PSCU this week said it has officially opened its expanded data center in Phoenix and designated it as the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based CUSO's primary data center.

The site also will be the hub for technology-based services that PSCU provides to nearly 700 member-owner credit unions, with the St. Petersburg site serving as a hot site for business interruption data backup, the company said.

The centers host technology infrastructure used in the company's payments and other processes and also handles around-the-clock technical inquiries from PSCU employees and client credit unions.

Server upgrades, equipment protection systems and energy efficiency improvements were among the enhancements at the Phoenix center, PSCU said.

“The investment in our Phoenix data center reflects our commitment to excellence and creating a world-class environment to support the next generation of payments solutions and analytics tools,” PSCU President/CEO Mike Kelly said in the company's announcement.

Also in the statement, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said, “PSCU is a vital and important member of our business community. Their investment, expanding their data center and naming Phoenix as their primary data center location, is welcome news that strengthens our technology sector and creates much needed jobs in our region.”

PSCU said 425 employees now work at the Phoenix center and that 10 new positions were part of the expansion. The company said it currently employs 1,800 people overall.