Let’s explore how regional internet exchanges can help local tech communities and, as a result, benefit the broader business and user groups they serve.
One of the key goals of a regional peering exchange is to get traffic from point to point in as efficient a manner as possible. Network operators with access to local peering can interconnect their networks at a single location within a region or city. The distance that data needs to travel to reach its destination is reduced, resulting in lower latency and faster response times for online services.
We’ve seen this first-hand at our MCR1 facility in Manchester, which is home to a LINX Manchester Point of Presence (PoP). Established as part of a drive by LINX to keep traffic local and decentralise the UK’s internet infrastructure, this particular IXP gave ISPs easy access to a peering point that saves their traffic from having to loop around London.
ISPs can reduce their operational costs by peering at local exchanges because they can offload some of their internet connectivity at their doorstep – avoiding expensive long-haul IP transit fees for example.
By establishing multiple points of presence and connecting through local peering exchanges, networks become more resilient. If one network connection or link goes down, traffic can be rerouted through alternative paths, reducing the risk of widespread internet outages.
Peering exchanges facilitate efficient use of bandwidth by allowing networks to exchange traffic directly rather than sending it through upstream transit providers. This optimises the use of available capacity and can help prevent network congestion during peak usage times.
Content providers like CDNs and streaming services benefit from local peering exchanges by establishing points of presence within or near these exchange points. This enables them to cache and distribute content more effectively to users in a specific region, ensuring faster content delivery. Indeed, the presence of IX Manchester at our MCR1 facility was a key selling point for PixelMax, where low latency was critical to the delivery of their Metaverse applications.
Local peering exchanges can be transformative for a region – an aspect of community and (in the case of LINX for example) a membership-owned basis encourages interworking between local organisations and the fostering of a healthy tech scene. Although providers will be expected to compete with one another, cooperation, collaboration and investment for the good of the internet in a city lends itself to wider ranging benefits such as economic development and job creation in the area.
With more direct connections and shorter routing paths, network quality and reliability are enhanced. This is especially important for IoT and real-time applications like VoIP, online gaming, and video conferencing, where low latency and stable connections are essential.
Local peering exchanges can offer better control over data traffic, reducing reliance on distant and potentially less secure international links. This can enhance the privacy and security of local internet communications.
For more information about LINX Manchester and the benefits of peering with a regional internet exchange at a Datum facility, get in touch with our team.
Organisations must adopt new business models enabled by technology, and staying competitive requires a relentless focus on innovation. However, the journey to digital transformation requires a high level of infrastructure agility, scalability, and security that many enterprises struggle to achieve.
Data centres and colocation are enablers of digital transformation and an essential component of the digital transformation landscape. We furnish businesses with the necessary infrastructure, security, and accessibility they need to tackle the ever-changing tech environment. IT managers can take advantage of our facilities to streamline costs, improve agility, and enhance the value proposition offered by their business.
Digital transformation requires agility, which means being able to respond to changes in the business environment quickly. However, traditional in-house data centre infrastructure is often rigid and inflexible, which makes it challenging for enterprises to scale their IT infrastructure sufficiently rapidly. By working with us, enterprises can leverage our infrastructure and add capacity to their IT footprint faster than if they were to build their own data centre. We also offer a range of interconnectivity options, such as cloud connectivity and carrier-neutral connectivity, which further enable infrastructure agility.
Digitalisation has increased the amount of sensitive data that organisations must handle, making them targets for cyber-attacks. As a result, security is a cornerstone of digital transformation. Security measures such as multi-factor authentication, video surveillance, and biometric access control systems, as well as our strict physical security measures like gated building access, secured cages, and round-the-clock monitoring ensure that infrastructure remains secure.
Digital transformation requires the ability to rapidly scale computing and storage resources to meet business needs. By leveraging our infrastructure, enterprises can increase their capacity quickly and scale their IT resources up or down as needed.
