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UK Data Centres Now Essential Services | Cybersecurity 2026

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:09:45 GMT

Why cybersecurity now starts at the infrastructure level

By Jamieson Lee Hill, April 28th 2026

Summary: Colocation Cybersecurity in the UK (2026)

UK legislation shift: The 2026 Cyber Security and Resilience Bill reclassifies data centres as Essential Services , making infrastructure a regulated part of cybersecurity compliance.

Cyber threat escalation: The UK recorded over 200 major cyber incidents in one year, with ransomware and supply chain attacks rising sharply across both enterprises and SMEs.

Regulatory gap closed: New DSIT and NCSC measures require stronger supplier accountability, incident reporting to Ofcom, and adoption of Cyber Essentials baseline protections.

Infrastructure now critical: Cybersecurity is no longer limited to software. Hosting environments must meet resilience, availability, and physical security standards.

Supply chain risk exposure: Only around 40% of large organisations assess supplier cybersecurity, making third-party infrastructure a major vulnerability.

Colocation closes the gap: Dedicated infrastructure, controlled physical access, UK data sovereignty, and predictable performance reduce risks that cloud-only environments cannot f
ully address.

IP House alignment: Tier III infrastructure, ISO 27001/9001 certification, and Zero Trust physical security position IP House London in line with 2026 UK cybersecurity and resilience standards.

Introduction

In this new article, we examine recent measures by the UK government to put data centres on a level pegging with energy and water utilities. We also examine cybersecurity measures IP House already implements for UK businesses to protect their data and systems.

Why are Data Centres Essential Services?

As of March 2026, the UK Government released the DSIT Cybersecurity Newsletter . It revealed that the UK cybersecurity situation was facing a major turning point in early 2025. A core feature is the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. It is a groundbreaking shift in the protection of infrastructure for UK businesses led by the UK government's strategy.

Data Centres will be formally reclassified as Essential Services. This effectively places data centre infrastructure on the same playing field and national importance level as energy and water utilities. The reclassification was first announced in September 2024 . This new Bill expands upon it.

The Bill clearly indicates that the UK government considers an attack on a data centre to be a threat to the nation’s productivity and public service delivery.

What does the CyberSecurity and Resilience legislation mean for UK businesses?

The joint DSIT/NCSC campaign ‘urges SMEs to adopt Cyber Essentials’. The government wants UK businesses to ‘lock the door’ on cybercrime. The new campaign and bill provide practical guidance and methods for businesses to secure themselves against online threats.

Some of the measures include controlling access to accounts and data and making sure software is always up-to-date. These are areas that cybercriminals commonly exploit, and Cyber Essentials is specifically designed to counter these threats.

Important Information for UK Businesses on Cyber Essentials and the NCSC

Businesses can access support, including the Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool (an online self‑assessment to identify security gaps).
Free 30‑minute consultations with NCSC‑assured cyber advisors to help your business prepare for Cyber Essentials certification.
Find out more information on the Cyber Essentials website.

What is the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)?

The NCSC is the UK government’s front-line authority on cybersecurity. It sits under GCHQ in terms of hierarchy. Their role is to protect UK businesses and organisations, infrastructure, and the public from cyber threats.

What does the NCSC do?

Sets national cybersecurity guidance for businesses and the public sector

Runs schemes like Cyber Essentials.

Responds to major cyber incidents

Advises government and critical infrastructure providers

Publishes threat intelligence and best practice frameworks

What do the Cyber Essentials changes mean for your business?

Ultimately, your choice of hosting provider is now a matter of national resilience standards. You should choose a data centre that meets the Essentials benchmark.

What Is the UK Cybersecurity Regulatory Gap?

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology update (DSIT) is specifically focused on solving a long-standing "regulatory gap". This gap is where data infrastructure falls short of the minimum requirements for cyber resilience.

In the past, many providers operated with a range of security tiers from low to high. With the new Cyber Essentials legislation, providers of data centre services and hosting are required to manage risks proportionately. Also, cybersecurity incidents must be reported promptly to Ofcom.

IP House, Already Cyber Security Compliant

At IP House, we are ahead of the game because we knew that this level of regulatory compliance would be necessary with the increase in cybersecurity attacks on UK businesses.

The good news is that our facility in London’s Docklands is built to Tier III standards. That means that if you are an IP House client, your business is already aligned with the standards the UK government is now making compulsory.

UK Cyber Threat Reaches a Record High

With the NCSC’s Annual review in 2025 revealing that the UK Cyber threat was now at a record high,

“The NCSC’s Annual Review 2025 painted a stark picture: the UK faced 204 nationally significant cyber incidents between September 2024 and August 2025 – a 130% increase on the previous year and the highest number ever recorded. “Highly significant” incidents, those with serious impact on government, essential services, or the economy, rose by 50% for the third consecutive year.”

Source: PDQ.co.uk, Feb 17 2026

Rising cyberattacks have fueled the current initiatives by the UK government to make British businesses more resilient in the face of cybersecurity threats. You can read more about the types of cyberattacks in our article: Microsoft Report: 600 million cyberattacks everyday.

Cyber Attacks Can Destroy Businesses Overnight

A cyber attack forced the collapse of a 160-year-old UK haulage firm , showing that even established businesses with existing security measures are vulnerable. Knights of Old entered administration after ransomware corrupted critical financial data, making it impossible to meet lender requirements.

The incident reflects a wider trend, with major organisations like Marks & Spencer and the Co-op also facing disruption, while smaller firms remain at even greater risk due to limited resources. Experts warn that modern attacks are evolving rapidly, with “ransomware as a service” increasing both frequency and impact. Some key facts about cyberattacks are:

Real-world collapse: Cyber attack destroyed a long-established UK business despite existing protections

Data corruption risk: Critical systems and financial data can be rendered unusable, halting operations

Widespread threat: Large brands and SMEs are both being targeted across sectors

SME vulnerability: Smaller firms face greater risk due to limited budgets and response capability

Evolving attacks: Ransomware now combines data theft and system lockout to maximise pressure

As cybersecurity expert Tash Buckley explains, “It really can happen to anyone… for smaller companies, it’s more of an existential issue.”

The Shift to Supply Chain Due Diligence

In light of the forthcoming legislation, DSIT’s latest research indicates that large businesses are improving their internal defences. However, figures suggest that only 40% of big businesses assess the cybersecurity risks coming from their suppliers.

The 2026 Cyber Essentials Bill aims to fix this prevalent problem by enabling regulators to designate "Critical Suppliers."

Supply Chain Cyber Attacks Are Rising Fast

The National Cybersecurity Centre warned businesses that now was the time to prepare for severe cyberattacks. They issued a collective call to action for UK businesses to protect themselves against cybercrime and have resilient infrastructure.

“The NCSC Annual Review 2025 highlights the widening gap between the rising pace of cyber threat and the UK’s collective resilience – and the NCSC’s message is unambiguous: the time to act is now.”

Source: National Cybersecurity Centre website, 2025

Cyber criminals are no longer targeting organisations in isolation. Instead, they are targeting the ecosystem around them, i.e. the Supply Chain. Suppliers, partners, and service providers have become the easiest entry point into larger, more secure and connected networks.

A single weak link is enough for a cybercriminal to gain entry. If a supplier’s system is compromised, attackers can move laterally across connected environments, gaining access to data, systems, and operations that would otherwise be difficult to breach.

Entry point risk: Suppliers are often less protected, making them easier targets for attackers

Lateral movement: One breach can spread across connected systems and organisations

Operational disruption: Attacks on suppliers can halt production, logistics, and services

Real-world impact: Incidents affecting companies such as Jaguar Land Rover show how supply chain attacks disrupt entire industries

This is no longer theoretical. Modern business depends on digital supply chains, but those same connections create shared risk. If your suppliers are not secure, neither are you. This is a key area that the new UK government legislation is seeking to address.

Why Cloud-Only Cybersecurity Is Not Enough: The Fallacy of the Virtual-Only Defence

One prime concern is that most cybersecurity strategies by UK businesses have software as the starting point rather than infrastructure. Companies configure their firewalls, monitor their endpoints and secure their identity controls. However, the infrastructure that lies beneath these measures is often neglected.

In a cloud environment, you are renting the capability, but you are not controlling it. As a business, you cannot verify who has access to your hardware on the physical level, how the security is implemented on-site and how your systems are managed and prioritised during a cybersecurity incident.

In recent times, the shift towards colocation services does not mean a business abandons the cloud. It is more about realising that digital security with physical control is limited. If you do not have this physical security and control on the infrastructure, it is a major risk for your business. This is partly what has prompted the new UK bill.

What the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill Means for UK Businesses in 2026

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill has established cyber security as foundational to the operations of UK businesses. It is no longer an IT department issue. In effect, this now means as a UK business:

Infrastructure is now part of compliance: it is no longer enough to secure applications; the hosting environment must meet defined standards

Supplier risk becomes your risk: gaps in third-party security are now directly relevant to your own exposure

Accountability extends beyond your organisation: failure at the provider level can still result in operational and regulatory consequences.

With the new legislation, your hosting provider is now not just a supplier but a core part of your security architecture.

How Colocation Improves Cybersecurity for UK Businesses

Colocation resolves the problem at the infrastructure level rather than trying to patch over it with additional software. Instead of relying on shared environments, you operate on dedicated hardware within a facility designed for resilience. That allows security to be enforced consistently, not assumed.

Physical access is controlled and auditable: no unknown variables around who can reach your systems
Performance is stable and predictable: no shared resource contention affecting uptime or monitoring
Data remains within UK jurisdiction: reducing legal complexity and improving compliance alignment

This is why colocation is increasingly used for critical workloads. It is not about preference. It is about risk reduction.

How IP House London Meets the 2026 Standards

The key difference with IP House is that its infrastructure already aligns with the direction of the new UK regulations. The IP House Docklands-based facility operates to Tier III standards, with redundancy across power, cooling, and connectivity. That ensures systems remain operational even under stress conditions, which is exactly when security matters most.

Tier III infrastructure: designed for continuous availability and fault tolerance

Biometric access and 24/7 monitoring: physical security enforced as rigorously as digital controls

Infrastructure compliant: For UK businesses, the great benefit of partnering with IP House, London, is that we already meet the new Supply Chain Diligence requirements set down by the UK government. IP House Data Centre is both:

ISO 27001 certified (Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Information security management systems). This ISO defines how risks are identified, managed, and continuously reviewed
ISO 9001 certified (Quality Management Systems). This ISO ensures operational consistency and accountability across all processes

UK data sovereignty: Hosting with IP House’s London-based facility keeps data under UK jurisdiction, reducing legal exposure and simplifying compliance.

What Is Physical Security in Zero Trust Cybersecurity?

Zero Trust is usually discussed in terms of users, logins, and permissions, but that is rarely applied to the security of the physical environment. At IP House London, Zero Trust extends beyond software into the physical layer or facilities themselves:

Perimeter security: The Docklands facility operates with Grade III intruder detection, anti-climb protection, and tightly controlled access points within one of the UK’s most connected digital hubs

Biometric access control: Multi-factor authentication and biometric verification remove reliance on keycards, eliminating common vulnerabilities such as tailgating or credential theft

Continuous on-site monitoring: 24/7/365 CCTV and physical security presence ensure that access is not only restricted, but constantly verified

Zero Trust Physical Defence: The physical layer is an active part of the security of the building.

What Are Availability Attacks in Cybersecurity?

Availability Attacks the Primary Threat

“In general, availability attacks are a DoS attack that can delay or completely prohibit authorized individuals to access to certain services at the time when they need to.”

Source: Science Direct.com, 2026

With an availability attack, if your systems go offline, so does your cyber defence. Therefore, availability is a core aspect of security. Whilst data breaches tend to get more coverage in the media, disruption to services is a more immediate and frequent risk.

Denial-of-service attacks do not need to breach your systems. If systems go offline, monitoring stops. If monitoring stops, threats go undetected.

Colocation infrastructure at IP House London is designed to handle availability attacks with:

Carrier-neutral connectivity: Multiple Tier-1 providers allow traffic to be rerouted when a network path is targeted

N+1 redundancy: Power and cooling systems remain operational even when components fail, ensuring systems stay live

High-bandwidth capacity: Infrastructure is built to absorb traffic spikes that would overwhelm standard business connections

Physical Infrastructure and AI Security

AI-driven cybersecurity is often regarded as the next evolution in defence. However, AI systems are only as effective as the infrastructure they run on. Advanced security tools do not fail because they are poorly designed. They fail because the infrastructure beneath them cannot support them when it matters.

High-performance security platforms generate significant heat and require stable, high-density power. Many environments simply cannot sustain that consistently, which leads to throttling, instability, or outright failure under load.

At IP House London, the environment and physical infrastructure are engineered to support these demands:

2MVA power capacity: Supports high-density compute workloads without degradation

Precision cooling systems: Maintain optimal operating conditions for sustained performance

Schneider Electric StruxureWare DCIM: Provides real-time monitoring and optimisation of the data centre environment

Conclusion: Cybersecurity Now Starts with Infrastructure

“Cyber security is now a matter of business survival and national resilience.”

Source: NCSC CEO Richard Horne , 2026

Clearly, cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting systems at the software level. The new UK government cybersecurity measures and proposed legislation now recognise that the physical infrastructure is also vital to cybersecurity

The infrastructure where those systems live, how they are controlled, and whether they can operate under pressure, are all determining factors in protecting against a cyberattack.

Colocation services at IP House London close that gap in cybersecurity by providing a controlled, compliant environment where security is enforced at every level.

By moving critical infrastructure to IP House London, your business will have cutting-edge cybersecurity protection that aligns with the UK government’s 2026 resilience standards.

Is your physical infrastructure the weak link in your security chain? Contact the IP House team today to book a tour of our London Docklands facility.

Fill out the Contact Form Below.

FAQS

What is the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill?

It is UK legislation that strengthens cybersecurity requirements for critical infrastructure, including data centres. It requires organisations to improve resilience, manage risk, and report incidents.

Is Cyber Essentials enough on its own?

No. It provides baseline protection against common cyber threats. It does not cover infrastructure-level risks, which are now part of compliance.

Why is colocation considered more secure than public cloud?

Colocation provides physical control over infrastructure in a secure data centre environment. This removes the uncertainty and shared risk found in public cloud systems.

Is IP House compliant with the 2026 UK cybersecurity standards?

Yes. IP House operates a Tier III facility with ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications. This aligns with the UK government’s resilience and infrastructure requirements.

What is cyber-physical security?

It combines digital cybersecurity with physical infrastructure protection. This creates a complete security model covering both systems and environments.

Does UK data location matter?

Yes. Data location determines legal jurisdiction and regulatory compliance. UK-based hosting simplifies compliance with national cybersecurity requirements.

SOURCES

UK Government Policy paper. DDDSIT Cyber Security Newsletter - March 2026

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dsit-cyber-security-newsletter-march-2026/dsit-cyber-security-newsletter-march-2026

CyberEssentials, UK Government. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/overview

Campaign Launch, UK Government: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/businesses-urged-to-lock-the-door-on-cyber-criminals-as-new-government-campaign-launches

Supply Chain Cyber Security Risks and Certification for UK Businesses

https://amtivo.com/uk/standards/iso-27001/insights/supply-chain-cyber-security-risks-and-certification-uk-businesses/

UK Cyber Threat Level at Record High

https://pdq.co.uk/insights/uk-cyber-threat-level-at-record-high-what-every-business-needs-to-do-in-2026/

National Cybersecurity Centre Call to Action 2025

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blogs/preparing-for-severe-cyber-threat-why-leaders-must-act-now

Data centres as vital as NHS and power grid, government says

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c23ljy4z05mo

Microsoft Report: 600 million Cyberattacks Everyday

https://www.ip-house.co.uk/microsoft-report-600-million-cyberattacks-everyday

7 PROVEN FACTORS IN THE FORMULA FOR INDIE GAME SUCCESS

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 18:51:13 GMT

What makes a successful indie game?

(Picture above: Screenshot from the epic game Valheim on Steam . The front cover was a screenshot of the 1991 classic Another World, which is also available on Steam with a remastered 20th-anniversary edition. )

Jamieson Lee Hill, Video Game Story Writer, Friday, March 27th, 2026

Summary: What makes a successful indie game?

Why are innovation and creative identity important in indie games?

Creative identity and innovation help indie games stand out in crowded markets

How does storytelling improve player engagement in indie games?

Storytelling gives players purpose, emotional connection and long-term engagement

What game mechanics make indie games successful?

Strong core mechanics create a simple, repeatable loop that drives retention

Why is community engagement critical for indie game growth?

Community engagement fuels visibility, feedback and organic growth

How do indie games use merchandising as part of the formula for success?

Merchandising turns a game into a scalable brand with additional revenue streams

How do indie teams communicate and stay aligned during development?

Clear team communication ensures alignment across design, story and development

Why do indie games need strong infrastructure and servers?

Reliable infrastructure supports performance, scalability and player satisfaction.

Key Takeaways

Successful indie games are built on a clear core mechanic, strong creative identity and player-focused design.
Long-term growth comes from community engagement, smart monetisation and scalable infrastructure.
Indie studios succeed by refining simple ideas and executing them consistently, not by adding complexity.

Introduction: How have indie games evolved from the 1970s to today?

My personal gaming journey

Having lived through five decades of gaming, I have seen indie game development evolve from simple titles into global successes. My first experience was on a Binatone console in the late 1970s, where games were little more than moving dots. In the 1980s, I played on the BBC Micro, Spectrum 48k, and Sega Mega Drive. I was still on my Sega in the 1990s, but then switched to Nintendo 64 in the mid-90s. Then, about 1999, I changed to PC gaming and never looked back, but I still have a PS2 and 50 games at home. In 2020, I entered the gaming industry as an editor and then a Story Writer.

How have indie games evolved from the 1970s to today?

Technically, indie games began in the 1970s and early 1980s with solo programmers building titles for machines such as the Apple II, TRS-80 and Commodore PET. In the 1990s, shareware and the rise of PC distribution allowed developers to reach players directly without relying on publishers. Even then, the foundations of indie development were clear: small teams, creative freedom and experimentation.

The modern indie boom arrived in the late 2000s with digital platforms like Steam. Titles such as Minecraft and Stardew Valley proved that small studios could compete globally through strong ideas, not large budgets.

Today, indie development is one of the most innovative parts of the gaming industry. The tools are more accessible, distribution is global, and community engagement is built into the process. What has not changed is the core principle: indie games succeed by focusing on creativity, not scale. This is central to the formula for indie game success.

Let’s explore 7 aspects of the formula for success in indie games:

1. Why are innovation and creative identity important in indie games?

The visual and auditory identity of a game can be just as important as its gameplay. Music stirs the soul and sets the atmosphere before launching into battle in a jungle, fighting for survival in an FPS, or traversing the wilds in an open-world fantasy game.

As a Game Writer, I love hearing the compositions by game music artists and the brilliant voiceover artists who bring the characters to life. Likewise, the art, animation and aesthetics of video games mean a lot to the gaming community.

Some games are absolute works of art. In crowded digital storefronts, a distinctive art style can determine whether a player even clicks on a game to learn more.

The formula for indie game success usually includes:

• Unique visual aesthetics

• Strong atmosphere and environmental design

• Memorable soundtracks and audio design

Whether through pixel art, stylised 3D graphics, or hand-drawn illustrations, creative identity helps a game establish a recognisable presence. Without the limitations on decision-making that AAA studios impose, indie games are more able to innovate freely and pursue originality.

Four aspects come to mind:

A willingness to experiment is a defining characteristic of indie games.

Innovation does not always mean inventing an entirely new genre. Often, the most effective approach is to take a familiar idea and introduce a single twist that changes the experience.

A simple gameplay loop or mechanic can become compelling when placed in a new context or combined with a different ruleset. Many successful indie titles build their appeal around a clear concept that players understand quickly but continue exploring over time.

Identifying the core hook of the game and refining it until it becomes deeply satisfying to play is the key.

The Alto Enigma

Alto’s Adventure is a sublime snowboarding adventure across alpine landscapes while rescuing llamas and chaining tricks. Part of its formula for indie game success is simplicity. When I think of classic indie games such as Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey, they epitomise originality in artistic terms.

They are both beautifully crafted games with haunting music; the aesthetic of the Alto series is something of great beauty and otherworldliness. Less is more in this Zen-like classic. Indie studio Snowman, in collaboration with Harry Nesbitt, focused on clarity of design, atmosphere, and long-term player experience rather than feature overload.

Co-founder of Snowman, Ryan Cash, was playing Ski Safari nonstop when he was sick for a long period of time. This was a major inspiration for Alto’s Adventure. When you actually look at the game mechanics of Ski Safari and Alto’s Adventure 2015, there are a lot of similarities, e.g. skiing over jumps, collecting coins, whizzing down slopes at high speed, etc., etc.

The game mechanics are familiar, but it is a wonderfully crafted world of art, animation and music that sets it apart creatively.

Alto’s Odyssey (2018) refined that formula, shifting to a desert setting with new physics and tone, proving that strong concepts scale through iteration, not reinvention. To this day, I still love both of the Alto games.

What separates the series is its discipline:

Minimalist design: no excess UI or mechanics, just a clean, focused loop
Atmosphere as gameplay: dynamic weather, lighting, and music shape the experience
Accessible depth: one-touch controls, but high skill ceiling through timing and flow
Distinct artistic identity: instantly recognisable, widely imitated

2. How does storytelling improve player engagement in indie games?

The iterative process of story writing is about experimentation, researching and adapting until you find the story's magic to captivate your audience. As an Indie Game Story Writer, I know this process well.

Giving the player a why

The whole purpose of the story is to give the main character a reason for what they are doing, e.g. saving a princess from a deadly dragon, seeking revenge on enemies, etc.

When a player has motivation for the character’s journey, the game becomes more meaningful. Remember that games are cyberworlds where people run to escape the tedium and monotony of daily lives, so they should be carefully crafted.

What successful storytelling involves

Story development in games often starts with lore and worldbuilding and includes:

• defining the history and mythology of the game world

• developing character and monster/enemy backstories and motivations

• outlining narrative arcs and side stories

• creating environmental storytelling elements that players discover naturally during gameplay

I have recently joined a new gaming studio, and this is exactly the process I will undertake. In some projects, storytelling goes beyond the game through social media or short prose, expanding the world and atmosphere.

In fact, for two of the games I have worked on in recent years, I also wrote posts for social media and the website to expand the lore.

Four Games From Four Decades

Here are 4 indie game titles which epitomise successful storytelling. One of them is with visual storytelling only. I have chosen one indie game from each decade since 1980 that really stood out for its story.

1980s: Prince of Persia (1989)

Mostly developed by one person, Jordan Mechner, Prince of Persia introduced cinematic storytelling at a time when most games were purely mechanical. With realistic animation and pacing, it created tension and narrative immersion around a simple rescue storyline. Jordan explains how he made the game in this video.

1990s: Another World (1991)

This game is iconic in indie game storytelling. I remember playing it in the 90s on SEGA. I recently bought the 2011 mobile version for research for this article. It still shines.

Another World is beautiful and unique because it uses visual storytelling rather than relying on dialogue. In that sense, it was a game-changer in reinventing how stories could be told by removing dialogue and interface entirely.

The overall effect is a game which feels more immersive with the ambiguous narrative experience left to your own interpretation.

2000 to 2010: Braid (2008)

Braid is a groundbreaking and surreal platform game that takes a familiar rescue story and quietly deconstructs it. Time manipulation is part of the narrative of the game. In that sense, Braid demonstrated that indie games could go deeper, with more philosophical themes and still keep the player engaged.

The game mechanics are in many ways those of a classic platform game, but the deep and rich story takes the gamer on a much deeper narrative experience.

2011 to 2026: Disco Elysium (2019)

Disco Elysium stands out as an epic achievement in indie game RPGS. It is regarded as a high point in indie narrative design, with writing that operates at the level of serious literature.

The player builds identity through choices and internal dialogue, making the story feel highly personal and intellectually complex.

Two Quotes on Story Writing in Games

I read an excellent article on Game Design by Alexander Brazie , who worked on big titles like World of Warcraft and League of Legends. Two quotations struck me as worthy inclusions in a discussion about the formula for indie game success.

“Character is the nexus of story and gameplay,” by Mohammad Alavi

Allow your gamer to feel emotional empathy with the character and a desire to take on their mission, and that is half the formula for a successful game. Without character motivation, a game falls flat.

“The story comes only after the core of the game system is completed,” by Shigeru Miyamoto

The second quote from the Master Game Designer, Miyamoto, surprised me, as I have always been involved with the story-first approach. Miyamoto's games Super Mario Bros. (1985) and The Legend of Zelda (1986) helped the Nintendo Entertainment System dominate the console game market.

While not an Indie games producer, he is a master in the field of game design for mass market gaming. Certainly, this is food for thought for any indie studio.

For indie developers, strong worldbuilding turns a simple game into a world players return to, shaped by memorable characters and experiences.

A successful indie game will live long in the hearts of gamers for decades afterwards.

3. What game mechanics make indie games successful?

Successful indie games are built on one clear principle: a simple core mechanic that is easy to learn, but deep enough to sustain long-term engagement. The most effective titles do not rely on graphics or scale. They succeed because their systems are clean, repeatable and satisfying over time.

During my research, this video by Indie Game Clinic ‘Game Mechanics and Systems Thinking’ , these were the main takeaways concerning game mechanics:

Start with Core Mechanics, Not Features

Successful indie games focus on one or two strong player actions (jump, shoot, build) and make them feel exceptional. Everything else is built around that.

Understand the Role of Every Mechanic

Top-performing games don’t just copy ideas. They understand why a mechanic exists and how it supports progression, challenge, or player motivation.

Prioritise Game Feel Early

The best indie titles lock in the feel of core actions early. Small tweaks to timing, feedback, and responsiveness define whether a game feels good or forgettable.

Build Systems Around Proven Interactions

Mechanics come first, systems come second. Successful teams prototype gameplay before investing time in complex systems like progression or procedural generation.

Design for Player Experience, Not Realism

Indie hits focus on the outcome: fun, tension, mastery. Mechanics are chosen to create that emotional response, not to simulate reality.

Minecraft

A strong example is Minecraft , which demonstrates how powerful mechanics can drive global success. At its core, Minecraft is built around a single loop: mining, crafting and building. Every system in the game expands naturally from that foundation, creating a cohesive and scalable experience.

Let’s unpack the game mechanics of this title that started life as an indie game before the Microsoft takeover.

Game Mechanics As a Formula for Success in Minecraft

One core mechanic executed well

A single, clearly defined loop forms the foundation of the entire Minecraft experience, i.e. dig, mine, build, etc. Research into indie game performance shows that titles built around a single clear gameplay loop consistently outperform feature-heavy games in player retention.

Mechanics that generate meaning

Gameplay in Minecraft creates its own narrative through player actions rather than relying on a scripted story.

Simple rules with scalable depth

Systems are easy to understand at the start, but expand into more complex possibilities over time.

Constraints that drive creativity

Limitations, such as Minecraft’s block system, encourage players to think more creatively.

Strong feedback loops and player agency

Actions produce immediate results in Minecraft, giving players control and a sense of ownership.

Polish and tight scope

Controls are consistent, systems are focused, and unnecessary features are avoided.

Key Takeaway

Strong mechanics do not need to be complex. They need to be clear, cohesive and refined to the point where players want to keep engaging long after they understand how the game works.

This is how mechanics are part of the formula for indie game success.

4. Why is community engagement critical for indie game growth?

Community engagement drives visibility, feedback and long-term growth. For indie games without large marketing budgets, the community is not just an audience. It is part of the process and the formula for indie game success.

In all the indie game studios I have worked with, there has also been a dedicated social media marketing team that engaged with and responded to the audience. This is vital for engagement, and acting on feedback helps players feel a sense of community and ownership of the game.

Successful indie studios involve players early on and consistently. This creates a sense of ownership, increases retention and generates organic promotion through word of mouth.

Case Study: Among Us and Community-Driven Growth

Among Us launched in 2018 with minimal traction, but surged to over 400 million players in 2020 after gaining visibility through streamers.

The developers scaled by listening to community feedback and rapidly updating content. This player-driven growth model turned a small indie title into one of the most played games globally. It demonstrates how community engagement can directly drive exponential success.

How Community Supports Each Stage of Development For Indie Game Success

Prototype / Concept: Early clips and ideas are shared to test interest and validate the core concept.

Alpha: Developers gather feedback on core systems, allowing early players to influence the direction of the game.

Beta: Wider access generates bug reports, behavioural data and momentum ahead of launch.

Launch: The community drives visibility through reviews, streaming and social sharing.

Post-Launch: Ongoing updates and communication turn early adopters into long-term supporters.

Without major advertising spend, indie games rely on player enthusiasm to grow. Platforms such as Discord, streaming services and social media act as distribution channels in their own right.

Studios that actively listen and respond to their players build stronger loyalty and longer game lifecycles. Regular updates, new content and quality-of-life improvements keep the community engaged and sustain growth over time.

The outcome is simple. A strong community reduces marketing costs, improves the product through feedback and extends the life of the game well beyond launch.

5. How do indie games use merchandising as part of the formula for success?

Indie games use merchandising to generate additional revenue, strengthen brand identity and extend player engagement beyond gameplay.

Merchandising turns a game from a one-time purchase into an ongoing ecosystem. Studios that scale successfully treat their game as a brand, not just a product, and extend that identity into physical and digital goods.

Everyone loves a t-shirt or a mug, and more importantly, it is free advertising if other people see it. I still wear the t-shirt from the first indie game I worked on with pride.

Why merchandising works to create indie game success

Emotional connection drives demand: Players want to own something from a game they care about. It forms their image and makes them part of something. Belonging in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Strong visual identity converts into products: Distinct art styles translate easily into collectables and apparel. Create cool merch and bring in that revenue!

Engaged audiences spend more: Indie communities are often loyal and willing to support creators. An engaged audience of gamers will happily buy from you to support your indie game project.

Extends world-building beyond gameplay: Merchandise keeps players connected outside the game and forms a tribe of supporters for your indie game.

Proven examples of successful merchandising in indie games

Minecraft built a global ecosystem including LEGO, books and apparel. Minecraft had already started selling merch as an indie game under Markus Persson and Mojang. This was a long time before the 2014 acquisition by Microsoft.

Among Us expanded through plushies and a simple, iconic character design

Hollow Knight offers collectables, vinyl soundtracks and art prints

Stardew Valley extends into guidebooks, music and lifestyle products

Celeste, Hades and Undertale re inforce identity through premium apparel, pins and vinyl

Case insight: Alto's Series

The Alto games show how merchandising supports a broader commercial strategy in the formula for indie game success. Instead of relying on aggressive microtransactions, the Alto series used a premium or lightly monetised model.

This strong artistic identity was then extended into merchandise, creating long-term revenue beyond the initial launch. 60% of annual revenue was generated through merchandise in just 30 days.

Takeaways

Merchandising creates a second revenue stream, reduces reliance on microtransactions and strengthens player loyalty.

Indie studios that build a strong identity and extend it into products are far more likely to achieve long-term, scalable success.

6. How do indie teams communicate and stay aligned during development?

Indie teams stay aligned through a shared vision, clear roles and constant communication across disciplines. In small studios, alignment is not optional.

With fewer people, every decision has a direct impact on the final product. The most effective teams ensure that design, narrative, art and development all move in the same direction.

From my own experience working on indie projects, the foundation is set early. On Heroes Chained for mobile and Holy Shoot for PC , the core world concept came from the leadership team, and my role as Lead Storywriter was to build out the lore, characters and history. That process only works when there is continuous feedback between designers, artists and writers.

The Game Designer is the conduit between all the team members and the management and is central to the formula for indie game success.

What keeps indie teams aligned

A clearly defined vision: A team must understand what the game is trying to achieve from the outset.

Strong leadership and direction: The lead game designer or producer connects all parts of the team.

Regular communication loops: Feedback flows between departments, not in silos. That link-up between team members is vital to the success of the game.

Cross-discipline collaboration: Story, gameplay and art must evolve together, not separately. Otherwise, the game project will feel disjointed and unaligned.

Iterative development: Ideas are tested, refined and improved as a team. This is at the heart of indie game development success.

Key Takeaways

The outcome is consistency. When teams are aligned, the final game feels cohesive rather than fragmented. For indie studios, that cohesion is often the difference between a good idea and a successful product.

7. Why do indie games need strong infrastructure and servers?

Indie studios often prioritise design and community, but infrastructure determines whether a game performs under real-world conditions.

The difference between a short-lived launch and a scalable title usually comes down to stability, latency and cost control. We explored the importance of colocation services for indie game companies in article two in this series.

What IP House London Colocation Services Provides

Colocation at IP House London gives developers dedicated hardware inside a Tier III data centre, removing the unpredictability of shared cloud environments. Instead of competing for resources, your game runs on consistent infrastructure, which translates into smoother sessions and more reliable performance for players across the UK and Europe.

