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Industry leading support articles from the Netwise team.

by Matt Seaton

My Netwise has a new look

Today we’re very proud to unveil the all-new My Netwise – a completely new customer portal interface that brings your Netwise services together in one secure, easy-to-use platform. Designed to save time and provide greater visibility, My Netwise is the ultimate management portal for looking over your infrastructure, support and account information.

✅ It’s everything Netwise, all in one place.

Built from the ground up with customer experience and operational efficiency in mind, the new My Netwise portal brings everything together in one secure location. Whether you need to raise and track support requests, view service information and utilisation, raise delivery requests, view your billing status, view scheduled maintenance details, or organise access to our facilities, the key information you need is now just a few clicks away.

This launch marks the first step in an ongoing programme of portal enhancements, with new functionality and features already planned. As My Netwise continues to evolve, it will become an even more powerful hub for managing your data centre services, giving you greater visibility, improved self-service capabilities and an even better customer experience.

If you're already a Netwise client, you can login to the new My Netwise portal and try it out for yourself now.

We’ll be taking a closer look at some of the key features of the new portal below.

Why build a new portal?

We’ve been working with our developers and designers since Q4 2024 on this new portal. A full rework of this nature requires close collaboration over a long period of time, with development work starting after several months of UI/UX design iterations, and feasibility studies to ascertain what can be achieved with existing data sources.

An entirely new user experience awaits

The previous portal put a lot of functionality in your hands, but the user experience had been lacking clear flow and user friendliness, which is something we’ve been keen to fix.

We’d often receive feedback from clients, particularly regarding the poor flow around facility access and user / contact permissions. This has now been fully streamlined, along with all other portal touchpoints, to unify the experience across all core functionality.

We also wanted to unify the look and feel of the portal with the new brand and design language that we implemented on our main website back in 2019. As part of this, we also have a second main site refresh planned that’ll further tie the two main web frontends together.

So what’s new?

In short, everything.

This is a total rebuild, so while we hope it’s familiar to use – thanks to both the much-improved UI/UX and the carried over functionality – it should also feel entirely new, due to the massive improvements made across the board.

Here are some key highlights:

🏠 A new home dashboard – the important bits

When you first land on the new My Netwise portal, you’ll have all of the most important actions and summaries available to you right away.

The new home dashboard presents you with four key areas of interest: My Services, Facility Access, Deliveries, and Help Centre.

Each block gives a short overview of your most recent touchpoints, and a button to raise a new action in that particular area instantly, without needing to navigate elsewhere.

👤 Users and Contacts are now Members

We’ve streamlined the previous Users / Contacts area with Members, which will automatically pull across from your existing Users list.

Members of your team can have both email notifications and facility access permissions set at a granular level, enabling better control over who can do what. You can now also set dedicated billing contacts that’ll only receive invoice and payment messages from the system, keeping this better segregated from the more feature-rich Members area.

📱 A new mobile experience

Our previous portal was tricky to use on mobile, which became a pain point for many of our clients who needed access to data and portal functionality on the move.

The mobile version of the portal is now a breeze to use, with some notable differences to the full desktop version, such as considerations for navigation reachability while browsing with a single hand.

🔔 Notifications and message history

There are now dedicated areas for important notifications, as well as historical messages and system emails.

Notifications provide portal members with a clear visual indication that something requires attention, which helps reduce reliance on system emails as the primary front line. And to expand on system emails, you can now see your entire history of system messages and emails

📊 Improved power and connectivity utilisation graphs

One of the most impressive visual changes comes in the form of the new power and connectivity utilisation areas.

Not only does this new format make for easier reading, but it also provides a greater level of detail, particularly around power utilisation for specific PDUs (or outlets for shared per unit clients).

🆘 Help centre – your new home for support

The new help centre is now your one-stop-shop for all support related touchpoints.

Here you’ll find three main areas:

Support, which is for tickets, with a much more user-friendly flow.

Scheduled maintenance, which covers active and historical maintenance and faults, and now also has functionality to filter by those only relevant to your deployment location(s).

Knowledgebase, which has been expanded and covers a wider range of topics, and which will be built out further over time.

Each block gives a short overview of your most recent touchpoints, and a button to raise a new action in that particular area instantly, without needing to navigate elsewhere.

A new base for the future

Having our new portal launched provides a great foundation for the next phase of feature additions, which are already in the works.

One of the first additions we’re planning is a Collections function, to work in the same fashion as Deliveries, to streamline the process for client returns.

