Evaluating 7 Top Data Center Advisory Services

Data is no longer a mere by-product of business—it is a central resource that shapes how organizations function. Every interaction generates information, and managing it takes more than local servers. Companies today work across colocation sites, cloud platforms and edge facilities, each with demands and risks.

The right advisor helps you sort through providers, compliance requirements and contracts that can tie you down for years. They show you how regional power reliability affects uptime, how cooling design changes operating costs and how interconnection choices influence your ability to grow. Find data center advisors that match your technical priorities and financial goals.

Key Criteria for Evaluating Data Center Advisory Services

Price quotes aren’t the only thing to remember when choosing an advisory partner for your company—you’re deciding who will guide your critical infrastructure choices for years ahead. Here are five areas worth close attention:

• Technical expertise and certifications: Choose advisors with real depth, backed by certifications in networking, cloud and data center operations to ensure uptime, performance and efficiency.

• Experience with emerging tech: Look for proven hands-on work with cloud, edge and AI to design solutions for today’s needs and tomorrow’s demands.

• Track record and references: Strong advisors share client outcomes and references, showing their performance under real-world conditions.

• Customization and scalability: Avoid one-size-fits-all. The right partner tailors solutions to your growth plans, with flexibility to scale up or down smoothly.

• Security and compliance: A qualified advisor prioritizes encryption, access controls, audits and compliance to protect data and build trust.

Where Can You Find Data Center Advisors?

Here are the top recommended advisors, ranked and evaluated for their ability to deliver innovative solutions and drive progress rather than just keeping pace with changes in the data space.

1. TRC

TRC is a trusted partner of public agencies and private enterprises worldwide for data center advisory services. The company has been in the industry for more than 55 years, helping organizations adapt to the changing demands of data, particularly with scalability, compliance, new tech and sustainability aspects.

Client concerns are approached with evidence-based thinking, clever engineering and consulting expertise. The company’s foremost values are creativity and curiosity, so when your challenges seem unsolvable, TRC treats them as opportunities for unique tech stacks and forward-looking solutions rather than dead ends.

TRC is a strong choice for data center owners, developers and operators who want to reduce downtime, speed deployment and optimize resource management while scaling confidently as their data needs grow. Its integrated services cover every project phase, so you always have expert support.

With over 150 offices in the U.S. and 8,000 practitioners in advisory, consulting, construction, engineering and management, TRC does not copy-paste solutions but creates unique pathways for businesses to overcome challenges and thrive.

2. Jones Lang LaSalle

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) is widely recognized for its expertise in commercial and investment real estate and is a leader in data center advisory services. The firm helps businesses shape their digital infrastructure strategies, focusing on current needs and future demands.

JLL’s specialists cover every stage of the data center life cycle—evaluation, scaling, optimization and long-term efficiency. Its offers span colocation site selection, land acquisition, divestment, facility management and energy procurement. The company has completed 3 GW of colocation transactions in the U.S. and manages over 250 data center sites worldwide. Its approach combines real estate insight with intelligent and sustainable AI-driven solutions that guide businesses toward long-term success.

Whether you need to maximize the capabilities of existing data centers or secure new space in a shrinking market, JLL provides strategic support through occupancy planning and location analysis. Its goal is to give companies the clarity and capacity to secure a stronger digital future.

3. Jacobs Engineering Group

Jacobs Engineering Group has built its reputation over three decades as a trusted data center planning, design and delivery partner. With deep expertise in architecture, engineering, construction management and commissioning, Jacobs helps organizations develop sustainable, reliable infrastructure that can adapt to the demands of cloud, AI and data-driven applications.

What sets Jacobs apart is its integrated approach, which includes site selection, cost modeling and regulatory analysis, full-service design and hands-on construction management. Its teams bring global reach—spanning six continents—and local insight, ensuring scalable, compliant and resilient solutions.

Jacobs also addresses one of the industry’s biggest challenges, sustainability. Combining plug-and-play modular design with innovations in renewable energy, cooling efficiency and water reuse helps clients reduce carbon impact while meeting performance needs. Its cross-market expertise in energy, environment and infrastructure allows it to anticipate challenges others might overlook.

4. Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis

Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) is the world’s most extensive commercial real estate services and investment company and a recognized leader in data center advisory solutions. Through its Data Center Solutions consulting group, CBRE helps organizations align real estate, facilities and technology systems into one integrated operational and financial model.

For companies needing to develop, build, acquire, sell or modernize a single data center or manage an entire global portfolio, CBRE brings unmatched expertise to one of the industry’s most complex and dynamic asset classes. Combining global scale with local market intelligence delivers tailored strategies that keep businesses ahead of emerging technologies and shifting industry trends.

CBRE manages over 700 data centers worldwide, representing over 50 countries and offering end-to-end life cycle services. With CBRE, organizations gain a trusted advisor ready to secure their digital future in an era of rapid growth and transformation.

5. AECOM

AECOM has been trusted by hyperscalers, colocation leaders and mission-critical operators for over 25 years. With over 11 GW of capacity delivered across 45 countries, AECOM provides end-to-end advisory, design and implementation services that keep your digital infrastructure resilient, scalable and sustainable.

You can benefit from its comprehensive site selection and due diligence, including environmental, geotechnical, utility and risk assessments, to ensure every location decision supports long-term business continuity. Once a site is secured, AECOM’s full-service teams handle architecture, engineering, power strategy, cooling design, water reuse and commissioning, so you have a single point of accountability across the life cycle.

As demand for AI and high-density workloads grows, AECOM leads with advanced liquid cooling, renewable power integration and fiber and subsea connectivity solutions to future-proof your portfolio. Backed by global expertise and local delivery teams, AECOM helps you build, expand and modernize data centers faster while meeting critical sustainability and performance goals.

6. Arup

Arup is a global leader in creating resilient, efficient and sustainable data centers. The company offers end-to-end services covering every stage of a facility’s life, from choosing the right site and planning to design, upgrades and long-term operations. Its expertise includes decarbonization, risk management, engineering, retrofits and cybersecurity, ensuring data centers are ready for today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

Arup has a strong track record working with major operators like Equinix and NTT Communications. The team focuses on cutting carbon emissions, boosting energy and water efficiency and speeding delivery through proven global design standards. By tackling sustainability, reliability and growth issues, Arup builds and upgrades data centers designed to perform, adapt and last.

7. Corgan

Corgan is one of the United States’ leading data center architects, and it has been trusted for delivering scalable, high-performance facilities since 1979. You work with a partner that builds at what we call the speed of trust, a responsive, collaborative approach that ensures your needs drive every decision. With over 250 dedicated data center specialists, Corgan has the depth and expertise to help you expand capacity quickly and confidently.

The company’s portfolio includes first-to-market facilities for Fortune 500 companies, hyperscale operators and mission-critical enterprises worldwide. From the first custom-built data center in Asia to major campuses for QTS, Iron Mountain, Vantage, CoreSite and the U.S. Social Security Administration, Corgan understands the unique demands of large-scale, secure and resilient infrastructure.

Whether you need greenfield development, retrofits, or optimized operational workflows, Corgan integrates architecture, engineering and advisory services quickly and precisely. The result is a facility designed for functionality, efficiency and long-term reliability so your data center is always ready for what’s next.

Choose the Best Data Advisory Provider For Your Business

The seven providers above each bring unique strengths, standing out as field leaders. The key is to weigh these options against your needs and identify where the solutions align with your priorities. In the end, the best choice is the one that addresses your challenges today while offering forward-looking solutions that support your long-term goals.