Building and maintaining a data centre and all its associated infrastructure can be an expensive proposition. Much of this is related to the need for expensive real estate, power, and cooling requirements. Our colo provides an economical alternative, with a shared infrastructure that reduces costs by spreading them across multiple tenants. IT managers can leverage this advantage to improve their budgets and invest in other critical digital transformation initiatives.
The data centre environment is becoming more complex every day. There are more applications, more systems, more users, and more data, which require more IT infrastructure. It’s tough for most organisations to achieve the agility, scalability, and security required to support their digital transformation projects because of the complexity of their infrastructure. Our purpose-built infrastructure and network of service providers facilitates complex solutions and reduces IT complexity for our clients.
Digital transformation requires businesses to leverage cutting-edge technology to provide unique value propositions to their customers. However, it’s challenging for most organisations to allocate sufficient resources for developing and deploying innovative products and services. We are a valuable resource for innovation as we provide access to advanced IT infrastructure, as well as the managed IT services that support the development and implementation of innovative solutions.
Future success is about utilising new technology to create a strong digital core to power businesses while leveraging data to create new streams of revenue. By embracing the benefits of data centres and colocation, businesses can pave the way to future growth and success.
To ensure that IT infrastructure is operating at maximum capacity, it’s critical to choose the right type of server installation for your needs. And there are countless options to choose from…
Open frame server racks are typically cheaper, easier to install and access, and require less cabling than enclosed racks. However, they may also be less secure, as they offer less protection against dust, moisture and unauthorised access. Enclosed racks, on the other hand, provide better security, environmental control, and noise reduction, but at a higher cost and with more complicated installation and maintenance requirements. Open racks are more accessible, making it easier to access the equipment inside, while enclosed racks offer more protection from dust and other contaminants.
Racks are also available in different configurations, such as 2-post and 4-post racks. 2-post racks are typically used for lightweight equipment, such as switches and patch panels, while 4-post racks are designed for heavier equipment, such as servers and storage arrays, where more cabling is required. Additionally, 4-post racks can be configured with adjustable shelves and cable management to optimise performance and organisation.
The size of your server rack will depend on your space requirements and the number of servers you need to accommodate. Quarter racks are great for small businesses with only a few servers, while half racks are ideal for medium-sized businesses. Full racks are designed for larger businesses with many servers that need to be housed in one place.
Preconfigured racks are pre-built racks that are designed to be delivered and installed quickly. They are typically affordable and come with a range of different options; they are a great choice for those who want to get up and running quickly without worrying too much about the specifics.
Customised racks, as the name suggests, are designed to fit your specific needs. These can include everything from the size and shape of the rack to the number of rack units and even the cooling and power needs. Customised racks are typically more expensive than preconfigured ones, but they offer a greater level of flexibility, allowing you to choose the features that are most important based on your needs.
These restricted access areas, surrounded by sturdy perimeters, provide a secure physical space for the servers, switches and storage equipment to operate, while simultaneously protecting them from unauthorised access, theft and damage. These are perfect for organisations needing to achieve especially high security specifications.
Some organisations opt for a customised IT suite because they have specific requirements for space, power, cooling or physical security. By having a tailored suite, businesses are better equipped to handle varying workloads, maximise efficiency, and ensure their systems are secure.
We work with our clients to provide bespoke solutions so they are not constrained by an off-the-peg offering. Whilst we have our preferred rack suppliers, our clients can specify their own, providing the racks are compatible with our energy-efficient cooling solution. We can help you design a solution that optimally supports your operations, both today and in the future. Simply get in touch to discuss your requirements.
It was wonderful to see so many people coming together from across the industry to reconnect over a few beers and slices of pizza to talk about what’s relevant right now in the world of tech – from the pressures and challenges organisations are facing, to the latest trends and innovations that are shaping our futures.
We welcomed individuals from a range of different businesses – data centres, network, infrastructure, cloud, MSPs, telecoms… everyone is welcome at Get Reconnected as we strive to build a collaborative community of like-minded tech-focused people.