The Hybrid Model Most Studios Use

The most effective setup is not cloud or colocation, but both. Studios typically run login systems, authentication and traffic spikes in the cloud, while placing core systems such as game servers, databases and real-time simulation on colocated machines. This balance allows flexibility without sacrificing control.

Real Indie Example: Valheim

A strong example of this approach is Valheim. When it launched in 2021, it scaled rapidly to millions of players within weeks. Instead of relying purely on centralised cloud servers, the developers leaned heavily on dedicated server architecture, allowing communities and hosts to run the game on their own hardware or colocated environments.

We also spoke about Valheim in our second article in this series on hosting and servers.

This model delivered two key advantages:

Performance remained stable even as player numbers surged

Costs were distributed and controlled rather than spiralling with usage

In practice, many hosting providers and communities ran Valheim servers on colocated machines to ensure low latency and consistent uptime. This decentralised, hardware-controlled approach mirrors the same logic behind colocation: control the environment, and you control the experience.

Core Technical Advantages

Colocation services at IP House deliver clear operational benefits that directly affect gameplay:

Consistent performance without resource throttling

Lower latency through London Docklands connectivity

Predictable costs as player numbers grow

Hardware optimisation aligned with your game engine

Performance and latency affect player experience. Even a 100–200ms delay can increase player drop-off and uninstall rates, directly impacting retention and store rankings.

Impact on Player Experience and ASO

These technical choices are not abstract. They shape the player experience immediately. Lower ping, fewer disconnects and stable matchmaking increase session time and retention. In practical terms, this strengthens App Store performance, as uninstall rates drop and engagement signals improve.

Scaling Without Breaking Your Game

Scaling is where many indie projects fail. A sudden spike in users can overwhelm infrastructure or trigger unsustainable cloud costs. With colocation, you can plan capacity, maintain performance under load and upgrade on your own timeline rather than reacting to problems.

Key Takeaways

If the goal is to build an indie game that lasts beyond launch, infrastructure cannot be treated as a backend detail. It is part of the product itself, shaping performance, player satisfaction and long-term growth. Colocation is a core component of the formula for indie game success.

Final Reflections

We have come to the end of our journey exploring the formula for indie game success. This article was a joy to research and write, as it was a trip of nostalgia through some of my favourite games since the 1980s.

Indie game success is derived from a combination of creative vision, thoughtful design, and strong engagement with players. Indie games do not need huge budgets and teams to compete on the same playing field as big publishers.

It is through innovation, creativity, and the ability to make decisions faster that indie games can thrive.

Long may indie games reign!

Are you an indie game studio or publisher? Would you like to find out more about Colocation services in London? Please fill out the Contact Form below.

FAQs: Formula for Indie Game Success

What is the formula for indie game success?

A strong core mechanic, clear identity, engaging story, active community, scalable monetisation, aligned teams and reliable infrastructure.

What makes a successful indie game stand out?

A clear gameplay hook, distinctive art style and a focused, memorable player experience.

How important are game mechanics in indie games?

They are critical. A simple, repeatable core loop drives retention and long-term engagement.

Why is community engagement important for indie games?

It builds visibility, improves the game through feedback and increases player loyalty.

How do indie games scale after launch?

Through stable infrastructure, regular updates and additional revenue streams like merchandising.

Author Bio

Jamieson Lee Hill, MD of Gold Viking Limited, is a Video Game Story Writer and Narrative Designer who has worked on various indie games and gaming projects:

Heroes Chained on Mobile with Inventuna Games
Holy Shoot on PC with Tale Era Interactive
Hunters-On-Chain by Boomland, writing articles with game lore contributions.
Human No More, a new Tabletop RPG; editorial and acting
Savage Turret on PC, currently working with the developer as Story Writer and providing in-game music with my band NEXUS XIII.
Currently, with a new indie game studio working on a new fantasy title.

Sources

Follow-up to the wildly successful mobile game Alto's Adventure aims for more than just entertainment

How This Indie Game Made 60% of Its Annual Merch Revenue in 30 Days

The 5 Elements That Make A Successful Indie Game - Ludo.ai

A Case Study on What Makes a Successful Indie Game

Tips On Developing Successful Indie Games in 2025

How to Make a Somewhat Successful Indie Game

11 Inspiring Game Design Quotes

5 Powerful Steps to Turn a Simple Game into a Full-Time Career

INDIE GAME SERVER HOSTING: FROM FIRST PLAYERS TO GLOBAL SCALE

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:44:35 GMT

The Lowdown on Hosting and Servers for an Indie Game Studio/Publisher

By Jamieson Lee Hill, Game Story Writer, February 19th, 2026

Introduction

For most indie game studios, indie game server hosting barely matters during early development. Local builds work, playtests run smoothly, and player numbers are small.

That changes the moment a game succeeds. Player numbers can spike, logins surge, latency appears, and the infrastructure that once seemed fine starts to crack. Without the right setup, success quickly turns into a technical problem.

This article looks at what hosting and servers really mean for indie games and covers the following topics:

What Is Indie Game Server Hosting?

Indie game server hosting is the infrastructure that powers multiplayer functionality for independent studios. It supports the systems that keep indie game servers stable, scalable, and responsive as player numbers grow. It typically includes:

Multiplayer game servers
Matchmaking systems
Player authentication and databases
Persistent world infrastructure
Real-time networking
Cloud or colocation environments

Global content delivery

Effective indie game server hosting must balance:

Low latency
High uptime
Scalability during player surges
Cost control as concurrency increases
Geographic proximity to players

For multiplayer titles, indie game server hosting is not a background technical detail. It is the foundation that determines whether a game survives viral growth or fails under load.

From Article One: Real Founder Perspectives

In Article One of this series , founders from Cultic Games and Tale Era Interactive highlighted a common theme: infrastructure costs matter early.

Can from Cultic Games noted that they currently rely on service providers rather than hosting their own servers. Erhan from Tale Era Interactive emphasised that tools, servers, and storage quickly become real financial pressure points for indie studios.

This article builds on those realities by examining how indie game server hosting evolves as player numbers grow.

Key Indie Game Server Factors Gamers Care About

I started gaming in 1977 and worked in an indie gaming studio from 2021 to 2024. Therefore, as a veteran gamer and professional, I can relate to many of these problems gamers face with the quality of indie game server hosting.

High Latency (ping and lag): As players, we want an instant response. High latency leads to lagging and delayed inputs. Ping is the signal sent to measure the delay. High latency can lead to losing game sessions and competitions, especially in esports, which is highly frustrating to gamers. Read our Mini-guide on Latency for more information.

Stability and uptime: As gamers, we need servers to stay online. Crashes, disconnects, and failed logins quickly damage the trust for a gaming brand and player retention can fall as a result.

Fair and consistent performance: We need to know as players that we are experiencing the same conditions worldwide. Desync, regional advantage, or inconsistent performance due to server and hosting issues can feel very unfair.

Fast matchmaking and loading: As players, we expect to get into games quickly. Long queues and slow match starts cause a drop-off in numbers, even for good games.

Who Uses Colocation in the Indie Gaming Sector for hosting and servers?

Indie Studios: Studios with multiplayer, modding ecosystems or persistent worlds often own their servers. However, they may place them in a colocation facility like IP House London to avoid downtime and unpredictable cloud bills.

Publishers: Mid-sized and large publishers centralise infrastructure for multiple titles inside colocation centres to control cost, performance and security.

Third-Party Hosting Providers: Matchmaking platforms, analytics services, game server hosts, and backend solution providers colocate to deliver better performance to indie and AAA clients.

Digital Gaming platforms: The Big Guns like Steam, Epic Online Services, and EA, along with modding hubs, combine cloud, proprietary data centres, and colocation depending on the service layer. This hybrid approach is now shaping the future of indie game server hosting as a more cost-effective approach.

Gaming Industry Reality: Do the “Big Guns” Use Colocation?

Yes. The idea that major gaming platforms are all cloud-based is a myth. Companies such as Valve, Epic Games, and EA use hybrid infrastructure, combining global cloud reach with their own colocated physical servers for performance and cost control.

The Proof: Valve’s Strategy

Valve’s Steam works documentation confirms that dedicated servers must run within supported data centres, including Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Valve’s own facilities. In other words, cloud and proprietary infrastructure operate together. This is not a preference. It is service layering.

Cloud handles:

Logins
Store services
Matchmaking

Colocation handles:

Game physics
Persistent worlds
Latency-sensitive workloads
High bandwidth traffic

Indie studios choosing colocation are not moving backwards. They are following the same hybrid model used by the largest gaming platforms.

Why Indie Games Should Model This Approach

Hosting is a business decision. A cloud-only setup may work early, but as concurrency grows, usage-based pricing and data egress fees can erode margins. A hybrid model balances agility with cost control.

Persistent game logic and databases perform best on stable, colocated hardware. Matchmaking and burst demand scale efficiently in the cloud. Content delivery can be optimised through origin servers and CDNs. Cloud provides flexibility. Colocation provides predictability.

Studios that combine both are better positioned to survive viral growth and operate profitably long term.

The Core Hosting Challenges Indie Studios Face

Sudden Player Surges: Growth That Arrives Without Warning

Indie games rarely grow gradually. Success typically comes in sharp spikes rather than predictable curves. With the power of social media, a Twitch stream, a YouTube review, or a viral clip can bring thousands of players online at once to a server.

In gaming, concurrency refers to how many players are connected and active at the same time. It is not the total number of players a game has, but the number online right now. This includes players logging in, matchmaking, moving, shooting, and interacting simultaneously. Most early server setups are not designed to cope with sudden jumps in concurrency.

As concurrency rises, servers must handle more actions at once, increasing the strain on the infrastructure. If systems are not built for high concurrency, performance drops, lag increases, and crashes follow. Backend systems are often designed for early access testing rather than mass adoption.

Fragile Early Hosting: Built for Testing, Not for the World

Most indie studios begin with low-cost hosting solutions. These commonly include shared VPS environments, entry-level cloud instances, or temporary local servers used during development.

A VPS, or Virtual Private Server, is a portion of a physical machine shared with other customers. These early hosting measures are affordable and convenient, but performance is limited once demand increases. As players join from different countries, latency will rise, and the stability will suffer.

Scaling Properly So You Can Focus on What You Do Best

"Multiplay Hosting removes the complexity of running and operating infrastructure at scale, so your development team can focus on creating engaging player experiences."

Source: Unity Gaming Report, 2025

The 2022 Unity Report showed that hidden costs often come from developers doing tasks they aren't specialised in. Also, nearly half of indie studios report backend instability during early traction, according to the Unity report. This is due to the infrastructure not being designed for concurrent global activity. Many indie games succeed before their infrastructure is ready to grow globally.

Managing servers is a full-time job that can distract a small team from their actual craft of making the game. So investing in hosting frees up your team to follow their normal routine roles, doing what they do best, i.e. making great games.

Limited DevOps Resources: Too Many Roles, Too Few People

Indie studios are small by nature. A team of three to five developers is common, and very few include a dedicated infrastructure specialist.

DevOps refers to the work of deploying, maintaining, monitoring, and scaling servers. In indie teams, this responsibility usually falls to whoever “knows servers best”, rather than someone trained specifically for the role.

Over time, this creates technical debt. Developers spend increasing amounts of time fixing infrastructure problems instead of improving gameplay, polishing features, or shipping updates. Infrastructure becomes a silent drain on creativity.

Cloud Cost Volatility: When Scaling Becomes Financial Risk

Poor planning in indie game server hosting can turn scaling into a financial risk. Public cloud platforms are popular with indie studios because they are easy to start with and require no upfront investment for expensive hardware. However, cloud pricing is usage-based. As player numbers increase, costs for compute power, storage, bandwidth, and regional redundancy rise quickly. These costs often grow faster than revenue, especially if a game suddenly goes viral.

As early as 2013, Valve founder Gabe Newell was warning developers that cloud infrastructure becomes significantly more expensive as scale increases.

"Cloud gaming works until it becomes successful, at which point it falls over from its own success. As soon as everyone starts using a continuous network connection to get its applications, consumer IP pricing is going to go through the roof."

Source: Shack News.com, 2013.

When Success Hits: Who Controls the Servers?

Once a game proves market demand, hosting decisions shift from technical convenience to strategic business planning. Responsibility for infrastructure usually falls into one of three models.

The Indie Studio: Full Control Through Self-Publishing

Self-publishing studios often choose to retain full control over their infrastructure. This means the studio decides how servers are built, where they are located, and how they scale.

Colocation is a common solution at this stage. Colocation means the studio owns its physical servers but places them inside a professional data centre. The data centre provides power, cooling, connectivity, and physical security, while the studio controls the hardware and software.

This approach offers predictable costs, stable performance, and long-term efficiency, particularly for multiplayer games where low latency is critical.

The Publisher Model: Infrastructure as an Operational Expense

When a publisher is involved, infrastructure is often handled centrally. The publisher pays for hosting, negotiates enterprise contracts, and absorbs operational complexity.

This reduces technical risk for the studio but also limits control over performance decisions, vendor choice, and long-term optimisation.

Platforms and Third-Party Hosts: Convenience With Trade-Offs

Platforms such as Steam and Epic Games handle distribution, authentication, and matchmaking, but they do not host the actual gameplay servers.

Many indie studios rely on public cloud providers or specialised Game Server Hosting Platforms. These options offer speed and simplicity but often become expensive once player numbers stabilise at scale.

Indie Game Servers Case Studies: Infrastructure Under Pressure

Innersloth Studio and their Game ‘Among Us’

Indie game studio Innersloth’s hit game ‘Among Us’ is a useful example of a small operation going viral in gaming and needing robust hosting and servers. At the height of its viral success, Among Us was maintained by a team of just three developers.

This small indie studio was not prepared for how their game Among Us would explode in terms of DAU (Daily Active Users), climbing up to half a billion players. The game’s original net-code, meaning the networking logic that synchronises players and game state, was never designed for millions of concurrent users.

The team was forced to rewrite core networking systems and migrate to a more robust global backend to stabilise the game. When Among Us blew up, its servers struggled with the volume, and many users couldn’t join lobbies, and others were regularly disconnected mid-game. Partnering with Unity, Innersloth were able to fix their problems.

“The Unity Multiplay team worked closely with InnerSloth to deploy and stabilize their online multiplayer offering, even as millions of players around the world were creating lobbies.”

Source: Unity.com, 18 July 2025

Iron Gate Studio and Valheim

When Valheim sold over a million copies in its first week, infrastructure demand spiralled high. Rather than hosting every persistent world centrally, Iron Gate released dedicated server files. Gamers chose the dedicated server option to build their own villages with family and friends. The dedicated servers that allowed players and third-party hosts to run their own servers dramatically reduced the backend load while maintaining stability.

In this developer interview, the team reflects on their explosive launch and the unexpected scale of player demand that followed the great success of Valheim.

Eric Barone and Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley uses a peer-to-peer (P2P) multiplayer model, where one player hosts the session for others on their pc. This approach minimises backend costs and infrastructure complexity for the developer.

For the creator, Eric Barone, this was a smart move. It avoided the stress, challenge and cost of running central servers.

The only catch? If the host logs off, the farm goes dark. To fix this, the community stepped in with third-party hosting and "headless" server mods.

These workarounds keep the world alive 24/7, letting friends farm together even when the host is away. It’s a cool example of Barone providing the foundation and the fans building the "always-on" infrastructure themselves. Read more about The Stardew Valley story here.

Colocation for Indie Game Servers: Key Benefits of IP House London

Protecting Latency in Multiplayer Infrastructure: UK and Europe Optimised Connectivity

Based in London Docklands, IP House operates within one of Europe’s most densely connected network hubs. This provides indie game studios with low-latency connectivity across the UK and Europe. Also, it provides strong peering routes for real-time multiplayer traffic and consistent performance during peak player concurrency.

The result is smooth gameplay without the lag and interruptions often caused by oversubscribed cloud regions.

Enterprise-Grade Reliability for Live Games: Built for Always-On Multiplayer Environments

IP House delivers Tier III–equivalent data centre infrastructure with fully redundant power and cooling systems, continuous monitoring, and on-site engineering support. This level of reliability ensures uninterrupted gameplay for live multiplayer titles, content updates, and in-game events.

Physical and Network Security: Protecting Game Code, Player Data, and Intellectual Property

Studios colocating at IP House benefit from secure private rack environments, controlled physical access, and professional data centre security standards. This protects proprietary builds, sensitive player data, and live game services in a way that consumer-grade cloud environments cannot fully replicate.

Scaling Indie Game Servers Without Cost Shock: Infrastructure That Grows in Step With Player Demand

Unlike public cloud platforms, where costs increase unpredictably with bandwidth and compute usage, IP House offers fixed monthly colocation pricing and full control over hardware upgrades. Indie studios can scale from single servers to quarter, half, or full racks as concurrency grows, without sudden billing surprises.

This means you are fully prepared for spikes in the number of players, in terms of server loads and costs that can spiral out of control on cloud platforms.

Rapid Deployment With Long-Term Control: Fast Go-Live Without Platform Lock-In

IP House supports fast onboarding of customer-owned hardware, backed by remote hands services for installation, maintenance, and diagnostics. Indie Game Studios retain complete control over their infrastructure architecture while avoiding dependency on proprietary cloud platforms.

Why Indie Studios Move Beyond Cloud-Only Infrastructure

Amazon Web Services is widely used by indie studios during prototyping and early access. It allows teams to rent servers instantly and scale on demand without upfront hardware investment. For discovering market demand, the cloud works well.

However, once player numbers stabilise, priorities shift. Cost predictability, performance consistency, and infrastructure control begin to matter more than rapid experimentation.

Cloud pricing scales by usage. As concurrency grows, compute, storage, and bandwidth costs increase unpredictably. Colocation with IP House offers fixed monthly pricing, avoiding surprise charges during traffic spikes.

Cloud environments abstract hardware. Colocation allows studios to own and configure physical servers, ensuring consistent performance for latency-sensitive multiplayer games.

AWS supports early-stage discovery. IP House supports long-term live operations. For mature indie game server hosting, hybrid infrastructure combining cloud flexibility with colocation stability often delivers the strongest outcome.

Conclusion

Indie game server hosting is no longer optional background infrastructure. Games rarely fail because of creative ideas, but they can fail if the infrastructure cannot handle success. Small teams end up fixing servers instead of improving gameplay.

The lesson is simple. Treat hosting and servers as a business decision, not a technical afterthought.

IP House London provides a stable, low-latency foundation for indie game server hosting once success is proven.

Cloud helps you launch. Hybrid infrastructure helps you last.

Speak to IP House to explore collocation services for your indie game. Fill out the contact form today.

Scale Your Indie Game Without Server Failure. Fill out the Contact Form Below...

Some Key Terms Explained

Backend: The servers and systems running the game behind the scenes

Concurrency: Number of players connected at the same time

Latency: Delay between a player's action and the server's response

Net-code: The system that synchronises gameplay over the network

Colocation: Owning servers housed in a professional data centre

VPS: A shared virtual server environment

Peer-to-Peer: Players host sessions instead of central servers

DevOps: Managing, deploying, and scaling infrastructure

Scalability: Ability to grow without breaking systems

FAQs

1. What is indie game server hosting?
Indie game server hosting is the infrastructure that powers multiplayer gameplay, matchmaking, and real-time networking for independent studios.

2. What is the best indie game server hosting model for multiplayer games?
Most growing studios use a hybrid model that combines cloud flexibility with colocated infrastructure such as IP House.

3. Do Steam or Epic host gameplay servers?
No, platforms handle distribution and authentication, while studios remain responsible for their indie game servers.

4. Is cloud hosting enough for scaling multiplayer games?
Cloud works well early, but stable concurrency often benefits from more predictable infrastructure.

5. What is hybrid infrastructure in indie game server hosting?
Hybrid infrastructure splits workloads between public cloud services and colocated physical servers.

6. When should a studio consider colocation?
Studios often consider colocation when player numbers stabilise, and cost control becomes a priority.

7. How does IP House support indie game servers?
IP House provides low-latency UK and European connectivity with predictable colocation pricing.

8. Does colocation mean building your own data centre?
No, it means placing owned hardware inside a professional facility like IP House.

9. Why does latency matter in multiplayer games?
High latency creates lag and desync, which directly harms player retention.

10. How can studios avoid infrastructure cost shock after a viral launch?
By planning scalable indie game server hosting early and combining cloud agility with stable colocation infrastructure.

Sources

Game Developer.com:

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/press-release/liquid-web-unveils-high-performance-dedicated-gaming-servers-for-businesses-and-enthusiasts

Amazon: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/gametech/aws-is-how-game-tech-edition-2/
Innersloth: https://www.innersloth.com/
Among Us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CermGp8bwFE
Unity Gaming Report 2025: https://unity.com/resources/gaming-report
Game Developer.com - Stardew Valley: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-4-years-of-self-imposed-crunch-that-went-into-i-stardew-valley-i-
Valheim: https://youtu.be/7lo0Pn0CA-Q?si=_Yc9QePyGgr6lDUI
Cultic Games: https://www.culticgames.com/
Tale Era Interactive: https://www.taleera.com/#games
Epic Games: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/
Build an Indie Game Studio Series, Article One: https://www.ip-house.co.uk/exclusive-interviews-running-an-indie-game-studio
Irongate: https://irongate.se/
Mini-Guide to Latency in Gaming by IP House: https://www.ip-house.co.uk/a-mini-guide-to-latency-in-gaming-and-why-it-matters

About the Author

Jamieson Lee Hill is the MD for Gold Viking Limited and a Video Game professional. Hill is also a digital marketing strategist, qualified lecturer (DELTA and Cert Ed), certified manager (DMS) and avid article writer. With over 27 years of professional experience in education, business, marketing and video game storywriting, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience.

He works with entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals, helping them to market their businesses. Since 2022, he has been the principal blog writer for IP House London. Hill also worked in a gaming studio as a Video Game Storywriter from 2021 to 2024 on titles including Heroes Chained, Fortunes of Ventuna and Holy Shoot (PC).

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION IN BUSINESS

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:11:09 GMT

Procrastination tips for business owners and entrepreneurs

By Jamieson Lee Hill, January 21st, 2026

Procrastination is a subject close to my heart. I have come to realise over the years just how many people it affects. Recent statistics suggest that approximately 20 to 25% of adults are chronic procrastinators,

For many entrepreneurs, the to-do list isn't just a list of tasks; it’s a minefield of emotional triggers. In this article, we explore what procrastination is, its effects on people, how it rewires your habits and brain, and my personal strategies. Finally, there are some tasks for you to complete on your own to beat procrastination.

What is Procrastination, Really?

“the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring ”

Cambridge Dictionary Online, 2026

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily delaying or postponing tasks, even when you know it could lead to negative consequences. It is a type of intentional delay that can trigger a cycle of stress, guilt, and reduced productivity.

However, procrastination is not laziness. A lazy person simply has no desire to do the work, but a procrastinator is often desperate to complete the task. The difference is that the procrastinator feels psychologically paralysed and ends up doing nothing.

A Colleague Suffering From Procrastination

I first started to realise how seriously procrastination affects people when a very accomplished colleague confided in me. He told me how he had counselling to help him overcome procrastination. It had deeply affected him. Surprisingly, he was a highly successful career professional with many dedicated years of service.

What are the Key Characteristics of Procrastination?

Unnecessary delay: Putting off tasks despite knowing you should start.
Negative outcomes: It can lead to predictable problems, such as missed deadlines or poor performance. Or may relate to financial matters or incomplete dream goals, like writing a book.
Self-regulation failure: This is an inability to manage your own behaviour and emotions in the moment.

Common Reasons Entrepreneurs Procrastinate

Expert Daniel Walter, in How To Stop Procrastinating , emphasises that our environment and our internal biology often work against our productivity goals. Common triggers include:

Fear & Anxiety: Worrying about failing, being judged, or the task being too difficult.
Perfectionism : Setting impossibly high standards, making it hard to start.
Lack of Motivation: Not seeing the relevance or feeling overwhelmed.
Time Inconsistency : Preferring immediate gratification over future benefits. Daniel Walter describes the opposite to this as ‘delay gratification’.

The Biology of Delay: What’s Happening in the Brain?

"Procrastination is not a time-management problem; it's an emotion-regulation problem.”

Source: Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, Testorika.com, 2026

To overcome procrastination, you must understand what is occurring inside your brain. Procrastination is a battle between two parts of the brain: the Limbic System and the Prefrontal Cortex.

The Limbic System is one of the oldest parts of the brain; it seeks immediate gratification and survival, aka the ‘pleasure principle’.

The Prefrontal Cortex is the newer, ‘executive’ part of the brain that handles planning and long-term goals.

When you procrastinate, your Limbic System wins, e.g. you go down a rabbit hole of social media for 3 hours instead of working on your novel or studying on Coursera.

ADHD and Procrastination

I know several successful entrepreneurs and career-focused people who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Their struggle with procrastination can be even more acute. ADHD affects the brain’s executive function. This makes it more difficult to prioritise tasks or estimate time duration. For ADHD sufferers, procrastination is a real neurological challenge. It often needs medication and coping strategies to manage it.

Procrastination Paralysis

Procrastination paralysis is a stress-based freeze response that makes starting a task feel impossible, even when you want to do it. It is especially common in people with ADHD, where overwhelm, boredom, or fear of getting it wrong can shut down action. This is not laziness or poor discipline. It is the brain hitting overload.

Key signs: You know what to do, but cannot start. The task feels mentally heavy or emotionally charged

What helps: Break the task into one very small first step. Use a short timer or brief movement to trigger momentum. Once the brain is back in motion, the paralysis usually loosens and progress follows.

How to Overcome Procrastination in Business or Work Long-term

To overcome procrastination long-term, you must change how your brain responds to reward. Instead of a preference for short-term comfort or immediate gratification, you have to adopt habits that delay gratification to reach long-term business and career goals.

Delay Gratification

Delaying gratification means you choose effort first and reward later. This trains your brain to tolerate discomfort without avoidance. This is vital to changing your procrastination habits. Each time you practise delay gratification, you strengthen the neural pathways responsible for focus and self-control. The brain learns that action comes before reward. Over time, procrastination becomes less automatic because the brain no longer expects instant relief.

What Is Temptation Bundling and Why Does It Work?

Temptation bundling is a concept I learned from reading Daniel Walter’s Procrastination book. It is a practical method where you combine something you want with something you avoid. For example, listening to music only while working or saving a favourite podcast for admin tasks.

This answers a common question people ask: how do you stop procrastination when motivation is low? Temptation bundling lowers resistance and helps you start a task which can often be tough.

How Do You Stop Procrastination and Laziness at the Same Time?

Delay gratification builds discipline. Temptation bundling builds momentum. Used together, they tackle both procrastination and perceived laziness. You remove excuses to delay while still giving the brain a controlled reward. This approach relies on strategies and not willpower and can even help chronic procrastinators.

How Procrastination Habits Form & How the Brain Rewires Them

Procrastination is a learned habit created through repetition. Each time a task is delayed, the brain reinforces a neural pathway that links discomfort to avoidance. This happens through neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reshape itself based on repeated behaviour.

As this pathway strengthens, procrastination begins to feel automatic and effortless. Taking action feels harder because it uses weaker neural circuits. The brain is not resisting change. It is simply following the pathway it has practised the most.

How New Habits and Neural Pathways Reduce Procrastination

Breaking procrastination requires building new habits through consistent action. When you act despite discomfort, the brain starts forming alternative neural pathways. Research suggests this rewiring process typically takes around 60 to 100 days, depending on the complexity of the behaviour and how often it is repeated.

In the early stages, the prefrontal cortex must work harder, which is why change feels uncomfortable. This discomfort is not failure. It is evidence that the brain is learning. With daily repetition, control gradually shifts to deeper brain systems, and the new behaviour becomes more automatic.

Why Consistency Matters More Than Motivation

Motivation is unreliable. Consistency trains the brain regardless of mood or energy. Small daily actions signal to the brain that the new behaviour matters. Over time, resistance fades, the new pathway strengthens, and productive action replaces procrastination as the default habit.

How I Beat Procrastination and Took Back Control

Procrastination showed up for me in specific areas, especially finances, studying, and self-directed creative writing projects. Interestingly, I have never procrastinated in business. Once I started running a company in 2012, deadlines and client accountability removed hesitation completely.

However, during my Coursera studies. I started well, completing several, then stalled for 6 months, only finishing 6 courses in the last 2 months.

The lesson was clear. Goals without structure invite procrastination.

My 2026 Approach to Overcoming Procrastination

In 2026, my approach is simple. I am focused on small, repeatable actions rather than relying solely on motivation. My main challenge outside of work is applying delay gratification and temptation bundling to finish creative writing projects.

For business, I intend to use hypnotherapy, visualising and goal-setting to apply myself to daily marketing and lead generation activities.

Tools and Strategies I Use

1. Let It Go by David Rahman

(Book, 90 Day Confidence Challenge Course, Hasina Community App)

Using David Rahman’s materials, it helped me identify emotional blockages and past failures that fuel procrastination. The 90-day confidence challenge course helped with goal setting, tasks and new habit formation.

2. Beat Procrastination Hypnotherapy by Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson’s hypnotherapy and meditation apps are incredibly effective and help create new neural pathways for change in our lives. I have used them since about 2010.

Daily 35-minute session
Focuses on relaxation and positive suggestion
Helps calm the limbic system and reduce avoidance
Leads to acting immediately instead of delaying

3. Binaural Beats Music (freely available on YouTube)

Binaural beats are part of my daily routine while I work. They help me to:

Reduces stress and mental noise before starting tasks
Makes it easier to focus and maintain attention
Gives focus during work sessions to stay on task and within deadlines.

4. Daily Goal Setting and a Priority Matrix

Each working day, I write my work goals in a priority matrix notebook:

Adds structure and clarity to each day
Reduces overwhelm and decision fatigue
Makes it easier to prioritise and take action

Last Thoughts

So in this article, you have learned that procrastination is not about laziness or a character flaw. Procrastination is a failure of self-regulation.

By understanding the neurological roots, the battle between your limbic system and prefrontal cortex, and applying the emotional release techniques of David Rahman or the subconscious reprogramming suggested by Andrew Johnson, you can move from procrastination paralysis to forming positive new habits.

Let’s start today with these Action Tasks to change your life for the better:

Overcome Procrastination Tasks:

Don’t spend a long time overthinking these. Just do them.

1. Online Time Drain

Estimate how many hours you waste online each week on scrolling, social media, or unfocused browsing.

How many hours is it?
What specific goal could you move forward with if you used just half of that time productively?
What would you actually do in that reclaimed time?

2. TV and Streaming Habits

Look at your time spent on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or live TV.

Roughly how many hours per week?
Which part of that time could you realistically reduce?
What productive activity could replace it to help you achieve a goal?

3. The Goals You Keep Delaying

Write down three things you have been saying you will do for at least the last 12 months.

Examples: write a book, learn a foreign language, complete a course.

For each one:

What has stopped you so far?
What excuse comes up most often?
What is the smallest possible first step you could take this week?
Schedule that step now. Date. Time. Duration. No planning beyond the first step.

4. Three 30-Day Anti-Procrastination Goals

Set three simple goals for the next month:

Work or Business: one habit or action you will repeat weekly
Social Life: one action that improves connection or balance
Health, Fitness, or Nutrition: one habit you will follow consistently

Make each goal specific and realistic. Consistency matters more than intensity.

Procrastination FAQS

What is the root cause of procrastination?

The root cause of procrastination is emotional discomfort. Tasks that trigger stress, fear, boredom, or uncertainty are more likely to be delayed, regardless of intelligence or ability.

What mental illness is associated with procrastination?

Procrastination can be linked to anxiety, depression, and perfectionism, but it is not automatically a sign of mental illness. Many high-functioning people procrastinate under pressure.

Why am I always procrastinating?

If procrastination is frequent, it usually means tasks feel overwhelming, unclear, or emotionally draining rather than genuinely difficult.

How do I overcome procrastination?

You overcome procrastination by reducing pressure, clarifying the next action, and starting before you feel ready. Action creates motivation, not the other way around.

What is the 2-minute rule for procrastination?

The 2-minute rule involves starting a task for just two minutes to bypass resistance and trigger momentum.

Is procrastination related to ADHD?

Procrastination can be more common in people with ADHD due to executive function challenges, but most procrastination is situational and affects people without ADHD.

What emotion is behind procrastination?

The main emotions behind procrastination are fear, overwhelm, anxiety, and boredom, not laziness or lack of willpower.

About the Author

Jamieson Lee Hill is MD for Gold Viking Limited, a digital marketing strategist, qualified lecturer (DELTA and Cert Ed), certified manager (DMS) and avid article writer. With over 26 years of professional experience in education, business, marketing and video game storywriting, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience. He works with entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals, helping them to market their businesses. Since 2022, he has been the principal blog writer for IP House London.