Beyond this, we have longer term ambitions to integrate further data points from our monitoring platform, such as location-specific environmental readings, and even real-time PUE calculations.

Watch this space for new feature rollouts in the future.

Give it a try

We’re confident that our new UI/UX is intuitive enough to simply dive in and start using it, so why not login and give it a try!

You’ll also see a helpful guide to where to find the main features of the new portal when you first login.

If you have any feedback for us, feel free to open a ticket, or email your usual point of contact directly with any notes (good and bad welcome!).

by Matt Seaton

Team in focus: Lee Smith

We’re extremely excited for you to meet our Junior Engineer, Lee Smith.

LS 1

Lee joined us in late 2024, and works as part of our in-house engineering team, under the expert guidance of our Engineering Manager, Josh.

Lee is currently working towards his Level 3 NVQ in Electrical Installation, AM2 and Level 3 Initial and Periodic Inspection and Testing qualifications, which we’re very proudly supporting him through as he garners extensive real-world experience in the highly technical data centre sector.

Lee is also on route to becoming an Approved Gold Card Electrician.

A team player through and through, Lee is always happy to lend a helping hand, regardless of the task at hand. This is a fundamental core principle of success at Netwise, which makes Lee the perfect fit as we continue to expand our team.

Furthermore, Lee is a welcome injection of youthful energy within the organisation, and has slotted into the wider team dynamic perfectly since joining us.

LS 2
You’ll find Lee working as part of our engineering team, seen here with Josh as they work on control cabling runs for Data Hall 3

Our in-house engineering team is a vital component within the Netwise machine, particularly as we continue to expand and develop our London East facility. Lee has already proven an invaluable asset in this work, contributing across many areas of our various ongoing projects, and building his assessment portfolio as a result.

LS 3
Lee is gaining extensive and varied experience on his journey to full qualification, working across a range of areas within the Netwise ecosystem

Following Lee’s successful probation period, we’ve expanded our vehicle fleet to provide him with his own Netwise van, which will be used in support of our ever-expanding operation.

By designing, building and maintaining our facilities in-house, we’re able to more completely support the growth and development of our varied team, resulting in a level-up on skillsets across the board – we’re excited to see Lee grow and develop with us here at Netwise.

You can expect to see Lee working as part of the engineering team across our core infrastructure, as well as in the field, getting hands on with the systems responsible for keeping your business online 24×7.

by Matt Seaton

Team in focus: Josh Carvalho

We’re very excited for you to meet our Engineering Manager, Josh Carvalho.

Josh joined us back in late 2023, from the demanding world of electrical engineering, having spent the formative years of his career garnering extensive experience across all facets of electrical system design and implementation.

With a passion for powering the future and an impressive background in the design and installation of critical power systems, Josh brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge to our ever-growing team. His arrival marked another pivotal moment in our journey, as we continue to strengthen our position as a world-leading data centre operator.

As our Engineering Manager, Josh plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Netwise and its deployed assets. His leadership, technical acumen, and commitment to excellence has undoubtedly resulted in another ‘level up’ to our in-house capabilities, as we continue to expand our suite of services.

JC
Josh can be found working his magic across all areas of our data centres, keeping them in top-tip shape around the clock for our clients
UPS
Electrical engineering sits front and centre of any data centre operation, so having Josh head this up internally for us is a major operational advantage

Josh’s arrival has tangibly demonstrated our unwavering commitment to providing only the very highest quality of service to our clients, with limited reliance on any third parties.

You can expect to see Josh in a design and implementation role across our core infrastructure, as well as in the field, getting hands on with the systems responsible for keeping your business online 24×7.

by Matt Seaton

Team in focus: Nathan Desmond

We’re thrilled for you to meet Nathan Desmond, our Technical Manager.

Nathan Desmond

Nathan joined us from a fast-rising career in critical technology for a major UK retailer (the one with the excellent, tear-jerking Christmas adverts!), overseeing their internal data centre operations. Nathan’s broad experience across multiple disciplines will assist in taking the customer experience at Netwise to the next level, as we continue to grow our dedication to true in-house expertise.

Nathan joined the Netwise family in late 2022, and has been making an incredibly positive impact on our operation ever since. His addition to the core Netwise management team came as expansion continued at our London East facility, taking Data Hall 1 to capacity, welcoming a single client to Data Hall 2, and building out Data Halls 3 and 4.

Nathan has already proven invaluable in the continued development of bleeding-edge technology in and around our world-class data centres.

We very recently deployed a major upgrade to part of our core network, at our Supernode in Telehouse North. Nathan naturally played an integral role in the success of this roll-out, from planning, to physical adjustments, through to completion.

