There is a belief in the UK that London forms a core of connectivity, meaning that colocation centres must be located there to take advantage of this perceived highest-speed connection. Furthermore, if an organisation chooses Colocation then the decisions on who provides the service and how an organisation arranges its network can become almost immaterial.

The reality is, we have to base all of our decisions on rational probability and weigh up the pros and cons – there are always advantages and disadvantages to any location, the key is to ensure you are clued-up on the facts and examine what your business needs are.

A recent article by Telstra it has identified that the increasing rise in data centre facilities outside  London is extremely advantageous for customers. The reality is that it all comes down to one fundamental question: do I operate my IT and telecoms in London or elsewhere?  Of course there are many valid arguments for both, however, the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) guidelines state that financial services companies must have a back-up facility over 40km from their primary facility, making towns outside of London extremely attractive as they can then be more than 40km from Docklands to meet FSA guidelines. Any large metropolitan area, and particularly London as the capital city, will always be more vulnerable to terrorist attacks than remote countryside destinations.

With ever-faster network connections, data communication to and from these centres can be measured in milliseconds, making London’s perceived increased connectivity immaterial in most cases. At the same time, with limitation on space and available power, London can only support a limited number of such centres meaning that the location can command a premium price. Unless a business is based in London, and is in an industry where near-instantaneous communication is essential- such as finance, it tends to be a more cost-effective solution to use a colocation centre outside of London.

There are many positives when looking into a DataCentre outside London, but perhaps cost can be considered as rather important since choosing a data centre outside of London  will have an impact on the price you pay, particularly if you need a lot of electrical power and cooling.  Of course also one could consider it will be a lower risk as housing your equipment outside London is also thought by many to be a lower risk option in terms of terrorist attacks as well as the fact that many newer Data Centres in remote locations are purpose-built rather than conversions of existing buildings.

Netcetera attributes much of its success to the fact that its state-of-the-art Data Centre is based in the Isle of Man – away from the disadvantages that many of its competitors and their clients have faced. The company’s strategic location is a powerful draw for businesses when considering outsourcing their data.  Every company will have its own requirements when it comes to selecting the location of its data centre but some needs are common for almost all users. Reliability, security and support that enables them to focus on their core business, are all key elements that feature highly on the list of priorities for any company but in today, the cost of attached to the data centre location will also grow in importance. This isn’t about a price war however, rather, a consideration of high-end Cloud-based services that put Netcetera at an advantage.

For more information about how Netcetera can help you, contact our friendly Sales Team

UK based Web Host and Datacentre operator Netcetera announced this week that the company’s ISO9001 and ISO27001 accreditations have been successfully renewed after an extensive audit.

Netcetera‘s services and products are continually reviewed to ensure that the company provides the highest quality service to their customers. Netcetera CTO Tim Cass commented

“Netcetera strives to maintain its established reputation for quality and security, it is our aim to provide world class service using the best facilities for our clients. The successful recertification of ISO9001 and  ISO27001 reflects our ongoing efforts to maintain the highest service and security levels by implementing effective systems to enhance the working environment of our Isle of Man Datacentre.”

ISO 9001:2008 specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organisation needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Netcetera aims to enhance customer satisfaction through effective quality assurance and continual improvement.

Being ISO9001:2008 certified and registered means an independent auditor has checked that the processes influencing quality within Netcetera conforms to the relevant standard’s requirements. The primary objective is to give our management team and our clients confidence that we are always in control of the way we do things. An organisation that engages an independent auditor or certification body to check their processes receives a certificate of conformity from the auditor/certification body.

The ISO 27001:2005 standard is an international certification that applies requirements for information security management systems. The standard is designed to provide customers with an assurance that their provider uses industry best practices or information security.

First awarded in 2007, Netcetera was the first Isle of Man Datacentre to be completely certified for both Quality Management System ISO 9001 and Information Security Management System ISO 27001. The successful recertification is a result of the full integrated management system (IMS) which ensures the cohesion of all aspects of service including customer service and information management.

Want to learn more?

To speak to one of our Hosting Specialists about what our services can do for you please call 0800 061 2801 or fill out our Enquiry Form.

WHAT IS A DATA CENTRE?

A Data Centre is a facility that is exclusively Dedicated to looking after computers and in turn, the data and programs that are stored on them, such as websites, emails, financial transactions or customer relationship management (CRM) applications. The computers that are usually used in a Data Centre are a specialised type of PC used by businesses called servers.

WHAT DOES A DATA CENTRE DO?

Because servers have become such an integral part of most types of business activity, it has become critical to protect them in a secure and well-maintained environment. Any company that has experienced website downtime or has been unable to send or receive e-mails for a few hours, will know how costly it is to their business, both in lost revenue and reduced productivity.

Some businesses still keep their servers in the basement of their building or tucked away in a corner of the post room. This is the equivalent of a bank keeping its cash in an unlocked shed in the car park.

Data Centres not only look after servers with special security measures such as CCTV and 24 hour security guards but also make sure they are kept in the best possible environment by ensuring they are kept at constant humidity / temperature levels and supplied with an uninterruptable power supply, so that even if there’s a mains power failure, your servers – and your business – keep on running.

HOW DOES A DATA CENTRE HELP ME?

In assessing whether using a Data Centre makes economic sense, you may want to ask the following questions:

• How much would we save if we consolidated all our servers in one location?
• How much does the space used for servers cost us?
• How much will it cost us if we need to expand our current IT infrastructure in the future?
• What would be the cost to the company if we lost our servers to a power-cut / theft / fire / flood?

The answer to any one of these questions may in itself provide the financial case for using a Data Centre. In addition, there is usually a compelling risk management case as well. Our Data Centre has been designed with security and redundancy of essential services in mind, which means that even if there’s a mains power-cut or a major problem with connectivity from an Internet Service Provider, we have backup systems in place to make sure your servers and IT systems remain online.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

To speak to one of our Hosting Specialists about what our services can do for you, or to arrange a Data Centre Tour of the Netcetera Datacentre in Ballasalla (Virtual or in-person) or for any other queries, please fill out our Enquiry Form, Request a Brochure or call 0800 061 2801

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In general, colocation is moving or placing things together. In technology, Colocation is the renting of physical space in a service provider’s data centre premises.

Data centre colocation allows an organisation to save money by housing and running parts of its IT infrastructure off-site instead of building and managing an in house data centre. For example, a business might colocate its corporate servers; colocation, as opposed to managed hosting or dedicated hosting, describes an arrangement where the hardware and software remain owned and managed by the business but is housed in a service provider’s Datacentre to reduce overhead costs incurred by things like cooling, power, physical security, insurance and connectivity . Colocation providers also provide technical monitoring and physical support which is called “remote hands and eyes” which saves the organisation having to attend site for routine or emergency tasks.

Colocation can also be spelled “colocation”, “collocation” or “co-location” and abbreviated as “colo”.