by Matt Seaton

London East Build Blog – Weeks 27 to 29

We have three more weeks of fantastic progress on-site at NLE to report, as we rapidly approach completion of the internal envelope.

We’ve seen dramatic changes across the entire facility, as the raised access floor begins to be installed throughout the building, supplemented by ongoing works across a wide range of areas.

Weekly overview

We’re now beginning to see the finished floor surface in the technical spaces for the first time, following the top surface leak protection coating which has been applied to the first floor mezzanine structure.

Aside from the hanging of the internal doors and some cooling plant integration to the rear of each hall, the data halls are now essentially complete, ahead of the first items of equipment rolling into place next month.

Containment
Klik box, conduit and bulkhead installations have now begun across the entire facility
Envelope
The entrance to the technical side of the facility has now had its aperture cut in, which takes visitors into the double-height atrium
Envelope
A look directly up as you head through into the double-height atrium
Envelope
Let there be light: the atrium was the first area to have all overhead LEDs lit up for the first time
Lift Wall
The lift shaft wall has now been clad in MDF, which will serve as a backing surface for our double height green wall
Another view of the newly clad lift shaft wall, including some of the finishing trims
Envelope
The first floor access corridor was the second space to have its overhead LED panels lit up
Envelope
The protective leak coating is seen in place here, now covering the entire first floor, with some additional Correx protection in place as raised access floor materials begin to land in each first floor room
Envelope
A look at the lift shaft assembly and access door in the first floor atrium
Envelope
The lift base on the ground floor has now been coated in the same hard wearing epoxy coating as laid on the first floor
Floor
Raised access flooring materials landing in each room on-site
Floor
Raised access flooring materials landing in each room on-site
Floor
Raised access flooring materials landing in each room on-site
Floor
Works begin in Data Hall 1 with respect to the raised access floor system
Floor
Works begin in Data Hall 1 with respect to the raised access floor system
Floor
A look at some of the pedestals as they begin to be unpacked and prepared for installation
Floor
The raised access floor begins to take shape in Data Hall 1
Floor
The raised floor taking shape in Data Hall 1
Floor
The finished floor height as seen in the upstairs landing and atrium area, now finished to the lift door
Floor
The finished floor in the first floor corridor now meeting the floor in Data Hall 1, awaiting the installed door frame and doors
Floor
A look along the first floor corridor, with the raised floor now in place, with finishing works still underway
Floor
The floor surface now complete in Data Hall 2

Alongside the mezzanine floor surface protection paint, which you can see above, we’ve also completely silicone sealed each room to complete the leak protection in each hall. The cold corridors in each hall will also have a full vinyl tank installed, as the areas which house the CREC units themselves.

We’ve begun lighting the facility with the final overhead LED panels, by temporarily wiring up each of the newly installed Klik boxes. The Klik system allows for rapid installation, along with enhanced control and functionality, including emergency lighting and PIR sensors.

Emergency exit pathways have begun to become more clearly visible in their final guise, with the installation of the emergency LED bulkheads that will light the way to the nearest exit once the facility is open to clients.

Quite a considerable amount of time over the past couple of weeks has been spent in the movement of materials from ingress to final point of use, as the second container of raised access flooring materials arrived with us (not photographed this time around). This has enabled the on-site trades to continue to work at pace as we approach finalisation on the internal envelope.

What’s next?

Works on the floors and access doors will continue into the beginning of November, along with some final finishing trims, which will take the envelope to completion.

The doors have already begun to go in, however we’re saving those shots for the next instalment of the blog, to give a clearer picture of the finished envelope.

Next time around, we’ll also be able to show the completed emergency exit gantry which is now installed at the rear of the facility, which gives a new emergency exit pathway to the rear of the first floor.

Our van is now also complete, but again we’re going to wait for a final detail on that before showing photos – so watch this space!

by Matt Seaton

How to align colocation costs with business needs

Colocation services allow you to share the resources of a data centre with other businesses, without having to invest in your own private space. The cost of your organisational IT is something that you always have to consider.

