Data shows that only half of UK organisations are confident in their business continuity plan. The importance of a BC plan is evident in how many businesses were affected by the pandemic.

Are you concerned for the well-being of your company? Keep reading to find out the best way to protect yourself and your organisation.

What is Business Continuity?

Business continuity is a term that serves to explain how a company might continue its essential functions even during an unforeseen event. These events can include the following:

Natural disaster
An outbreak of a disease
Fire / flood
Cyberattacks
Industry Strike

A business continuity plan (BCP) includes essential items and procedures that are to be followed in the event of a disaster, whether they are small or large. In addition, it often covers practices that allow the company to function with minimal disruption during the said event.

What is Disaster Recovery?

During your research, you may have come across the term “disaster recovery.” Often, business continuity and disaster recovery are used interchangeably; this is a misconception.

A disaster recovery plan often deals with data protection and cyberattacks. However, it also protects against events such as a system failure or even a device failure.

Business Continuity vs Disaster Recovery

Business continuity is often referred to as the plan needed in case of a disastrous event. It is planned ahead of time and implemented during an unforeseen event. In contrast, disaster recovery is the plan that is executed after the event.

Another key difference is that a disaster recovery plan focuses more on recovering the IT infrastructure of the business. In contrast, the BCP focuses more on the daily operations of the organisation.

What does a BCDR plan look like?

A BCDR plan tackles the issues that arise during an unforeseen event. It often includes the ‘four-R’ predefined plan to allow for continuous operations. The four-R plan is as follows:

Respond
Recover
Resume
Restore

While this may give you an idea of a BCDR plan, it is essential to include some key components in your plan:

Contact info and SLAs

A business continuity plan should include the correct contact information and service level agreements (SLAs) required to identify and inform the right parties. These parties include emergency responders, stakeholders, key staff members, managers, data security, and any service providers.

This information should be the first step in your plan, as it is crucial to inform the right members of your team.

BIA

Business impact analysis helps predict what procedures could be impacted by the disaster. This analysis can help you identify and gather information to prepare for the event.

The BIA will help you analyse items such as extra expenses, revenue loss, reputation damage, dependencies, repercussions of disruptions, and more.

Risk assessment

A risk assessment identifies the risks that could trigger a disastrous event. When completing a risk assessment, your company will need to identify possible hazards such as a fire, flood, terrorism, pandemic, and cyber-attack.

Additionally, you will need to assess the assets at risk, much like the business impact analysis.

Communications

Once you have your contact information together, you will also need to determine the communications method of contacting the critical members involved. Finally, you will need to assess how to reach each group effectively. These groups include your employees, customers and clients, and providers.

Communication is key in any relationship, especially in business. However, in the event of a pandemic such as COVID, it is essential to communicate the company’s needs to your employees, the restriction on which you can operate to your clients, and what your shareholders can expect until the disaster is alleviated.

Testing

Arguably, the most important aspect of your plan is to test it. Having a plan meets the minimum requirements but knowing that it works is critical. Additionally, it is imperative to practice the plan so that your team knows what to do in such an event.

While you are testing the plan, look for gaps and weaknesses in your plan. You may notice that, in theory, the plan works well. However, you need to update and document when the plan falls through in practice.

Data centres: which solution is right for you?

A proper BC plan includes a data recovery plan to restore the servers and systems of your organisation. This data is different for each company; however, you’ll need to recover software, hardware, and basic operations for each company.

The first step to recovering your data is a regular backup. You can do this in-house; however, in the case of a fire, flood, or earthquake, you risk losing the data that is essential to your company’s operations.

However, a data centre provides a safe and secure place for your organisation to store essential data. When you are looking for a reputable data centre, consider the precaution the centre takes to protect the data. Ask yourself questions like:

Is it cooled?
What hardware is used?
What power system is in place?
Is the centre monitored 24/7?

Implement your BCDR plan today

Is your business safe and secure in the case of a disastrous event? It is essential for your organisation to implement a business continuity and disaster recovery plan.

Perhaps you already have a plan in place and have decided to backup your IT infrastructure at a data centre. Look no further, contact us today to book a tour and see how we can help you prepare for unforeseen events.

September 15, 2021September 15, 2021 by Matt Seaton

London East Build Blog – Weeks 71 to 74

Now that raised floors have started to go back down, and termination of cabling is essentially complete, impactful visual change has slowed down slightly, however progress is still pushing forwards at great pace.

