A few big name server manufacturers are already delivering self contained server farms in a containers as a quick scaling option for their larger customers. With the growth of out sourced data centers and cloud computing, the shipping container yard could represent a future alternative for the data center and colocation facility. Derelict rail yards not only could provide low cost real estate, but since the rail is also often a conduit for fiber and power transmission, little investment would be required to connect and power up. Better yet, do it in a rural location where the labor costs are low, and vagrancy and vandalism are non-issues.

Compared to building, a top-tier data center that can cost $1,000 per square foot, setting up a container park could be done relatively cheaply — all is needed is a plot of land with the appropriate physical security, a power distribution plant, backup generators and abundant Internet connectivity. These items are available in metropolitan locations where server huggers and their employers congregate. While the containers themselves are self-contained, there should be no reason that multiple organizations and their server huggers could not share servers in a single container. After all, server huggers already share cabinets and cage space in data centers today. (GigaOm)