As with any professional business service, choosing the cheapest option is probably a bad idea, however it’s important to explore all options to ensure you’re paying fair rates that provide solid value to your business.

Here are some things to think about when measuring and deciding on your colocation costs.

Aligning colocation costs with your needs

There are several benefits to colocation. Alongside the clear benefits, there are a number of factors that you’re best keeping in mind as you begin to explore such a service:

1. Make sure you choose the best colocation company

Focus on quality over everything else. If you find the best colocation company in your area, don’t let price be a serious deterrent unless they’re charging outrageous fees that strip the value out of the service.

Not every data centre is put together to the same high standards. With the build and ongoing operational costs of a data centre being so high, an immediate red flag during your enquiries would be a bargain discounted rate, which is either being used to hook you in, or is a sign of problems with the facility and/or it’s operation.

The best colocation companies in their industry set the market, so finding out what they charge will also give you an idea of the going rate. Get referrals to make sure that you’re choosing the most competent professionals with the highest quality infrastructure.

A few of the things that you’ll need to look for when taking a colocation service include network carrier and power delivery redundancy, service flexibility, a capable support team, and physical security measures that keep the critical infrastructure secure.

2. Shop for the right fee structure

Aside from the rates themselves, you should also consider a colocation operator that offers a payment structure that works for you. Colocation rates can often be billed very flexibly, from monthly, quarterly, annually, or even by the hour in some unique use cases.

You should also find out whether they lock-in the prices for the contract term or whether the contract is revised on different time frames.

3. Figure out which hardware you want to buy

Buying your own hardware is one way to fully align your costs to your needs. Some colocation companies can also organise leasing agreements for you to rent equipment as needed, if an outright purchase is not possible.

Leasing or renting kit is great for many reasons. For example, you don’t have to pay the full price for the equipment upfront, and only pay for what you need. Under this sort of agreement, you can get top of the line, brand new equipment based on a recurring monthly rate, rather than a full, upfront capital investment.

However, it’s worth noting that these agreements do require you to keep paying well after you’ve exceeded the value of the hardware. Depending on your needs, it might be better for you to buy your hardware outright, rather than paying for it each and every month.

This is especially helpful if you are able to get a good deal on some hardware by getting it on discount or refurbished. You’ll need to figure out what makes the most sense for your company and align those needs accordingly.

4. Assess the rack capacity

When you’re looking for server colocation services, you need to figure out how much rack space you need to house your equipment.

You’ll then be able to correctly specify how much space you need to house your kit, without over-committing to more (or less!) space than you need, which will keep the costs properly aligned with your requirements. You can then scale upwardly when it’s time to expand.

5. Pay attention to cyber security measures

Always educate yourself on the latest cyber security measures to keep your company well-protected.

Without question, cyber security breaches can end up costing you lots of money. A single breach can cost your company a lot to get back up and running, and even more in any relevant fines from controlling bodies.

Ask the colocation provider what kinds of security they have in place for you, and which areas will need to be factored in by yourself.

Many of these data centres also have emergency plans and policies laid out that will help stem the bleeding if you do happen to get breached. This saves you the time and money of having to figure things out on your own and also helps to eliminate mistakes.

Cost-effective colocation services

Handle your colocation costs with care and consideration, taking note of the tips above. By following these handy pointers, your company will have a greater chance of success in employing use of world-class colocation services.

We can help you with any of your colocation needs. You can get in touch with us online, or by calling 0845 430 9900.

by Matt Seaton

London East Build Blog – Weeks 25 and 26

Further impressive progress to report on finalising the envelope this time around, as we prepare for the final stages of this phase, taking us to the end of our first six months on-site at NLE.