We’ve been preparing for some of the final trades to land on site to end-out phase one, which will include the CRAC pipework team and the wall fabrication team from earlier in the project, who will be finishing off some of the final cooling system segregation now that the fans are installed.

Weekly overview

Much of the change this time centres around supplementary cooling, VESDA / fire panels, and data cabling for things such as CCTV, access control and monitoring / system control.

We’re now very much in the end-out phase of the project at this point, which means that various elements that until now were operating separately are coming together quickly.

For example, our evaporative cooling units are now connected back to both their power delivery and control systems, meaning that they will soon be ready for their first spin up and test. This is the same for a number of the core systems which make up the infrastructure of the facility.

We now have most of the building-wide comfort cooling in place for client and staff areas, including here in the build room and customer lounge

Here we see the ceiling mounted AC unit mirrored on the other side of the building, and the same units are now also present in the NOC / office

We’ve also got three high performance models installed in each of the LV rooms, with room for a fourth in due course as and when required based on UPS expansion

Our VESDA pipework is now installed in Data Hall 1 and pre-emptively in Data Hall 2

VESDA — This is the view of the installation in Data Hall 2, which we are pre-staging for future use, along with all other baseline infrastructure – this will speed up the commissioning process for this hall dramatically once it’s needed

The CREC units in Data Hall 1 have now had their power and control system cables installed, which brings them up to readiness for commissioning in due course

The ODFs in Data Hall 1 are starting to take shape, with containment now run in from both high and low levels – here, one of the newly installed cleaner sockets is also visible, as part of a wider ring installed throughout the building to support such requirements

This is the B-side ODF, with a range of cabling now run back to it to support various functions in Data Hall 1, such as CCTV, monitoring and system controls

Pod — Here we see the entrance to the first committed private pod in Data Hall 1, which after some forthcoming adjustments to access control and visual identity, will be handed over to the client in Q4

Pod — Another view of the pod entry door systems that we use with our APC racking and containment system, which are operated electronically

Power — This floating, conduit-free cleaners socket is achieved by ensuring that it backs onto one of our risers, meaning all containment for the cabling is hidden from view, something we have done wherever possible for a clean installation

Reception — We now have our new reception desk standing in place, which will be finished with branding and a glass security and visitor flow system in due course

We’re getting to the point at which photographing visual change is likely to slow down somewhat, as we move onto more detailed work such as the interconnection of critical systems, and the onlining of various electrical elements including CCTV and door access control.

Excitement is starting to build as the many months of extremely hard work from all those involved begins to show its final fruits, which will become all the more exciting as we start to see systems roar into life.

What’s next?

While build and installation works will continue in a few final areas – such as CRAC pipework, final airflow containment for extraction in Data Hall 1, and the end stages of general system containment – we are now also in a position to begin the early-stage commissioning process.

We are entering an exciting phase of the project, as things finally begin to slot back into place after a good few months of ordered chaos; a necessary evil associated with the extensive electrical work required to take the building from completed shell to functioning data centre.

Over the next few weeks, we expect to see the site visually return to a state of completion (for phase one), at which point the site will be onlined, and commissioning of critical systems will begin in earnest.

August 16, 2021October 12, 2021 by Matt Seaton

London East Build Blog – Weeks 69 and 70

We have more exciting progress to share in this instalment of the Build Blog, as cabling continues to run into the facility at pace.

This progress has been seen across the board, from the largest runs out to external connection points, right down to the smallest termination points inside of the Data Hall PDUs.

Weekly overview

In the last two weeks, we’ve doubled the labour force involved in the electrical side of the project, adding a dedicated cable gang to the on-site trades to help push through the final cable runs, most of which are very substantial armoured cables.

This has seen the vast majority of the on-site cable drums emptied and returned to the vendor, as the cables now lay in place, with termination well underway across the board.

We also have a dedicated jointer on-site, who is heading up much of the largest termination activity, such as inside the generator canopies.

Cabling — The first set of cables that make use of the external ladder runs out to the transformer, seen in place here

Here we see one of our custom ODFs, of which there are two in Data Hall 1 for diversity – this angle shows the installed overhead cable ladder bridging across to Pod 1

This has been a fantastic fortnight for project development, with tremendous progress on the cabling side of things.