Our September event was sponsored by critical environment specialists, Keysource. Keysource delivers effective, sustainable solutions for data centres and critical infrastructure to meet the evolving demands of the digital era. With a commitment to innovation, Keysouce optimises data centre operations, enhances efficiency and works to ensure the reliability of critical infrastructure.
If you’re interested in attending one of our future Get Reconnected events, you can sign up to our events mailing list here for updates, or follow us on LinkedIN or Twitter.
Everyone is welcome at these events where we’ve created a relaxed, no pressure environment with food and drink provided on us! No heavy sales presentations, no demands to bring leads or refer business, just a friendly, welcoming community working to make the Manchester tech scene a more collaborative place.
We look forward to Getting Reconnected with you at our next event!
If you’re a business professional with a particular interest in the world of IT and business internet services and you can make it to Manchester tomorrow, why not come along to ‘Get Reconnected’ – a relaxed evening of networking at Box Deansgate where you can connect with people who share your tech interests?
Bounce ideas off others in your industry:
The tech professionals who attend our networking events have expertise across the board. So whether you’re interested in connecting with specialists in the world of AI, cyber security, cloud computing, Internet of Things, blockchain technology, or anything in between, look no further than our ‘Get Reconnected’ event!
It’s free, and we’ll even provide the food and drink. All we ask is that you register for the event in advance so we know how many people to expect on the night.
When: Thursday 21st September, 6pm
Where: Box Deansgate (upstairs), Manchester
ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) is a set of standards that is used to measure an organisation’s impact on the environment and on society. Investors use ESG to screen investments based on corporate policies, increasing the focus on sustainable and ethical investments.
As consumer behaviour shifts towards a desire to do business with more ethical and sustainable companies, ESG becomes important as a means of encouraging businesses to act responsibly.
All of our data centre facilities use renewable energy. However, it’s important to note that how carefully energy is consumed is equally as essential as where it is sourced from. Some real efficiency in-roads can be made behind the meter. Building Management Systems (BMS) can help organisations to carefully monitor energy usage, from the data halls to the offices, and allows providers to make data driven decisions about which areas of their facility are running inefficiently. This shows that they’re serious about reducing their carbon footprint.
At Datum our power agreement not only supplies us with energy from renewable sources, but also includes full carbon offsetting using forestry products from the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project.
Our flagship data centre facility in Farnborough uses energy-efficient adiabatic cooling to maximise energy efficiencies using cost effective, state-of-the-art technology. This type of free cooling utilises a flooded airflow approach, significantly reducing running costs and our carbon footprint.
Other processes in place at our facilities include;
Our Manchester site uses a 2MW battery storage system with voltage optimisation which means we can store electricity from the national grid at times of low demand and discharge it during the most beneficial periods. This acts as a reserve during peak tariff times and delivers a stabilised voltage to reduce unnecessary energy waste and optimise the incoming power supply.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is used in the backup generators of our London data centre facility. This is a fossil fuel-free environmentally friendly alternative to mineral diesel. We were also one of the first data centres in the UK to switch from red diesel to HVO.
At Datum Group we will continue to invest in the most energy efficient solutions possible, enabling our clients to host with one of the most responsible and environmentally conscious data centre and colocation providers in the UK, supporting them with their ESG goals whilst reducing our impact on the planet.
The metaverse will require massive amounts of data processing power and storage, which data centres can provide.
Data centres – already the backbone of the internet and the home of the data required for cloud storage, web hosting, streaming services, online gaming and social media – will be crucial to the development of the metaverse, which will increase the demand for data processing power.
The metaverse will require fast internet speeds, low latency, and high bandwidth to function effectively. Data centres will play a crucial role in making this happen. With the metaverse, users will have to access data from different locations, and this will require a distributed network of data centres to provide real-time access to data. The data centres will have to be strategically located to cater to the needs of the metaverse users. Over the coming years, the location, size, and capacity of data centres will be a crucial factor in determining the success of the metaverse.
