TierPoint’s Client list

Among TierPoint’s clients are: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of Washington’s IT department, f5 Networks, Coldwater Creek, Kalispel Tribe, Inland Imaging Business Associates, Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories and the School Employees Credit Union of Washington, according to the company.

For IT-Lifeline Inc., leasing space in the Liberty Lake Internet Portal building has led to a complementary relationship with TierPoint.

IT-Lifeline helps clients develop disaster-recovery plans and uses TierPoint’s data center to host customers’ data for backup. The company also provides several suites equipped with the computers clients would need to run their operations there during a disaster.

The two firms sometimes pass along clients, such as Everett-based skate-clothing retailer Zumiez Inc., which IT-Lifeline referred to TierPoint, said president and CEO Steve Tabacek.

Lifeline customers include Washington Trust Bank, AmericanWest Bank and Unigard Insurance Group, Tabacek said. Although TierPoint recently began offering data backup for Web hosting companies and small businesses, the companies’ owners don’t see that as competition.

A safe location is key for data centers, but companies need to be located near a city with amenities, like Spokane, Tabacek said.

“They can’t do it from a hardened shell in the middle of the desert,” Tabacek said. “Business recovery requires interaction with other businesses.”