Weekly overview

Week 26 marks exactly half a year on-site at London East. This is quite the milestone, and while we did encounter several minor delays at the beginning of the project (thanks to the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic), we’re enormously proud of what’s been achieved in that time.

Much of the first seven or eight weeks were spent undertaking small-scale works in the office to prepare it for housing our management team when on-site at NLE. So realistically, it’s fairer to say that the broader strokes of the project have only been in effect for four solid months, which makes progress – in our eyes at least – all the more impressive.

We’ve had the envelope trades on-site over the past two weeks to continue progress, taking things to the point of readiness for our raised access floors to be installed. The materials for this phase have begun to land with us from our manufacturers in South Africa, the first container of which is seen arriving below.

Office DB
Our new office power distribution is now in place, segregating the NOC and office power systems from the main facility
Office Sign
As a result of the office distribution board being installed, we’ve also been able to power up our new NOC logo spot lights for the first time
Tiles
The first raised access floor materials container arriving for unloading at NLE
Tiles
This first container holds around half of the required flooring material, which will total well over 30 tonnes
Tiles
Some of the tile stacks standing in the warehouse entrance ahead of distribution throughout the building
Tiles
More floor tiles awaiting distribution inside the facility, waiting for action in our compound
Envelope
A look at progress on the main envelope structure – this shows the temporary door openings for goods access to both the ground and first floors
Envelope
A look at what will become the entrance way to the technical spaces at NLE
Envelope
The view from the warehouse / loading bay into the ground floor access corridors, with the entrance to one of the main LV rooms on the left
Envelope
A look down the main ground floor access corridor with the ceiling grid now in place, along with test placement lights and tiles
Envelope
The view inside Data Hall 3, with the completed grid, as seen from what will be the cold corridor
Envelope
The view from the doorway of Data Hall 4, looking towards the inter-floor access atrium
Envelope
A shot from inside the second LV room, looking out towards the stairs and lift shaft, with one of our main service risers shown on the right
Envelope
A look inside the customer lounge and build room, which shows the topside of the service riser as seen above
Envelope
A skyward view of the double-height atrium as seen from the half landing on our custom staircase, ahead of ceiling installation
Envelope
The top landing of the access atrium, with the partially installed lift mechanism in place on the left hand side
Envelope
A view from the doorway of Data Hall 2, with the resin floor coating now down to protect the top surface, which will be underneath our raised access floor
Envelope
Another view of the floor now sealed, showing the access door that will lead into the first floor cold corridor at the rear of each hall
Envelope
The cold corridor will also have a vinyl tank installed, which will be in place to provide added protection where our new cooling system lives (as also seen at NLC)
Envelope
A view out to the warehouse / loading bay, from the first floor access corridor, which will be the main lifting point for materials and incoming client hardware destined for the first floor
Envelope
The view from underneath our storage mezzanine, looking towards the roller shutter and newly installed wall behind the fork lift, with our on-site workshop area just visible to the left
Envelope
The ceiling coming together in the main access atrium
Envelope
The lift shaft progressed further this time around, with the shaft walls reaching the first floor, and the lifting gear / platform test fitted
Envelope
A look at the composite ceiling as installed in the cold corridor in Data Hall 3, which will form part of the hot air extraction plenum
Envelope
The first full placement of our evaporative cooling plant plinths in Data Hall 2, which will hold the CREC units in this hall when fitted out – these will sit under the raise floor
Plinths
A closer look at the plinths in place in Data Hall 2
Plinths
This side of the custom built plinths will sit inside the cold corridor, and have an access hatch / door for the quick replacement of bag filters without need to lift floor tiles in the data hall
Plinths
The front side of the plinths show the apertures for pushing cold air into the underfloor void, and will also house the bag filters for each cooler; the integral leak detection equipment in each plinth can be seen in black
Plinths
As at NLC, we are also installing a supplementary CRAC system in each data hall, with the custom adjustable plinths for these units seen on the opposite side of the room

As you can see, we’re now tantalisingly close to having our completed internal shell handed over to us. We just have the raised access flooring left to go at this point, along with the doors and some final checkerplate wall protection that will follow later down the line.