Hill has studied self-development since 1993 as an active hobby. He applies what he has learned to real-world business and communication.

Do you need Colocation Data Centre Services for your business? Fill out the Contact Form Below. Let's Talk!

Exclusive Interviews: Running an indie game studio

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 20:22:07 GMT

The challenges and joys of managing an indie game studio

Updated: December 2025, Jamieson Lee Hill, Video Game Writer/Narrative Designer

This is our first in a series of 'Build an Indie Game Studio' blogs. In article one, we explore the pros and cons of running an indie game studio and interview two exciting indie developer studio bosses. The articles in this series include:

BUILDING AN INDIE GAME STUDIO SERIES:

1. Pros and Cons of Running an Indie Game Studio - December 2025

2. Hosting and Servers for an Indie Game Studio/Publisher - February 2026

3. App Game Development for an Indie Game Studio/Publisher - March 2026

Introduction: Running an Indie Game Studio in 2025/26

Indie game development has become one of the most culturally vibrant powerhouses in modern entertainment. Yet behind every viral success story lies an uncomfortable truth: a small studio must support its game with the same infrastructure expectations placed on multi-billion-dollar publishers. If the backend collapses, success becomes a burden rather than a breakthrough.

Running an indie game studio can mean dealing with small indie game team challenges, indie game studio funding, controlling server costs for indie games, deciding between cloud vs colocation for indie games, and preparing for indie game launch scalability long before success arrives.

In this new article, Videogame Writer Jamieson Lee Hill explores the challenges and joys of running indie game studios through interviews with two indie game founders. We also explore three other 3 independent game studios/publishers that are rocking it in the sector, and finally see how IP House London supports Indie gaming studios with colocation services.

Three Indie Game Studios Setting the Benchmark

To start, we should look at three indie developer studios that are setting the benchmark for game development. I didn’t choose 3 of the highest earners because that meant including gambling games, and as a Game Design writer, I wanted to evaluate more than just money earned.

Instead, I opted to explore three highly popular independent gaming studios/publishers with big fanbases, each famous for a different game genre.

1. The Masters of First-Person Shooters: New Blood Interactive

New Blood Interactive (NBI) is an independent publisher and often a developer, famous for bringing back the fast-paced, action-packed ‘boomer shooter’ genre. They are responsible for popular first-person shooter titles like Dusk. Watch a clip here now.

NBI has cultivated a loyal fanbase by championing nostalgic, brutal, and highly stylised FPS games. They have defined a niche for modern FPS video games.

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA.

Top 3 Titles (FPS): Dusk, Ultrakill, Amid Evil.

Reviews: The latest of those 3 titles, Ultrakill, has 10/10 on Steam and 8.5/10 on IMDb. It is a madcap retro-style FPS.

Started: 2018.

Famous For: Revitalising the retro-style, 90s-era ‘boomer shooter’ FPS.

Notable People: Dave Oshry, CEO.

2. The RPG Powerhouse: Larian Studios

If you haven’t heard of Larian, you probably don’t game that often or don’t play RPGs. Baldur’s Gate and Divinity are two massive gaming franchises with an army of fans. I have enjoyed many hours of fun on Baldur’s Gate 3, but I am more of an FPS guy if I am honest. I keep my roleplaying to tabletop D&D!

Larian Studios is a Belgian developer famous for creating sprawling, deep, turn-based Role-Playing Games (RPGs) with an emphasis on player freedom, complex world interaction, and engaging co-op play.

Larian Studio’s games are widely considered among the most definitive modern RPG experiences. They are massive successes both critically and commercially, proving that large-scale, deep RPGs can still be produced by Indie studios/publishers.

Location: Ghent, Belgium (with global studios).

Top 3 Titles (RPG): Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Divinity: Original Sin.

Reviews: Baldur’s Gate 3 has 10/10 on IGN, 10/10 on GameSpot, 96% on Metacritic, 97% on PC Gamer, 96% on Steam.

Started (Year): 1996.

Famous For: Creating critically-acclaimed, highly interactive, and massive fantasy RPGs. Baldur’s Gate franchise.

Notable People: Swen Vincke, Founder and CEO.

3. The Platforming & Metroidvania Icon: Team Cherry

In the world of platform and adventure games, Team Cherry is an indie game studio that stands out. The Hollow Knight franchise consists of beautifully crafted games that bring back nostalgia for the mid-80s to mid-90s heyday of platform gaming.

Take a look at Hollow Knight for yourself.

Team Cherry is famous for creating one of the most successful and beloved action-platformers of the last decade i.e. Hollow Knight. They set a new gold standard for the modern "Metroidvania" sub-genre with the Hollow Knight series. Despite their small size, their flagship title is renowned worldwide for its atmosphere, challenging gameplay, and deep lore.

Reviews: Their new title in the series Silk Song came out in September 2025. It has excellent reviews with 9/10 on IGN, 5/5 on Eurogamer, 90% on PC Gamer, 9/10 on Gamespot and 9/10 on Steam.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Top 3 Titles (Platformer/Action-Adventure): Hollow Knight, Fearless Fox, Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Started (Year): 2014.

Famous For: Designing highly polished, atmospheric, and critically acclaimed action-platformers (Metroidvania).

Notable People: Ari Gibson, William Pellen, and Jack Vine, founding team.

The Real Pros and Cons of Running an Indie Game Studio

Interviews with 2 Owners: Tale Era Interactive and Cultic Games

I was thrilled to interview two Indie Game Studio owners to ask them directly about the highs and lows of running an indie game studio. In fact, I have worked with both gentlemen on several gaming projects.

First of all, I spoke with Erhan of Tale Era Interactive, who produced the FPS title Holy Shoot. It has recently won an award for best new game with Kristal Pixel, a great achievement for a relatively new studio.

The second owner I spoke with about running an indie game studio was Can Oral of Cultic Games. His studio was responsible for the cult classic Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones, and more recently, Cats and Other Lives. Cultic Games is currently producing a tabletop role-playing game called Human No More. They raised over $60,000 on Kickstarter, and it is due to drop in 2026.

CASE STUDY: TALE ERA INTERACTIVE

Check out Tale Era Interactive’s Game: Holy Shoot

It was great to catch up with Erhan, whose passion for video games and indie game business development is so apparent. He comes across as a person with serious business know-how, and also owns a very successful IT business called Koda. Tale Era Interactive is the culmination of a vision between him and his brother, Ersin (Chief Technical Officer), to make their own video games. Let’s find out what it is like running an indie game studio straight from the horse’s mouth.

Can you tell me about you and Tale Era Interactive?

“I am Erhan, the co-founder and CEO of Tale Era Interactive , a small indie studio from Istanbul full of talented and passionate people who love creating stylish, fast and fun games.

Our current title is Holy Shoot, a chaotic roguelite FPS that launched on Steam Early Access with Very Positive reviews. The game won the Best Action/Adventure game award at Kristal Piksel and was nominated in several categories, which made our whole team incredibly proud.

We were also lucky enough to have our gameplay trailer featured on IGN’s global front page, which was a huge moment for us as an indie team.”

Indie Game Studios Pros and Cons: Tale Era Interactive

What are the Main Challenges of Running an Indie Game Studio?

Erhan replied:

Indie Game Studio Challenges

“Running an indie studio is incredibly rewarding, but it definitely comes with its challenges. Wearing many hats. As a small team, you end up doing everything at once, such as development, marketing, support and community management.

Indie game studio costs: limited budgets. Tools, servers, storage and build systems all matter, and you feel every cost. Reliable and affordable infrastructure helps a lot.

Standing out. New games are released constantly, so getting noticed and building a community takes patience and persistence.

Balancing passion and business. You follow your creative vision while trying to keep the studio sustainable and the team motivated.

What are the Joys of Running an Indie Game Studio?

Erhan said:

“Even with the challenges, there are so many things that make this journey special.

Creative freedom . You get to make the exact game you imagine without layers of approval or corporate rules.

A close and supportive team. Every success is shared, and the atmosphere feels like family.

Seeing players enjoy your game. Watching someone have fun with something you built is an incredible feeling.

Every milestone feels meaningful. A positive review, a rise in wishlists or a kind message on Discord always makes your day.

Freedom to experiment. You can try new ideas, change direction quickly and keep the creative energy alive.”

Thanks, Erhan, for this insightful look into managing an Indie Game Studio.

Key Takeaways from Tale Era Interactive Case Study:

Small teams must balance passion and workload.
Indie game studio costs matter more for indies, especially servers and tools.
Community building is slow but essential.
Creative freedom remains the biggest reward.

CASE STUDY: CULTIC GAMES

Next up, I spoke to Can Oral at Cultic Games about running an indie game studio. First of all, check out Cultic Game titles:

Cultic Games Website

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones

Cats and Other Lives

Human No More. Coming out in 2026.

Speaking to Can was fascinating. Can Oral has a rare creative genius and a wonderful sense of humour. It was a pleasure finding out more about his successes and challenges running an indie game studio. Indie game development business is a subject that Can teaches at BAU University in Karakoy , Istanbul, where the gaming studio is based.

Success is no stranger to Can. Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a cult game with a passionate fanbase. Also, Cats and Other Lives is a cat adventure game with glowing reviews on Steam.

Can and his team have now turned their hand to designing and releasing a tabletop RPG game called Human No More. I secretly hope he returns to video game design, as I would love to work with him on a PC game project.

As far as HNM goes, I am a freelance team member as an editor and occasional actor ( see video here about Combat in HNM).

Indie Game Studios Pros and Cons: Cultic Games

Can, what are the challenges of running an indie gaming studio?

“An indie game studio is both a passion and a commercial entity, which makes it hard to maintain its delicate balance. Although indie teams taste the utter joy of doing something completely original and of their own, they also have to survive the sometimes harsh conditions of an ever-changing, highly commercial industry.”

What are the joys of running an indie gaming studio?

“There is an endless ground for experimentation and professional growth in indie development. Since there are no strict borders of responsibility between team members, it allows them to operate on many levels, enriching their capacities and artistic expression.

Indie teams also possess a kind of freedom and autonomy that is rare in other software engineering-based endeavours.

Do you have anything to say about hosting and servers, positive or negative?

When it comes to websites and other web-based services, we've been working with service providers to have a steady and active service. We do not host our own servers as of yet.”

Key Takeaways from Cultic Games Case Study:

Indie studios must balance creativity with commercial pressure. Indie game studio costs are a key factor.
Small teams grow by working across multiple roles.
Freedom and autonomy drive innovation.
Reliable service providers remain essential for stability. (In our next article in this Build an Indie Game Studio Series, we explore hosting and servers.)

Thanks to both Erhan and Can for such great insights into the industry and what it is really like running an indie game studio. Be sure to check out their games. It was fascinating to hear about their journeys.

IP HOUSE: The Ideal Colocation Partner for Indie Game Studios & Publishers

(Reviewed by IP House Technical Team)

Indie developers like Tale Era Interactive and Cultic Games need stable and controllable backend infrastructure without the weight of enterprise complexity.

IP House London colocation delivers exactly that. You get predictable pricing, low latency and Tier III equivalent resilience designed for online games, multiplayer servers and live service backends.

Tier III Reliability for Continuous Gameplay

IP House provides fully redundant power, cooling and network systems. Studios gain enterprise-grade uptime and avoid the unpredictable cloud scaling fees that strike during viral moments.

Low Latency Connectivity in London Docklands

Located inside one of Europe’s most connected network hubs, IP House London offers direct peering routes suited to real-time multiplayer, matchmaking and global distribution.

Strong Physical Security and 24/7 Support

Private racks, CCTV, multi-layer access control and monitored environments protect code, player data and build pipelines. Remote Hands engineers complete installs, swaps and diagnostics so your developers stay focused on the game itself.

Scalable Infrastructure For Indie Game Studios

Start with a single server or quarter rack and scale to half or full racks as your audience grows. No downtime and no need to redesign your backend.

Built for Indie Game Studios That Need Control

You keep ownership of your hardware strategy, networking choices and deployment workflows. IP House removes the operational burden while strengthening stability, performance and compliance.

A Backend Strategy for Indie Game Studio Growth

Prototype testing, launch stability and global expansion all benefit from predictable colocation instead of volatile cloud costs.

If your last spike exposed backend limits, talk to IP House. Build infrastructure that scales with your success.

Thanks again to Erhan and Can for their brilliant contributions. They are two fantastic gentlemen whom I have the greatest respect for, and their never-ending efforts to make video games that people will love for years to come.

Book a Call Today to Explore Hosting Your Indie Game with IP House London. Fill out the Contact Form below.

FAQs

What are the biggest challenges of running an indie game studio?

Small teams must manage development, marketing, community and backend infrastructure with limited resources.

How do indie studios keep their games stable during growth?

By using reliable hosting, scalable servers and controlled environments for patches.

Does colocation help indie game developers?

Yes. Colocation offers predictable costs, low latency and high uptime compared to unpredictable cloud fees.

About the Author

Jamieson Lee Hill, MD for Gold Viking Limited, is a videogame writer, narrative designer and content specialist. He has worked with indie studios across Europe and Turkey and has written the Build an Indie Game Studio Series for IP House. He started gaming in 1977 and D&D in 1980.

Glossary

Roguelite: A genre focused on procedural levels and repeated runs.

Metroidvania: A platforming subgenre with exploration-based progression.

Colocation: Renting physical data centre space to host your own servers.

SOURCES

Primary Sources

Interviews

1. Can Oral, Cultic Games Creative Director & Owner

2. Erhan Taskin, CEO of Tale Era Interactive

Secondary Sources

MINI-GUIDE: ESPORTS AND GAMING UK FACTS

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:23:18 GMT

IP HOUSE LONDON: The Perfect Gaming Colocation Solution

By Jamieson Lee Hill, Video Game Narrative Designer, Nov 5th 2025

The global gaming industry is a powerhouse whose total revenue eclipses that of the movie and music industries combined. It is driven by the explosive growth of cloud gaming infrastructure in the UK and the competitive intensity of esports.

Both cloud gaming and esports often rely on colocation services as a foundation of instant data transmission.

For gaming companies, colocation data centre infrastructure can help millions of players enjoy seamless gaming fun.

In this new article, we examine the biggest players in cloud gaming and esports in the UK why. Also, we unravel why downtime is a killer for brands in the sector. We also look at the history of esports and cloud gaming, and the modern-day, including university degrees that include esports. Finally, we explore why colocation really is the ideal partner for esports and cloud gaming companies.

Why is Downtime so Important for Cloud Gaming and Esports?

Data downtime poses a major threat to an esports organisation or gaming company’s reputation and revenue. For gamers, a server failure or a sudden spike in latency is instantly frustrating. For a gaming provider, it can be game over if players migrate away to more reliable platforms. For esports, data downtime can have immediate consequences: lost tournament revenue, mass player churn, and irreparable damage to brand loyalty.

The pivot to colocation data centres for cloud gaming and esports is a robust, reliable strategy to deliver the ultra-low latency and resilient uptime that modern gaming demands. Anything less is not good enough for gamers. Let’s jump into the history of cloud gaming and esports now…

The History of Cloud Gaming

The idea of cloud gaming originated over two decades ago. The early pioneers of cloud gaming, like OnLive (2003) and Gaikai (2011), tried to demonstrate that streamed gameplay could rival traditional consoles. However, limited broadband speeds back in the day made early adoption difficult. Nevertheless, as fibre networks expanded and data centre performance in the UK improved, major tech players entered the playing field. Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai in 2012 paved the way for PlayStation Now, while NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW cloud gaming platform (2015) and Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming (2020) brought mainstream visibility. Cloud gaming was on the rise.

Jump forward to today, cloud gaming colocation services rely less on the player’s device and more on network efficiency. Hosting compute power closer to users through colocation data centres like IP House London dramatically reduces latency. This major shift has transformed gaming.

“In theory, cloud gaming offers a way for you to pick up your games from anywhere on the planet, on any device you own, with virtually no downtime in between.”

Source: New York Times, Wirecutter, Oct 3rd, 2025

The Evolution of Esports

Esports have evolved from small local tournaments into a billion-pound global industry. From the first Spacewar! competition at Stanford University in 1972 to today’s packed arenas and million-pound prize pools, competitive esports has become a legitimate spectator sport in the UK and globally. Supported by gaming server colocation and data centre services by companies like IP House London, esports providers rely on reliable servers downtime-free.

Streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, combined with professional leagues such as the League of Legends Championship Series , accelerated growth throughout the 2010s. Esports teams now operate with the same structure and professionalism as traditional sports clubs, often relying on colocation data centres for hosting tournaments and live events.

“Esports is probably the biggest sport in the world that the mainstream doesn’t know about. There’s 3.4 billion people playing video games and we have 700 million esports fans.”

Source: Forbes, 14 July, 2025.

Top 4 UK Esports Organisations of Recent Times

A new wave of UK-based organisations is creating world-class success in diverse titles, employing unique strategies that blend competitive ambition with community and content development.

1. Tundra Esports: Crowned in the Global Arena

Tundra Esports stands as a benchmark for UK competitive excellence. Their most significant achievement was securing the Dota 2 World Championship, The International 2022 (TI11) , and a colossal prize pool.

Tundra's model emphasises elite competitive performance, maintaining a top contender status in Tier 1 events like the BLAST Slam and PGL Wallachia series throughout 2024 and 2025.

"Tundra has consistently demonstrated their skill and strategic prowess, evidenced by... numerous top-three finishes in major tournaments, solidifying their position as a top-tier Dota 2 team."

Source: ggScore.com - Team Tundra (Tundra Esports) Dota 2, roster, matches, statistics , 2025

2. Fnatic: Legacy Esports Organisation

Fnatic are widely regarded as perhaps the most well-recognised and legacy UK-based esports team. Competing in multiple games such as League of Legends, CS2, VALORANT, and more, Fnatic have kept a solid competitive presence in the UK and globally since 2004.

3. Endpoint: Quake, CS2 and Rocket League

Endpoint is possibly one of the most decorated UK esports teams ever. They are active in games such as CS2, Rocket League, and Quake. With other notable achievements in Rocket League, including European Open titles and actively supporting diverse rosters, including an all-female Rocket League team, Endpoint is certainly a significant part of the UK Esports landscape.

4. Veloce Esports

Veloce Esports is a major UK sim racing competitor with a big community and numerous podium finishes in F1 Esports Championships. They also have real-life racing teams. Since 2018, Veloce has grown rapidly. They operate in gaming and racing with multiple esports teams in sim racing like Veloce, YasHeat, McLaren, Quadrant and Mercedes and compete in the Extreme E series.

Past Notable Mentions for Esports Organisations

Into the Breach (ITB): The Counter-Strike Underdog

Into the Breach's journey in Counter-Strike (now CS2) was one of the most compelling underdog stories in UK esports history. They made headlines with their remarkable run at the BLAST.TV Paris Major 2023. ITB achieved the unprecedented feat of being the first majority-UK lineup to qualify for a CS: GO Major, culminating in an appearance in the quarter-finals.

Into The Breach, after major success in 2023, underwent a complete rebuild in 2024 but struggled with ‘roster instability’. Sadly, it was announced in January 2025 that ITB had shut down due to a financial scandal. It involved CEO embezzlement, unpaid salaries, and management failures.

Quadrant: The Content-Creation Powerhouse

Founded by Formula 1 driver Lando Norris , Quadrant is redefining the intersection of gaming, lifestyle, and competition. Quadrant established itself as a leading force in titles like Halo (one of my favourite games of all time). They achieved high-level placements at international majors, proving that brand-first strategies can lead to genuine competitive success.

"'Motorsport deserves a brand that captures its high-octane energy. Quadrant is built on a shared mindset - one that unites our athletes and audience through a deep love of competition.'"

Source: Quadrant.gg - About , 2025

However, Quadrant announced in October 2024 that it was stepping back from Esports to focus on other products.

“..would step away from Halo Championship Series and competitive esports in general to focus on creating content for fans, apparel, and general motorsport culture”

Source: Esportsadvocate, October 2024

UK University Esports

The foundation for this success is increasingly being built at the university level. Organisations like the National University Esports League (NUEL) and National Student Esports (NSE) , which runs the British University Esports Championship (BUEC) , offer structured pathways for thousands of students. This grassroots environment feeds the competitive scene and develops future industry professionals.

Esports Degree Programs in UK Universities

Several UK universities now offer specialised undergraduate (BA/BSc Hons) and postgraduate (MA) degrees focused on the fast-growing esports industry. These programs typically focus on the business, management, and production aspects of competitive gaming, rather than just gameplay skills.

Common specialisations include:

Esports Business Management: Focusing on the commercial side, including marketing, consumer behaviour, finance, and team management. ( University of Northampton, Keele University, College of Esports ).

Esports Production and Media: Concentrating on live broadcasting, digital media creation, streaming tools, and event production workflows. ( Nottingham Trent University, Falmouth University, Staffordshire University ).

Esports Coaching and Performance: Integrating sports science, psychology, and performance analytics to improve competitive play. ( University of Chichester ).

Top Cloud Gaming Brands in the UK

The UK cloud gaming market is dominated by three main brands that provide high-performance streaming to British gamers, effectively removing the need for local hardware. The biggest cloud gaming providers operating in the UK market are generally considered to be:

1. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (with Xbox Cloud Gaming/xCloud): This is highly popular due to its vast library of games (including all Xbox Game Studios titles) available as part of the subscription, which can be streamed to various devices.

2. NVIDIA GeForce Now: This service is highly regarded for its performance, offering a full PC gaming experience and allowing users to stream games they already own on major PC platforms like Steam and Epic Games Store.

3. PlayStation Plus Premium (formerly PlayStation Now ): This service is a strong contender, especially for PlayStation fans, offering a library of classic and modern PlayStation titles that can be streamed to a PS4, PS5, or PC.

Other notable platforms available and often mentioned in the UK include Amazon Luna and Shadow PC (a full cloud-based Windows PC).

The most exciting cloud gaming development for me, having been a Windows gamer since the late 1990s, is that I may switch to playing AAA titles on a MacBook. This is something I never imagined possible back in the day. I started gaming in the late 1970s on a Binatone console as a kid!

The Silent Killer: Latency and the Cost of Lag

To understand why a few milliseconds can be fatal, one must first understand latency. Latency is the time it takes for a player’s input, a mouse click or button press, to be sent to the gaming server, processed, and for the response to be sent back to the player’s device. This delay is measured in milliseconds (ms), and anything above a minimal threshold results in lag.

“Lag is the result of high ping or high latency, which essentially means your internet connection is at a lower speed or quality than it should be. The main giveaway for lag is that it causes a delay in your gameplay, with your commands not being acted on by the game immediately.”

Source: Britishesports.org, 7 April 2022

Lag is the ultimate barrier to a seamless experience. In the fast-paced world of competitive esports, where millions of pounds are on the line, even the slightest delay can mean the difference between victory and defeat. For the cloud gamer, lag is the ultimate bugbear. For the developer, it signals a failure to deliver on the core promise of a responsive, fair experience.

Thus, lag affects the brand reputation of a gaming organisation with a subsequent loss in sales and customer loyalty.

“Systems with lower system latency have an advantage, as they reduce this delay and give players more reaction time.”

Source: Tony Tamasi quotation, IP House London’s Mini-Guide to Latency in Gaming, Dec 2024

For professional gamers, the competitive edge is tied directly to the speed of their connection. This competitive gap means that gaming companies must treat every millisecond as a mission-critical resource.

Colocation: The Architectural Solution for Cloud Gaming

The rise of cloud gaming services has further amplified the need for flawless connectivity. These platforms bypass the need for expensive local consoles or PCs, allowing users to stream high-end games on any device. This radical shift places the entire computational burden, rendering, processing, and transmitting the game, onto a remote server. The only way this model works is through an infrastructural solution that guarantees proximity, power, and performance:

Colocation data centres in the UK.

Colocation provides gaming firms with the optimal balance of control and resilience. Rather than facing the massive upfront investment and complexity of building an in-house data centre, a company can house its dedicated servers and network hardware within a specialised colocation facility like IP House.

The strategic location of a colocation centre is paramount. The industry consensus is that physical proximity to the end user, the gamer, is non-negotiable for low-latency performance.

IP House: The Ideal Partner for Gaming Excellence

For gaming companies operating in the UK, finding the right colocation partner is a critical strategic decision. IP House, situated in the heart of London, offers a compelling solution specifically tailored to meet the demands of the gaming and esports sector.

1. Location and Latency: The London location of IP House is a significant advantage, particularly for esports providers and cloud gaming services targeting UK players. By being in proximity to major Internet Exchanges, IP House guarantees ultra-low latency and faster connections for competitive gameplay.

2. Resilience and Reliability: Data downtime can be very damaging to esports and cloud gaming brands. Resilience is built into the core design of a carrier-neutral data centre. IP House provides essential features like resilient power, backup generators, and precision cooling systems to maintain server stability under the intense processing loads of large-scale multiplayer games.

3. Expertise and Scalability: Gaming companies, especially high-growth studios, need infrastructure that can scale rapidly with player demand. IP House offers scalable colocation solutions, from individual server units to full racks. This allows cloud gaming providers and esports studios of all sizes to access enterprise-class resources.

IP House London: No. 1 Colocation Solution for Esports and Cloud Gaming

Esports and Cloud Gaming organisations can leverage the power, proximity, and performance of IP House London colocation to meet their high data processing demands.

Eliminate the risk of data downtime by partnering with IP House London.

Enjoy a seamless, lag-free gaming experience every time.

BOOK A CALL WITH IP HOUSE LONDON TODAY TO DISCUSS YOUR COLOCATION NEEDS. FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW.

MAIN SOURCES

MICROSOFT REPORT: 600 MILLION CYBERATTACKS EVERYDAY

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:21:44 GMT

Why Colocation is the Answer for Your Business

By Jamieson Lee Hill, 9th October 2025

The Microsoft Digital Defense report in 2024 stated that:

Every single day, over 600 million cyberattacks take place worldwide within the Microsoft ecosystem.
That means nearly 54 people fall victim every second.
One in four UK businesses has been the ‘victim of a cyberattack’ in the last year, The Guardian reported on June 30th, 2025.

These numbers highlight the urgent need for businesses to strengthen their digital defences. In this article, we explore 7 types of cyber attacks, 3 big firms affected by cyber attacks in the UK in 2025 and how IP House London can protect your business from online gangs.

The Seven Cyber Threats Every Business Needs To Know

There are 7 main areas of cybersecurity threats. Each requires its own specialist tools and constant monitoring.

Human Error and Insider Risks
Smarter Phishing and Social Engineering
Ransomware Extortion
Weak Spots in the I nternet of Things (IoT)
Cloud Misconfigurations and Data Leaks
AI-Driven Attacks
State-Backed Espionage

Human Error and Insider Risks

Sometimes employees accidentally or deliberately expose sensitive data. This can happen through lost laptops, careless password sharing, or disgruntled staff with access to important information.

To reduce this risk, businesses employ robust access controls, which include methods such as passwords and permissions that limit who can view or access information. They also conduct user monitoring, which involves observing user behaviour to identify risky activities and foster a culture of security awareness.

Smarter Phishing and Social Engineering

Phishing emails are fake messages designed to trick people into giving away personal information or clicking on harmful links. Social engineering refers to tricks criminals use to manipulate people into revealing secrets or letting them into secure places, often by pretending to be someone trustworthy.

Criminals now use personal information and artificial intelligence to create more convincing phishing messages. To defend against this, organisations provide regular cybersecurity awareness training. They also use advanced filtering tools: software programs that automatically block or flag suspicious emails and content.

Ransomware Extortion

Ransomware is malicious software that locks an organisation’s data and demands payment to unlock it. When this happens, businesses suffer financially but also face system downtime, damage to their reputation, and possible legal penalties. To protect themselves, businesses make frequent backups, have recovery plans ready to restore systems quickly and network monitoring.

Weak Spots in the Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to everyday objects like smart cameras and sensors that connect to the internet to collect or share data. Many IoT devices are made with convenience in mind rather than security.

When these devices are not updated with the latest security fixes, they can become easy entry points for hackers. To prevent this, businesses manage their devices carefully, keep them updated, and use segmentation. Segmentation means dividing the network into smaller parts so problems in one area do not spread to others.

Cloud Misconfigurations and Data Leaks

Many companies store data and run applications on cloud platforms. Sometimes misconfigurations leave sensitive data exposed. For example, storage buckets, containers in the cloud where files are kept, can be left unsecured.

To keep data safe, companies perform cloud security audits. Strong identity management systems ensure that only the right people have access.

AI-Driven Attacks

AI helps cybercriminals create faster, smarter attacks, very convincing phishing messages and automatically search networks for weaknesses. AI can also help malware avoid detection by security tools.

Businesses can also use AI to defend their systems with threat detection, spotting signs of attacks early on and automated response systems.

State-Backed Espionage

State-backed espionage targets valuable secrets like intellectual property, government contractors, and essential infrastructure. They are highly sophisticated and aim not only to steal information but also to disrupt and destabilise organisations. To combat this, businesses build resilience by sharing threat intelligence, i.e exchanging information about cyber threats with other organisations, and applying strong network segmentation

Cyberattack on your Business: Not if, When

The reality is that cybercriminals are relentless. They exploit weaknesses in networks, cloud environments, and even personal devices. For businesses handling sensitive financial data, customer information, or intellectual property, one successful breach can result in devastating losses. The question is not if your business will be targeted, but when. That’s why more and more companies are turning to colocation data centres like IP House as their frontline defence against cyber attacks.

UK Businesses “Sleepwalking” Into Cyber Risk

“More than one in four UK businesses have been the victim of a cyber-attack in the last year and many more risk ‘sleepwalking' into such disruption unless they take urgent action, according to a report.”

Source: The Guardian, June 2025.

A report in June 2025 by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) revealed that more than one in four UK businesses (27%) suffered a cyber-attack in the past year.

This was a 16% increase in 2024. The report highlights growing concern that many organisations are “sleepwalking” into disruption. A startling 73% of business leaders expect a cyber incident to hit them within the next two years.

RICS warned that as buildings become increasingly digitalised, i.e. relying on smart systems, IoT devices, CCTV networks and outdated operating systems such as Windows 7, they create new vulnerabilities for attackers to exploit.

Equally, with AI speeding up the sophistication of threats, the report urges businesses to take urgent action. Companies need to secure critical infrastructure, protect sensitive data, and avoid costly downtime.

Three Major UK Cyberattacks in 2025

1. Marks & Spencer 25th April to 10th June 2025: Ransomware / Data Breach / Operational Disruption

Losses - £300m

Marks & Spencer was forced to suspend online orders for nearly seven weeks after a major attack in April, losing significant sales to rivals. M&S confirmed that the cyberattack exposed some customer data (names, emails, birthdates, addresses) and disrupted major parts of their operations. It particularly affected online orders, click-and-collect, and automated stock systems. Reuters reported in May that,

“A "highly sophisticated and targeted" cyberattack will cost Marks & Spencer about 300 million pounds ($403 million) in lost operating profit, and disruption to online services..”

Source: Reuters, May 2025

Four individuals were arrested in connection with a broader attack spree (affecting M&S, Co-op, Harrods) tied to the Scattered Spider group and DragonForce ransomware syndicate, according to The Hacker News.

2. Co-op (UK) April 2025: Ransomware / Data Theft / Business Disruption

Losses: Co-op £206m revenue / £80m op profit

In April 2025, the Co-op supermarket chain also suffered a cyberattack. It forced system outages, disrupted supply and inventory systems, and led to reputational and financial damage. The financial impact was severe. The Financial Times reported that,

“The attack cut £206 million from revenue and inflicted an £80 million drop in operating profit.”

Source, Financial Times, Sept 2025

All 6.5 million members of the Co-op had personal data exposed (though financial details were not confirmed to be compromised.

3. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) 31st Aug 2025: Supply Chain / Production Disruption

I n 2025, JLR was hit with a cyberattack that was attributed to the Scattered / Lapsus-style groups, i.e. cybercrime gangs that have formed alliances.

This particular cyberattack forced the company to suspend production lines, causing major supply chain knock-on effects. Some analyses suggest the same threat actors behind the attacks on M&S and Co-op may also have been involved. The UK Automotive Union Unite said that thousands of workers’ jobs were at risk because of cyberattacks.

"Many UK workers in small and medium automotive manufacturers are already facing insecurity because of the low volume crisis in the sector. Thousands of these workers in the JLR supply chain now find their jobs are under an immediate threat because of the cyberattack.”

Source: Insider Media Ltd, Sept 2025

Why Cyberattacks Are Harder to Stop Alone

For an in-house IT team, keeping up with 24/7 threats can be overwhelming, especially when budgets are tight. Partnering with a colocation data centre like IP House London is the perfect solution.

Instead of relying solely on internal systems, businesses place their servers in a secure, enterprise-grade data centre designed to resist cyberattacks from the ground up.

