AiNET® was founded in 1993 as one of the first providers of dial-up Internet access in Columbia, MD headquartered in a newspaper publishing company’s headquarters (WDC-1). Always a technology leader, by 1996, AiNET was providing international hosting services and was one of the first companies to support streaming over the Internet. In response to customer needs, AiNET was soon providing colocation and full-scope datacenter services.

Recognizing the limitations in the colocation facilities available at the time, in 2003 AiNET purchased its Beltsville, MD (WDC-8) data center. This facility was designed and built as a mission-critical data center for the U.S. Government, which has used it continually since commissioning. AiNET’s commitment to world-class operations has led to considerable upgrades to the facility and in 2006 it was certified as a TIA-942 Tier-IV data center and in 2011 it achieved SAS 70 Type II certification. This facility remains one of the very few such certified data centers in the world. AiNET subsequently procured other data centers and network facilities and operates points of presence in data centers in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia.

Recognizing the inherent link between data centers and connectivity, AiNET purchased and constructed more than 10,000 miles of dark fiber engineered as DWDM networks and dark fiber connections. The network meets full BellCore/Telcordia physical separation requirements of all redundant elements.

To support organic growth, AiNET purchased a fiber optic network construction company. Today AiNET Communications designs and manages the construction of fiber networks for major carriers.

In 2011, AiNET received a U.S. Patent (worldwide patents pending) for technology addressing a key shortcoming in the management of power in the critical power installations that are found in facilities such as data centers, hospitals, public safety installations. AiNET data centers are the first applications of this technology, although through licensing and partnerships, it will be in common usage throughout the world by the end of the decade.

Today, AiNET has the largest privately owned fiber network in the region supporting hundreds of on-net and near-net properties at speeds from 1 to 100 Gigabits per second (Gbps).

AiNET has a large focus on Government and public sector customers and offers its unrivaled combination of data center and connectivity assets, disaster recovery support, and managed cloud-based applications to the global market.