Having the shell completed will allow for the next phase of the project to begin, that being containment and electrical. While this is underway, we will also be orchestrating the installation of our evaporative cooling system into Data Hall 1.

One of the most exciting points of the project we’ve reached so far is the placement of our first machine plinths, which will hold our cooling system; both the primary evaporative and secondary / supplementary air conditioning units. These are the first pieces of equipment to be placed in their final positions on-site, and while we’re still a fair way off seeing any actual air be pushed through them to live client equipment, we’re very happy to see them sat in place none-the-less!

What’s next?

Next up, the raised access floor will be installed. This will bring the internal shell to a point of completion that allows for the next major phase of the project to begin.

We’ll also be undertaking another deep clean of the facility at this point, to ensure the site is ready for the less invasive, non-construction type works to push ahead inside properly prepared clean spaces.

by Matt Seaton

9 ways that London colocation data centres can benefit you

Is your London office running out of space? When walking around your office becomes tougher than an obstacle course on Ninja Warrior, it’s time to take a look at the furniture to see what can go.

You might have an abundance of chairs or desks stacked on top of one another. But an alternative option is to look at your on-premise servers and consider whether they’d be better suited in one of London’s many world-class colocation centres.

More and more business executives around the country (and the wider world) are now taking advantage of this service, not just to free up space in the office, but also to take full advantage of the many benefits that come with utilising these facilities. If you’ve ever wondered how a colocation data centre can work for you and your business, look no further than the nine perks below.

1. Guaranteed uptime

One of the key reasons many businesses look to a UK data centre is the massive improvement to server uptime. Many colocation companies offer tiers that guarantee a certain percentage of uptime. They’ll also work around you and your business to schedule maintenance so that your customers aren’t impacted.

2. Assists with risk management

Compliance teams and auditors always break into a cold sweat whenever data or servers are brought up in conversation. But utilising a London colocation data centre can reduce their heart rate. This is because these facilities can form part of your data recovery strategy.

Taking advantage of a colocation centre means that if a natural disaster or outage were to occur at your workplace, there’d be no impact to your data or core network as it’s located elsewhere. This knowledge should let you and your compliance team sleep soundly at night.

3. Improved security

Hiring a team to keep a close eye on your own data centre or comms room is an expensive cost that most businesses don’t need, or simply can’t afford.

Many data centres are equipped with the latest biometric readers and CCTV systems to ensure that only authorised personnel are working on your servers. They’re also monitored both physically in person and remotely to ensure round-the-clock security for your critical systems.

4. Cost savings

When you weigh up the costs of using a colocation data centre versus managing your servers in-house, the savings become so significant that they can’t be ignored. If you’re hosting your servers at your office, you’ll need to factor in the costs of operating uninterrupted power sources (UPS), backup generators, advanced cooling systems, and diverse connectivity. There’s also the ongoing maintenance costs and staffing costs to service such a service in-house.

None of these factors are a direct cost or concern if you choose to host your servers at a London colocation centre. All of this technology is already built into the fabric of a top-tier data centre, meaning you needn’t worry about implementing this extremely expensive equipment into any on-site server room at your office.

5. Quality bandwidth

Colocation centres are designed specifically to manage multiple enterprise clients and provide them with the bandwidth they need to function properly. Attempting to replicate this in-house would require a mammoth investment and infrastructure. However, there’s no guarantee that you could recoup these costs, which is why many businesses choose to utilise these facilities.

Data centres form the beating heart of the internet, and as such have masses of capacity on their networks, and delivery their connectivity from multiple carriers, making the connections to client systems hyper-resilient.