THN Engineering
We fully replaced one of the core routers on our network, which included a chassis replacement and a full complement of new line cards
THN Router
This type of critical operation is never easy, so having an expert like Nathan in your corner is always welcomed

You can expect to meet Nathan busy working across all corners of our data centre estate, keeping your mission-critical data centre services in tip-top shape. You may even find his expert input on the odd support ticket from time to time depending on the issue at hand.

by Matt Seaton

Six benefits of using data centres for your business

In 2020, global data centre spending reached $37 billion, with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft accounting for more than 50% of this. Data centres are facilities that can centralise the shared IT operations for an organisation, making it easier to store, process, and disseminate data. 

They are a vital component for the daily operations of many businesses and provide organisations with many more benefits. 

Do you want to learn more about data centre automation and data centre services in the UK? Keep reading this article for the top six benefits of using data centres for your business. 

1. Security compliance

One of the primary benefits of using data centres for your business is that they offer improved network security and compliance. Colocation centres offer many security features to keep your data safe, including key cards and other types of regulated entry. 

Plus, using a local colocation centre allows you to check on security yourself. You can gain access to your servers to make sure everything is in working order. 

Not only do data centres offer high security, but they can also protect your business from cyber threats. They can offer network security including firewalls and other systems that can protect your data from unauthorised access. 

This is especially important if your business deals with private or confidential data, as your customers will be confident in your ability to protect their information. 

2. Room to grow

Next, using data centres for your business gives you room to grow. As time goes on, your business needs will continue to change. By using this technology for your business performance, you can match your needs as your business grows. 

Using a colocation data centre allows you to expand your business infrastructure without having to spend a fortune. 

If your business grows, your IT infrastructure can grow with it. This scalability makes using a data centre a great option for new small businesses. 

3. Improved connectivity

Another great benefit of using data centre services in the UK is that it offers better connectivity for your network. When you are running a business, having a network problem can cause serious issues with your productivity and business performance. 

However, colocation data centres utilize redundant network connections to prevent connectivity issues. This means that your businesses important applications can always run smoothly without interruption. 

Data centres also offer power redundancy. They use several different power grids, generators, and even backup battery systems to ensure that you will never lose connection, even when the power goes out. 

These factors, combined with regular maintenance of the data centres, ensure that you will always be able to access your data. 

4. Data mobility

Across the world, it is estimated that 52% of employees work from home at least once a week. Because so much business is done virtually, especially after the global pandemic, businesses need to be able to access their data no matter where they are. Using a virtual data centre provides your business with data mobility. 

This means they will be able to access IT workloads and business data no matter where they are or when they need access. With this data mobility, your business can run and manage its workload on the cloud. 

Because remote work is becoming one of the biggest benefits an organization can offer to its employees, it is vital that businesses also make the change to business mobility. 

Similarly, using colocation data centres allows your company to take steps toward cloud migration. While the transition to cloud computing can be overwhelming, having your equipment in an offsite facility will help the process to go more smoothly. 

5. Increases productivity

When you use data centres for your business, it also enables you to increase your productivity. When you have issues with your IT services or network downtime, it is often due to human error. 

Because data centres allow for true automation, it takes out the possibility for manual error. It also saves you hundreds of hours in managing your resources. 

This is something that can greatly lower your operational expenses and make it faster and easier for you to access your IT services. 

Similarly, using a data centre provides you with more control for your business. You do not have to risk giving up control of your data if your network has a cyber threat. You will also not have to worry about having your systems shut down without warning. 

Utilizing data centres for your business acts as prevention for these problems and can save you countless hours by preventing data disasters. 

6. Cost-effective solutions

Finally, data centres and colocation service providers are cost-effective solutions for any business owner. The cost of IT infrastructure is continually increasing and inflexible. Many companies worry about being locked into inflexible infrastructures.

Plus, increasing your IT infrastructure as your business grows can be a costly investment. Instead, businesses can grow at their own pace when using a data centre. 

This allows you to maximize your profitability and to have more control over your business costs, management, and more. 

If you are looking for a way to save money for your business, you can talk to your local colocation service providers to learn more about their data centres. 

Looking for data centre services in the UK? 

Utilizing data centres for your business is a simple way to improve your data security and mobility cost-effectively. 

If you are looking for colocation service providers in the UK, we can help! Our team is the UK’s leading colocation service provider and offer private facilities in the centre of London. 

Contact our team today to learn more about our data centre services or to book a tour at our data centre locations in the UK.