We’ve been very excited to see all of the cabling begin to disappear under the floor and into the risers, ready for termination and testing. We’re also very excited to see some additional visual elements installed, such as the bright red VESDA air sampling pipework.

What’s next?

We will continue with progress on all things electrical. As cable pulling nears completion, focus will shift more completely onto termination, along with supplementary power installations, including small scale non-critical power delivery to things like cleaner’s sockets.

Beyond this, the VESDA pipework installations will continue, and with the arrival of additional cabling for things such as the CREC control and monitoring system, this will also begin to take shape.

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021 by Matt Seaton

9 things to look for in your London data centre

Articles

Did you know there are around 285 colocation data centres in the United Kingdom? As the UK capital, London is the perfect place to house your critical infrastructure. But do you fully understand what makes a good one?

London has a lot to offer, from sound infrastructure to geographical safety. Read on as we discuss nine things to look for in your London data centre partner.

1. Security

Security comes in both digital and physical from when referring to top-quality London data centres.

Data centres can also be attacked physically. Therefore, you need to check the security of the facility itself. It should be monitored 24 hours a day with video surveillance equipment.

2. Power redundancy

When you have a business that runs online, you need to make sure it is operating at full capacity through all eventualities. If you have a critical system that can not go down, what happens if a data centre runs out of power?

One factor your London data centre needs is a secondary electrical connection. Most facilities will have this, and N+1 grid connectivity with a second power source is essential.

Any failures in the power will not lead to a shutdown with this in place. When choosing a centre, ask what electrical backups they have.

3. A good location

When you choose a data centre that is a long way off, then your networking costs increase. When it is closer to your place of operations, it is easier to respond when any problems or issues arise. This is what makes a London data centre such a great option for businesses in the city.

Lights out facilities is the term used for centres managed remotely. Preferred by some, they are risk-averse and cost-effective, as management is away from areas prone to natural disasters. However, this is not a problem that impacts the city of London.

This makes a data centre in London a great choice all around. They are safe and with so much easy access to the city, can be visited whenever you need to check on them.

4. Provision of an SLA

A service level agreement (SLA) is a binding contract that sets out what the data centre will provide you with. This needs to be studied in-depth, as it may contain hidden caveats within the small print. When something goes wrong, you don’t want the provider to leave you high and dry because you didn’t read it properly.

Don’t be afraid to address these issues. If you want something added or removed, then discuss it with them. This may also help them get a better understanding of the coverage and service you desire.

One area that is often hard to understand is accountability for security. Make this as clear as possible in your SLA. All of this should be discussed during your search, not when it comes to signing the contract.

5. 24 hour support

Problems can occur at any time. This does not just mean the middle of the night, but also on every day of the week, every single day of the year. Failure is not an option, because it costs people time and revenue. That is why the centre needs to be monitored and staffed around the clock.

That does not mean staffing at the centre has to be consistent. In downtimes, less staff may be onsite or monitoring. However, someone must always be there to answer phone calls and give assistance.

6. Reputation

Checking the reputation does not mean you won’t find unknown London data centres that are good. It is just that with ones that have a great reputation, you get a degree of certainty regarding their level of service. Speak to other business leaders and managers about who they use and get recommendations.

In addition, when you sign up for a data centre you will be working together for a few years. You need to know they have a level of professionalism and service that will see you through. Ask the company themselves to provide references and testimonials to support their credibility.

7. Geo diversity

Despite being an extremely safe place for a data centre, it is possible that accidents may happen. When they do and centres go out of action, you need to know the company has other centres across the country or region.

If a disaster befalls the centre then another can keep your business up and running. Discuss this and see where their other centres are located.

8. Certifications

Like any industry, the data providers will have a number of compliance certifications. These are to protect the centre legally and safeguard you as a customer.

In addition to this, your industry itself may be regulated and have compliance, which the data centre needs to know about. For example, if you have healthcare records and the data centre does not understand the compliance related to record-keeping, then you may be liable.

9. Data capacity

Data capacity for your London data centre needs to be scalable. Technology is constantly growing and so are the needs of your business. The data centre needs to have the capacity to provide for you, then be able to forecast what else you may need, and be able to increase it quickly.

Some data centres are huge and can support Amazon sized websites, while others may be much smaller. None are wrong or right, as long as they have the capacity to serve you now and in the future.