How IP House Counters the 7 Types of Cyber Attacks

IP House provides your business with a fully integrated layer of physical and digital defence.

Human Error and Insider Risk
People sometimes click the wrong link or use a weak password, and a few may misuse their access. IP House keeps access minimal with multi-factor sign-in on key systems and strict room and rack controls. Activity logs and real-time alerts show who did what, and when roles change or people leave, we remove access at once.
Phishing and Social Engineering
Trick emails and look-alike sites aim to steal credentials or deliver malware. We put identity checks at the network edge with single sign-on and multi-factor, filter risky links and files, and watch for strange login patterns. Short refreshers help teams spot the bait before it bites.
Ransomware Extortion
Ransomware seeks to freeze data and stop work. IP Houses keep backups that no one can change, plus an offline copy, and we test restores often. Segmented networks and endpoint sensors slow and isolate threats, while we can switch services to clean systems to cut downtime.
Internet of Things Weak Spots
Cameras, sensors, and controllers are useful but often underpatched. IP House places these devices on dedicated network segments, allows only the traffic they need, and blocks direct internet where possible. A clear firmware schedule and continuous monitoring catch issues early, so faults do not spread.
Cloud Misconfiguration and Data Leaks
Small setup errors can expose large stores of data. IP House runs regular configuration checks, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and protects keys with strict rotation. Private links connect the data centre to major clouds, and least privilege keeps rights small and safe.
AI-Driven Attacks
Attackers now use AI to craft better lures and to scan for weak spots at speed. IP House answers with learning based anomaly alerts, safe sandboxes for new files and links, and sensible rate limits to stop mass scraping. Admin tools sit behind strong identity checks.
State-Backed Espionage
Well-funded threat actors move slowly and quietly through supply chains. IP House applies zero-trust ideas, breaking the network into small parts and asking for proof at each step. Around-the-clock monitoring with live threat intel, long log retention, and strict change control support a fast and careful response.

Why Choose IP House to Protect Your Business?

IP House ensures that your systems are not only protected but also optimised for performance. Your company can enjoy the benefits of:

Physical Security: Biometric access, CCTV, and 24/7 monitoring ensure that only authorised personnel can access your infrastructure.
Redundant Connectivity: Multiple high-speed connections reduce downtime and mitigate DDoS attacks.
Advanced Firewalls & Intrusion Detection: Constantly scanning for suspicious activity, blocking threats before they breach your systems.
Disaster Recovery & Backup: Even in the event of an attack, your business continuity is protected through backup strategies and rapid failover options.
Compliance Ready: Hosting in a secure colocation centre helps businesses meet stringent compliance requirements in industries like FinTech, Healthcare, and Education.
Central Location: Located in London’s strategic digital hub, IP House offers ultra-low latency connectivity.
Tier III: Our Tier III facility provides industry-leading resilience, guaranteeing uptime and reliability.
Expert engineers : our team is available 24/7, providing proactive monitoring and hands-on support.

IP House London keeps your business data safe, compliant, and always accessible.

Protect your Business from Cybercrime

With 600 million cyberattacks happening daily, relying on in-house servers or unsecured cloud solutions is a risk you can’t afford. Colocation at IP House offers a safer, smarter path forward.

Stay one step ahead of cybercriminals with IP House London. Contact Us today! Fill out the form below.

SOURCES

1 https://cypfer.com/what-are-the-6-types-of-cyber-security

2. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/cybersecurity-stats#:~:text=There%20are%20600%20million%20cyberattacks,a%20ransomware%20attack%20this%20year .

3. https://telappliant.com/blog/top-cyber-attacks-facing-uk-2025/

4. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/30/uk-businesses-hit-by-cyber-attack-last-year-report

5. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/britains-ms-says-cyberattack-cost-400-million-2025-05-21/

6. https://www.insidermedia.com/news/national/jlr-ms-and-co-op-what-is-the-driver-behind-the-cyberattacks?utm_

7. https://www.ft.com/content/82d4d4f8-1671-4830-9949-75304cf10e07?utm_source=chatgpt.com

8. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/25/co-op-says-malicious-cyber-attack-has-hit-profits-by-80m?utm_

9. https://thehackernews.com/2025/07/four-arrested-in-440m-cyber-attack-on.html

10. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/security-insider/threat-landscape/microsoft-digital-defense-report-2024

Feng Shui Office Guide 2025: Create Harmony, Boost Productivity & Well-Being

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 12:07:23 GMT

Finding balance and energy flow in the modern workplace

By Jamieson Lee Hill, Tech author and Self-Development enthusiast since 1993.

What I Know About Feng Shui

I first became aware of Feng Shui in the mid-1990s, when it began to gain popularity in the West. I remember two principles that stood out:

You shouldn’t place your desk between a window and a door, because this creates a “restless” flow of energy, with chi moving too quickly through the space.
You should always keep your toilet lid shut when not in use, otherwise, you risk letting your wealth and good fortune “drain away.”

Funnily enough, I have largely adhered to both since the mid-90s. I thought it was time to revisit this ancient art. Let’s explore its origins and how you can apply it to your office…

What is Feng Shui and Why Does it Matter at Work?

Feng Shui first became popular in the West in the late 20th century, as growing interest in holistic practices made their way into everyday life.

Early applications of Feng Shui here were often seen in interior design and architecture. Designers used furniture placement, colour, light, and other techniques to create spaces that felt balanced, harmonious, and more conducive to well-being.

At its core, Feng Shui is about improving the flow of energy, aka chi , in your home or office.

A Brief History of Feng Shui

"Feng shui, sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term feng shui means, literally, 'wind-water' (i.e., fluid).”

Source: Wikipedia, 2025

It is amazing to think that Feng Shui began in ancient China over 3,000 years ago. Wind and water are regarded as two natural forces that shape the land and symbolise the flow of energy.

Since ancient times, people believed that landscapes and waterways guided the flow of qi aka chi. Qi or chi is the universal life energy in Taoism and Eastern mysticism.

Feng Shui goes beyond simple room and home or office placement; it weaves together insights from astronomy, astrology, architecture, cosmology, geography, and the natural shape of the land.

The Origins of Feng Shui and Building

In the beginning, Feng Shui was not about where to put furniture or how to decorate a room. It was actually a guiding set of principles for choosing the right places to build homes, temples, and even entire cities.

Builders searched to construct dwellings that were in harmony with nature. For example, a mountain behind for safety and open land in front would welcome new opportunities. These choices were not only symbolic but also practical and functional, i.e. they would help occupants avoid strong winds and stay close to water for farming and trade.

As the years passed, Feng Shui became closely linked with Taoist philosophy and Chinese medicine. Both focus on the concept of balance between yin and yang, and between people and nature. Feng Shui is an ancient system that has shaped Chinese life, culture, and design for centuries.

Feng Shui Office Basics Everyone Can Try

In today’s high-pressure work environments, especially in the tech industry, your workspace can have a big impact on your mood, productivity, and health.

Feng Shui offers simple yet powerful ways to improve your office setup. These changes only require thoughtful placement of your surroundings, rather than big renovations.

“The ultimate goal of applying Feng Shui in the workplace is to enhance the overall well-being of employees. By creating a balanced, harmonious environment, employees are likely to experience reduced stress levels, improved mental health, and a greater sense of satisfaction and engagement in their work.”

Source: Tim Larson, Unispace, 2025

Your workplace obviously shapes how you feel every day and it can affect your productivity. The layout of your desk, the light in your office, and even the clutter on your table can all influence your mood and performance.

Feng Shui offers some surprisingly simple insights into how to arrange and improve your environment. A lot of Feng Shui is just common sense.

The Five Feng Shui Elements in Your Office

Let’s start with a key principle of Feng Shui, which is the Five Elements. Feng Shui uses the five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, to bring balance into a space.

Wood

Wood is linked with growth and creativity. You can bring this into your office with plants, wooden furniture, or even artwork that shows trees or nature. It’s a reminder to keep ideas flowing and projects moving forward.

Fire

Fire represents energy, passion, and drive. You don’t need an actual flame in your office to use this element. Splashes of red, orange, or bright lighting can add that extra spark of motivation and flair to your space.

Earth

Earth is about stability and support. This can be as simple as using earthy tones like beige, terracotta, or soft yellows, or choosing solid, heavy objects like a sturdy desk. These touches ground you and bring a sense of calm.

Metal

Metal is linked with focus and clarity. Think of items made from steel, brass, or even white and grey colours. A sleek metal desk organiser or a polished lamp can help cut through clutter and support clear thinking.

Water

Water symbolises flow, calm, and fresh ideas. You can bring water into your office with a small fountain, an aquarium, or even images of rivers and oceans. The colours blue and black also carry water energy, adding a sense of openness and calm.

Balance not Clutter

Balancing these five elements doesn’t mean crowding your office with symbols of all of them. The idea is to choose a mix that feels natural and works with your personality. When the elements are present in harmony, your office becomes a space that encourages focus, creativity, and productivity.

Using the Bagua Map for Office Feng Shui

"(The Bagua Map) It helps to… enhance beneficial energy, balance positive vibrations, focus intentions, identify and correct subliminal messages, and to create a sacred space that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit."

Source: Mindvalley Blog, July 2024

The Bagua map, sometimes called the Pa Kua, is a simple Feng Shui tool that links parts of your home or office to different areas of your life. Each section of the map represents something important like career, health, wealth or relationships.

By adjusting or improving a space in your environment, you can give a boost to the matching area of your life. The Bagua shows how your life and environment are connected. Think of it as an energy grid that you lay over your office.

You start by aligning the map with the wall that has your main entrance. From there, you can see which parts of your office connect to which areas of life. For example, the zone linked to your career is usually right at the front and centre, while the far back corner is connected to wealth and prosperity.

You can use the zones as a guide for placement. Maybe you put a healthy green plant in the wealth corner to encourage growth, or hang inspiring artwork in the creativity zone. In the career zone, keeping things clear and well-lit can symbolise an open path forward.

The Bagua map gives you a framework to personalise your space. Instead of random décor, every object has a place and a purpose.

Feng Shui Desk Placement: The Command Position

One thing I discovered is that where you place your desk really matters in Feng Shui. In Feng Shui, the best spot is called the “command position.” It means being able to see the door without sitting directly in line with it.

This little change can make you feel more secure and calm in your office environment because you are aware of what’s happening around you. In plain English, you can see who is approaching, which I guess taps into our survival instincts as a species for thousands of years.

The problem I had with my home office is that it is small, and the best location for light and view is the window. That means my back is to the door. But to be honest, the only worry I have is being caught off guard, is my cat scratching me!

Support from Behind

Another interesting point I read was the importance of what’s behind your desk. Having a solid wall at your back in Feng Shui creates a sense of stability and support. It makes you feel more grounded and less distracted by movement behind you. This is helpful in a busy office.

Clearing Clutter with Feng Shui

A cluttered desk often reflects a messy mind. In Feng Shui, clutter blocks the natural flow of energy, leading to stress and mental fatigue. For tech professionals juggling multiple projects, a tidy desk can improve focus and efficiency. Using storage boxes and a regular clear-up routine to keep your workspace in order is the way forward.

A quick tidy-up each day can bring order and calm. Do it now!

Feng Shui and Office Light and Colour

Something that stood out to me is the importance of light and colour in your office. Feng Shui teaches how much light and colour shape the way we feel at work. For instance, a bright, airy room with plenty of natural light can lift your mood. Colours also play their part, e.g. red can give you energy, yellow sparks creativity, while blue and green help keep things calm and focused.

Natural light is considered the best source of positive energy in Feng Shui. It boosts mood, supports healthy sleep patterns, and reduces eye strain. If your office lacks windows, you could invest in some full-spectrum lamps to mimic daylight. Bright, well-lit spaces help sustain energy levels during long hours at the screen.

Remember, even small touches, like artwork or accessories, can shift the atmosphere of your office. So bring some light and colour to your office environment to inspire you.

Plants for Fresh Energy in your Feng Shui Office

I was walking past the entrance to an office the other day, and I saw two large plants placed on either side of the staircase. It really struck me as an excellent way to bring natural charm and inspiration to an office. This not only inspires staff but also visiting customers and lifts the vibe of your office.

Plants not only clean the air but also make the space feel more alive. Even one small plant on a desk can soften the sharpness of a tech-heavy office and give you a little pocket of calm during the day. Plants bring “life force” into your office, improving air quality and adding a touch of nature.

The green colour is calming, helping to counteract the mental strain of fast-paced, screen-focused work.

Comfortable Chair = Greater Focus

We often overlook the importance of a good chair. This is something that Feng Shui highlights. My wife is a stickler for this. She bought us both chairs designed for back comfort. Also, I use a yoga balancing cushion for added comfort. Consider investing in a supportive, adjustable seat to help prevent back pain and fatigue. This can make a big difference if you spend long hours at your desk.

Your chair is the foundation of your working posture. A supportive, adjustable chair can prevent back pain, neck tension, and fatigue. These are common complaints in tech jobs. When your body feels comfortable, your mind can focus better on problem-solving and creativity.

Time to Feng Shui your chair?

Personalise the Office Space with Feng Shui

One of the most enjoyable parts of Feng Shui is making your workspace feel personal. Small touches can inspire you through the day and remind you that your desk is more than just a place to work.

You might add your favourite crystal (I love amethyst, and I have a massive chunk of it). Just looking at it lifts my mood as it is so beautiful. Nothing mystical, just appreciating nature. Or simply keep a ceramic mug you love in the office to make it feel more like home.

Photos, artwork, or even a vision board can also give your eyes and mind a break from the screen. If you’re staring at a blank wall, adding something meaningful there can instantly change the atmosphere and lift your mood.

Fresh, Clean Air

In Feng Shui, the flow of air is crucial. Good air quality is essential for clear thinking and sustained energy. In tech environments with lots of electronics, the air can become dry and stale.

So open the windows when possible, use an air purifier, or add plants that filter toxins. Fresh air keeps both body and mind alert.

Stopping Noisy Environments

Feng Shui highlights the importance of having peace to focus on your work. Noise can quickly break concentration, and if you are like me, noisy environments mean I can’t focus.

My solution is listening to music on decent headphones. That blocks out all the noisy construction work in my area. I also use binaural beats music to focus.

Final Reflections on Feng Shui and Your Office

The real point of using Feng Shui at work is to make people feel better. A balanced space can lower stress, boost mental health, and make the whole office feel more enjoyable to be in. If the environment feels positive, people are happier and are more likely to work well as a team. It sets the tone for your company culture.

Your Office Feng Shui Task

Here are 3 simple steps to refresh your workspace today:

Reposition your desk into the command position, so you can see the door without sitting directly in line with it.
Clear the clutter from your desk and entryway to keep energy flowing smoothly.
Personalise your space with something meaningful, such as a photo, a favourite mug or an inspiring artwork.

AI FENG SHUI CONSULTANCY IN 4 STEPS

This is a quick Feng Shui consultancy drawing on data from the internet and using this article. Do the following:

Sketch your office or home and feed it into ChatGPT or other AI tool

Next, feed in a Bagua Map from Google to the AI tool.

Copy and paste this article into the AI tool, e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity.ai, etc.

Ask the AI tool to give an AI Feng Shui consultancy for your office or home using the internet from authoritative Feng Shui sources, the Bagua map, your sketch and this article.

I came up with this idea while writing the article. It gave me some great tips for my home office and flat layout.

SOURCES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamieson Lee Hill is a regular blogger for IP House London. Since 2018, he has worked in marketing and is Head of Content and Copywriting for an international franchise and another UK-based company.

Hill writes articles about the Tech industry, SMEs, Websites and Digital Marketing, Self-Development and many more sectors.

Hill is also the Editor for a weekly newsletter from Blam Digital and regularly reviews AI tools, software and tips. He has 26 years of experience as a lecturer, teacher and college manager.

COLOCATION DATA CENTRES FOR UK EDTECH STARTUPS

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 22:34:07 GMT

Scalable, Secure, and Cost-effective Infrastructure for Educational Technology Growth

Jamieson Lee Hill, August 6th 2025

The UK EdTech startup sector is thriving. More students are learning online than ever before. This increased demand puts serious pressure on the platforms delivering these experiences. If you’re running an education technology company, you already know the importance of reliable, scalable, and secure infrastructure.

So, how do you grow without the budget of a global tech giant? That’s where colocation data centres come in. In this article, we examine how colocation can aid EdTech startups in scaling.

Strong Foundations for a Fast-Moving Sector

The global EdTech market is expected to more than double by 2030. According to Grand View Research (2024), the market is projected to grow from USD 163.49 billion in 2024 to USD 348.41 billion by the end of the decade. UK startups are right at the heart of this transformation.

As EdTech platforms evolve, the technical foundations they depend on become even more critical. Startups need a digital infrastructure that can keep up with the pace of change and ensure consistent performance. Whether supporting live classes, AI-driven tutoring, or secure data portals, infrastructure must be designed to meet the moment.

To succeed in this landscape, your platform must be:

Reliable : Downtime causes disruption, frustration, and reputational damage.

Scalable : User numbers can spike fast, especially during exams.

Secure : GDPR and data protection laws require full compliance.

Cost-effective : Few startups can afford to build and manage their own data centres.

As Grand View Research states, disruption to online edutech services can seriously affect the reputation of platforms. This is why colocation data services are a robust and reliable option:

“Service outages or slow response times can disrupt lessons, impact assessments, and damage the reputation of EdTech providers.”

Source: Grand View Research, 2024

What is Colocation?

Colocation means housing your servers and hardware in a professionally managed third-party data centre like IP House London. You still own your IT, but someone else provides the space, power, connectivity, cooling, and security."

This model of delivery is especially appealing to fast-growing startups. It allows you to focus on your core service delivery without the distractions and costs of running your own facilities. It is much more affordable than building and running onsite infrastructure.

How Colocation Helps EdTech Startups

Most startups operate with a limited number of staff and a modest budget. Building on-site data centre infrastructure is often not an option due to the astronomical investment involved. Therefore, colocation data centres can be the ideal solution. Here are some reasons why:

Reliability: Colocation data centres maintain uptime, so there is no service disruption to edutech platforms. Reliability and speed are key advantages of colocation:

“Colocation enables faster deployment, improved service reliability and reduced costs—factors essential to high-growth sectors such as education.”

Source: Redcentric Data Centres, 2024

High Speed Connectivity: IP House colocation services provide high-speed connections with low latency. That means learning and teaching run smoothly on edutech platforms.

Faster Launches & Scalability : Leveraging colocation services, an edutech company can skip the hardware build-out. Deployment can be in days rather than months.

Better Focus : Leveraging colocation means your team concentrates on product development and user experience, rather than managing servers.

Lower Risk : With colocation services from centres like IP House London, you are guaranteed enterprise-grade uptime, security, and technical support.

Greener Footprint : Many colocation providers offer advanced energy-saving technologies that help reduce your environmental impact and carbon footprint.

Economies of Scale: On-site data centres and infrastructure are extremely expensive to set up and maintain. Partnering with a colocation data centre helps economies of scale and enhanced performance, as the quotation from Times Higher Education illustrates:

“Universities are waking up to the high capital costs of proprietary server rooms. Economies of scale, increased resilience, and more affordable high-performance computing are being achieved from shared data centres.”

Source: Cobb, 2014, Times Higher Education

Enhanced security online and physically

Colocation data centres offer both physical 24/7 security and online cybersecurity. IP House London has strict network security with firewalls, security cameras and many other security measures. This means your Edutech business is guaranteed robust protection for your data and systems.

Where Colocation Makes the Difference

In EdTech, performance and uptime are vital. Your educational users expect access to learning content and services without delays or failures. Whether you’re scaling to meet national demand or launching a local pilot, colocation can provide the infrastructure backbone you need to deliver value at scale. Some of the most common use examples include:

Virtual Classrooms : Keeping students connected to live lessons with zero lag.

Research Platforms : Managing and analysing complex academic datasets.

Student Records : Storing confidential information in a secure and compliant way to meet the strict GDPR.

Hybrid Models : Blending on-site and cloud infrastructure for flexibility.

Why IP House London?

At IP House London, we worked closely with educational providers and digital innovators who need performance without compromise. Our ISO-certified colocation services are tailored for startups and scaleups. If you value resilience, security, and exceptional connectivity, IP House is the ideal colocation partner.

Whether you're hosting sensitive data or scaling up your platform, we provide the infrastructure you need. Our expert team truly understands the demands and needs of digital education. As we move into an era where big data is all-important, colocation is an affordable solution for data management:

“Hosting your server or servers within an existing data centre offers a cost-effective solution for companies looking to enhance their data management.”

Source: Sota Solutions, 2024

UK EdTech and Colocation in 2026 and Beyond

The UK EdTech market is expected to surpass £3.4 billion by 2026. As AI, cloud computing, and personalised learning technologies take hold, digital infrastructure will become even more critical to the future of teaching and learning.

Startups that want to stay ahead of the curve must build on a foundation that supports change, innovation, and speed. That’s exactly what colocation provides: Flexibility, scalability, and the room to grow. As well as solid security and compliance to protect against cyberattacks and GDPR. The importance of data centres is clear to the UK government, as this statement by UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle shows:

“Kyle said: "Data centres power our day-to-day lives and boost innovation in growing sectors like AI. "This is why only last month, I took steps to class UK data centres as critical national infrastructure, giving the industry the ultimate reassurance that the UK will always be a safe home for their investment."

Source: Technology Secretary UK, BBC News 2024

At IP House London, we believe EdTech deserves infrastructure that scales with your mission, with affordable expansion. Collocation services are the smart pathway for Edtech start-ups looking to innovate, grow and deliver exceptional educational services.

As this sector rapidly expands, colocation is set to become more prominent.

“The role of EdTech is likely to grow significantly in coming years, particularly as a result of the rapid evolution and growth of AI technologies…”

Source: House of Lords Library, 2024

Want to find out more about Colocation Services for your EduTech Startup? Fill out the Contact Form below. Let's Talk!

Sources and Further Reading:

Grand View Research (2024) ‘Education Technology Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report.

House of Lords Library (2024) ‘Educational technology, digital innovation and AI in schools’.

Assetspire (2024) ‘The Importance of Colocation Data Centres In a Digital Age.

Sota Solutions (2024) ‘The business benefits of IT colocation services.’

Redcentric Data Centres (2024) ‘4 Business Benefits of Colocation’.

BBC News 2024, ‘New £1.9 billion Data Campus Confirmed’

Beyond the Rack: Why Carrier Choice & Connectivity Matter in Colocation

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 16:20:00 GMT

Unlocking the power of interconnection at IP House London

Jamieson Lee Hill, July 7th, 2025

In today’s cloud-driven world, data centres aren’t just about space, power, or cooling. They are all about connectivity, which is the foundation of online business.

This is where carrier‑neutral colocation becomes vital. At IP House London, connectivity is at the heart of everything we do, and we are fully equipped to meet the needs of companies and organisations.

What Does Carrier-Neutral Mean?

In a nutshell, being carrier-neutral means you’re not locked into a single internet provider. IP House offers access to multiple Tier 1 and regional carriers, cloud on-ramps, and internet exchanges. Therefore, you have the freedom to choose the most reliable and efficient links bespoke to your needs

“IP House is a carrier-neutral data centre, providing a wide range of network connectivity options. This allows businesses to choose the network provider that best suits their requirements in terms of performance, latency, and redundancy.”

Source: IP House, 2023

Why does Carrier Choice matter?

Performance, resilience, and cost optimisation all rely on having multiple carriers at your disposal. Latency-sensitive services like live streams or collaborative platforms perform best with diverse routes. Plus, pricing flexibility becomes possible when carriers compete for your business.

“Interconnections allow for low latency and a high-performance network, as well as access to multiple providers. This provides more redundancy, scalability, and flexibility.”

Source: IP House, 2023

Peering, Private Interconnects & Cloud On-Ramps

IP House supports a growing interconnection ecosystem:

Peering : Direct, efficient network routes for faster performance
Private Interconnects : Secure, high-bandwidth point-to-point links inside the same facility
Cloud On‑Ramps : Dedicated low-latency links to AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for hybrid deployments

This colocation ecosystem enables online platforms to deliver consistently fast, secure, and reliable user experiences.

“Connectivity: Our dedicated network is connected directly to some of the UK’s biggest internet ecosystems, Telehouse and Equinix. We actively participate in Internet Exchanges throughout the UK and have the capability to reach Data Centres in the US and Europe.”

Source: IP House, 2024

Cross‑Connects: The Backbone of Reliable Delivery

A cross‑connect is a simple but powerful physical link between your equipment and your carriers or partners within the data centre. These links are essential for secure, low-latency delivery. This applies whether it's connecting a backup provider or a financial exchange.

“Our colocation services are trusted by clients across fintech, media, and digital platforms who rely on uninterrupted connectivity.”

Source: IP House, 2024

Built for Resilience with EcoStruxure™

IP House’s London Docklands facility is purpose-built to Tier III standards and employs Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for full infrastructure redundancy and real-time monitoring.

“Having the ability to proactively monitor all elements of the infrastructure with an advanced software solution like EcoStruxure IT will reassure customers that we’re providing them with a secure, competitive and resilient colocation service.”

Source: IP House, 2023

The IP House London Advantage

These are the main reasons that partnering with IP House London gives your business the edge:

Carrier-neutral : Full choice of Tier 1 and regional carriers
Peering-ready : Direct connectivity to major UK internet exchanges
Cross-connects : Rapid deployment and reliable cabling
Resilient : Tier III design, N+1 power and cooling, and DCIM monitoring (EcoStruxure™)

More than a data centre, IP House London is a connectivity hub that empowers your business to deliver secure, fast, and future-ready digital learning.

Fast Provisioning Capabilities

At IP House, we understand that plans can change unexpectedly, and clients may find themselves needing a connection deployed quickly. Whether it's a Cross Connect or a full carrier connection, IP House is equipped to deliver rapid provisioning. Our swift deployment capabilities help minimise downtime and eliminate long lead times when time is critical.

Final Reflections

In 2025 and beyond, UK companies don’t just require robust infrastructure. They also demand high-performance interconnection, carrier choice, and hybrid-cloud readiness.

With IP House London, your business is future-proofed and ready for the new Digital Age! Join the Colocation revolution now and supercharge your business services.

Book a call today to find out more about Colocation Data Services.

Great Repatriation: Cloud Workloads Back to Colocation

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:08:58 GMT

The Migration Trend Driving Data Strategy

Jamieson Lee Hill, June 2nd, 2025

Why Companies Are Leaving Public Cloud Behind

Cloud computing has dominated IT strategy for the past decade. Originally, businesses turned to public cloud providers for flexibility, scalability and rapid deployment. However, more enterprises are shifting workloads back to on-premises infrastructure and colocation data centres like IP House London.

This growing movement, also known as cloud repatriation, is being driven by hidden costs, security concerns, performance challenges, and the rising energy demands of AI.

According to VMware’s Private Cloud Outlook 2025 , 69 per cent of organisations are considering moving some workloads into private cloud or hybrid environments from the public cloud. This is a significant shift in strategy, especially for companies looking to regain control and reduce their operational risks.

Understanding Cloud Repatriation and Hybrid Infrastructure

Cloud repatriation simply means migrating data, workloads or applications from public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud back to physical infrastructure. This infrastructure might be on-premises or hosted within a secure, third-party colocation facility like IP House.

However, it isn’t a wholesale rejection of cloud technology. Many businesses are now adopting hybrid cloud strategies, where critical or sensitive workloads are repatriated for greater control. Meanwhile, other functions remain in the public cloud to benefit from its elasticity. The end goal is to create a bespoke, cost-effective infrastructure that meets both performance and governance needs.

Why Tech Leaders Recommend Colocation Over Cloud

Between 2023 and 2025, multiple experts in the sector highlighted the same key reasons for the return to colocation. These include rising energy needs, the cost of AI deployment, vendor lock-in, compliance requirements and connectivity issues.

The Uptime Institute's 2024 Global Data Center Survey confirmed this shift, stating:

“Many of the cloud and hosting workloads are also ultimately housed in colocation facilities. Uptime Intelligence’s report on the growth of hyperscale colocation campuses backs up the observation that more IT and workloads are being placed in colocation facilities.”

The above quotation shows the growing reliance on purpose-built colocation centres, not just by smaller businesses, but by cloud providers themselves. The rise of hyperscale campuses means colocation is now considered an integral part of modern infrastructure design. This even applies to companies with complex or global IT needs.

Six Key Reasons Workloads Are Repatriated

1. Cutting Cloud Costs with Predictable Pricing

Public cloud billing is complex. With pricing models based on usage, bandwidth and storage, many companies are surprised by how quickly costs scale. Fixed workloads that do not change in size or frequency often end up being far more expensive than expected.

Colocation providers like IP House London offer an alternative and more predictable monthly pricing. This means that finance departments can do better cost forecasting and achieve long-term savings.

Software company 37signals publicly documented its move away from AWS in 2022. It is estimated that it will save over $7 million across five years by owning its infrastructure. This case study highlights the long-term financial benefits of bringing workloads back under physical control.

2. Boosting Performance and Reducing Latency

Not all workloads perform well in the cloud. Applications that require low latency, like AI inference models, real-time financial platforms or interactive software tools, suffer from delays with remote hosting. In contrast, Colocation allows infrastructure to be physically located near end-users and major exchanges. IP House London is based in the Docklands, one of Europe’s most connected digital hubs. With direct fibre access to Tier 1 carriers and major IXPs, businesses can reduce latency and improve performance consistency.

3. Meeting Compliance and Sovereignty Needs

Regulated industries like finance, healthcare, defence and education must comply with strict data protection laws. While cloud platforms offer some tools for compliance, many companies still struggle with visibility and auditing.

With Colocation, it is easier to manage physical and logical security. Organisations have full control over data storage, backup, encryption and access policies. At IP House London, this includes features like biometric access, 24/7 surveillance, and ISO 27001-compliant systems. These are all tailored to meet the highest regulatory standards.

4. Powering AI with Energy-Efficient Facilities

AI and machine learning are driving exponential demand for power and cooling. Public cloud providers may not always be equipped to handle high-density AI workloads efficiently or economically. David King, Senior Principal Product Engineer at Cadence, warns that this could soon become a crisis:

“Facilities will start to realise that there really isn’t enough energy. While newly built, AI-optimised facilities can be better suited to handle these requirements, retrofitting older data centres to support increased power and cooling is required to meet demands. However, it is costly and complex.”

King’s statement reflects an industry-wide challenge. Legacy data centres are not keeping up with the needs of modern AI infrastructure.

Colocation providers are stepping in with purpose-built facilities designed from the ground up. Centres like IP House London can accommodate high-performance workloads with sustainable energy and cooling solutions.

5. Demand for Hyperscale and Interconnected Colocation

Enterprises are turning toward hyperscale-ready colocation for scale, resilience and global reach. According to the aforementioned Uptime Institute 2024 Report, “Operators are repatriating workloads back on-premises or to colocation, moving away from purely public cloud strategies.”

Colocation gives companies the infrastructure control they want. At the same time, colocation facilities maintain fast, secure connections to public clouds and private partners through carrier-neutral facilities. IP House London provides direct cross-connects, making hybrid cloud adoption seamless.

6. Lack of In-House IT Resources

While some organisations have the skills and budget to build their own data centres, most do not. Managing power, cooling, physical security, and network redundancy requires considerable investment and operational know-how.

As noted by TierPoint , “The scale and complexity of repatriation mean that many organisations are seeking alternatives like colocation rather than trying to build from scratch.”

IP House London helps companies transition out of the cloud without the high costs of building and owning their physical infrastructure. It also provides support, redundancy, and scalability without compromise.

Colocation in London’s Digital and Financial Hub

With the Great Repatriation in full swing, IP House London offers everything modern businesses need from a cutting-edge colocation partner:

Tier 3 data centre design with high-spec redundancy
Power configurations suited to high-density and AI infrastructure
Carrier-neutral environment with direct access to cloud providers and exchanges
24/7 monitoring, physical security and technical support
For organisations that need to scale securely, predictably and intelligently, IP House provides a powerful alternative to depending solely on the public cloud.

Pricing Simplicity:

IP House tailored, and flexible pricing capability supports all businesses, from small-scale startups to established multinational organisations. Unlike Cloud Price contract modelling, which can be complex due to periodic reviews or growth/usage costs being calculated at intervals, IP House Colocation contracts are deliberately simple and easy. Clear pricing is maintained throughout the agreed term, and even at renewal, pricing is often maintained close to the original contract.

Service Capability:

Every client receives a dedicated team to support them from the first stage of onboarding, commercial/contract management, through to technical support and engineering/development requirements where required. All clients receive the same quality of engagement throughout their time with IP House and this supports the organic growth which IP House maintains till this day.

