Why digital transformation? Why with Datum?

A trusted platform on which to consolidate your physical IT estate before transforming to your chosen multi-platform hybrid solution.

What is a digital transformation platform?

Software gets most of the credit for digital transformation. But in a hybrid IT context, the platform underneath it is physical. It’s the secure, connected environment that makes cloud adoption, network consolidation and application migration actually possible.

For most organisations, that foundation is a colocation data centre: the stable, carrier-neutral point at the centre of a hybrid delivery model, connecting on-premise workloads with public and private cloud services and WAN connectivity, without tying the business to one vendor’s architecture.

Digital transformation is rarely a single move. Most organisations need a platform that can absorb the complexity of transition while the long-term architecture is still taking shape. Colocation creates that breathing space: a stable, scalable environment with the connectivity to support whichever hybrid model emerges.

What does a digital transformation platform include?

A digital transformation platform brings together infrastructure, connectivity, data capability and security controls. The flexibility to run hybrid IT effectively depends on all four working together.

  • Cloud and carrier connectivity

Direct, low-latency connections to cloud providers and network carriers sit at the centre of any hybrid IT strategy. Less reliance on the public internet. Workloads placed where they actually perform best. Datum’s carrier-neutral data centres connect to platforms including AWS and Microsoft Azure, and network providers including BT, Colt and Zayo, giving you the freedom to design the hybrid solution your workloads need.

Datum’s carrier-neutral facilities mean you’re free to work with whichever network providers and cloud platforms suit your requirements, without being pushed towards a preferred supplier.

  • Physical infrastructure and colocation

A secure, resilient colocation facility gives organisations a dependable base during transition, whether that’s consolidating multiple sites or moving away from ageing on-premise hardware. Datum’s facilities in Farnborough and Manchester provide the power, space and physical security that process needs, with the flexibility to scale footprint up or down as the transformation progresses and requirements sharpen.

  • Data and analytics

Keeping data accessible across cloud and on-premise environments without introducing latency or governance issues is one of the harder practical problems in any transformation programme. The platform needs connectivity architecture that moves and manages data between systems reliably. Datum’s carrier-neutral environment supports that architecture, helping organisations avoid getting locked into a single provider’s ecosystem as their data strategy develops.

  • Security and compliance

Security and compliance requirements don’t pause for a transition. A digital transformation platform has to meet them throughout, combining physical security, network security and the governance controls regulators and internal audit teams require. Datum’s data centres provide the controlled, access-managed environment organisations need when handling sensitive workloads during the move away from legacy infrastructure.

  • Process automation

Automation reduces manual effort, speeds up provisioning and makes hybrid environments easier to manage at scale. But automation and orchestration tools only work if the connectivity underneath them is stable and low-latency between on-premise systems, colocated infrastructure and cloud platforms. Datum’s resilient transit delivery and carrier neutral approach offers that flexible and reliable foundation, so the integration architecture your teams build operates consistently and without bottlenecks.

Common challenges in digital transformation, and how to plan around them

  • Decanting from legacy on-premise infrastructure without downtime

Moving workloads out of ageing on-premise environments is rarely simple. Hardware dependencies, undocumented configurations and business-critical systems that can’t tolerate interruption all raise the risk during transition. Datum’s two-phase model handles this with a secure colocation landing zone where workloads move at a controlled pace. Instead of one cutover, you stabilise in that environment first. Then rationalise and redistribute workloads into your target hybrid architecture once the foundations are set and the risk is contained.

  • Controlling cloud costs as workloads scale

Cloud adoption usually starts with strong cost intentions. Then, without clear visibility of consumption, bills climb as workloads grow. Colocation with direct, provider-agnostic connectivity means you’re not locked into one cloud provider’s commercial terms. Workloads can route to the most cost-effective destination as your strategy matures. And because your physical footprint in a Datum facility scales up or down over time, you’re not carrying fixed infrastructure costs that stopped reflecting what the business actually needs.

