Network & Datacentre

Our web servers are housed in our private racks within the Centro Datacentre in the UK. The Centro Datacentre features world class resilient infrastructure including multiple levels of 24/7 security, stable high-capacity power supplies, fire protection and environmental controls.

Our network is fully redundant and has been built using the latest Juniper routing hardware along with Cisco and HP switching equipment. Utilising VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) on our routers and rSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) on our switches, which along with duplicating all core infrastructure provides hitless failover in case of a hardware failure to ensure world-class uptimes.

The importance of having your website hosted inside the same Country as your target audience is critical for your web success. Firstly, your visitors are going have as little latency as possible which means that your site is going to load as quickly as it can for them. Secondly, being on UK hosted servers will improve your UK search engine rankings with search engines such as Google. Google will look at the UK IP address and determine that your website is relevant to the UK audience which can help improve your web traffic.

Datacentre Pictures

Below are some pictures of our facility, please click on an image to view a larger version.

UK Datacentre Features

Location	Centro Datacentre, Hemel Hempstead. England.
Site Area	50,000 sq ft secure compound with single storey datacentre building
Staffing	24/7 on-site qualified technical support personnel
Power	Dual dedicated 11,000V (HV) connections via diverse feeders from EDF primary substation, buried in our own dedicated ducts
	Dedicated HV substation on-site within secure plant compound
	N+1 diesel stand-by generators with 48 hour on-site fuel supply at full load, with 4hr fuel resupply agreement with local fuel depot
	N+1 diverse UPS systems
Cooling	N+1 high efficiency packaged chillers
Cooling	2N inverter driven high efficiency chilled water pump sets
Connectivity	Dual fibre entry through dedicated private ducts
	Resilient dark fibre connectivity to existing London carrier rings
	Dark fibre, managed DWDM wavelengths, MPLS backhaul circuits, and local BGP connectivity with multiple on-site independent carriers
Security	3m security fence with Rota-Spikes
	Anti ram-raid barriers throughout external perimeter
	Blast proof and anti-intruder shielded external windows
	Steel security doors and fire exits
	Perimeter and internal digital IP ICCTV system with digitally controlled motion sensors and flood lighting
	Proximity access locks on all external and internal doors
	Interlocked man-traps on front entrance and goods in area
	Biometric iris scan man-trap to gain access to data floor area
Environment	Outside the flood plain of any rivers or coast, and outside any Environment Agency Flood Warning Area
Environment	Comprehensive internal leak detection system
Management	Comprehensive centralised intelligent Building Management System (BMS), covering all Power, Cooling and Environmental systems detailed above

Suite Area	2.5 meters clear height between floor and ceiling within hosting suites
Suite Area	600mm x 600mm heavy duty anti-static raised flooring with 600mm under-floor void and cross-braced pedestals
Power	Power delivery to equipment via A+B power distribution system at 230V
	Power distribution boards located in M&E corridors separate from IT equipment
	BMS monitoring of power draw and power factor, and central reporting and alerting on breaker trip status
Cooling	1 meter clear false ceiling void for hot-air return to down flow units
	Contained hot aisle design for high efficiency cooling
	N+1 redundant efficient down flow units hosted in M&E corridors separate to customer areas
	BMS monitoring of air flow, temperature and humidity status, and central reporting and alerting on any down flow unit fault alarms
Fire Suppression	Minimum 1 hour fire protection to all hosting suites
	Double knock zoned fire detection system
	Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus (VESDA)
	FM200 fire suppression systems hosted within M&E corridors separate from IT equipment
Security	Proximity access locks on all internal doors
Security	Internal CCTV coverage of hosting suites

Bandwidth & Peering Providers

Peers include Microsoft, Nildram, Bulldog, Cogent, NTL, Claranet, Google, KPN Planet, NewNet, HE, Akamai, Openpeering, GXN, the BBC plus hundreds more.