AI-Driven Infrastructure Needs Are Surging

A 2024 report from McKinsey clearly highlights the rising infrastructure demands of AI:

“Demand for AI-ready data centre capacity will rise at an average rate of 33 percent a year between 2023 and 2030. Around 70 percent of total demand for data centre capacity will be for data centres equipped to host advanced-AI workloads by 2030.”

This scale of growth is unprecedented. To meet these demands, data centres need to be built for purpose. Legacy cloud environments will struggle to keep up.

Colocation providers like IP House London are already preparing for this future as part of the Great Repatriation.

Is Colocation Right for Your Business?

You should seriously consider colocation if your company:

Runs workloads that are stable, predictable or growing in scale
Is experiencing high or fluctuating costs from cloud use
Requires greater control over infrastructure, performance or security
Must comply with UK, EU or industry-specific regulations
Is building a hybrid or multi-cloud strategy for long-term flexibility

Rebalancing the Cloud with Smart Colocation

Without doubt, the public cloud still plays a vital role. But for many organisations, it’s no longer the complete solution any more. Colocation with IP House London allows you to reduce costs, improve control, and support next-generation workloads like AI and edge computing. It also keeps you connected to public cloud services, enabling the flexibility of hybrid solutions without compromising compliance or performance.

IP House London stands at the centre of the Great Repatriation...

With leading-edge infrastructure, a carrier-rich environment, and full-service support, we are helping companies transition from cloud-first to cloud-smart strategies.

JOIN THE GREAT REPATRIATION. FILL OUT THE CONTACT FORM TODAY!

FAQS: Frequently Asked Questions

What is cloud repatriation in simple terms? Cloud repatriation is when a company moves its applications or data from a public cloud provider back to physical infrastructure, either on-premises or in a colocation data centre.

Why are companies moving away from the public cloud? Many businesses are repatriating cloud workloads due to high long-term costs, performance issues, regulatory compliance, and the rising energy needs of AI and data-heavy applications.

Is colocation cheaper than the public cloud? Yes, for consistent workloads, colocation often provides better value by offering predictable, fixed pricing. Public cloud costs can spike unexpectedly based on bandwidth, storage, or compute usage.

Can you combine cloud and colocation? Absolutely. Many organisations use a hybrid approach, keeping some services in the cloud while placing mission-critical or sensitive workloads in colocation facilities for more control.

LAUNCH QUICKER: FREE IT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR STARTUPS

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 14:14:06 GMT

No contracts. No catch. Just powerful support.

Jamieson Lee Hill, April 24th 2025

As a startup founder, you already know the grind of getting your new business off the ground. You’ve got a great idea which taps into a real market niche. You have assembled a small team. You’re building fast, testing hard, and chasing a product–market fit with every waking hour.

But here’s the snag: Enterprise-grade infrastructure is expensive.

That high upfront cost can slow down or stop the project for many start-ups. Here at IP House, we understand that. To help you overcome this big hurdle, we now offer free initial infrastructure to new startups.

The Offer: Free IT Infrastructure to Power Your Startup

What we're offering:

You can receive early-stage startup access to enterprise-grade servers and infrastructure at no cost. No contracts. No small print. Just real support when you need it most.

Why it’s valuable:

Launching a technology business relies on high-performance infrastructure. We decided to remove that barrier. Our initiative to offer free enterprise-level infrastructure to startups is part of our commitment to innovation.

What’s in it for you:

You get to build, test, and grow your product on real-world infrastructure from day one. This is something that most startups cannot access due to the high costs.

With this new offer, your startup can get started immediately without any invoices to worry about.

Why This Offer Can Speed Up Your Startup Launch

Choosing the right infrastructure partner can be the difference between getting to market fast or getting stuck in the early stages. With IP House, you get a platform for serious growth, not temporary solutions. Here are some of the core benefits:

Launch Faster, Without the Overheads
Avoid costly setup delays. Build, test, and deploy using enterprise-grade servers all at zero cost.
Scale on Your Terms
Start small and grow without disruption. Add more power, storage, or bandwidth as your user base expands. Flexible scalability.
Focus on Product, Not Problems
Our infrastructure is fast, secure, and reliable. That means your team can stay focused on building your business.
Robust Cybersecurity from Day One
With real-time monitoring, strict access controls, and protection against digital threats, you are in safe hands.
24/7 Expert Support
Our expert team understands startup environments and will solve your issues fast. They speak in plain English, jargon-free.

Prime London Location with Global Reach
Our Tier 3-designed East London data centre delivers ultra-low latency and international connectivity. It is ideal for SaaS, AI, and content platforms with international audiences.

"IP House provides cutting-edge infrastructure and facilities with highly trained staff onsite to give you peace of mind that your data is in safe hands."

IP House Blog – Colocation vs In-House

No catch. No contracts. Expert support to get your startup up and running much faster

Why Work with IP House?

IP House London is a proud partner of the technology startup sector. We already work with many technology sectors, including Gaming, EduTech and FinTech. Our services are built around performance, flexibility, and tailored support for your business. When you partner with IP House, you are getting a team that understands how to help tech businesses win.

Who Should Apply?

This offer is ideal for:

Startups in SaaS, AI, fintech, content delivery, or digital media
Founders building platforms, apps, or services with real infrastructure needs
Teams that are pre-seed, MVP-ready, or just entering the market

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need a clear plan, a real use case, and the ambition to scale.

Smart Business Solutions for Tech Startups

At IP House, we invest in partnerships, not just transactions. Startups are the cornerstone of innovation. We believe that supporting new technology companies is good for the industry and everyone concerned.

You get enterprise-level hosting and hardware. We get to be part of your story. It’s a win-win.

Ready to Launch? Here’s What to Do Next:

Step 1: Send us your outline business plan

Step 2: Detail your infrastructure requirements

Step 3: Explain how our support will help you grow

Step 4: IP House will review your business plan and details.

Step 5: IP House will engage with your startup and service your tech needs. We will support the build-out accordingly.

GET STARTED TODAY BY FILLING OUT THE CONTACT FORM BELOW!

DIGITAL DETOX: FINDING BALANCE IN AN ONLINE WORLD

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:15:34 GMT

How to disconnect from the digital world and find time, peace and relief

By Jamieson Lee Hill, March 11th, 2025

Are you feeling overloaded with information online and social media? Have you had enough gloomy news stories, toxic content, and just general information overload with people trying to constantly sell things or convert you? If so, you have arrived in the right place because I am going to show you how to disconnect from the digital sludge fuzzing up your brain!

How Social Media & Online News Were Badly Affecting Me
My Solutions
Preparing for a Digital Detox
The Benefits of a Digital Detox
Steps to Implement a Digital Detox
Striking a Digital Balance in Daily Life

How Social Media & Online News Were Badly Affecting Me

Your mindset can so easily be negatively affected by online media. Not to mention the strain of spending hours in front of screens with blue light affecting our brains. As a whole, we can also lose so much time scrolling social media and news websites. I realised a few years ago that it was time to start digitally detoxing because of the following ways it was negatively affecting me:

Doomscrolling News Sites & Social Media : I was constantly looking at negative headlines and social media posts, getting drawn into a rabbit hole of toxic content. It left me feeling stressed and down, plus I would sometimes scroll for 1 or 2 hours mindlessly.

I Kept Checking Notifications : Even small alerts pulled me back into social media, breaking my focus and losing valuable working time.

I Got Stuck in Pointless Debates : I found myself engaging in online arguments that drained my energy and left me feeling anxious as I was constantly checking for replies. Big no no!

Comparing My Life to Others: Seeing other people’s ‘’perfect lifestyle’ posts and images of slim bodies made me feel like I was a failure at times. It was just a waste of time.

Social Media Became a Default Escape : Instead of dealing with boredom or stress healthily, I would reach for my phone. I should have hit the gym or gone for a run.

My Sleep Was Disrupted : Checking my phone late at night kept my brain active, making it harder to relax and leading to poor sleep quality. The blue light was keeping my brain fully alert. Insomnia was a pretty regular issue.

FOMO: The fear of missing out aka F.O.M.O made me compulsively refresh news feeds, making it hard to relax or focus on what mattered. I kept believing it was important to stay informed about world news, but it was all so toxic and nauseous.

My Solutions

Put Business Messages in One Channel: I opened a Business WhatsApp and separated out personal messages. This was because friends and family messaging was stealing my attention and time, and I was messaging them too. ‘Time thieves’ as one CEO once said to me. I channelled my personal messages through a different WhatsApp. This made me feel much less stressed about poor time management and my work focus was 10 times better.

Set Boundaries: I told my family and friends that I would be busy from 9 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, unless it was an emergency. After that, getting contacted during working hours was rare.

News Detox for 6 Months: I abstained from political news and media for 6 months. It was incredible. I had so much extra free time and my mind was focused like a laser. In two months I read 10 novels. This was a remarkable turnaround in focus and using my time well.

Preparing for a Digital Detox

A digital detox involves intentionally disconnecting from digital devices such as smartphones, computers, television and tablets to reduce stress and improve mental health. You need to schedule times in your week to go digitally free. You will replace digital activities with offline ones, e.g. reading a book, going for a walk, swimming, camping for a weekend, etc. If you go on a retreat or camping for a long weekend or a week, it is easier to digitally disconnect. Otherwise, choose periods and days within your week.

The Benefits of a Digital Detox

It can lead to numerous benefits, including improved sleep, enhanced focus, and meaningful real-life interactions. If you love reading like me, the amount of time you have increases, the more you digitally detox. Instead of struggling through 2 books a year, read two books a month!

Also, your sleep will improve if you detox before bed as the blue light effect on your brain is reduced. The more you regulate your phone usage, the less addicted to it you become. The dopamine effect of social media notifications is one cause of addiction to socials.

Steps to Implement a Digital Detox

Embarking on a digital detox requires deliberate planning and commitment. Here are practical steps to reduce screen time:

Set Clear Goals : Define what you aim to achieve with your digital detox, whether it's improved sleep, better focus, or enhanced relationships.

Establish Boundaries : Designate specific times or areas where device use is prohibited, such as during meals or in the bedroom. What I suggest is that you start small and gradually increase your detox duration and the number of days, e.g. 3 hours on a Sunday digitally free and one evening in the week after 7 pm.

Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications : Reducing unnecessary alerts on your smartphone can minimise distractions and reduce the urge to check your device constantly.

Engage in Offline Activities : Rediscover hobbies that don't involve screens, such as reading physical books, exercising, or spending time in nature. You will be amazed by the amount of time you now have.

Use Technology Mindfully : Be conscious of your digital consumption. Before reaching for your device, ask yourself if it's necessary at that moment.

Reduce News Consumption: If you can’t bear not knowing the news, rather than abstain totally, check it weekly or twice a week. Set aside a time and duration for when you read or watch the news.

Ask ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or other AI tool to give you a weekly summary of the main news events, e.g. on a Wednesday after work and a Saturday afternoon. Set a time limit of one hour maximum for each period.

By doing this, you are not waking up to negative news each day and filling your head with doom and gloom each day. You take back control. It feels good. Go for it! No more rabbit hole doomscrolling! Remember the early morning is when you program your mindset for the day, so avoid reading news then.

Striking a Digital Balance in Daily Life

Achieving a healthy relationship with technology involves setting boundaries and using devices purposefully. This way we ensure that technology enhances our daily life, instead of dominating it.

As a world, we have allowed the online world to flood our lives. It is time to take back control and liberate ourselves from digital overload and despair.

Medical Research Shows Benefits of Digital Detox

More and more people are feeling the benefits of digital detoxes, and enjoying increased productivity in their lives, improved relationships, and enhanced mental clarity. Experts suggest even short-term breaks from digital media can yield significant improvements in well-being. A study by the University of Bath, where people gave up social media for one week, showed great results,

“Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact.”

Source: Dr Jeff Lambert, Lead Researcher, Department for Health, University of Bath

Final Reflections

Technology has brought great changes to our lives, but managing the amount of time we spend on digital devices is a vital part of positive mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. The benefits of regular digital detoxes will transform your life. Start this week!

One final tip is a great app called Disconnect by hypnotherapist Andrew Johnson. Listening to this app helps you to disconnect from the digital world, but be sure to turn off your wifi when you listen. Use it every day for at least 3 weeks to reprogram your mind to digitally disconnect.

Good luck! Pack those bags and go camping!

Fill out the Contact Form Below if You Need Colocation Services for Your Company.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Secure Disk Erasure for Compliance and Data Protection

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

Preventing Data Breaches by Eliminating Hidden Disk Areas

Jamieson Lee Hill, February 19th, 2025

Data privacy regulations are stricter than ever in the UK and worldwide. This means that businesses have to take proactive steps in securing sensitive information. In this article, we explain how our new Disk Erasure service supports companies to remain compliant with data protection regulations.

Compliance with Data Regulations

Regulations such as the EU-GDPR, CPRA, and NIST 800-88 mandate the permanent removal of data from storage devices to prevent unauthorised access. However, standard file deletion or drive formatting does not guarantee that data is unrecoverable.

Therefore, hidden disk areas can still contain sensitive information. This basically leaves organisations vulnerable to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance, and financial penalties.

IP House Disk Erasure Services

At IP House London, we offer professional disk erasure services to ensure complete and certified data removal to give you total peace of mind that you are staying compliant with data laws. Using industry-leading solutions, we help businesses securely erase data, comply with regulations, and mitigate security risks. Our service ensures that all storage devices are wiped clean in accordance with the highest security standards. This stops any possibility of data recovery.

Our certified data erasure solutions help businesses meet compliance requirements, protect sensitive information, and manage IT assets responsibly. Whether decommissioning old hardware, repurposing devices, or ensuring complete data removal, IP House provides a robust, secure and reliable solution.

The Risks of Hidden and Inaccessible Disk Areas

One common issue occurs when businesses attempt to erase data. The problem is they often overlook hidden disk areas that standard deletion methods cannot access. So what do these areas include? Let’s find out so you are clear:

Host Protected Area (HPA): A reserved section of a hard drive that traditional erasure tools cannot reach.

Device Configuration Overlay (DCO): A hidden storage area created by manufacturers that may still contain recoverable data.

Remapped Sectors: Sections of a hard drive marked as bad and relocated elsewhere, often still storing sensitive information. If these areas are not securely erased, forensic data recovery tools can retrieve confidential information, putting businesses at risk of data breaches and non-compliance with standards such as NIST 800-88 Rev 1 and IEEE 2883-2022.

Certified Data Erasure and Regulatory Compliance: IP House provides certified disk erasure services that meet the highest security and compliance standards.

The IP House Data Erasure Process

In a nutshell, our process includes three core elements. These are:

Complete Erasure of Hidden Disk Areas: Ensuring all residual data is removed from HPA, DCO, and remapped sectors.
Verification and Certification: Providing businesses with audit-ready reports that confirm permanent data deletion, meeting NIST 800-88, IEEE 2883-2022, SERI R2, and NAID AAA standards.
Regulatory Compliance Support: Helping businesses meet right-to-erasure requirements under global data protection laws.

So Why Does Verification Matter in Data Erasure?

Well for one thing, simply erasing a drive is not enough. What you need is verification to ensure that data has been permanently removed. Without this verification, your company is at risk of data recovery attempts, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. All of these problems can be avoided by investing in IP House London Disk Erasure services.

What do IP House’s disk erasure services provide?

Post-Erasure Verification Reports: These confirm that data has been securely erased for full compliance with regulations.
Certified Documentation: This gives your company proof of compliance with global data security regulations.
Secure IT Asset Management: IP House guarantees that storage devices can be safely repurposed or disposed of without risk.

Who Benefits from Secure Disk Erasure?

There are a number of organisations that benefit. Here is a concise list:

Businesses and Enterprises: IP House’s disk erasure services stops unauthorised access to corporate and customer data.
Legal and Financial Sectors : IP House’s disk erasing services help these sectors meet the strict compliance requirements for handling sensitive information.
IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Companies: We also help this sector in the secure refurbishment and reselling of storage devices.
Media and Creative Agencies: IP House helps agencies to protect intellectual property before devices are disposed of.

Summary

IP House London is fully committed to helping businesses achieve full data security and compliance. Our new certified disk erasure services give your company total peace of mind in this regard.

You can proceed, knowing that all data has been permanently removed from your disks and you are not at any risk of breaking any regulations or legislation.

Contact us today to discuss disk erasure solutions for your business.

Proactive Monitoring Saves the Day!

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:26 GMT

IP House prevented critical equipment failure for one company

By Jamieson Lee Hill, February 19th, 2025

At IP House London, we specialise in enterprise-class colocation services, providing secure, high-performance data centre solutions for businesses of all sizes. In this short article, we reveal how IP House saved one company from critical equipment failure, so that their services were uninterrupted.

IP House London’s Solid Reputation.

Our state-of-the-art facility in London’s Docklands is well known for providing exceptional uptime, security, and connectivity. This places us as a trusted partner for cloud providers, financial institutions, media companies, and enterprises that require reliable IT infrastructure. In particular, we work closely with Fintech, Edutech and Gaming companies.

Early Detection Saves a Client from Downtime

Our proactive hall monitoring system recently detected an unusual sound coming from a client’s colocation rack. Upon investigation, the client discovered a faulty fan on the brink of failure. This was in fact a critical issue that could have led to significant downtime and potential equipment damage. However, our early monitoring and detection systems meant that no downtime was experienced. Real-time monitoring and rapid response identified the issues earlier enough to prevent reputational damage and loss of revenue. The early detection allowed the client to repair the system before it failed.

Here’s what the Client had to say:

"Thanks for the proactive alert. It really helped us. Faulty fan—if left unattended, it would have damaged the unit. You are a ⭐!"

Why Businesses Trust IP House London

TIER3 Level Uptime Commitment: We ensure your critical IT infrastructure stays operational 24/7 without interruptions that would lead to reputational damage and revenue losses.

Enterprise-Grade Colocation: Secure, high-performance data centre solutions tailored to your specific needs as a business.

Proactive Monitoring & Support: Real-time alerts and expert engineers operate 24/7 to prevent system failures before they happen saving you time, money and reputational damage.

Strategic London Docklands Location: IP House London is a prime connectivity hub for businesses requiring low-latency network access, situated in the capital city of the UK.

More Than Collocation

At IP House London, we don’t just provide colocation. Equally, we actively monitor 24/7, protect, and optimise your IT environment to ensure maximum uptime and performance.

You don’t need to suffer unnecessary interruptions to your systems and services. You can protect your revenue streams and brand reputation by partnering with IP House for all your colocation and data needs.

Find out more about our high-performance colocation solutions for your business. Fill out the contact form.

Blockchain, FinTech & Colocation

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 14:56:17 GMT

IP HOUSE LONDON and Colocation Support for the Fintech Sector

Blockchain and FinTech are a powerful combination which benefits greatly from Data Centre colocation services. In this article, we look at the state of blockchain in the world today and how it is evolving with the US Government heading towards a strategic Bitcoin reserve. We also explore how IP House London is the perfect partner for FinTech companies and their blockchain ecosystems.

What is the Blockchain?

“A Blockchain is a digital ledger or database distributed across various computers or nodes on a network. These networks of nodes are completely decentralized which means there’s no single entity controlling the data that is stored on them. “

Source: Crustlab.com, Aug 2024

The blockchain is not just one system but rather a series of blockchain ecosystems. Blockchain is becoming more popular as a way of having decentralized financial platforms for the FinTech sector and other sectors including gaming. However, some of the stumbling blocks for blockchain and cryptocurrencies have been the safety and security issues in the last 5 years:

Ronin Network Hack (2022): The Ronin Network supporting Axie Infinity was exploited for $625 million due to compromised private keys.
FTX Exploit (2022): After FTX’s collapse, its wallets were hacked for $477 million, intensifying the exchange's financial turmoil.
Poly Network Hack (2021): A $611 million theft occurred via vulnerabilities in cross-chain smart contracts, though most funds were later returned.
DMM Exchange Hack (2024): The DMM centralized exchange lost $305 million in Bitcoin to a significant hacking incident.
WazirX Hack (2024): Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX suffered a $230 million breach, one of the largest of the year.

Blockchain: Transforming Finance for the Future

The good news for blockchain is that after a challenging period with the aforementioned cybercrimes and negative public opinion, blockchain is finally reclaiming its position as a game-changer. Financial giants like BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan are diving deeper into blockchain projects because they recognise its potential to revolutionise value exchange.

Unlike traditional systems, blockchain offers unmatched transparency, speed, and cost-efficiency, making it ideal for payments, credit, and trade settlements. Both the Bank of America and the World Economic Forum expect blockchain infrastructure to change FinTech and every other industry,

“ Bank of America predicts blockchain infrastructure may reshape how value is exchanged and stored — not just in finance, but in every industry . The World Economic Forum expects 10% of global GDP could be tokenized and stored on the blockchain by 2027 .”

Source: Weforum.org, Jan 2024

Stablecoin: the Foundation of a New FinTech Era

Stablecoins are the digital versions of fiat currencies like the US dollar.

“Fiat money is a type of government-issued currency that is not backed by a precious metal, such as gold or silver, nor by any other tangible asset or commodity. Fiat currency is typically designated by the issuing government to be legal tender, and is authorized by government regulation.”

Source: Money.com, Nov 2024

Stable coins are powering the FinTech transformation with global transactions becoming faster and more accessible. As major economies like Japan, Singapore, and the UK enact digital asset regulations, the financial landscape is set for disruption, in a shakeup not seen since the arrival of the internet and its transformative effect on global business.

Stablecoins are revolutionising finance by offering a stable, user-friendly alternative to traditional banking. These digital currencies enable fast, low-cost global transactions, providing financial solutions for everyone and simplifying access to blockchain technologies, with easy-to-use apps handling the technical details. Just as the internet transformed communication and commerce, stablecoins and blockchain are redefining money management.

U.S. to Lead Crypto Revolution with Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

The incoming U.S. administration is poised to elevate blockchain and crypto to unprecedented prominence. The new Trump administration plans to have a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve which could further legitimise blockchain as the global way of doing financial transactions and business.

“"The GOP's commitment to clear crypto regulations and making bitcoin a strategic reserve asset is set to be a game-changer for industry growth," Jean-Marie Mognetti, the chief executive of alternative asset manager CoinShares, said in emailed comments alongside a report .”

Source: Forbes.com, Nov 2024

The proposed Bitcoin Act aims to reduce the national debt by acquiring 1 million bitcoins over five years, signalling a shift toward treating Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset akin to gold. The US Government has large reserves of bitcoins.

Analysts predict that this move could boost institutional interest and drive significant growth. Trump promises to make the U.S. the ‘crypto capital of the planet’ and make America a global leader in crypto adoption and innovation. These changes could cement the importance of blockchain and FinTech for global businesses.

IP HOUSE LONDON: A Trusted Partner for FinTech & Blockchain

IP House colocation services help Fintech companies use blockchain ecosystems to maintain uptime, compliance, and scalability. It ensures that critical applications, such as payment systems, robo-advisors, and blockchain ledgers, run without interruptions.

Unmatched Uptime Guarantees:
IP House offers near 100% uptime with resilient infrastructure and high-speed, low-latency connectivity. This ensures that critical financial transactions and blockchain operations continue without interruptions, safeguarding revenue and customer trust.

Data Processing Demands: IP House London’s facilities are equipped to handle the enormous data processing demands of AI and machine learning, enabling FinTech companies to innovate without limits.

Regulatory Compliance Made Easy:
IP House handles the complex compliance needs of the financial sector. Our certified facilities help clients meet global and local regulatory standards without the need for additional resources or audits.

Secure Data Protection:
Security is paramount in financial services. IP House provides 24/7 monitoring, advanced physical security, and digital safeguards, ensuring sensitive customer data and blockchain records are protected from cyberattacks.

Scalable Solutions for Growth:
FinTech and blockchain companies often experience rapid growth in data needs. IP House’s flexible infrastructure scales effortlessly, supporting everything from AI-powered algorithms to blockchain nodes as businesses expand.

Sustainability with Performance:
Energy efficiency is a growing priority for the FinTech sector. IP House employs green energy initiatives and efficient cooling systems, reducing environmental impact while maintaining the high-performance infrastructure needed by FinTech & blockchain.

By choosing IP House London, FinTech companies on the blockchain gain a partner dedicated to their success, performance, security, and reliability.

Fill out the Contact Form. Let’s Discuss your Colocation and Data Needs

Sources:

A MINI-GUIDE TO LATENCY IN GAMING AND WHY IT MATTERS!

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 09:31:45 GMT

IP HOUSE LONDON: Enhancing Latency in Gaming with Colocation Data Centres

By Jamieson Lee Hill, Video Game Storywriter

In this new article, we explore the types and effects of latency for gamers and how colocation data centres support the gaming sector to deliver high-speed, lag-free gaming. Every gamer hates lag because it can mean the difference between winning and losing a battle in fast-action video games.

What is Latency?

Tony Tamasi of NVIDIA gives excellent pointers about latency in gaming in the video and article on NVIDIA’s website . Latency is defined as…

“...the time it takes for data to go from one place to another online, which is usually measured in milliseconds. In the gaming world, this usually refers to the time it takes for a player's input (like a mouse click or button press) to be sent to the game server and for the response to be sent back to the player's device.”

Source: Trooli.com, August 2024

Two Main Types of Latency

Latency has an important influence on gaming performance and it can be divided into two main categories:

1. Network Latency - Lag vs Ping

Network latency is the delay in communication between your computer and the game’s server. So in gaming terms, these servers process essential actions like detecting hits or tracking player positions. Tony gives the example of taking a shot in a game and seeing a noticeable pause before the outcome appears. That delay can mean the difference between winning and losing a battle if your opponent shoots you. This type of delay is commonly referred to as lag aka ‘network latency’.

Ping and lag are often used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Ping is the signal sent out from you taking an action in a game and the server responding. The duration of the ping is what we call ‘lag’:

“In online video gaming, ping refers to the time taken for data to travel from your computer to a server (or another player’s computer) and then back to your computer. That measurement is known as latency – sometimes also called lag – between the computer and its server. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).”

Source: Kaspersky.com, 2024

The British Esports organisation gives a clear explanation of the relationship between ping and lag…

“Lag is the result of high ping or high latency – which essentially means your internet connection is at a lower speed or quality than it should be. The main giveaway for lag is that it causes delay in your gameplay, with your commands not being acted on by the game immediately.”

Source: Britishesports.org, 7 April 2022

2. System Latency (Local Latency)

In the NVIDIA video, Tony discusses the other main type of latency, System Latency aka Local Latency. This type of latency occurs between your set-up and your hardware. System latency is the time taken for your input e.g. a mouse click and the time it takes for the game engine to process these actions and then render & display these actions on your screen. If there is a high latency and a lag occurs, the delay between clicking your mouse to fire your weapon and seeing the weapon flash as the projectile goes off is known as System Latency.

The Impact of High Latency on Gaming

In the NVIDIA video, Tony Tamasi discusses the ‘peeker’s advantage’ in multiplayer games. This is a scenario in multiplayer games where the attacker spies the defender first because he or she is working at an angle. However, unfortunately, due to high latency, the defender is slowed down and cannot react in time to the attacker. The result is that the attacker kills the opponent.

Systems with lower system latency operate at a distinct advantage as they have far less delay time and thus can react more quickly. Suffice it to say, every gamer’s bugbear is lag.

The Impact of Lower Latency on Gaming

“Systems with lower system latency have an advantage, as they reduce this delay and give players more reaction time.”

Source: Tony Tamasi, What is System Latency? NVIDIA Video, 2020

For developers, ensuring low latency is critical to retaining players and delivering a polished gaming experience. As stated by Tony Tamasi, lower latency boosts performance and reaction time, a key advantage in competitive gaming. Reduced latency makes a difference for gamers:

Faster Reaction Times: Lower latency significantly enhances gaming performance by improving responsiveness and reaction times, which are critical in competitive and fast-paced games like Counter-Strike or Call of Duty where milliseconds determine outcomes. With low latency, a gamer can have the edge during critical moments, like landing headshots or dodging.

Improved Gameplay Fluidity: In battle royale games like Fortnite or PUBG, low latency enables smoother interactions so players can build, aim, and move more effectively in intense firefights.

Precision: Low latency enhances precision in timing and control for sports or simulation games like FC24 or racing games like F1. This allows gamers to do accurate passes, dribbles, or racing manoeuvres.

Enhanced Multiplayer Sync: In MMORPGs like the classic World of Warcraft or Finally Fantasy and co-op games like Overwatch, reduced low latency means better synchronisation between players. This helps to remove the frustrating delays and mismatched actions.

VR and AR Immersion: In virtual reality games, even slight latency disrupts the immersive experience and can cause giddiness. Low latency enables real-time interactions, which are essential for games like Beat Saber or Half-Life: Alyx.

IP HOUSE LONDON: How Colocation Helps Latency in Gaming

IP House London is a trusted name in colocation services, offering cutting-edge infrastructure designed to meet the demands of dynamic industries like gaming, finance, and media. Gaming success depends on rapid data transmission. IP House provides the gaming sector…

High-Speed Connectivity and Scalability: Advanced fibre-optic technologies, CDN integration, and edge computing ensure low-latency, high-bandwidth performance with scalable solutions for traffic fluctuations. IP House’s close proximity to London’s Internet Exchanges guarantees low latency and faster connections.

Reliable Power and Cooling: Backup generators and precision cooling systems maintain stability under heavy processing loads, ensuring uninterrupted operations for the gaming sector.

Comprehensive Security: 24/7 monitoring, encryption, and access controls protect against cyber threats in gaming like data breaches and DDoS attacks.

Choose IP HOUSE For Gaming Excellence

With seamless integration of connectivity, power, and security, IP House is the natural choice for gaming companies.

Get in touch today. Fill out the Contact Form.

SOURCES

Unlocking the Power of Certified Data Destruction: Securing Data and Promoting Sustainability

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:20:11 GMT

IP HOUSE LONDON: Building a smarter, safer, & more sustainable future

By Vin Patni, November 27th 2024

In today’s digital age, safeguarding sensitive information is paramount. Certified data destruction has become a cornerstone of modern data security, ensuring organisations comply with regulatory standards and mitigate risks associated with data breaches. However, this process also presents an opportunity to embrace sustainability by extending the lifecycle of hardware and minimising environmental impact.

At our Data Centre, we are proud to offer certified data destruction services that meet globally recognised standards. Our approach not only guarantees data security but also encourages hardware reuse , reducing waste and conserving valuable resources. By shifting away from unnecessary physical destruction, we help clients save money and support a more sustainable tech industry.

Certified Data Wiping Standards: A Gold Standard for Security

The industry relies on a range of certified standards for secure data erasure, each tailored to meet specific compliance and security needs. Here are some of the most widely adopted standards we provide:

NIST 800-88 (Clear & Purge) : Trusted by organisations worldwide for its robust guidelines on data sanitisation.
DoD 5220.22-M : A U.S. Department of Defence standard offering three-pass and seven-pass overwrite options.
Peter Gutmann (35 Passes) : A comprehensive method designed for older hard drives, ensuring data is completely unrecoverable.
British HMG IS5 (Baseline and Enhanced) : Widely used in the UK for government and corporate data destruction.
SSD and Flash-Specific Algorithms : Tailored for the challenges of modern solid-state drives, ensuring data is securely erased even from remapped sectors.

These standards cater to a variety of sectors, from healthcare and finance to government and defence. Whether complying with GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or other regulatory frameworks, certified data wiping ensures data is irretrievable .

Why Certified Data Wiping is Ideal for Most Use Cases

For the majority of businesses, certified data wiping offers a secure and effective solution. Here’s why:

Unmatched Security : Certified wiping standards are designed to make data completely irrecoverable, even with advanced forensic techniques.
Hardware Reuse : Unlike physical destruction, wiping allows organisations to repurpose or resell their equipment. This approach supports a circular economy, extending the life of valuable IT assets and minimising waste.
Environmentally Friendly : Avoiding destruction reduces the energy and resources required for recycling and manufacturing new hardware, significantly cutting the industry’s carbon footprint.
Regulatory Compliance : Certified wiping ensures businesses meet stringent regulatory requirements, including GDPR and industry-specific mandates like ISO 27001.
Cost Efficiency : Data wiping is more economical than shredding or incineration, particularly for large-scale operations.
Adaptability for SSDs : Specialised algorithms address the complexities of SSDs, ensuring data in inaccessible areas is also securely wiped.

Why Physical Destruction Still Has Its Place

Although certified data wiping is suitable for nearly all scenarios, there are rare cases—such as physically damaged drives or extremely sensitive government data—where physical destruction may be necessary. However, these instances are exceptions, not the rule.

Our Commitment to Certified Data Destruction and Sustainability

At our Data Centre, we deliver certified data destruction services that combine security, compliance, and sustainability . Our solutions enable clients to:

Reuse hardware confidently , knowing all data has been securely erased.
Save costs by extending the usable life of IT equipment.
Meet compliance requirements with certification for every wiped device.