The metaverse will also increase the focus on environmental efficiency. Sustainability is already a significant concern in the data centre industry and data centres are responding to the growing need to reduce their carbon footprint. As the need for data processing capacity grows, data centre architecture will focus on creating more energy-efficient, scalable, and sustainable data processing environments.
Here’s an example of how a company that builds and deploys metaverses for enterprises globally uses our Manchester colocation facility and LINX Manchester for reduced costs and improved network performance:
The need for critical infrastructure that can power the metaverse will put data centre architecture in focus. The success of the metaverse will depend on how well data centres can cater to its needs, and as such, we can expect more significant investments in data centre infrastructure. Consequently, the question of how to reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and make data centres more sustainable will be more crucial than ever before.
Our environmentally conscious data centres are designed to minimise their impact on the environment. We are currently developing two new data centre facilities at our London edge and Manchester sites, with a launch date set for 2024. Additionally, we have available capacity in our recently launched, brand new data hall at our Farnborough location. For further information, or to schedule a tour of our facilities, please get in touch.
Whilst this may be welcome news for UK citizens who have been exasperated by our disappointing summer weather in the past, it is not such good news for businesses with on premise data centre facilities as they try to control the temperature and mitigate some of the negative effects of heat on IT equipment:
Excessive heat can cause computer equipment, including servers, to overheat. When temperatures rise beyond the recommended operating range, the performance and reliability of the equipment can be compromised. Overheating can lead to system instability, increased error rates, and even hardware failures.
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can shorten the lifespan of computer equipment. The heat stresses the electronic components and can cause them to degrade faster, leading to premature failure. Heat-related failures can result in data loss, downtime, and costly repairs or replacements.
Higher temperatures require more energy to cool the equipment. Cooling systems, such as air conditioning units or fans, need to work harder to maintain the optimal temperature range – leading to higher operational costs.
Modern computer systems often employ thermal management mechanisms to prevent overheating. When temperatures reach certain thresholds, the system may automatically reduce its performance to dissipate heat. This process, known as thermal throttling, can lead to decreased processing power and slower overall performance.
Purpose-built data centres are designed and built to minimise their carbon footprint and handle a wide range of environmental conditions, including extreme temperature. Maintaining optimal operating conditions is complex, but we have it all in hand:
Our facilities are extremely well equipped to handle the challenges of hot temperatures and our energy efficiency innovations stand us in good stead as we try to minimise the impact of higher energy costs on our clients. For example, our highly resilient Tier 3+ Farnborough site is designed to operate with an annual PUE (power usage effectiveness) of 1.25 at full load (for reference, the annual PUE worldwide between 2007-2022 was 1.55 according to a survey by Statista). This PUE is harder to maintain during particularly hot weather but our highly efficient data centre design, combined with our power and cooling infrastructure, mean that even during August 2022, the fifth hottest August on record, we achieved a PUE of 1.28 at our London edge facility.
This power efficiency formula is one that will be replicated as we embark on the construction of a new data centre facility at both of our current locations (our London edge location in Farnborough, and our Manchester site), meaning that we can continue to provide our clients with the most resilient, cost-effective and energy efficient colocation. To find out more about how we can support you with highly secure, resilient, bespoke colocation solutions for your off-premise IT, please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
Then you should consider attending our second ‘Get Reconnected’ business tech networking event on Thursday 21 September, at Box Deansgate in Manchester.
Building connections is fundamental in today’s rapidly evolving technology industry – there’s no doubt that networking is a great way to connect with new people in your industry, meet potential clients and collaborators, and even learn about new business opportunities, but sometimes it’s hard to find the right events to attend. Our Get Reconnected event (the first of which took place in June 2023) showed that our tech-focused format offers the perfect opportunity to break the ice with like-minded tech enthusiasts.
Whether you’re exploring cloud solutions, diving deep into the world of connectivity, or embracing digital transformation, we provide an environment that fosters valuable connections and meaningful conversations. Immerse yourself in a dynamic industry, meet like-minded individuals, and potentially spark future collaborations that drive innovation.
