Why Urban Data Centers are the Lynchpin to Digital Success
By Andrew Fray, Managing Director UK, Interxion
As digital technology becomes more pervasive in every aspect of our lives, it's easy to overlook just what's required to make it possible. Simple, everyday tasks such as watching a video on YouTube, posting social media updates or ordering takeaway via an app require a dense web of providers to deliver the content across networks.
As the pressure placed on these various providers – from network operators through to cloud platforms – intensifies under the weight of end user demand, the requirement to operate in synchronicity only increases. It's therefore of little wonder that more providers value the location of their IT infrastructure as a key driver for seamless service delivery. Equally, those with a business-critical need to access those networks and services are also benefitting from having their cloud servers in close proximity.
Urban colocation data centres, such as Interxion's new LON3 facility, are thus proving to be the central hub that facilitates the on-demand digital economy, offering enterprises the network connectivity and easy access to services that they need to deliver a seamless digital experience.
Colocation – what, where and why?
Put simply, colocation data centres are like a co-working space for cloud infrastructure. Much like co-working spaces, a diverse range of complementary skill sets can be united under one roof. In a colocation facility, all necessary elements of a hybrid and multicloud environment come together to interconnect. This includes the carriers and CDNs that deliver connectivity services, the cloud gateways that offer secure, direct entry to public cloud services and a range of IT service providers. The communities of interest present make colocation data centres an attractive proposition for enterprises that demand speed and performance to deliver exceptional customer experience.
Colocation data centres thrive in urban locations. This is because a central location can attract and congregate a critical mass of service providers that want to be as close as possible to the businesses and customers that share services. In a major city such as London, this includes a whole host of data-critical sectors that rely on fast, reliable and secure connectivity, such as Financial Services and Digital Media providers.
The city never sleeps
For any digitally-oriented organisation, there is no such thing as downtime. Every moment a product or service is not available to customers is lost revenue. Businesses therefore need robust infrastructure and continuous, resilient operation to meet their customers' needs. Service interruption isn't an option.
Having your IT infrastructure in an urban colocation facility offers fast access to core applications and cloud platforms, supported by robust protection against downtime. That means having high availability, round the clock maintenance and security and fast access to expert engineers to ensure optimal data centre operation. What's more, urban infrastructure gives a colocation facility more carrier access points than regional alternatives, enhancing connectivity options.
The foundation for a growth strategy
A further benefit of urban colocation is the ability to scale to new user demand without a costly capital expenditure requirement. The digital economy flourishes based on businesses being able to deploy new products and services across a wide geographical footprint. As more customers adopt these services, businesses need to have supporting IT infrastructure within – or as close as possible – to new markets in order to seamlessly onboard new users.
Urban colocation facilities make it possible for businesses to not only scale up to meet service demands within existing markets, but also to expand into new markets via a network of data centres. Interxion does this through its data centre network, which connects 45 state-of-the-art facilities across 13 European cities. Colocating within an Interxion facility gives enterprises the ability to effortlessly connect with suppliers, partners and customers across the different locations through dedicated cross connects.
Urban colocation data centres can therefore act as a launch-pad for international expansion and market discovery, ensuring new and existing customers are able to experience the full functionality of the service without being hindered by poor network delivery.
London calling
No city is better placed to offer the foundation for digital success than central London. Home to nearly a million companies, including three-quarters of the Fortune 500 and one of the world's largest clusters of technology start-ups, the city is a hub for digital business looking for minimal latency to the maximum number of users.
Interxion's new LON3 data centre sits within its established London campus with a community of more than 90 connectivity providers, 200 financial market participants and eight major CDNs. LON3 offers enterprises highly connected IT in the heart of London, providing the connectivity, performance and access to new markets that sets these businesses up for digital success.