By choosing certified wiping over destruction, you join a movement towards reducing e-waste and preserving natural resources. Our services align with both environmental goals and business objectives, allowing organisations to achieve the highest standards of security while contributing to a more sustainable future.

Choose Us for Certified Data Wiping Solutions

With certified wiping services that adhere to globally recognised standards, we provide a secure, compliant, and environmentally responsible alternative to physical destruction. Whether you’re a corporate enterprise, government body, or small business, we’ll help you safeguard your data and support your sustainability goals.

Contact us today by filling out the Contact Form.

Discover how our certified data wiping solutions can secure your data and protect the planet. Together, we can build a smarter, safer, and more sustainable future for the tech industry.

EDGE, 5G & COLOCATION: THE PERFECT TRIO

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:11:43 GMT

How IP House’s Colocation Services Enable Edge Computing and 5G Integration

By Jamieson Lee Hill

In this article, we explore the trio of Edge computing, 5G and colocation and how they work together. Colocation data centres like IP House London are major players in supporting this evolving infrastructure to meet the demands of low-latency data processing and faster transmission speeds. Let’s dig in!

What is Edge Computing?

“Edge computing is a distributed information technology (IT) architecture in which client data is processed at the periphery of the network, as close to the originating source as possible.”

Source: Techtarget.com, 2024

Edge computing is data processing literally at the edge of a network. It means users can have a local digital experience at their geographical location, rather than data being sent back to a distant on-premises data centre. In other words, the user’s digital needs will be served from a local source to meet their needs e.g. business, personal messaging, gaming, financial transactions etc.

“ Edge computing, at the core, is about the movement of workloads and models away from the cloud and closer to where the action is. Edge is about managing distributed AI models that can process data and distill insights by running predictive analytics close to the source of the data.”

Source: John Walicki, IBM Computing, 2020

In his 2020 article, Walicki also pointed out that edge computing and 5G are sometimes mistakenly referred to ‘interchangeably’, but in fact, they are different technologies offering different things to clients and sectors.

What is 5G?

In the same article, Walicki gives a distinct definition of 5G…

“5G, on the other hand, is a communications protocol and technology set. For the most part, the value lies in new and improved methods of communication, which sometimes include faster, lower latency methods of communicating between devices.”

Source: John Walicki, IBM Computing, 2020

While often associated with faster speeds, the true value of 5G lies in its ability to deliver lower latency and more efficient communication between devices. This improvement in communication is crucial when combined with edge computing and colocation services, as it enables faster data processing at the network's edge, closer to where data is generated.

The Role of 5G in Edge Computing

5G ultimately improves connectivity with much faster speeds and lower latency which is ideal for sectors such as gaming, Fintech and Edutech that process large amounts of data at high speed. 5G Networks require edge computing to manage the massive data flow created by connected devices aka the Internet of Things (IoT).

Edge computing allows real-time processing which is essential for 5G usage cases that are set to define our future cities e.g. autonomous vehicles and smart cities. In the case of robot-operated cars high latency and lagging could lead to crashes and even fatalities, so the combined use of Edge computing and 5G is ideal for such high-speed data processing.

The Fall of Traditional Data Processing and the Rise of Edge Computing

The massive surge in data generation is transforming how businesses approach computing. Traditional models of data which rely on centralised data centres and standard internet connections, are no longer sufficient to manage the ever-increasing flow of real-world data. In the past, the traditional approach has led to bandwidth limitations, latency issues and lagging.

General unpredictable network disruptions from the traditional models of data can hinder performance. These challenges and obstacles have steered many businesses to turn towards edge computing architecture because it allows data to be processed closer to its source.

5G, Edge Computing & Colocation Services

Although 5G is a distinctly different technology to edge computing, the two are nonetheless ‘partners in crime’. 5G provides faster technology for the final last mile or 500 metres.

“5G is tightly coupled with edge computing, providing a faster last-mile access methodology”

Source: Ben Green, The Critical Role Colocation Plays in 5G Edge Computing , 2021

Even with super fast 5G connections, if the data has to travel across the country to an onsite legacy data centre, then the 5G high speeds will still not be attainable. This is where colocation services enter the equation. A colocation provider like IP House enables 5G edge high-speed processing with the colocation services and applications located nearer to the user. Also, IP House’s extensive network and interconnection base further enhance the 5G edge user experience with even faster speeds.

“5G increases the speed the data travels at, and edge computing reduces the distance it travels before it is processed. In short, edge enhances the performance of 5G.”

Source: STLpartners.com, 2024

Together, 5G, edge computing, and colocation create a robust ecosystem for faster, more reliable data management and processing.

What are the Benefits of Edge Computing, 5G Integration and Colocation?

Let’s review some of the benefits:

Low Latency : They allow faster data processing close to the local source for real-time responses. Edge computing also enables faster data transmission by reducing the distance data must travel, as it does not need to go back to legacy on-site data centres. Instead, data is processed by local data centres and their colocation services.

High Bandwidth : 5G offers higher speeds, enabling seamless data transfer. This real-time processing enhances user experiences and supports high-bandwidth applications, which are vital for streaming, gaming, online learning, and financial services.

Increased Efficiency : Edge combined with 5G and colocation services reduces network congestion and improves performance for data-heavy applications like IoT.

Scalability : Edge computing easily scales with business needs by processing data locally and colocation centres also allow businesses to scale their infrastructure as 5G and IoT applications grow.

Enhanced User Experience : Edge, 5G and colocation support immersive applications like AR/VR by reducing the lag time which is vital for gaming and online learning experiences.

Data Demands : The trio of edge, 5G and colocation are now essential for handling the demands of modern, data-heavy applications.

IP House London Colocation leveraging Edge Computing and 5G

IP House Data Centre has evolved its colocation services to support edge infrastructure and 5G. The importance of geographical proximity to end-users and how colocation services can provide faster and more reliable processing speeds in combination with Edge and 5G is now the new standard for data. Worldwide the deployment of micro data centres at the edge of the network is helping to transform latency issues.

More and more businesses are now switching to colocation services for their edge and 5G infrastructure needs because traditional methods of data processing are not fast enough. IP House is a crucial partner for businesses that need this leading-edge technology to serve their clients’ needs.

Find out more about IP House’s edge computing and 5G-ready colocation services. Fill out the Contact Form today!

Sources:

Article 1: https://www.databank.com/resources/blogs/edge-colocation-and-5g-powering-edge-computing-networks/

Article 2: https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/edge-computing

Article 3: https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/servers-and-data-centers/the-need-for-edge-data-centers

Article 4: https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/servers-and-data-centers/the-need-for-edge-data-centers

Article 5: https://stlpartners.com/articles/edge-computing/5g-edge-computing/

Article 6: https://developer.ibm.com/articles/edge-computing-vs-5g-are-they-the-same-thing/

THE GROWTH OF DATA INTERCONNECTION THROUGH COLOCATION

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:06:20 GMT

How Data Centre Interconnection Ecosystems are Shaping Colocation

By Jamieson Lee Hill

In this article, we explore the expanding role of data interconnectivity in modern businesses and how colocation facilities are central to this shift, acting as interconnection hubs. Colocation services offered by data centres like IP House, London, are a core element of the data centre interconnection ecosystems of today’s global online world.

Section 1: What is Data Centre Inconnection?

Data centre interconnection means linking multiple data centres to allow easy sharing of data and resources. It’s the ecosystem that helps data centres communicate efficiently, securely, and with flexibility.

As data and cloud services grow, this interconnection becomes even more important. Colocation services are a core part of the interconnection ecosystem that powers the seamless data exchange between cloud providers, network services, and business partners. It is the ideal solution to the increasing demand for rapid and efficient data exchange in the Age of Big Data.

The Importance of Data Centre Interconnection

Nowadays, data is a crucial component of business and communications. Data centre interconnection is fundamental to the modern digital ecosystem; its technology provides the platform to link multiple data centres. This enables the secure and efficient transfer of data and resources between them.

Data centre interconnection is essential for online personal and business applications; everything from chat, messaging, video calls, e-commerce, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT).

“The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices, vehicles, appliances, and other physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity, allowing them to collect and share data.”

Source: IBM.com, 2024

The Benefits of Data Centre Interconnection

“Interconnected data centers can help businesses meet evolving demands, improving reach, enhancing performance, boosting reliability, and offering greater convenience for businesses and users alike.”

Source: Tierpoint, July 31 , 2024

As the quotation reveals, interconnected data centres are helping businesses to meet the ever ‘evolving demands’ of increasing data. There are several core benefits of using data centre colocation services and data interconnection:

Fast and Low Latency: Data centre interconnection via colocation services allows fast, secure data transfer across different geographical locations. Due to the speed of connectivity, there is very low latency which means businesses and their customers do not experience delays and lagging. This is essential for sectors such as gaming, online banking, financial services and educational platforms.

Scalable and Flexible : It powers business continuity and allows a scalable and flexible infrastructure to meet the demands of online businesses. Data interconnection provides a seamless connectivity experience for users to attain highest levels of performance.

Cloud Connectivity: Data interconnection provides enhanced cloud connectivity; businesses can directly connect to cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Also, interconnection through colocation services creates improved network performance with faster connections, increased reliability, and optimised performance for businesses worldwide.

Resources: Data interconnection via colocation services gives businesses access to a wide range of connectivity partners, creating new opportunities and resources. With carrier-neutral capabilities, organisations can choose who they connect with, giving them the flexibility to partner with public and private cloud providers. The predictable and scalable bandwidth available through these services allows businesses to grow and adjust their operations as needed. This helps them to stay competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Security: Data interconnection via colocation services provides strong encryption and strict data access rules to protect sensitive information from cyber threats. Advanced networking technologies, such as packet-optical equipment, offer cutting-edge encryption to protect data safely as it moves between locations. This added layer of protection is crucial for securing financial transactions and other important data which is ideal for sectors such as FinTech, Gaming and Education.

Cost Efficiency Savings: Finally, the cost efficiency of data interconnection via colocation services means that businesses can reduce network costs. Using colocation interconnectivity rather than building onsite data centre infrastructure is a massive cost saving.

The Role of IP House London and Data Interconnection

Source: IP House Data Centre, London, 2024

IP House’s colocation facilities provide a neutral ground for various providers to interconnect. This enables numerous benefits such as having direct access to multiple cloud providers and network services within the same facility. Businesses also benefit from reduced latency, increased redundancy, faster connections and reliability, scalability and flexibility, more robust security and a far greater range of resources to tap into.

Reflections

IP House London is a vital hub for interconnectivity. Modern businesses can leverage the power of colocation for greater access to a broader ecosystem of cloud providers and network services. Data interconnection via colocation services is the benchmark for excellence for businesses worldwide.

Discover how IP House London can help your business thrive in an interconnected world. Fill out the Contact Form below!

Sources

Article 1: https://datacenternews.asia/story/what-interconnection-everything-you-need-know-succeed-digital-business

Article 2: https://www.tierpoint.com/blog/data-center-interconnection/

Article 3: https://blog.internexa.com/en/emerging-trends-in-data-center-interconnection

Article 4: https://www.onnecgroup.com/2024/01/08/5-trends-that-will-shape-data-centres-in-2024/

Article 5: https://www.ibm.com/topics/internet-of-things

11 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS YOU WILL LOVE!

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 09:43:01 GMT

How to make precious use of your time in work and business

By Jamieson Lee Hill

We live such busy lives these days. With a glut of choices in everyday life including social media platforms and general information overload, it is important to take stock and consider ways of efficiently using our time in work and business. In this article, we examine some popular time-saving approaches.

Start Your Day Early

Writer Ernest Hemingway was a big advocate of waking up early and starting work. He said,

“In a 1958 interview with The Paris Review, Hemingway said, “When I am working on a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool and you come to your work and warm as you write…you may go on until noon or be through before that.”

Source: Medium.com, Craig Ballatyne, How to Save Two Hours a Day, 2016

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, starts his day at 4:30 AM to get ahead of his workload. During this quiet early-morning time he can check his emails, plan his day, and work on important tasks before the day starts with meetings and other interruptions.

The 5 am Club is a popular book by Robin Sharma in which he recommends getting up at 5 am and spending your first hour on yourself. In this hour, you can do reflection, exercise and self-growth. Sharma claims that spending the first hour of your waking day like this helps you to be far more productive throughout the day. Around the wall, a lot of people practise the 5 am Club approach to help them be more time efficient in their daily working lives.

2. Post-It Note Priority List

This second tip is nice, simple and old-school. Write down your top five priority tasks daily on a single Post-It. Only five, no more. Then aim to finish those 5 top tasks. If you have time left over, then you can work on other less urgent tasks. By limiting your daily task list to 5 items, it feels more manageable and less stressful.

3. Task Management Tools

Many employees and freelancers now use project management tools like Trello, Click Up, Asana and others to prioritise their work. This type of project management tool is known as Kanban software. These tools help break down projects into smaller tasks, assign different roles to team members, and set deadlines. It saves time to have everything all in one place, with the ability to post comments and share updates. This is a much more efficient use of time than countless back-and-forths via email. It also improves team collaboration and keeps everyone in the loop.

4. Time Tracking Apps

Apps like Mem Time, a PC app , track how you spend your time on your computer. You can soon see if you are losing hours scrolling online and switching between tasks. Apps like Mem Time will help you make more disciplined use of your time. Monitoring how you're spending time on your computer, helps identify and eliminate distractions. These invaluable insights into your daily habits mean you can pinpoint areas to improve productivity and maintain a balanced workflow.

5. Tabata

Tabata is an exercise app which allows you to set a timer for four-minute high-intensity workouts between tasks. It is a time saver because it helps to keep your body & mind focused. This makes you time efficient because it keeps your brain in an alert state. Instead of feeling sluggish and distracted, the blood will be pumping through your veins and the happy chemicals from exercising will keep you task-focused and productive.

Physical activity is crucial for mental clarity, and Tabata can boost both energy and focus. Intense bursts of exercise like Tabata in your working day can help re-energise you and improve cognitive function, making it easier to stay on task. Time to get busy! You can use Tabata apps on Apple and Android.

6. Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique involves working in focused 25-minute bursts followed by a short break. The idea is that in those 25-minute slots, you can really focus and make excellent use of your time. It also helps you to avoid burnout and maintain creativity over a long period. Of course, you can adjust it to longer like I did. I find that I work best in 45 to 60-minute periods. Give it a go!

7. Learn to Say No

Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and investor, once advised that the secret to success is saying no to almost everything. In fact, Buffet says no to meetings and requests that don’t align with his primary focus of running his own business. That way he stays focused on running Berkshire Hathaway.

Okay, so let’s be honest, that is not practical if you are running a business and clients need help, or you are an employee with colleagues to support. However, the point is that if you can learn to be assertive and say no to things in work and social life that you don’t really need to do, you will save time. That way you can maximise your time for things that do matter. Think about 3 offers or requests you had this month. Do you really want to do them or should you say no?

8. Eliminate Distractions & Time Blocking

Wealthy business people like Warren Buffer have mastered the art of saying no, but

another approach is to block out time where you just focus on one activity. In this time you should eliminate all other distractions. Athletes like Serena Williams have mastered the art of focusing without distractions during tennis practice. Sports professionals like Serena turn off their phones, limit social media use, and create a calm and focused environment to ensure their training sessions are entirely dedicated to improving their performance.

What periods of your week can you ‘time block’ to eliminate distractions and focus on one activity or task at a time?

9. Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s law basically means that whatever time we set for a task, we will use that amount of time. Even if we could achieve the task in a shorter amount of time…

“Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. In other words, tasks and projects often take longer than necessary because people tend to use up all the time allocated to them, regardless of the actual complexity or requirements of the work.”

Source: Lucidspark.com, 2024

Therefore, if you think of a task that you would normally spend 40 hours to complete, set a total task time of 15 hours. You will find a way to complete it and save all that extra wasted time. By setting yourself aside less time, the resulting effect is that you should focus more efficiently on completing the task in a fraction of the time.

A good example is the former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. He would set limits on tasks to be more productive e.g. he would allocate no more than 30 minutes each day to checking emails. That way he kept on top of his correspondence but he didn’t let it take a big chunk of his working day.

10. Automated Scheduling/Make an Appointment with Yourself!

As we have already seen, digital tools can be great timesavers. Use automated scheduling tools like Calendly to streamline interviews. Clients and colleagues can book available slots based on your schedule without constant back-and-forth communication.

Also, you can leverage the power of digital tools such as Google Calendar. Use your digital calendar to set an appointment with yourself to do specific tasks. E.g. If you need to write an article for your company, set a day and time on your digital calendar with an email or notification reminder.

11. Time Off, 4-Day Week, No-time

This final tip is probably more relevant for freelancers unless you have a flexible schedule in your company. If you are feeling tired, unfocused and unproductive, maybe you would benefit from a day off. Then come back to the fold fully rejuvenated and ready to go again.

Increasingly popular are companies that operate on a four-day week basis. In most cases, these companies find productivity increases by having a four-day week instead of five.

Lastly, the concept of ‘no-time’ is popular among some of the most successful minds in history and present times. No time is where you consciously choose to do nothing work-related and just relax e.g. go for a long walk etc. During this period of ‘no time’ you may have some of your most innovative ideas because you allow yourself time out from your busy schedule. Einstein, Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs all practised no time. Read more about it in this article I wrote in 2023.

Well, now you have 11 great tips which I hope you love. Choose your favourite ones and save time in your busy schedule!

(A special mention to Time Management expert Victoria Lewis whose webinar inspired some of these tips and also to David Rahman , mind coach and author of ‘Let It Go’.)

Sources

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorialewisbusinesssupport/

9. https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorialewisbusinesssupport/

10. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahmandavid/

Thinking of getting Colocation Services for your company? Fill out the Contact Form below. Let's Talk!

The Evolution of Data Centre Usage: Why Businesses Are Shifting Back to Hybrid and Colocation Solutions

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:43:26 GMT

Why Businesses Are Shifting Back to Hybrid and Colocation Solutions

By Vinny Vaghani, IP HOUSE Operations Manager

Over the last decade, the landscape of IT infrastructure has been dramatically reshaped by the rise of public cloud services. Initially hailed as the ultimate solution for flexibility, scalability, and cost savings, public cloud quickly became the default for businesses looking to offload their infrastructure management. However, as time has passed, many organisations are realising the limitations of an all-in approach to public cloud. Today, we are witnessing a growing trend of repatriation, where businesses are migrating workloads back from public cloud to on-premise or colocation environments, creating hybrid infrastructure models that strike a balance between control, cost-efficiency, and scalability.

So, what has driven this shift, and why are colocation and hybrid environments increasingly being seen as the smarter solution for long-term IT strategy?

The Public Cloud Boom: Promises and Realities

When public cloud services burst onto the scene, they promised an end to the headaches associated with managing on-premise data centres. Businesses could scale their computing power at will, reduce capital expenditure, and focus on their core operations. For a while, the promise held true, and organisations from SMEs to global enterprises rushed to adopt cloud-first strategies.

However, as time passed, businesses started to encounter hidden challenges. Cost unpredictability became a primary concern, with many organisations experiencing "bill shock" as their usage grew beyond initial forecasts. While cloud offers an “on-demand” pricing model, the lack of predictability and transparency in billing for compute, storage, data transfer, and other cloud services led to inflated costs. In particular, businesses with steady or predictable workloads often found that public cloud did not offer the cost savings they had originally envisioned.

Additionally, the public cloud's lack of control became a pain point for businesses with strict regulatory, compliance, and security requirements. Handing over critical infrastructure to a third-party provider introduced risks and complications, particularly for industries where data sovereignty and privacy are paramount. For these organisations, the need to maintain greater visibility and control over their infrastructure became increasingly apparent.

The Return to Colocation and Private Clouds

In recent years, the conversation around cloud strategies has evolved. Instead of relying solely on public cloud infrastructure, businesses are recognising the benefits of hybrid environments , where they can leverage both cloud and on-premise solutions based on the unique needs of each workload. This hybrid model allows organisations to deploy their workloads across private clouds, colocation data centres, and public cloud services, creating a more flexible and balanced approach.

Colocation data centres , in particular, have seen a resurgence as a core component of these hybrid environments. For businesses looking to maintain control over their infrastructure without the overhead of building and maintaining their own data centre, colocation provides the best of both worlds. By colocating in a professional data centre, businesses can:

Retain control over their hardware and network, ensuring that they meet regulatory and security requirements without relinquishing visibility to a third party.
Mitigate costs , especially for stable, predictable workloads that are not well-suited for the consumption-based pricing of public cloud services. With colocation, costs are more transparent and predictable.
Optimise performance with low-latency connections, custom configurations, and direct access to the hardware layer. This is particularly important for businesses requiring high-performance computing, such as financial services, media and broadcasting, and gaming.
Leverage private cloud capabilities in tandem with colocation. Businesses can build their own private clouds within colocation facilities, benefiting from a dedicated, highly secure infrastructure while still maintaining flexibility.

Why Repatriation is Gaining Momentum

The concept of repatriation – moving workloads back from the public cloud to private infrastructure or colocation, is gathering steam. Many businesses are finding that public cloud is ideal for certain workloads, such as web hosting, but less suited to others, such as mission-critical applications that require consistent performance, low latency, or stringent security controls. By moving these workloads back into colocated infrastructure, businesses regain control, reduce ongoing operational costs, and create an infrastructure that is tailored to their unique requirements.

Additionally, data sovereignty concerns are pushing organisations to rethink their cloud strategies. Industries such as healthcare, finance, and government are often subject to stringent data protection regulations, making it difficult to justify keeping sensitive data in the public cloud. With colocation, businesses can ensure that their data resides within specific geographic regions, meeting regulatory demands while avoiding the complexities of cross-border data storage.

Hybrid Environments: The Best of Both Worlds

For many, the future of IT infrastructure lies in the hybrid model . Businesses are no longer forced to choose between public cloud or on-premise solutions. Instead, they can pick and choose the best environment for each workload, balancing cost, performance, and security based on their evolving needs.

At our data centre, we work closely with businesses across a wide range of industries, helping them to design hybrid environments that deliver the performance they need without the restrictions of an all-in public cloud approach. Whether it's deploying a private cloud in our facility, establishing direct connections to public cloud providers for hybrid setups, or simply providing a secure and scalable colocation solution, our focus is always on empowering our customers with the flexibility and control they need.

Conclusion: A Balanced Approach to Infrastructure

The shift from public cloud back to hybrid and colocation environments isn't a step backwards – it's a sign of the growing maturity of IT infrastructure strategies. Businesses are recognising that no single solution fits all workloads, and a balanced approach allows them to optimise for cost, performance, and security. By working with a trusted data centre partner, businesses can build an infrastructure that supports their unique goals while avoiding the pitfalls of cloud sprawl or expensive, inefficient models.

As the demands on IT infrastructure continue to evolve, now is the time to rethink your approach to data management and explore the benefits of a hybrid, colocation-based strategy.

Interested in Colocation Services for your business? Let's Talk. Fill out the Contact Form Below.

WHY ALL SMES NEED BUSINESS CONTINUITY MEASURES

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:40:07 GMT

IP House: Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Solutions

By Jamieson Lee Hill

Global crises and cyber threats are constantly on the rise. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disruptions. At IP House, we understand how critical disaster recovery and business continuity are to protect a business in the short and long term. In this article, we explore how costly not having proper measures in place can be and how IP House supports businesses in disaster recovery and continuity.

Business Continuity Vs Disaster Recovery

The difference between business continuity and disaster recovery is…

“Business continuity focuses on keeping business operational during a disaster, while disaster recovery focuses on restoring data access and IT infrastructure after a disaster.”

Source: University of Central Florida, 2024

Basicall, Business Continuity is a strategic plan that outlines how a company will continue to function during and after a disaster. It includes contingency strategies, such as relocating to another site, so the business can continue operating. Business Continuity can also include smaller disruptions like prolonged power outages which some countries may experience more often than others.

In contrast, Disaster Recovery focuses on how companies respond to major events like fires, floods, cyber-attacks, or other serious happenings. Disaster Recovery is about having in place a step-by-step strategy to recover rapidly and safely. The ultimate aim is to restore normal operations as quickly as possible so that clients can continue to use the company's services. Every hour a business is out of action can be very costly especially for large companies, as well as SMEs, as we see in the next section.

The Global Cost To Businesses

Every business needs to have effective measures in place for business continuity and disaster recovery. The longer the recovery time for getting your systems back online, the more costly the lasting damage will be financially and reputationally. The stark truth is that some businesses never recover and go out of business…

“ 43% of small businesses affected by a disaster never reopen and another 29% go out of business within 2 years. The longer recovery takes, the more likely a business will have to permanently shutter its doors.”

Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2024

The global cost of downtime is significantly high, as the following figures show. For the top of the pyramid, ‘Downtime costs the top 2,000 companies $400 billion a year .’

And for SMEs, it is still significantly high,

“ 57% of small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) with 20 to 100 employees said downtime costs them $100,000 per hour.”

Source: Queue-it.com, July 1, 2024

Robust Cybersecurity

To protect your business against cyberattacks, IP House London has 24/7 monitoring of systems. Plus, we have the latest cutting-edge technologies to protect your business data and software from cybercrime. Our customers value our robust cybersecurity measures because they are part and parcel of ensuring business continuity to protect revenue streams and client services.

Uptime Guarantees

At the heart of business continuity is ensuring uptime. When a system goes down, even for a short period, businesses can face significant financial losses and reputational damage. However, with IP House as your provider, you are guaranteed colocation services designed for reliability. Our leading edge facilities maintain and protect high levels of uptime so that your online business services will continue uninterrupted.

Redundancy for Disaster Recovery

IP House has redundancy facilities in place to back up systems and ensure minimal downtime for SME systems and services. In fact, our colocation services include multiple layers of redundancy. In essence, this means that if one system fails, you will always have a backup ready to take over and keep things running smoothly.

IP House does not provide disaster recovery services directly, but we work closely with business partners who specialise in these recovery strategies. That means in the worst-case scenario IP House will get your business the rapid solution required to recover any lost data and to get your systems up and running asap.

Custom Solutions Without Overhead Costs

At IP House, every business is unique. Therefore, we design bespoke solutions with our in-house team of experts and trusted partners to guarantee business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. Whatever your needs are, whether it is minimal backup services or a business continuity strategic plan, we can sit down with you and design a bespoke plan. With our tailored solutions for SMEs, you get exactly what you need without incurring extra costs from services you don’t really need or want.

Fill out the form below. Let’s talk about how we can protect your business for years to come!

COLOCATION AT THE HEART OF VR GAMING!

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:13:00 GMT

IP House London: Powering VR Gaming Experiences

By Jamieson Lee Hill, Video Game Story Writer

Virtual reality (VR) is fast developing into a significant niche of the gaming sector worldwide. IP House London data centre’s colocation services are a core part of VR gaming’s evolution. More and more gaming companies use IP House’s state-of-the-art colocation services to support their titles. Find out more about the evolution of VR gaming and how colocation is the ideal solution.

VR: Gaming and Beyond

“The rise of augmented and virtual reality technologies is opening up new possibilities across a wide range of sectors. While gaming may have been the first industry to embrace these technologies, their potential extends far beyond entertainment. From education and real estate to remote work and healthcare, AR and VR are transforming how we learn, work, and interact with the world around us.”

Source: Datacenters.com, Aug 27, 2024

At IP House London data centre, we recognise the transformative potential of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. They are both part of the next evolutionary phase of the internet hand in hand with AI advancements. As a data centre with colocation services, we provide high-performance, secure infrastructure with scalable solutions to align with the development of the VR gaming sector.

The ‘Synergy of 5G Technology and VR Gaming’

The rise of 5G technology is revolutionising virtual reality (VR) gaming, enabling faster data speeds, reduced latency, and improved connectivity. IP House London Colocation Centre is at the forefront of supporting this evolution. By offering state-of-the-art data transmission and cloud computing services, IP House ensures that VR gaming experiences are seamless, immersive, and responsive. As a recent report showed ‘Virtual Reality in Gaming Market Report 2024’, 5G is a major driver of growth in the VR gaming sector,

“5G Technology is 5th generation wireless technology that provides faster data speeds, low latency, and increased connectivity, enabling enhanced communication and connectivity experiences. The advent of VR in the gaming market capitalizes on the capabilities of 5G technology, thereby driving the demand for and successful launch of 5G technology.”

Source: Business Research Company.com, 2024

IP House capitalises on the power of 5G in combination with our leading-edge infrastructure. This enables us to supply high-speed, uninterrupted gaming experiences. If you are a VR gaming studio, get in touch with IP House and experience our robust and secure data centre colocation centres for your VR products.

Why Low Latency is Important in VR Gaming

High latency, aka lagging, can have a number of detrimental effects on the VR gamer, the worst of which is probably motion sickness.

“Motion Sickness: High latency can cause a mismatch between what the user expects and what they perceive, leading to motion sickness or discomfort.”

Source: Pimax.com, May 11, 2024

Other negative effects of lagging can include ‘immersive disruption' which are basically delays between the movement of your head and the updates to the visuals. This results in the VR feeling less realistic and it spoils the illusion and immersive experience for the game. Another potential downside of high latency is ‘interaction issues’ where the gamer tries to grab an object or make their way through an environment. However, without low latency, the precision of these actions can be seriously compromised.

Fortunately, with the synergy between 5G and colocation services like IP House, it is possible to achieve low latency and lag-free VR gaming on cloud platforms. IP House has the cutting-edge infrastructure and high-speed connectivity to suit the needs of VR Gaming studios to guarantee a seamless gaming experience in real time. Our colocation services are optimised to meet the demands of cloud gaming so that players enjoy smooth, uninterrupted gameplay.

Cyber Security for VR

As VR technology continues to expand worldwide, cybersecurity is now a crucial issue. With the increase in usage of cloud platforms for VR Gaming, protecting the data of gamers is vital. Some of the main security issues for VR Gaming include:

Targeting of content marketplaces
Exploitation of user data
Embedding of inappropriate content in VR applications
Social engineering tactics
Vulnerabilities in VR systems
Risks associated with AR integration and AI

Recently, Live Science.com asserted that VR Gaming headsets are actually more vulnerable than laptops and mobile devices, which emphasises the need for cybersecurity for VR,,

“VR headsets don't have security protocols anywhere near as robust as in more common devices like smartphones or laptops, the scientists said in their paper.

Using this new fake layer, hackers can then control and manipulate interactions in the VR environment.”

Source: Live Science.com, March 28, 2024

IP House’s advanced cybersecurity security measures protect VR Gaming studios and gamers against cyberattacks and hacks. Our expert services are designed to keep sensitive information safe while maintaining performance levels. IP House is a trusted partner for VR gaming due to our cutting-edge technology and stringent procedures with 24 hour monitoring of systems.

Reflections

The 2024 Virtual Reality Gaming Global Market report in 2024 stated that the VR market is set to get even bigger in the next 4 years,

“The virtual reality in gaming market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $55.21 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to advancements in technology, broader access to VR hardware, and expanding gaming ecosystems."

Source: Business Research Company, January 2024

IP House London is the ideal partner for VR Gaming studios as the industry evolves. We can provide low latency performance, strict cyber security protocols, high connection speeds and reliable power for the future of immersive VR gaming.

Are you a VR Gaming Studio? Fill out the contact form below. Let's Talk about how Colocation services can serve your set up!

Sources:

IP HOUSE: REVOLUTIONISING EDUCATION THROUGH DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:27:42 GMT

Empowering education with high-performance IT Infrastructure

By Jamieson Lee Hill

As the education sector worldwide continues its rapid growth in the digital sphere, we explore four ways IP House London supports the digital transformation of this sector.

ONE: Remote Learning Capabilities

The digital transformation of education has meant that students from around the world can enjoy studying online from anywhere in the world. This has opened up opportunities for both short and long-term study. Universities worldwide now offer both degrees, master's degrees and PhD online. Not to mention Edutech platforms offer short courses in a wealth of different courses. We have mentioned some of the top EduTech platforms in previous articles, including Coursera, Udemy and EduTech. Often these short courses are a stepping stone for students to progress to further study in professional qualifications or degrees and masters.

IP House London colocation services provide a seamless online educational experience by providing educational organisations with high-speed internet and cloud services. Our robust infrastructure guarantees a smooth and reliable learning experience. Interrupted remote learning is what every online educational provider needs to build their brand and IP House is the perfect solution.

TWO: Data Security in Education

The number of cyberattacks on UK educational institutions is startling and rising. In 2024, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology reported a high number of cyber breaches or attacks on secondary and primary education institutions,

“The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) recently released the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024, highlighting that 71% of secondary schools experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year, in contrast to 52% of primary schools.”

Source: SaferInternet.org.uk, Jun 11, 2024

UK universities and Further education colleges had an even higher rate of cyber attacks in 2023/24,

“ 86% of further education colleges identified a breach or attack in the past year. Higher education institutions are more likely to be affected by cyber-attacks - 97% identified a breach or attack in the past year. Just under six in ten of the higher education institutions identified that they had been negatively impacted by a breach.