  • Maintaining security and compliance during transition

Transition is when security gaps are most likely to appear. Data moving between legacy sites, unfamiliar access controls in a new facility and shifting network perimeters all need careful management. Datum acts as a trusted partner throughout, providing the physical security and certifications expected from a carrier-neutral facility. Separating physical and virtual transformation into two distinct phases means your compliance posture isn’t weakened by trying to manage both at once under pressure.

A two-phase approach to physical and virtual change

Physical migration and virtual consolidation are different problems, needing different solutions, tackled in sequence. Most transformation frameworks assume the physical estate is already resolved. For many organisations, it isn’t.

Phase 1: Physical transition

  • Decant. Consolidate. Stabilise.

The first phase focuses on the physical estate: ageing on-premise server rooms, legacy data halls, distributed branch infrastructure, or a mix of all three. That physical complexity has to be addressed before any meaningful cloud or hybrid strategy can take shape.

Datum acts as a neutral landing zone during this phase. Instead of forcing an immediate decision about where every workload will ultimately live, organisations move infrastructure into Datum’s carrier-neutral colocation environment first. This separates the urgency of physical relocation from the complexity of long-term design decisions. IT teams get room to assess, audit and prioritise without committing to a permanent footprint.

During Phase 1, Datum provides flexible rack space and power with short-term access options. No organisation should be locked into a configuration that stops matching where they expect to be in 18 months. Physical security, resilience and compliance requirements are in place from day one, taking pressure off the teams managing the decant. What’s left is a stable, auditable base Phase 2 can be planned against with confidence.

Phase 2: Virtual consolidation

  • Design. Connect. Reduce.

Once the infrastructure is consolidated and stable, Phase 2 is where the hybrid IT strategy takes shape. Questions too risky to answer during a live migration, including which workloads move to public cloud, which stay in colocation and which need dedicated connectivity, can now be worked through in sequence against a clear inventory.

Datum’s carrier-neutral connectivity is central to this phase. Datum facilities provide direct access to multiple cloud platforms and carriers, so organisations can build their target hybrid architecture without the lead times and costs of starting from a standalone environment. The connectivity is already there. The focus shifts from procurement to configuration.

As Phase 2 progresses, the colocation footprint often shrinks as workloads move to cloud or get retired altogether. Contracts are structured to accommodate that, letting the colocation environment evolve from a landing zone into a core hybrid anchor: the stable, connected point around which cloud and on-premise resources are balanced for the long term.

Together, the two phases give you a practical structure for sequencing decisions, allocating budget and setting realistic milestones, whether you’re building an internal business case or scoping a programme with a delivery partner.

Keep up in a changing world

We have a track record of supporting our clients throughout their digital transformation processes, and of working with partners to deliver the bigger picture:

  • The ability to flex both up and down over the lifetime of the contract in terms of power, space and footprint
  • Short-term access to additional space and power when required
  • Access to multiple cloud platforms and carriers, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle, alongside carriers such as BT, Colt and Zayo

Advances in technology, digitisation, budgetary pressures and globalisation are combining to bring both challenges and opportunities to businesses of all sizes. Corporate IT is under pressure from every direction right now to transform operations, deliver more agile solutions, and meet competitive forces and key business objectives.

Because of that pressure, most companies are engaged in, or contemplating, digital transformation at a tactical or strategic level, and increasingly seeking new hybrid delivery models as part of that process. Colocation has a strong role to play in delivering the platform underneath those hybrid models.

Contact us for help with your digital transformation project

Download our free guide to digital transformation

Taking on any digital transformation project can be a significant challenge. Our guide will help you decide where to start, provide practical advice on how to ensure that the transition is seamless and give you access to a success story from one of our international clients.

Find out about:

  • The driving factors behind the need for digital transformation
  • How organisations could benefit from the change
  • The role that colocation can play in providing a flexible platform for consolidation
  • Why a two-phase approach to transformation is the best approach
  • How you can make the process easier through the help of trusted partners
Download your copy and begin your journey today

Let us support your transformation

If your company is currently undergoing digital transformation at any level, you know the importance of finding a reliable and secure platform to support your hybrid delivery model. We have a proven track record of supporting our clients throughout the transformation process and have a strong partnership network to deliver the bigger picture.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about how Datum can support your IT transformation journey.

Find out how we can be your partner in success