Data centre provider Node4 has seen growing concerns about the power demands of London data centres as the world descends onto the capital. As a result, the company’s data centres outside of London have become much more attractive to firms looking to avoid the limited power resources within the M25.
Node4 has already seen a surge of interest from customers who are apprehensive about the rising costs associated with London data centres as well as ongoing anxieties about terror threats. It is thought that the Olympics could be the tipping point that could cause outages for those without robust contingency plans in place.
Andrew Gilbert, Managing Director of Node4, said, “Although most are hoping the Olympics will go without a hitch, IT managers aren’t leaving things to chance when it comes to related pressures on their data infrastructures. There has been much talk previously about the issues faced in London with regards to the growing number of businesses fighting for finite sources of power and during the Olympics, a time when many businesses want to put their best foot forward, data centres could face downtime. The results could be damaging, particularly for companies where a continuous level of service is vital.”
Data centres in London nearing capacity are particularly at risk from Olympics disruption and Node4 is currently working with firms who are in the process of moving to data centres in other locations before the games begin. Their reasons aren’t solely surrounding the Olympics but access to data centres with sufficient power is also a long term requirement for companies that wish to future proof their businesses and create an IT strategy with a degree of sustainability.
Andrew concludes, “Although we have four sites in various locations across the UK, our Northampton site has been a particular point of interest, especially for customers moving their data provisions out of London. It is still a priority for many people to have a data centre close to their business premises and the increase in enquiries at our Northampton site has been consistent with that, as it is our closest site to the capital. Companies based in and around London have always liked the peace of mind of being near to their data centre but it is increasingly the case that they want to keep the potential problems of a London data centre at arm’s length.”