Source: Gov.uk, 2024

IP House safeguards sensitive student and research data with advanced security protocols. Protecting sensitive student information and valuable research data is crucial in today’s digital world.

THREE: Scalable Resources for Research

IP House offers scalable server colocation solutions that meet the needs of educational institutions, e.g., primary, secondary, further education, or higher education.

The scalability and flexibility of IP House’s colocation services mean that educational institutions can expand rapidly as demand increases. It is a more affordable solution than building and maintaining your own data centre as in the past. Forbes predicts that the e-learning market is set to continue its rapid growth

“20.5%: Projected Annual Growth of e-Learning Market From 2022–30 5

Overall, the e-learning market brought in an estimated $214.26 billion in 2021. By 2030, the e-learning industry will top $1 trillion in revenue. Still, higher education makes up only part of the total e-learning market.”

Source: Forbes, August 2024

FOUR: Sustainable Colocation Service For Education

IP House's leading-edge technology initiatives align with educational institutions' sustainability goals. At IP House, we believe in building sustainable IT solutions to satisfy performance needs and support a greener future for EduTech institutions. Universities are one such sector that benefits from colocation data centre services as this quotation displays,

“In 2023, the QS Sustainability Rankings were launched to measure a higher education institution's ability to tackle environmental, social and governance challenges highlighting the importance of this issue. Colocation data centre providers can contribute to these efforts by offering efficient energy management and cooling solutions, like liquid cooling, that significantly reduce the environmental impact compared to traditional on-campus data centres.”

Source: MSPchannel.com, August 2024

IP House’s colocation infrastructure allows organisations such as universities to reduce their carbon footprint while benefiting from cutting-edge IT services. Aligning with educational institutions’ environmental goals is crucial to the IP House approach.

Reflections

The rapid digital transformation of education shows no sign of slowing down. IP House is dedicated to providing cutting-edge, IT infrastructure that meets the demands of educational institutions. Together we can facilitate innovation, sustainability, remote learning capabilities, secure data and systems, and fast responsive scalability.

If you are an educational institution using EduTech, please complete the form today. Let’s work together!

Sources:

1. https://www.careerera.com/blog/future-how-remote-learning-revolution-in-higher-education

2. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/online-colleges/online-learning-stats/

3. https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/new-cyber-security-data-reveals-the-impact-of-attacks-on-schools#:~:text=The%20Department%20for%20Science%2C%20Innovation,to%2052%25%20of%20primary%20schools .

4. https://www.msp-channel.com/blogs/58038/are-colocation-data-centers-the-right-partner-for-universities-to-meet-their-sustainability-goals

5. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/online-colleges/online-learning-stats/

AI & MACHINE LEARNING AND THE GROWTH OF FINTECH

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:56:31 GMT

Cutting-Edge Financial Technologies by IP House

By Jamieson Lee Hill

As the fintech industry continues to evolve, the integration of AI and machine learning is proving to be a game-changer. These technologies offer unprecedented capabilities in data analysis, fraud detection, and customer personalisation. In this article, we examine the growth drivers for Fintech, the latest trends in Fintech and AI and some of the barriers to adoption of such technology. We also investigate how IP House London is at the forefront of providing infrastructure for Fintech companies.

Technological Factors Driving Growth in Fintech

There are a number of drivers of growth in the Fintech sector. These include:

Rising Demand for Online Solutions

Modern-day consumers expect fast, easy, and secure online financial services, especially for small transactions. AI in Fintech satisfies this customer expectation with instant and user-friendly banking services.

Innovation in Mobile Banking

Fierce competition in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector is a catalyst driving growth. Companies strive to outpace each other with technological innovations in this niche. Using AI-driven services, Fintech can evolve market growth and deliver customer solutions to keep consumers happy.

Technological Progress in Research and Development :

R&D in Fintech has contributed to rapid technological growth in the sector. AI is part of the advancement to make Fintech more robust and secure which is quickening the expansion of services.

AI Speeding Up Solutions

With AI in Fintech, we are witnessing faster solutions for customer issues and more tailored services to meet the bespoke requirements of each individual customer.

AI Helping To Fight Crime

AI is helping Fintech companies to spot fraud and implement strict regulations as well as mitigate against risks in the industry. Enhanced security in Fintech is also driving the growth of the market.

Fintech and AI Trends

“Fintech firms are adopting AI technologies such as ML and big data analytics in order to be more effective in data analyses through computational skills and data processing efficiencies.”

Source: Fintechfutures,com, April 24, 2024

AI and Machine Learning are reshaping the industry as a whole. As the quote shows, big data analytics is opening up a lot of new avenues for Fintech including increased security, quicker solving of problems for customers and bespoke services. Hyper-personalisation is central to innovations; AI enables highly personalised financial services that increase customer satisfaction.

XAI or Explainable AI is also growing in popularity because it demonstrates compliance and transparency in the decision-making process. The effect is that it builds trust with customers and meets regulations for the sector. AI-powered risk management tools give banks and financial organisations the ability to analyse big data in real time. This means they can monitor and respond to risks which leads to greater stability for Fintech systems. Voice and conversational AI, such as chatbots and voice assistants, are personalising customer services to make Fintech services more user-friendly and effective. Digital banking is the driver behind AI-powered Fintech solutions. Seamless and convenient online services are what the modern-day customer demands.

Barriers to AI Adoption in Fintech

Data Privacy Challenges

With the increased use of AI in Fintech, data privacy and security concerns are also increasing. Strict regulations and the need to be compliant with industry bodies and laws mean that companies need to manage complicated privacy laws to stay compliant. AI adoption in Fintech is being slowed by the need for businesses to invest large amounts of money into the security of data management.

Ethical and Fairness Concerns

With regard to insurance, lending and other types of financial services, AI Fintech systems can create unfair outcomes for customers which demonstrate bias against particular groups of people. This is a major ethical challenge and Fintech companies need to take measures to stop damage to their brand reputation and to meet standards set by the industry. Companies are under pressure to develop AI Fintech solutions which do not create discriminatory outcomes and build customer confidence.

Shortage of Skilled Professionals

The demand for skilled AI professionals who are also experts in the financial industry is high but supply is limited. With this lack of AI Fintech experts, the growth and innovation of the sector is hampered as companies are finding it hard to acquire the right staff to make technological advancements.

Integration of AI with Existing Systems

AI Fintech technology is not easily integrated into all existing legacy systems in the financial sector. This integration challenge is leading to delays and the need for costly investment to bring systems up to speed. The pace of change is being adversely affected by this scaling of AI technology.

4 Ways IP House is Supporting the AI/ML Revolution

AI-Powered Financial Analysis

High-performance computing is at the heart of AI-powered financial analysis; it harnesses complex algorithms and massive data sets. AI Fintech is able to make accurate predictions and complex financial models. IP House’s cutting-edge infrastructure provides the required power to run these intensive AI applications

Machine Learning in Fraud Detection

Machine learning algorithms are able to identify anomalies in transaction data which makes Fintech security more robust. Fraud detection is vital as AI advancements in Fintech lead to greater cybersecurity but also more sophisticated cybercrime. In that sense, it is a double-edged sword. Real-time analysis with AI and recognition of patterns means that Fintech companies can spot fraud rapidly. IP House's secure infrastructure supports real-time analytics to help keep sensitive financial data safe from hackers.

Scalability for AI Projects

With the rapid expansion of AI in Fintech, scalable solutions are needed. IP House has the flexibility and scalability to meet the needs of Fintech companies as they grow and innovate. With IP House’s infrastructure, your Fintech business can easily handle larger datasets and more complex models as used by AI.

Data Privacy and Protection

IP House’s infrastructure is custom-built to protect data and systems to help Fintech companies meet the strict requirements and regulations of the sector. AI and machine learning applications designed to comply with regulations such as GDPR to protect customer data are properly supported by IP House’s inhouse systems.

Final Thoughts

The transformative power of AI and machine learning in fintech is leading to radical change in the sector. With the support of IP House London, Fintech companies can harness AI technologies knowing that scalability, security and compliance are all seamlessly provided. As a colocation data centre, we stand at the leading edge of AI innovation for the Fintech industry. As Techwireasia remarked, colocation data centres leveraging AI can now optimise power in real-time with the rapid capabilities of AI data analysis,

“The advent of AI has made it possible for data centers to optimize power usage in real-time based on the actual needs of the system, something that was nearly unattainable previously, due to the lack of granular data and rapid response capabilities.”

Source: Techwireasia.com, 2024

The AI Fintech revolution is only just beginning and IP House is your trusted partner on the journey of expansion!

Are you a Fintech company in need of cutting edge colocation services? Fill out the form below! Let's Talk!

SOURCES

1. Techwire Asia: https://techwireasia.com/2023/09/how-are-ai-and-machine-learning-meeting-data-center-demands/

2. Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/10/30/working-at-full-power-data-centers-in-the-era-of-ai/

3. Data Centre Magazine:

https://datacentremagazine.com/articles/colocation-how-ai-and-the-cloud-will-shape-its-future

4. Brightlio:

https://brightlio.com/ai-colocation-data-center-market/

5. CNBC Interview about AI and DIgital Realty: https://youtu.be/4Mo2OBLoQRo

6. Fintech Futures.com:

https://www.fintechfutures.com/techwire/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-fintech-market-is-expected-to-reach-a-revenue-of-usd-70-1-bn-by-2033-at-17-0-cagr-insights-by-dimension-market-research/

7 SEVEN SUPERB TIPS FOR POSITIVE MENTAL WELL-BEING!

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 10:56:52 GMT

Advice for businesses and staff to promote well-being at work and home

By Jamieson Lee Hill

Looking after one’s well-being is crucial in today’s often demanding world. Businesses are facing rising energy costs and workers endure the cost of living crisis around the world. Furthermore, estimates of 300 million workers losing their jobs to AI tools pile on the stress for workers and businesses. There is a real need to take good care of one’s well-being in these times. In this article, we examine 7 tips for positive wellbeing in work with a particular focus on staff in the technology sector.

Mental Wellbeing and Overcoming Stress

Mental well-being is the bedrock of a happy and successful life. Stress is a major cause of illnesses and absences from work and business. The NHS has a list of recommendations for combatting stress, including physical exercise, me-time, connecting with people and working smarter,

“ Some of the keys to good stress management are building emotional strength, being in control of your situation, having a good social network, and adopting a positive outlook.”

Source: NHS, 2024

Read the NHS tips for stress management here.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are effective ways to help promote positive mental well-being. Scientific research suggests that mindfulness can help with stress, anxiety and other disorders,

“Mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. There’s also evidence that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep. It may even help people cope with pain. “For many chronic illnesses, mindfulness meditation seems to improve quality of life and reduce mental health symptoms,” says Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier of Harvard University.”

Source: National Institute of Health, USA Government Dept of Health and Human Services, 2024

More and more businesses are encouraging staff to use such practices as meditation and mindfulness to alleviate stress.

Identifying Stressors in the Tech Industry

In terms of strategies for IT Professionals for managing stress and burnout, it is a proactive approach to identify the main stressors in the tech sector e.g. short deadlines, high pressure, excessive screen time etc and try to counter these with stress management approaches such as meditation, exercise and more of work-life balance. Also, when staff are facing great personal struggles due to life’s transitions and challenges professional help from counsellors can be very helpful. Fostering a work environment which is open and receptive to discussing these matters creates a much happier workforce.

Sleep Hygiene

Poor sleep hygiene can be a real source of poor physical and mental health. Quality sleep is crucial for our bodies, cognitive function and optimum emotional health. The USA’s National Sleep Foundation recommends at least 7 to 9 hours a night for adults to promote positive mental wellbeing,

“For teenagers, 8 to 10 hours was considered appropriate, 7 to 9 hours for young adults and adults, and 7 to 8 hours of sleep for older adults.”

Source: National Sleep Foundation, 2024

Not getting enough sleep can lead to increased stress and it can badly affect your decision-making at work. For tech professionals in environments such as colocation data centres like IP House, London, the need for precision and focused work is vital. Therefore, good sleep hygiene is essential for the workforce to operate at their best.

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise can be an excellent way to preserve your long-term health and maintain productivity at work. Engaging in physical activity on a daily and weekly basis is an excellent way to reduce stress and promote positive mental well-being and good physical health. Harvard Health Publishing recommends regular exercise to lower stress hormones and trigger the release of endorphins and other neurochemicals which can lift your mood and improve your mental wellbeing.

“The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators.”

Source: Harvard Health Publishing, 2020

For tech professionals regular physical activity can really enhance cognitive function and concentration at work and optimise performance. This is vital for data centre staff because of the necessity of being on the ball with clients’ data and systems. Fitness routines can easily be incorporated into a tech worker’s daily routine with visits to the gym, a jog or walk before or after work and so forth.

Companies that provide onsite gyms or discounted memberships at other gyms realise that physical activity can improve mental wellbeing which leads to increased productivity and efficiency at work.

Healthy and Supportive Work Environment

Cultivating a supportive environment for mental well-being is the essence of a successful company culture. At IP House Data Colocation Data Centre, the positive mental well-being of our staff is a priority. We strive to have an environment where staff feel supported and are encouraged to look after themselves in terms of physical, mental and emotional health. We believe that fostering a culture of positive mental well-being leads to happy and motivated staff. That in turn means higher levels of productivity and success for the company.

Taking care of yourself in the tech sector can include balancing your screen time, using standing desks and taking regular breaks. The use of digital wellbeing apps to monitor the time spent on screen is also useful. The ergonomic design of furniture also helps staff to be comfortable and not develop back and posture problems. Likewise, healthy ventilation and proper lighting all contribute to a healthy workplace in contrast to the ‘sick building syndrome’ of some workplaces.

Work-Life Balance

Last but not least, promoting positive mental well-being goes hand in hand with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Working in the tech sector can be stressful and demanding and downtime is necessary for staff to recharge their batteries. It is the active role of management to spot staff members who are heading for burnout and encourage them to take time off to rejuvenate. There are numerous ways to keep a work-life balance and some companies even prefer a 4-day week which can lead to higher productivity. Whatever approach your company uses, the long-term benefits of a pro-active work culture will tend to lead to lower turnover rates of staff and optimal efficiency for staff.

The Mental Health Foundation UK has these pearls of wisdom for maintaining a healthy work-life balance,

“A healthy work-life balance will mean different things to us all. It’s not so much about splitting your time 50/50 between work and leisure but making sure you feel fulfilled and content in both areas of your life. A healthy balance could be:

meeting your deadlines at work while still having time for friends and hobbies
having enough time to sleep properly and eat well
not worrying about work when you’re at home.”

Source: Mental Health Foundation UK, 2024

Reflections

In today’s fast-paced world with the advent of AI technology set to replace millions of jobs, the increasing cost of living and rising energy prices, it is vital to look after one’s mental well-being as well as physical and emotional. We hope that this collection of suggestions inspires you to take proper care of yourself. Become the best version of yourself!

If you are thinking of getting colocation services for your company, fill out the contact form below. Let's Talk!

SUPPORTING THE NEXT WAVE OF ONLINE LEARNING PART TWO

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:54:18 GMT

How IP House Facilitates the Growth and Scalability of EdTech Platforms

Jamieson Lee Hill, Educator and Writer

In this second part of a two-series article, we explore more aspects of modern Educational Technology and how IP House London is the perfect partner to support online learning providers. In this second part we delve into Big Data, Analytics, Adaptive Learning, and Cybersecurity for EdTech.

Big Data, Analytics, and Adaptive Learning

Big Data & Analytics

Big Data refers to large amounts of digital information leveraged by educational institutions to improve the learning experience. Analytics is the process of studying and learning from the data,

“Big data describes large sets of digital information that can be analysed to uncover patterns, trends, and connections. Data can include a wide variety of formats, ranging from structured numerical data to unstructured text, images, and videos, each varying in quality and reliability.

Source: Cambridge Spark, March 25th, 2024

Big data and analytics are key elements in educational technology to guide data-driven decisions to improve teaching and learning. They streamline the analysis of student attendance, engagement, and performance, allowing educators to create personalise effective learning and to predict individual outcomes,

“The amount and complexity of big data requires the use of special technologies and analytical methods to process, understand and apply it. The goal is to enhance decision-making, grasp complex phenomena, and forecast future trends.”

Source: Cambridge Spark, March 25th, 2024

Using Big Data and learning analytical tools, teachers can give students bespoke and targeted feedback. Equally, it helps teachers to track student progress and to optimise learning experiences. Overal, educators can develop and enhance their teaching methods, tailor learning to students’ individual needs, aka differentiation, and improve learning outcomes.

Adaptive Learning

“Adaptive learning platforms combine AI and machine learning to analyse a learner's performance in real-time and adjust the lesson accordingly. This ensures that every student has equal access to education regardless of their pace, learning style, or preferences.”

Source: Zenzero.co.uk, Oct 2023

Adaptive learning is an innovative, tech-based approach that harnesses Big Data and Analytics to create bespoke learning experiences. It customises lessons to meet each student's unique learning needs. This technology supports teachers by identifying specific areas where students struggle. It can also be used to help learners with disabilities. Using AI and machine learning in real-time to analyse a learner’s performance, ensures equality of access and opportunity for all students. Therefore, this EdTech is both inclusive and caters for a diverse mix of students. It improves the whole teaching and learning experience but is not intended to replace teachers.

In large classes, adaptive technology for learning is an excellent way to personalise learning. Using Big Data, adaptive learning systems improve as they collect and analyse more data. Teachers gain access to detailed information about students’ performance, attendance, and assignments. This helps teachers give bespoke and in-depth support to each student’s individual needs.

IP House and Big Data and Analytics

IP House colocation services help educational organisations to process Big Data and Analytics and follow an adaptive learning approach. This provides more personalised and adaptive learning for students to vastly improve the teaching and learning process.

Cybersecurity for EdTech

IP House London’s colocation services are also ideal for protecting educational platforms from cyber threats and ensuring the privacy of student data. Data privacy is paramount in today’s modern world with the rising number of hacks and cyber attacks on educational institutions in the UK and worldwide,

“Data privacy concerns are at the forefront of cybersecurity challenges in EdTech, with risks ranging from identity theft to financial fraud,' Manit asserts. 'Protecting the personal and financial information of students and educators is not just a matter of privacy but of trust and safety within the educational system.”

Source: Forbes, March 2024

Therefore, cybersecurity in EdTech is extremely important and requires ongoing monitoring and adaptation as cybercriminals advance themselves. It is crucial to safeguard personal and financial information of students, staff, and educational institutions. Alarmingly, Higher Education has been identified by a UK Government Survey as the most targetted by cybercrime,

“Higher education institutions are more likely to be affected by cyber-attacks - 97% identified a breach or attack in the past year. Just under six in ten of the higher education institutions identified that they had been negatively impacted by a breach.”

Source: Gov.uk, April 2024

Insights from industry leaders will be invaluable in forging a secure, accessible, and innovative future with EdTech. Furthermore, advancements in cybersecurity will mean integrating emerging technologies and developing new strategies to protect digital education platforms.

Securing Education Technologies: The Role of IP House

IP House London play a pivotal role in supporting cybersecurity for EdTech organisations. Continuous innovation and adaptation with its technologies allows IP House London to stay ahead of cybercriminals and maintain the security of educational technology.

How Can IP House Support Educational Technology?

Colocation data services provide reliable, high-performance infrastructure to handle massive, global user traffic. IP House’s services ensure:

Low-latency access: we provide low-latency, real-time data processing for smooth experiences with various educational technologies
Scalability: IP House can accommodate fluctuating demand with scalable solutions for your growing data needs.
Cybersecurity: our robust security measures protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with regulations.
Reliability: IP House can maintain uninterrupted course delivery and optimal learning experiences across diverse geographic locations. Redundant power supplies, network connections, and disaster recovery solutions guarantee reliability for your online educational platform.
Global Connectivity: IP House supports the international expansion of online education platforms.
Top Performance: at IP House our robust infrastructure guarantees high performance for your online learning platform.
Cost Effective: IP House provides an affordable alternative to building and maintaining in-house data centres. Your educational institutions can focus on developing educational content and save considerably on infrastructure.

In summary, IP House facilitates the seamless integration of education technologies with performance, scalability, security, and cost efficiency all at the forefront of what we do.

Fill out the contact form below today. Let’s talk about how IP House can support EdTech in your organisation!

Sources:

SUPPORTING THE NEXT WAVE OF ONLINE LEARNING PART ONE!

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 12:52:22 GMT

How IP House Facilitates the Growth and Scalability of EdTech Platforms

In this first part of a two-series article, we explore some of the main areas of development for Educational Technology and how IP House London is the ideal partner to support online learning providers. Also, we examine the growth of the Educational Technology (EdTech) market and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and Virtual Reality in Education.

Growth of the UK Educational Technology Market

“The UK EdTech market recorded growth of 37.4% in 2023 due to the rise in internet penetration and digital literacy.”

Source: Global data.com, Feb 23rd, 2024

In 2023, the UK EdTech market size was valued at $6.73 billion which is indicative of the continued growth over recent years. In 2020 the growth rate was a staggering 72%,

“With a reported 72% growth in 2020, the UK’s EdTech industry is among the fastest growing in Europe. Venture capital investment in London-based EdTech firms increased by 21% to £67 million between 2019 and 2020, while £92 million was invested in emerging EdTech nationwide in 2020.”

Source: Great.gov.uk, 2020

Affordable online education and the increase in use of mobile devices for online learning are two key factors behind the market growth. In addition to this, the increasing availability of high-speed internet and flexible modules have also influenced the upward trend. IP House London colocation data centre works with educational organisations to meet the increasing demands of the EdTech industry. Let’s now examine two main areas of technological development for the online education sector.

Part One

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
Virtual Reality in Education

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)

MOOC stands for ‘Massive Open Online Course’. They are a type of distance learning which is accessible and free for anyone worldwide. ‘Massive’ because they can often attract hundreds of thousands of students globally and ‘Open’ as anyone can take them for free. Plus, course materials are available under a Creative Commons license for reuse.

More and more people are signing up for MOOCs to learn new skills in their free time. These courses provide flexibility and a customisable learning experience for students. From 2007 to 2019, the number of people enrolled in online courses increased from 4% to 17%. In 2024, it is estimated that about 21% of people in the UK study online,

“In recent years, online education has become one of the most popular ways to learn in the UK, with 21% of British people using online learning of some kind.”

Source: Oxfordcollege.ac, 2024

Where did MOOCs come from?

MOOCs emerged from the open educational resources (OER) movement, connecting digital materials to networks of learners. They continued the existing development of distance education. ‘MOOC’ was coined as a term by Dave Cormier in 2008 to describe a course by George Siemens and Stephen Downes on 'Connectivism and Connectivity in Knowledge'. Early MOOCs, based on connectivist principles, were informal and interaction-focused. By 2012, US and UK universities had developed their own MOOCs, soon followed by commercial platforms such as Coursera and EdX. In 2012 the New York Times named it ‘The Year of the MOOC’.

IP House Supporting the Infrastructure for MOOCs

IP House London is a favourite choice for online educational providers. Our colocation services are able to meet the significant demands of ‘Massive Open Online Courses’ with scalable and reliable IT resources. As courses grow in popularity, IP House can flexibly and rapidly cater for your requirements.

Virtual Reality in Education

“One of the main educational benefits of VR is that it can increase learner engagement. It is often challenging to maintain pupils' attention and interest while using standard teaching methods.”

Source: CIO News, March 11, 2024

Virtual Reality (VR) is cutting-edge technology that uses visual, auditory, and other sensory elements. Wearing a headset to simulate different environments, students can have a fully immersive learning experience. As VR applications have advanced, their usage in primary, secondary, and higher education has grown considerably. Nowadays, virtual reality offers students an interactive and dynamic learning experience.

Students can engage with real-world scenarios without any physical risks to their wellbeing. In VR, students can experience events instead of just reading about them or listening to the teacher. This is brilliant for subjects such as science and history.

VR is an immersive learning approach which is more engaging than traditional methods and it helps students to retain information better. Furthermore, VR can teach complicated social issues and situations including discrimination such as racism, gender inequality, and so on. In short, VR can transform educational experiences and outcomes to really enhance the learning experience for students of all ages from primary to university level.

IP House Supporting Virtual Reality

Low-latency networks are crucial for immersive VR-based learning experiences. This is one of the key areas that IP House can support Virutal Reality educational technology in schools, colleges and universities.

Stay tuned for Part Two where we explore Big Data, Analytics, Adaptive Learning and Cybersecurity and how IP House supports these types of EdTech. We will also summarise the main reasons why IP House is an excellent partner for online learning providers.

Get in touch today about partnering your educational organisation with IP House! Fill out the contact form below.

Sources:

1. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/massive-open-online-course-mooc

2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-virtual-reality-vr-education-transforming-learning-experiences-rnpsf/

3. https://www.zenzero.co.uk/news/adaptive-learning-technology-how-is-vr-used-in-education

4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbalaban/2024/03/01/advancing-cybersecurity-in-digital-education/?sh=37a3e9bf13b2

5. https://www.oxfordcollege.ac/news/online-education-statistics/#:~:text=In%20recent%20years%2C%20online%20education,online%20learning%20opportunities%20out%20there .

6. https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/uk-EdTech-market-analysis/#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20The%20pre%2Dk%2D12,internet%20penetration%20and%20digital%20literacy .

7. https://www.great.gov.uk/international/content/investment/sectors/EdTech/#:~:text=With%20a%20reported%2072%25%20growth,emerging%20EdTech%20nationwide%20in%202020 .

WILL CLOUD GAMING REPLACE CONSOLES AND GAMING PCS?

Tue, 28 May 2024 13:33:45 GMT

The Future of Gaming and The IP House Colocation Solution

Jamieson Lee Hill, Videogame Story Writer and Copywriter

With the rapid advance of cloud gaming technology, could it eventually replace traditional gaming consoles and PCs? This is the $100 question. In this article, we explore the topic of cloud gaming and the future of consoles and PCs. We also look at IP House's colocation solution for the thriving cloud gaming sector.

What is Cloud Gaming?

“With cloud gaming, all you need is an internet connection and, depending on which cloud gaming service you’re using, a web browser on a computer, a smartphone, or a video streaming box along with a controller.”

Source: Alan Lu, Vodafone, Aug 2023

This definition of cloud gaming demonstrates that ultimately it doesn’t depend on high-end PCs or consoles. It requires a speedy internet connection and either a phone or smart TV and/or video streaming device. Cloud gaming is another entry point for gaming.

The Netflix of Gaming

Cloud gaming has been called the ‘Netflix of gaming’ as it has the vast potential for growth, similar to Netflix as a streaming service. However, back in 2007 when Netflix started its services, streaming was much less common. As Deloitte points out,

“Few at the time (in 2007) recognised the value of streaming, so competition was minimal and the company found it relatively easy to licence content. Neither of these conditions exists today and streaming video games is a much bigger technical challenge than streaming video.”

Source: Deloitte, March 9th 2020

The increased competition in current times for streaming and the ‘bigger technical challenge’ for streaming cloud games are significant factors. Gamers who invest in high-end gaming PCs and consoles usually play triple AAA games. They purchase their hardware to run big games with massive GB downloads & updates, with advanced graphics and animation. There is very low tolerance in the gamer communities for any lagging in games aka high latency.

Console and PC Free Cloud Gaming Is Here!

For many years, AAA games required massive GB downloads and high streaming requirements that only consoles and high-end PCs could deliver. Flip forward, nowadays cloud gaming providers like Luna + and Geoforce Now are already providing AAA titles through your smart TV without a console or PC in sight! Check out this Luna + Tik Tok advert !

A Change in the Balance of Power In Gaming

Ultimately, in the cloud, one can run games of all sizes. As the technology develops, this could see an end to the prevalent downloads and updates that currently exist with consoles and PC gaming. With cloud gaming, gamers can stream titles directly from servers rather than playing them on local hardware. As the cloud grows bigger in power, so will the capacity and potential of games.

According to Deloitte, cloud gaming's rise is powered by increasingly robust internet connections and the growing preference for streaming services across media types. This eliminates the need for expensive hardware upgrades, making high-quality gaming experiences more accessible to a broader audience. Deloitte predicted back in 2020, that cloud gaming could remove the necessity for specialised consoles with cloud gaming being enabled on ‘almost any device’,

“With more than 2.5 billion gamers worldwide, the opportunity and the impact may be considerable.Cloud gaming could eliminate the need for specialised consoles while allowing gamers to play any game from almost any device; it could enable game companies to develop richer experiences supporting far more players”

Source: Deloitte.com, 19 March 2020

Deloitte also forecasted in 2020 a potential movement in the ‘balance of power’ in the gaming industry as cloud gaming gets a stronger hold,

“...it could drive telecoms, internet service providers and content delivery networks to significantly expand their capabilities while stoking demand for 5G; and it could shift the balance of power across the video game industry , placing top cloud gaming providers at the hub of the distribution pipeline.”

Source: Deloitte.com, 19 March 2020

In 2024, with the number of cloud gaming platforms growing, we see that a new status quo is already forming.

Gaming Consoles and PCs Here To Stay?

Before we ring the death knell, it is prudent to say that consoles and PCs are unlikely to disappear in the near future. Despite the huge advances in cloud gaming technology, big brands like Playstation and XBox are incorporating cloud gaming into their existing business models.

It is perhaps not over for consoles and PCs just yet. According to Tom's Guide, a popular tech website, the tactile feel of hardware, the culturally ingrained nature of console and PC gaming, and the high performance of dedicated gaming machines mean that both are here to stay. Tom’s Guide speculates that gaming on your TV (without a console or PC) is definitely a new format for gaming, but it isn’t ready to take over,

“Thus, while TVs could be a new form of entry with gaming on the cloud and could serve as a new battleground in the still thriving console wars, the likelihood is incredibly slim even in the long term. Physical hardware is just too hard to beat, and given the multitude of constraints and seemingly unwillingness by some to conform to game streaming, the future of a cloud gaming TV-dominated market may just be a pipe dream for now.”

Source: Tom’s Guide, Dec 29, 2023

Console, PCs And Cloud Gaming Evolving Together?

Cloud gaming platforms like Playstation and XBox offer specialised hardware that can deliver experiences that cloud gaming currently cannot. This is especially true in terms of high-fidelity graphics and minimal latency. Indeed, rather than replace PCs and consoles, some billion-dollar gaming brands have used cloud gaming as a complement to existing console and PC services.

IP House & The Role of Colocation in Cloud Gaming

IP House Colocation Data Centre is at the forefront of supporting gaming studios and brands with cloud gaming infrastructure. IP House offers leading-edge colocation services with the necessary server support and robust cybersecurity for gaming companies. What's more, our high-specification colocation data centre guarantees seamless and uninterrupted gameplay with our low latency capabilities.

Final Thoughts

Cloud gaming is redefining the industry, making gaming more accessible and reducing the dependence on expensive hardware. However, it is unlikely to fully replace consoles and gaming PCs any time soon. As the future unfolds for cloud gaming, IP House colocation services are a crucial part of this transition.

Overall, IP House’s collocation solutions improve the reliability and performance of cloud gaming services. They provide the low latency and lag free gaming experience that players expect. Together with our gaming brand partners, we are a core aspect of the evolution of the cloud gaming ecosystem.

Are you a gaming company interested in colocation data centre services? Fill out the contact form below. Let’s Talk!

Sources:

REMOVING THE FEAR OF A DC MIGRATION!

Mon, 20 May 2024 07:58:43 GMT

The IP House way to smooth and stress-free data migration

Jamieson Lee Hill, May 20th, 2024

Migration to a Colocation Data Centre can be an anxious experience for some companies. With IP House London, our meticulous approach allays those fears. IP House focuses on data integrity, security, and continuous communication, to mitigate risks and concerns over data transfer. Let’s find out more!

Why choose migration to IP House’s data centre colocation services?

“Colocation is often used as a replacement for traditional data centers, because it offers higher availability, reliability, certified building tier levels, energy efficiency, dedicated facilities management and the ability to scale.”

Source: Gartner, 2019

The transition to colocation services bestows many benefits for a company. These include high availability, enhanced security, and scalable infrastructure that can outperform traditional in-house data centres. Overall, colocation gives your business a competitive edge.

Pre-Migration Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide

The pre-migration planning process by IP House includes a comprehensive set of audits, resource allocation, and timeline establishment. These all lead to a smooth transition with minimal downtime for your data.

Steps for Migration

When you decide to take the leap, there are a number of simple steps to migrate your data to IP House. We guarantee a seamless transition which will boost your IT efficiency and security. Let’s examine the steps together.

Purpose Identification

First off, ask yourself ‘Why Move?’ Determining the reasons for relocating your business to a new data centre is important. By understanding your motives for migration you will avoid unnecessary costs and complications.

