Solutions for Data Centres and Service Providers

Space, power and connectivity are the fundamentals for any data centre. Finding space that provided physical security used to be one of the main criteria for site selection, and as the carriers competed with each other gaining connecting to the carriers was not an issue.

These days connecting into the networks to provide the reach and breadth required by the data centre can be a huge cost for the data centre. This issue is exacerbated by the other essential element – power. With power restrictions curbing developments in central metropolitan areas new build data centres are often sited in areas where fibre connectivity may be limited, increasing the cost of providing diverse network connectivity to the network, and making the connectivity the core to any data centres business plan.

The NWIX network aggregates elements from multiple national fibre providers and niche networks such as UKERNA into a single network connecting data centres across the UK and Europe. By connecting to the NWIX network data centres and service providers can eliminate the need to build out their own networks and enhance the attractiveness of their facility by joining a community of other data centres.  With back-up, storage and consolidation projects being headline projects in IT, the low latency attributes of the network means data centres on the NWIX network are ideal for either primary or back-up site in such projects. With its overlay of the Peering LAN, the network effectively allows the service provider or data centre to host their own Internet Exchange. By peering with other members on the network our customers can connect to access and content providers, reducing the need for transit for UK traffic.

IP Transit provides direct links to many of the worlds’ largest content and access providers and unlike with peering, access is guaranteed so customers achieve increased dependability of service. In order to control costs ISPs tend to purchase transit capacity that just about meets their needs. Using the NWIX network eliminates the need to use transit for UK traffic and can therefore provide substantial cost-savings to the service provider.