Our event is designed to be casual and friendly, so there’s no pressure to dress up or stick to an agenda. It’s just a relaxed evening where you can have a drink and some food, and network with people who share your interests.
Our second event is shaping up to be a great evening of connecting, learning, and community-building. We hope to see you there on Thursday 21 September at Box Deansgate. Be sure to bring your enthusiasm for tech, your appetite for pizza, and your best networking game!
When: Thursday 21st September, 6pm
Where: Box Deansgate, Manchester
Whilst we are all aware of the overwhelming evidence of the need for us to take urgent action to mitigate our impact on the planet, we are living through the digital age, which is reliant upon digital technology and communications which generate vast swathes of data that need to be produced, distributed and stored.
Businesses that aren’t embracing technology are struggling to compete, so we need to draw a balance between technological demands and sustainability.
Without data centres, the digital world as we know it would simply cease to exist; yet, aware of their environmental impact, many data centres are taking significant steps towards sustainability in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, whilst still providing the indispensable function of connecting, storing, and processing information, and ensuring that the data produced by individuals and organisations is continuously accessible, secure, and recoverable.
Purpose built data centres are designed with advanced systems that improve energy efficiency while reducing carbon footprints. Sustainability goes beyond just energy efficiency; it touches on the entire lifecycle of a data centre and means adopting sustainability in design, infrastructure and business operations.
One of the most effective ways in which data centres are reducing emissions is by becoming more energy efficient. They are adopting various strategies, such as replacing cooling systems with more efficient alternatives, using renewable energy sources, optimising power utilisation and introducing virtualisation technologies that allow servers to run multiple applications, significantly reducing energy consumption.
Cooling is a crucial component in maintaining the performance and reliability of data centres. However, it is also the most energy-consuming aspect, accounting for up to 40% of data centre power consumption according to the EU Commission. To address this, data centres have started adopting high-efficiency air cooling systems that drastically reduce energy usage while maintaining optimal temperature levels. One example is adiabatic cooling, which helps reduce energy consumption and enables lower power consumption during times of lower workloads.
With an effective energy management strategy and monitoring system in place, data centres can ensure optimum performance whilst minimising environmental impact. The ultimate goal is to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, while maintaining the quality and reliability of data services. Power from renewable sources and carbon offsetting play an important role here. Our use of power from renewable sources reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, carbon offsetting allows us to offset our carbon emissions through investment in carbon-saving projects, and our use of HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) in our backup generators in place of red diesel eliminates up to 90% of net carbon dioxide and significantly reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions.
As the technology sector continues to advance, there is a growing volume of electronic waste, or e-waste, which poses a significant threat to the environment. E-waste takes up a lot of space in landfills and can release hazardous chemicals that are harmful to the environment. To combat this, data centres must look towards advising clients on recycling and reusing electronic devices at the end of their life cycles or donating them to organisations that can repurpose them.
By achieving environmental certifications such as ISO 14001:2015 or ISO 50001:2018, data centre operators demonstrate their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint, minimising waste, and promoting a more sustainable future. Such certifications also assure stakeholders and customers that the data centre is operating in compliance with environmental regulations, and in alignment with industry best practices.
Data centres are advocating and collaborating with policymakers to introduce sustainable legislation. For example, the European Code of Conduct for Data Centres was developed to improve the resource utilisation and efficiency of data centres across Europe. When data centre operators work together with policy makers, they can create mutually beneficial policies that promote innovation and economic growth while also ensuring that data centres are sustainable, secure, and resilient; it is only by working together that we can build a digital ecosystem that benefits everyone.
Sustainable data centres, like our London edge facility in Farnborough, and our Manchester site, aim to minimise their environmental impact through the efficient use of energy and resources. It is not only about using renewable energy or incorporating energy-efficient equipment, but also about architecting efficient processes to improve PUE, employing responsible waste management strategies, and more. By committing to these approaches, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable digital future.
To see our facilities in action, why not take a look around? Get in touch to speak to us about our London edge and Manchester data centre presence.