SimplyCast, the Dartmouth-based multi-channel marketing company, today will unveil its new Canadian data centre in Toronto, which will allow it offer enhanced communications services to large Canadian organizations, including governments.

The data centre will give SimplyCast clients the option of storing their company and client data completely in Canada, which is becoming increasingly necessary for Canadian organizations due to Canada’s relatively  strict privacy laws . Many government agencies and universities are required to keep data within Canada's borders.

“This is a huge deal for us,” said CEO Saeed El-Darahali in an interview yesterday, adding that it allows the company to finally deploy a lot of the technology it has spent three years developing.

When he began the company three years ago, El-Darahali set out to develop a Platform-as-a-Service offering rather than Software-as-a-Service, which meant it took time to develop a basic technology that has the flexibility to develop new tools and functionality quickly, depending on market demand.

He said the company is now able to establish that platform in one data centre in Canada. That will allow governments and other large customers to use SimplyCast not for marketing so much as communications. The system could be used for emergency announcements, for example, or to explain voting procedures and locations to citizens.

"The Canadian data centre is ideal for Federal and Provincial Governments as well as Canadian businesses and institutions looking to keep their data safe and at home,” said El-Darahali in a company statement. “As a proud Canadian company, this will open up a new market that we previously could not enter."

In the interview, he added that the company is now able to open similar data centres in other jurisdictions around the world, and capture similar markets in other countries.

In contrast to most other tech entrepreneurs, El-Darahali never discusses a possible exit, stating instead that he wants to build a global leader in Nova Scotia. He’s been reluctant to sell equity in the company (though Innovacorp does own a stake) preferring instead to generate cash through revenues accrued by selling its service to thousands of customers in more than 175 countries.

He said he has been in discussions with possible funders, and will decide within six months whether to sell some equity. He emphasized that the company does not need capital, but may decide to raise money in order to accelerate growth.