the air again?”™” Furey said.