6. Certified support technicians

Partnering with a colocation centre doesn’t just give you a place to store your servers. It also provides you access to experts in the field who can manage and troubleshoot any problem that may arise. The staff have all the necessary certifications and stay up to date with all of the latest trends and information so that you and your employees don’t have to.

7. Easier scalability

If you’re struggling with space in the office at the moment, what will happen as your business continues to grow? Instead of worrying about growing pains, you can work with a colocation centre to make adjustments and alterations quickly as your company continues to boom. The team is proficient with various types of requirements across all industries and is always ready to make changes to space, support, power, and security as required.

8. Stronger infrastructure

In order to scale this quickly, it requires state of the art infrastructure that can be cost-prohibitive to replicate in-house. It would also take a mammoth amount of time and energy; something many companies don’t have in ready supply. Utilising a colocation centre’s advanced infrastructure gives your employees and customers the confidence and trust they need to be able to do business. 

9. Colocation data centres are good for the environment

Before you sign on the dotted line, one question you should ask is how the colocation centre powers its facilities. Only a select few use 100% renewable energy, meaning that all of their power comes from sea, sun, and wind.

A green facility can significantly reduce your carbon footprint, which is something that more and more consumers are looking further into before they purchase from a company. Attempting to replicate this in-house is not always possible for a lot of businesses, especially if you share a building or office space with other companies.

Looking for more reasons?

Businesses across the UK are seeing the many benefits that come from utilising colocation centres. Whether it’s freeing up space in the office, cementing a disaster recovery plan, or picking the brains of certified experts, it’s giving companies the peace of mind that their data is safe and secure.

If you’d like to learn more about how a London colocation data centre can benefit your business, or want to see what everyone is fussing about for yourself, get in contact with us today and we can help you get going. We’ll even pour you a nice cup of tea!

by Matt Seaton

London East Build Blog – Weeks 23 and 24

Another extremely transformative week is now in the books at our London East site, following a fortnight of envelope works that have taken much of the internal layout to near-completion.

Weekly overview

The visible transformations continue this time around, as the entire internal layout reaches completion, with all insulated wall panels now fully installed. Aside from another pass for finishing trims, this element of the project is now complete – a great milestone in the envelope construction phase.

The fire protection is now also nearing completion, zoning off all rooms appropriately where the panels reach the warehouse roof, along with any other installation gaps that need closing off.

The ceilings have really transformed each room, allowing the final shape of each room to be more visible, even ahead of the raised access floors going in next week.

Envelope
A look at the now enclosed structure of Data Hall 4, on the ground floor
Envelope
The overhead containment basket, flown in Data Hall 1, ahead of the ceiling grid installation
Envelope
The ground floor wall installation works continue, as the final areas are completely zoned off
Envelope
The view from the doorway of Data Hall 4, across the ground floor corridor to the double-height stair and lift atrium
Envelope
The long ground floor access corridor, which links Data Halls 3 and 4, along with the two electrical distribution and UPS rooms
Envelope
The shell structure of Data Hall 4, ahead of ceiling and floor installation, complete with overhead containment basket
Envelope
Data Hall 3, at the same state of completion, pending ceiling and floor installation
Envelope
A closer look at the overhead containment grid, which is identical in all four data halls, and continues into all other areas of the facility
Envelope
The ceiling grid installed in Data Hall 2, ready for lighting and tiles

There have been plenty of other jobs undertaken this time around, while the envelope construction works continue with our main contractors.

We’ve flown most of the overhead containment for systems that require cable runs above the ceiling. This includes lighting, fire systems, access control, CCTV, and any other supplementary systems added during the initial build or in the future.

The bulk of the main containment will be under the raised access floor, and will be installed shortly after the envelope phase is complete.

What’s next?

With the internal walling now essentially complete, and the ceilings over half way there, the next major phase will be the raised access floor across throughout the entire facility. We’re also coating the first floor with a high-quality paint seal as an added leak protection measure. This will be joined by a full protective vinyl underfloor surface along the length of the first floor cold corridor.