Selecting a London data centre

Now you know the benefits of a London data centre, you just need to find one suitable for your business. Speak with a number of providers and make sure to go through the SLA in depth.

Your first stop should be Netwise. We have colocation centres in the capital with state of the art facilities. Get in touch today and let us keep you connected.

August 13, 2021August 13, 2021 by Matt Seaton

A small business guide to a London data centre

Decades ago, society was content with simple TV broadcasts from only a few channels, and communication was as simple as snail-mail. When computers first came on the scene they were giant machines that would occupy whole rooms.

But as technology has evolved, computers and equipment have shrunk and become cheaper. With this evolution has come rising data processing demands which show no sign of slowing down.

As technological advances continue to change the way companies do business, the need for data and power increases. Data centres are the powerhouses of the industrial world, and a London data centre may be just the thing you need.

What is a data centre?

The internet is now considered a daily essential, and almost everybody owns a smartphone, allowing 24/7 connection to the online world. With over 60% of the world’s population online at any given time, the internet plays a huge role in our lives. This means the demand for real-time data transmission is at an all-time high.

The need for computers and other networking equipment that can handle these requests was the driver for the emersion of the modern data centre.

Data centres are computing and networking facilities tasked to collect, store, process, and distribute data. They are responsible for data backup and recovery, as well as networking.

Data centres connect communication networks so users can access information remotely. They host websites and manage e-mails and messaging services. Data centres also support cloud storage and e-commerce transactions.

Importance of data centres

Almost every modern business needs a business data centre. Large corporations or government institutions may choose to build and manage them in-house if they have the resources, but most companies choose to rent services at colocation facilities.

Companies that handle finance, telecommunication, retail, education and social networking services process tons of information daily. Any business that produces or uses data requires a data centre to optimise running its operations. Data centres offer fast secure access to data that cannot be matched.

The idea of storing data and resources on home or work computers is quickly being replaced by an offshore storage mentality. Many companies are migrating their data to data centre services to reduce the cost of running in-house servers and to ensure failsafe reliability that cannot be achieved in the home or workplace.

What Netwise’s London data centres can do for you

Data centres in London are far more than just safe and secure facilities equipped with reliable power and network access. They are quickly becoming a valuable addition to many businesses, as a dependable extension of their IT team.

The Netwise team prides itself on quality service and round the clock care to ensure your data is accessible and protected.

Reliability

Data centres are built to provide around the clock service. With every consideration taken care of, you can be sure your servers will be running around the clock for you and your clients.

Netwise offers the following services to ensure your data is secure and reliable:

Multiple power sources that are stable and uninterruptible
Super-efficient cooling and ventilation
Reliable backup generators
24×7 technical support and security
World-class network and connectivity services

Power outage protection

Onsite power failures are incurable when they result in a loss of data. Technological and natural power outages can cause disaster for an organisation. Loss of power for as little as 1/50 of a second can trigger events that can keep equipment unavailable for anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours.

Outsourcing control to reduce the impact of a power failure is a great way to ensure this doesn’t happen to you. Date centres make use of both grid power and independent generators and UPS’s. This means you’ll be protecting yourself against power outages and ensuring your servers are never out of action.

Clean power

Utility power isn’t always clean, creating a sustainable future is everyone’s responsibility. This is why Netwise uses 100% renewable energy sourced from the wind, sun and sea. Our data centres are some of the greenest facilities in Europe, helping you and your company reduce your carbon footprint.

London colocation tailored to suit your needs

Available in near-limitless space, this is colocation tailored to your needs. With a range of power and connectivity configurations, you will get a secure, resilient server. Select from 1U, 2U & 4U colocation, quarter rack, half-rack or full rack options at a range of price points to fit your budget.

Not sure what you need? Use the colocation calculator to help get you started.

24/7 service

Available with all colocation service options, you will receive 24/7 phone, chat and email customer support. You will have access to full remote hands and management options.

Change your focus

With your data needs taken care of, you and your company can focus on your core objectives, rather than technological maintenance. Spend more time focusing on your profit margin and services, and less time worrying about your server.

Get ready for your London data centre

There’s no question that using a London data centre can bring peace of mind to you and your company. A business data centre in London will ensure you have reliable, around the clock access to your data and network. Using clean energy to cover all your data needs, you can be confident you’re doing right by your clients and the world.

Come in for a tour, or give us a call today to find out how Netwise can help you with your data needs.