Inventory Check

Cataloguing your current infrastructure, including applications, services, and hardware will help you get a clearer picture. You will know what needs to be kept, replaced, or discarded.

Contract Review

You should examine your agreement details with your current provider before migrating. Read your current data centre contract closely to identify any termination penalties or obligations that need addressing.

SLA Review

Review through your service level agreements (SLAs) at both your current and future data centres. Make updates before migration as needed to meet any new requirements.

Secure Data

Protecting your data before and during the migration is essential. You need to have robust security measures in place to protect your data during and after, particularly adhering to any legal or compliance standards.

Cost Evaluation

Ask yourself ‘How much will the migration cost?’ Clearly assessing the financial implications is crucial. You should focus on reusing existing setups to save costs and consider other expenses such as staffing and emergency measures.

Role Assignment

Ask yourself ‘Who’s Responsible For What?’ Assemble a team of key personnel from various departments to handle the migration. This team will oversee the migration process, make key decisions, and utilise necessary resources.

Post-Migration Support: Ensuring Continuous Operational Excellence

After the migration is complete, the work of IP House Colocation Data Centre really begins. The extensive post-migration support provided by IP House includes everything from technical assistance through to optimisation services. These are all aimed at ensuring you achieve and maintain peak performance in your new colocation environment.

Giving You Back Control

The ultimate goal of migrating your data to IP House is to give you greater control over your data as well as other added benefits. In addition, you still manage the technical aspects of your network performance as you did before.

IP House handles the physical management of connectivity and hardware, freeing you up from these tasks. But as a company, you will still be in charge of your applications. Also, moving to a colocation data centre gives you access to our enhanced support team with certified experts available 24/7 all year round. Our experts provide on-demand support, from equipment swaps and troubleshooting to handling logistics within the data centre. This means you acquire operational efficiency and economic savings by using shared resources with multiple clients.

But that's not all!, unlike many Coloc providers, IP House goes much further, often without any additional costs to the end client:

As an example:

Migration planning
Application analysis
Infrastructure review and health assessments
Scope validation
Delivery schedule
Hands on rack and stacking
Cable management
Performance testing and optimisation

The Future For Colocation Migration

Gartner predicted in 2019 that by 2025, 80% of companies would have moved over to colocation,

“Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of enterprises will shut down their traditional data centers. In fact, 10% of organizations already have.”

Source: G artner 2019

Regardless of whether that prediction is realised, more and more businesses understand the strategic advantage of migration to colocation services. The IP House way allows you to maintain control while still optimising your data centre operations free of fear and stress!

Contact us today about migrating your data to IP House!

Sources:

ANXIOUS ABOUT AI TECHNOLOGY MAKING YOU REDUNDANT?

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:18:32 GMT

Strategies for Adapting to the Effects of AI on Employment

Jamieson Lee Hill, Monday 29th April, 2024

With the widespread use of AI across industries, there is growing anxiety among employees and freelancers about how their jobs and businesses could be affected. Let us explore the possible effects of AI and how we can adjust to this massive technological revolution!

The likely effect of AI on the Employment Market

Twelve months ago, Goldman Sachs warned that 300 million jobs could go or at least be reduced due to AI.

“Goldman Sachs reported this week in a sobering and alarming report about AI's ascendance. The investment bank estimates 300 million jobs could be lost or diminished by this fast-growing technology.”

Source: Forbes, March 31, 2023

In contrast, the World Economic Forum’s outlook on AI upbeat, predicting that more jobs will be created than lost,

“Despite concerns about job displacement, studies suggest that AI has the potential to create more jobs than it replaces. The World Economic Forum predicts that while AI may replace around 85 million jobs by 2025, it will also create approximately 97 million new roles.”

Source: Ben Simon

, Aug 8, 2023, Linkedin

It remains to be seen… However, there is certainly anxiety for many people about how AI could affect their livelihoods. Let’s now investigate the sectors will be affected most and least.

Understanding AI and its Impact on the Workforce

Forbes identified AI affecting 3 sectors with the greatest impact; they were Finance and banking, Media and Marketing, and Legal Services. Furthermore, Forbes predicted that the least impact would be experienced by agriculture, mining, and manufacturing. The high prevalence of digital technology in the first 3 industries was the reason. In contrast, agriculture and mining have many manual workers and manufacturing has been automated since the 1960s in any case.

The World Economic Forum produced an interesting report in 2020 ‘ The Future of Jobs Report 2020 . It gives insights into the future impact of AI and digital technologies on the employment market.

Let’s now consider 4 strategies you can adopt to face the AI revolution:

1. Perspective: Facing the Technological Change

It is natural to feel threatened that your job may be at risk due to AI. Taking a historical perspective may help to reduce your anxiety about and appreciate that this isn’t the first time the world has faced great change…

…From 1811 to 1816, factory workers rose up against the use of machines and automation. The Luddite Movement started in Nottingham, England, and later spread to the North West of England including Yorkshire. However, factory owners and the military suppressed the uprising and many protesters were shot dead.

Back in the 19th century, those workers in England felt great apprehension about automation and how it could affect their way of earning money. However, that new technology eventually became normalised and a part of everyday life. It is most likely that it will be the same with AI advancements. History is all about change!

2. Mindset Shift

It is important not to become too anxious reading doom-mongering headlines and instead prepare ourselves. Adopting a positive mindset approach to AI is a pragmatic way to face the challenges. Rather than wallowing in fear with a fixed mindset about how the status quo should be, you can read books and articles about the concept of Growth Mindset. Self-development could help you unlock your own hidden potential to thrive in these changing times.

Highly recommended books are:

3. Identifying AI-Resistant Skills/Roles

Another strategy is to explore the jobs and skills that are less likely to be made redundant by AI. It is recommended you focus on jobs and businesses that require human creativity, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking. Here is some suggested reading to start you off:

Skills of the Future: 10 Skills You’ll Need to Thrive in 2020 looks into the skills that will be most valuable in the job market in 2025.
This LinkedIn article by an HR Executive looks at the most and least affected jobs in the future.
Finally, this eye-opening article by the US Career Institute examines 65 jobs least likely to be affected by AI.

4. Lifelong Learning: Staying Relevant in the Age of AI

Taking a lifelong learning approach to the AI transformation is a proactive step. Continuous learning and adapting your skillset will help you stay competitive in an evolving job/freelance market. There are many online courses available on platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, and Skillshare on AI. These can help develop new skills and perhaps even take a new work direction!

Exciting times or anxiety ahead? The choice is all yours!

To find out how IP House Colocation Data Services can help your company, fill out the contact form today!

Sources

COLOCATION BOUTIQUES: LONDON'S BEST KEPT SECRET, IP HOUSE!

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:21:14 GMT

Why IP House London is the First Choice For Colocation Data Services

Jamieson Lee Hill, Friday April 5th, 2024

In the heart of London’s Docklands, you will find one of the leading boutique colocation data centres in the capital. IP House London has over 500 Racks across 2 Data Suites. It operates elite technologies for power, cooling, security, and communications which guarantees efficient solutions for all our clients. In this blog, we explore why IP House is one of London’s best-kept secrets and how it serves three main sectors: Fintech, Gaming, and Education, as well as other industries.

Personalised Service for Fintech

Colocation boutiques like IP House, offer a more personalised service compared to their larger counterparts. The focus is on providing bespoke tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of clients. This provides optimal performance, efficiency, resilience, and reliability which is crucial for the Fintech industry. Fintech companies require real-time processing capabilities and stringent security measures to handle sensitive financial data. Also, transitioning to colocation services helps Fintech companies to increase their data processing requirements,

“By migrating to external data centers – such as colocation centers – Fintech companies have the opportunity to increase their processing power as their needs evolve. High processing power plays an essential role in facilitating high-speed transactions.”

Source, M24.com, October 2023

The Gaming Industry’s Demand for Speed

For the gaming industry, the demand for seamless, high-speed connectivity and low latency is paramount. Colocation boutiques like IP House London are strategically located to offer direct connections to major internet ecosystems, reducing lag and improving the overall gaming experience. Low latency is so important for gaming because persistent lagging in games can seriously damage the reputation of a gaming brand. With IP House London’s leading edge colocation data centre services high latency is not an issue. Being situated in the heart of London’s Docklands, IP House can serve gaming companies in the capital of the UK and beyond. The adoption of cloud gaming has seen games running entirely in the cloud using data centre services,

“With cloud gaming, a game lives entirely in data centres and delivery networks, eliminating the need for downloads and transforming a user’s device into, essentially, a connected high-resolution terminal, with tangible benefits for both player and provider.”

Source: Deloitte, March 2020

The trend in this digital disruption to the industry is witnessing increasing numbers of gaming companies partnering with boutique colocation data centres like IP House London.

Supporting Digital Education With Cybersecurity Protection

Education technology also benefits significantly from the services provided by colocation boutiques like IP House London. With the rise of e-learning platforms and digital classrooms, our London Docklands-based data centre ensures uninterrupted access to educational resources, supporting the shift towards a more digitised learning environment.

Also, the stringent and robust cybersecurity measures guaranteed by IP House help protect against the increasing number of cyber attacks on educational universities,

“Crossword Cybersecurity Research has found that 2.2 million top 100 UK university and research facility credentials breached.”

Source: Cybermagazine.com, June 13, 2023

Research in 2023 showed that location mattered regarding the level of security risk faced by UK universities,

“The location and size of universities have an impact on the extent to which credentials have been breached, with London substantially at more risk, with 506,330 (20%) credentials breached, followed by the South East (334,251 – 13%) and Scotland (306,873 – 12%).”

Source: Cybermagazine.com, June 13, 2023

Partnering with IP House London can help mitigate against such cyber attacks.

IP House London: First Choice For Colocation Services

Next-generation hardware and elite technologies for power, cooling, security, and communications make IP House the first choice for colocation. We deliver cost-effective solutions for hosting IT infrastructure and provide peace of mind for businesses and organisations with our robust cybersecurity measures. Fintech, gaming, and education companies seeking specialised, high-quality services can leverage the power of colocation offered by IP House London.

As the digital transformation continues to reshape these industries, the role of colocation boutiques like IP House will only grow in importance, making it one of London’s best-kept secrets.

Affordable Pricing From IP House

Whilst IP-House offers boutique-level colocation services, it doesn't come at Boutique pricing! The team is always supporting all clients with customised solutions and a pricing model that's extremely competitive at all times.

Client referrals can be used to verify the Top Tier Service being provided against a backdrop of tailored service levels and ultra-competitive pricing with a lot of no cost options regularly thrown in.

Would you like to find out more? Fill out the contact form below! Let’s Talk!

Sources:

BUILDING A RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FINTECH INNOVATION WITH COLOCATION

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:14:39 GMT

The importance of uptime and reliability in the fintech industry

Jamieson Lee Hill, 22nd March, 2024

In this blog we address key issues facing the Fintech industry regarding IT and digital. We explore the limitations of housing IT infrastructure on-site and showcase how IP House's 24/7 monitoring can ensure continuous operation for fintech companies. We also highlight cybersecurity attacks on Fintech and show how IP House can counter these more effectively than on-site facilities.

Reassessing IT Infrastructure

In the fast-paced world of Fintech, it's becoming increasingly important for companies to periodically reassess their IT infrastructure. The traditional approach of housing all IT systems on-premises is often no longer the most cost-effective or practical approach to expansion. As companies grow and evolve, they require an adaptable IT infrastructure that can quickly adjust. Also, Fintech companies need bespoke design solutions that meet the escalating demands of IT and guarantee continuous operations.

IP House: Continuous Operation with 24/7 Monitoring

Continuous operation is the backbone of any Fintech company. As well as having a robust infrastructure, IP House also monitors 24/7 to prevent any potential issues. Also, IP House’s high availability services provide uninterrupted access to on-premise IT anytime. Our dedicated technical teams work around the clock to make sure that your fintech operations do not face interruptions to your services that would affect your clients, your own systems and your brand reputation.

Risks of On-site Data Systems

On-site IT systems for the Fintech sector can carry inherent risks including natural disasters, power outages, and the ever growing number of cyberattacks. Critical incidents can lead to significant system downtime, resulting in lost business opportunities, customer attrition, reputational damage, and potentially substantial fines.

As Cybersecurity expert Faysal Ghauri remarks, the massive growth in Fintech has led to increasing numbers of cybersecurity issues,

“...rapid growth brings forth complex cybersecurity challenges. As fintech firms innovate, they also grapple with heightened risks of cyber threats.”

Source: Linkedin, Faysal Ghauri, Dec 2023

Countering Cybersecurity Attacks with IP House

The fintech industry is a prime target for cyberattacks due to the nature of its operations handling large amounts of money and data. Protecting sensitive financial data is vital. IP House Colocation Data Centre understands this essential need for robust security. Therefore, we have built a resilient infrastructure that can counter these threats and provide peace of mind for both Fintech companies and their clientele.

Benefits for Fintech Firms Outsourcing to IP House

IP House offers the critical infrastructure, security, and round-the-clock support services necessary for keeping FinTech firms' services continuously available. This allows Fintech companies to focus on their core business, secure in the knowledge that their IT systems are being managed by experts in a modern, secure environment.

Backed by service level agreements, IP House can offer Fintech companies peace of mind and free up resources, allowing firms to focus on innovation and growth. Outsourcing IT infrastructure to IP House colocation data centre represents a strategic move towards efficiency, security, and scalability for Fintech companies. Our existing clients give testimony to the efficiency and quality of our services.

Reflections

Building a resilient infrastructure for fintech innovation is no small feat. It requires a niche understanding of the industry's needs, a robust technical infrastructure, and the ability to respond quickly to threats and challenges. With its commitment to continuous operations and cybersecurity for Fintech, IP House is well-positioned to help firms in the sector thrive and continue to grow for years to come.

Let's Talk about how IP House London can support your Fintech services. Fill out the form below!

Sources:

THE COLOCATION DATA CENTRE SOLUTION FOR THE GAMING INDUSTRY

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 11:41:58 GMT

Security, Performance and Scalability for Gaming

Jamieson Lee Hill, PC and Mobile Videogame Storywriter, 13.03.2024

The gaming industry is evolving at a lightning pace, with technology pushing boundaries and creating immersive experiences. With such rapid change, the need for robust and reliable infrastructure is essential. Colocation data centres are the perfect solution for the gaming industry to meet these rising demands. Let’s examine the three key areas where colocation services support gaming: security, performance and scalability.

Security Concerns for Gaming Companies

Security is a major concern for gaming companies due to the sheer number of cyberattacks on gaming studios and gamers.

“A comprehensive investigation by Kaspersky has found that more than four million infection attempts targeted the global gaming community between July 2022 and July 2023. During the analyzed period, cybercriminals launched a range of attacks, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, cryptocurrency mining, complex Trojan or phishing campaigns and using web vulnerabilities.

Source: Secure list.com, 2024

With cyberattacks on the rise, protecting valuable data and maintaining service continuity is paramount.

Recent Attacks on Video Game Studios

Several video game studios, including CD Projekt, Bandai Namco, and Riot Games, have recently been targetted. There was a notable attack on Insomniac in December 2023, the developer behind the upcoming Marvel Wolverine game. After failing to pay the ransom of $2 million or 50 bitcoins, hackers released 1.67 terabytes of internal data, including materials from Wolverine and details about upcoming, unannounced games. This data was initially stolen by the Rhysida ransomware gang in December.

The leak also revealed development and marketing budgets and indicated that Wolverine is the first of three planned X-Men titles set for release before the end of 2029 and 2033. Sony, which is investigating the incident, has stated that it believes no other divisions have been affected. Added to this, Sony had already been hit by the MOVEit cyberattacks in 2023 where personal information of about 6,800 current and former employees was sold on the web.

The IP House Security Solution for Cyberattacks

IP House's state-of-the-art security measures, including 24/7 CCTV surveillance and biometric access controls, offer robust protection against cyber threats. Our software and systems are designed to keep your data safe as a gaming studio and also protect your gamers from hacks and cyber attacks.

High Performance For Seamless Gaming Experience

Performance is also immensely important in the gaming industry. There is nothing worse for a gamer than a laggy connection. High latency can ruin the gaming experience and create great frustration for players and lost revenue if they migrate to other games. IP House Colocation data centre services are designed to provide low latency and high availability, ensuring uninterrupted and fast gameplay. With IP House, your gamers can say goodbye to lagging and say hello to fast-flowing playing. That way gaming companies can deliver the seamless, high-speed experiences that today's gamers expect.

Another key advantage of IP House is our redundant network connectivity. This guarantees that during network failures, gaming services are not interrupted. Our redundant network connectivity supplies seamless gameplay and a great experience for gamers. Let’s talk about scalability now.

Scalability For Gaming Studios

As a colocation data centre IP House provides the all important factor of scalability for gaming companies. If a game rises in popularity, a gaming company will have a greater need for server capacity. By using colocation data centre services with IP House,, gaming companies can easily scale up to accommodate high numbers of players. The massive benefit is that this scaling is without the need for significant upfront investment because the colocation data centre already has the capacity to scale.

Investing in onsite infrastructure for scalability is far more costly than partnering with IP House. This is why more and more gaming labels are turning to colocation data centres for their expansion.

Reflections

Colocation data centres like IP House in London offer a powerful solution for gaming companies looking to scale up, improve performance, and be secure from cyberattacks. Harnessing the power of colocation, gaming studios can focus on making great games while IP House takes care of the rest.

Want to know more about how IP House can support your gaming company? Fill out the form today! Let's talk!

Sources

ENSURING DATA SECURITY IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR WITH COLOCATION

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 11:45:15 GMT

IP House: At the frontline of cybersecurity to protect educational institutions

Jamieson Lee Hill, February 25th, 2024

With the growing digitalisation of education, data security has become a whopping concern for educational institutions. Schools, colleges and universities are increasingly targeted by cyber-attacks, posing significant challenges to the sector. This digital transition has exposed schools, colleges, and universities to a whole range of cybersecurity threats. Let’s find out what the challenges are and how IP House protects its educational clients…

Unique Challenges Faced by Educational Institutions

The UK government survey in 2023 on cybersecurity breaches revealed the full extent of cyberattacks on educational institutions. Further Education colleges and Higher Education institutions led the stats with 82% and 85% respectively. The sector needs to embrace the importance of defending their data against cybercriminals in the light of increased attacks.

Source: Official Statistics: Cyber security breaches survey 2023: education institutions annex

Educational organisations need an open and collaborative environment which inevitably means that there is a diverse user base with varying levels of tech-savviness. With financial constraints, technical resource limitations and a diversity of users, educational institutions have become a sitting target for cybercriminals. Colocation America points out that,

"Data for educational institutions is highly critical yet not many of them considered data security as one of their top priorities."

The vulnerability of these institutions is increased by this lack of data security protection.

Notable Cyber Attacks on Educational Institutions

In June 2023 the University of Manchester was hit by a data breach with hackers sending emails threatening to disclose the personal information of students and staff if a ransom was not paid. There has been a recent surge in cyber-attacks against educational institutions in the UK and it shows the seriousness of these challenges.

The attacks tend to range from ransomware and malware that can paralyse entire networks, to DDoS attacks designed to overwhelm systems, insider threats that exploit weak internal controls, and phishing scams that trick individuals into revealing sensitive information. These cyberattacks disrupt academic activities and compromise the data and privacy of millions of students and faculty members.

In the same month in 2023, Info Security Magazine published an article saying the UK education sector is a top target for cyberattacks,

“The UK’s education/research sector is the top target for ransomware actors with 3809 weekly attacks per organization in the past 6 months, according to Check Point figures seen by Infosecurity.”

Source: Info Security Magazine, June 23, 2023

IP House Protecting Data For the Education Sector

With the severity of the threat to the education sector considerable, IP House is able to offer advanced security measures and compliance features that can protect sensitive student and faculty data. IP House provides a secure environment for storing and managing data, mitigating the risk of cyber-attacks and ensuring compliance with the strict data protection regulations. The centre plays a critical role in safeguarding the vast amount of data generated by the education sector.

Physical and Network Security Measures in Colocation Centres

As well as data protection technology, IP House has strict physical security measures, including 24 hour CCTV, biometric access controls, and fire suppression systems. These measures ensure that data is protected from both cyber and physical threats. On the network front, we offer robust security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and DDoS protection to shield data from online threats.

Reflections

The technological advances in the education sector have brought with them significant data security problems. Unfortunately, for a long time the cybersecurity for protecting data has not been a priority for educational institutions due to limited budgets and a lack of technical resources. However, in the light of recent attacks in 2023, educational organisations across the globe are recognising that having proper cybersecurity measures in place is paramount.

IP House is perfectly positioned to continue protecting the education sector against the rise in cyberattacks. The advanced security measures of IP House mean that our educational clients can sleep soundly at night knowing that their data is safely guarded. Colocation is the way…

Talk to IP House about how Colocation Services can secrure your educational organisation from cyberattacks.

Sources:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2023/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2023-education-institutions-annex

https://www.colocationamerica.com/blog/data-security-for-educational-institutions

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-65973785

https://www.checkpoint.com/

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/manchester-university-victims/#:~:text=As%20reported%20by%20Infosecurity%2C%20the,first%20discovered%20three%20days%20earlier .

HOW TO BEAT THE WINTER BLUES!

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 11:39:58 GMT

Maintaining a positive work and life mindset in wintertime

Jamieson Lee Hill, February 14th, 2024

For many people Winter with its challenging weather and dark nights can be a difficult time that triggers the well known condition of SAD. In this article, we examine some of the ways you can dig deep and beat those winter blues at work or while running your business.

What is S.A.D.?

S.A.D. aka Seasonal Affective Disorder has been around for a while now. In fact, it was ‘first used in a paper by Norman Rosenthal and colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD.’

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons, typically affecting people in the late autumn and early winter. S.A.D. sufferers experience sadness or depression, low energy, poor concentration and disturbed sleep and appetite. If you are one of the unfortunate people to experience this disorder, the good news is that there are ways to counter the effects. Read on…

Light Therapy

One effective strategy is light therapy using light boxes. It involves exposure to artificial light. The light from the box simulates rays of sunlight that are lacking during late autumn and winter. It is believed that the light helps SAD sufferers by encouraging the brain to reduce melatonin levels. This is a hormone that makes people sleepy during dark and cold months. Conversely, the light box is thought to help the production of serotonin, the hormone that affects and stimulates your moods.

"Light therapy has been shown to be very effective for many people with SAD. It involves sitting near a special light box so you're exposed to bright light. Light boxes filter out the ultraviolet rays and require 20-60 minutes of exposure to 10,000 lux of cool-white fluorescent light, an amount that is about 20 times greater than ordinary indoor lighting."

Source: NHS Inform, 2024

Practical Tips for Employees to Beat the Winter Blues

Winter blues can be tough on employees, especially if you have to commute to work in dark and cold conditions. The monotony of the ‘metro, boulot, dodo’ routine in autumn winter months can be a real grind. The good news is that there are ways to make those times more bearable. One method is to make the most of the daylight hours in some of these ways:

Try to change your schedule to allow for as much exposure to daylight as possible
Even if it's cold outside, try to go out for a short walk during your lunch break
This will not only give you a boost of vitamin D, but also help to break up your day and clear your mind

Fostering a positive work environment for staff can make SAD sufferers feel supported. They can be nurtured with open and positive communication and support for personal issues. Companies that take preventative measures to assist employees with mental health issues are very proactive. Striving to promote a healthy work-life balance in staff is vital. DB Occupational Health.com recommends the following measures:

“Being allowed an extended lunch break or early start-early finish will give workers a chance to get out and about in the natural daylight. Taking regular breaks can also improve energy levels – yet another bonus for productivity and your employee’s health.”

Source: DB Occupational Health. Com, Dec 2021

Practical tips for freelancers and entrepreneurs to beat the winter blues

Freelancers and entrepreneurs face their own specific challenges during the winter months. Sticking to a routine can be an effective way to beat those winter blues and SAD. As The Chilli Times says,

"Having a consistent schedule is key to managing your mood and energy levels. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time each day, take regular breaks from work, and make sure you have time for relaxation and leisure activities."

Source: The Chill Times, 2023

Physical activity and exercise is also a brilliant way to up your mood and energy levels. Working out in the gym, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing or whatever you love most will get those veins pumping and happy chemicals flowing…

"Physical activity has been shown to help reduce symptoms of SAD. Try to incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine. This could be anything from walking or cycling to work, taking a yoga class, or even dancing around your living room."

Source: Grey Journal, October 2022

Reflections

SAD is a prevalent condition that plagues a lot of employees, freelancers and even bosses. Becoming more aware of SAD and introducing routines and positive changes can be a surefire way to overcome the challenge of those old winter blues….

Cue John Lee Hooker!

Find out more about how IP House London Data Centre can help your company with data management and colocation services! Fill in the form below...

SOURCES

1. https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing/low-mood-and-depression/beating-the-winter-blues/

2. https://cliqdigital.com/blog/digital_insider/how-to-beat-winter-blues-at-work

3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/02/16/five-ways-to-beat-the-winter-blues-in-your-company/

4. https://www.thechilltimes.com/3-freelancers-on-how-they-combat-the-winter-blues-pt-1/

5. https://greyjournal.net/play/health/fight-the-winter-blues-with-these-15-tips-for-entrepreneurs-and-feel-great-this-winter/

6. https://www.dbocchealth.com/blog/supporting-employees-with-seasonal-affective-disorder/

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaM_Bl__k0I&ab_channel=KingOfTheBlues

Optimising Data Management for Online Education Platforms

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 11:42:25 GMT

IP House Supporting Online Education Institutions

By Jamieson Lee Hill, February 6th, 2024

Demand for online education platforms with secure, scalable data storage solutions has boomed in the last 5 to 10 years. Increasing numbers of educational institutions and learners are using digital learning. Therefore, the pressure on platforms to facilitate increasing volumes of data has grown at the same time. IP House London provides leading edge data management solutions to cater for the evolving needs of online education providers. Let’s find out more…

The Rising Demand for Online Education Platforms: A Data Challenge

“According to the latest market analysis, the global Online Education Market is projected to reach USD 245900 million by 2028. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% during 2022-2028.”

Source: Linkedin 2023

The online growth of the education market is mostly due to increasing numbers of learners needing flexible learning options alongside the improving quality of online courses. As a result of this, online education platforms have to manage large amounts of data such as course materials, student records, interactive written, audio, video and visual content.

With the surge in data, the need for scalable and reliable data storage is crucial. Without such services, platforms can experience slow loading times, interruptions to service and data loss. Those types of challenges can badly affect the online learning experience and quality of the learning experience.

Coursera is an online learning platform which typifies the sort of massive growth the sector has seen…

“The World Economic Forum reports that in 2016, Coursera had 21 million registered users. By 2019, 44 million learners used the MOOC platform. This number leaped to 71 million in 2020, but unlike online college enrollment numbers, Coursera’s enrollment did not drop in 2021. Instead, the platform gained even more users, totaling 92 million in 2022.”

Source: Forbes, 2023

IP House's Secure and Scalable Infrastructure

IP House offers the ideal solutions to the aforementioned challenges. Our secure, flexible, and scalable data management infrastructure helps prevent such issues. With years of expertise, we have developed solutions that meet the current needs of online education platforms and enable institutions to scale seamlessly as the demand increases.

IP House colocation data centre is designed to provide maximum uptime, so your online platforms is always available to learners even with high volumes of data processing. Equally important are IP House's reliable security measures that protect your confidential client information and financial data from cyber attacks.

Student Preference For High Ranking Online Education

“For some prospective students, especially those moving into high-paying fields such as IT, the opportunity to learn high-demand skills is more important than a program or institution’s brand. Nearly half of respondents to our learner segmentation survey said they would only consider paying for education programs that have an expected positive return on career outcomes, while 21 percent indicated they would consider attending a school to get a degree only if the school was “top ranked”.”

Source: Mckinsey, 2023

With a track record in supporting top quality online education, IP House has the capacity and knowhow to supply robust secure data management solutions. Improving the online education experience is our forte. We understand how important the quality of digital educational provision is to learners. Indeed, IP House has the capacity and expertise to help institutions deliver high-quality learning experiences that discerning learners seek.

Read more articles about IP House and Education on our blog.

Reflections

Situated in London, IP House's scalable and secure data storage meets the challenges of educational organisations in today’s rapidly expanding sector. Not only can we fulfil the immediate needs of online education platforms, we can also partner with you to scale seamlessly as demand spirals upwards for your services.

Sources

1.LINKEDIN ARTICLE: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2023-online-education-market-size-share

2.INSIDEHIGHERED: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/teaching-learning/2023/08/15/report-suggests-online-learning-has-yet-peak

3.FORBES: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/student-resources/online-learning-stats/

4. IP HOUSE: https://www.ip-house.co.uk/blog

5.MCKINSEY: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/demand-for-online-education-is-growing-are-providers-ready

HOW COLOCATION DATA CENTRES SUPPORT FINTECH STARTUPS

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:14:24 GMT

IP House and the Fintech Sector

Jamieson Lee Hill, Monday 8th January 2023

In this article we examine how colocation data centres like IP House London support the ever expanding Fintech sector. We consider factors such as secure and compliant data storage, innovation and scalability.

The Expansion of The Fintech Sector

The fintech sector is rapidly expanding across the world and is expected to triple and reach £380bn by 2030.

‘The UK FinTech market is expected to reach a global market share of 12% by 2030. Today almost 70% of UK individuals use less cash and more digital payment solutions.’

Source: Linkedin 2023

The phenomenal rise in digital payments and online ecommerce during the pandemic gave the UK FinTech sector a lucrative opportunity to scale faster. IP House has been instrumental in supporting this expansion with our colocation services.

Secure Housing of Data Storage

The importance of secure and compliant data storage for fintech companies is paramount. The huge growth of ecommerce has fueled a high demand for ‘easy-to-use, online, secure payment services.’

FinTech, by its very nature, is also able to provide a unique solution to the high demand for banking services in countries lacking in infrastructure for digital banking and financial facilities.

‘Data has become more important than collateral for these providers, thanks to massive amounts of data available from e-commerce transactions, social media, and internet searches.’

Source: RBC Wealth, 2023

As data is so important to Fintech businesses, IP House London is perfectly positioned to serve their needs and bespoke to their requirements. We are fully equipped to help Fintech Startups and existing ventures to stay compliant with the stringent regulations of the industry for compliant data storage to protect customer's details and investments.

Trust and Reputation in FinTech

“Trust forms the bedrock of the fintech industry. Clients and customers entrust these companies with their most sensitive financial data, including personal identification information and transaction histories. A single breach can erode trust and tarnish the reputation of a fintech firm.”

Source: First Achieve.com, Sept 2023 .

As trust carries so much weight in FinTech, companies need a reliable operator for their data needs. IP House is able to cater specifically to their demands in terms of protecting their data. This helps Fintechs maintain their credibility as companies that can be trusted.

Infrastructure and connectivity for innovation and scalability

The innovation in fintech is radically enhancing the customer experience (UX). Nowadays, the fintech approach is more client-centric with interactive financial and banking services. Fintech companies have harnessed the capabilities of data networks and colocation data centre services and smartphones technology to expand and innovate.

Fintech innovation is now increasing the access of liquidity and financial and banking services to a wider range of customers than in the past. IP House's 24/7 servers and other facilities provide low latency, robust and reliable colocation services to help the innovation and scaling of fintech companies.

How IP House London Supports Clients

Whilst many organisations embrace the application of both Waterfall and Agile delivery, they will inadvertently need to expand the tech stack into multi layered environments to suit various stages of Dev and Testing. Once productionised there is usually a strong case for continued running of Dev & Test environments, to help ensure future upgrades and improvements to the respective products is conducted efficiently and accurately. Further consideration of a BCP scenario is also key, ensuring alternate systems are available should there be outage/impact to Primary components.

Historically organisations have retained each of these systems in primary estate, utilising premium footprint for demon/passive/failover systems, which can just as well be managed from a Colo Data Centre such as IP House. By migrating these components and services to IP House, many customers are seeing a cost saving more than 20% when compared to utilisation of current location, along with energy costs and unplanned outages caused due to lower levels of resilience as well as physical and logical security aspects. In multiple discussions with existing and new clients, IP House identified a pattern where many smaller operators had not considered Data Centre moves as a primary activity until they experienced an unplanned outage, such as flooding, break-in/burglary, power systems failure, pest control etc.

Big brands which use colocation data centres

A growing number of big brands use colocation data centres as the demand for their services increases. The list includes:

Digital Realty
NTT
CoreSite
Cyxtera
Amazon
GDS

Colocation Data Centres like IP House are ideal to provide the infrastructure, connectivity, cybersecurity, innovation and scope for scaling which large and small businesses need as they embrace the digital revolution!

IP House Client Feedback in 2023

As 2024 goes into full swing, we can look back on the feedback from clients through 2023. It was extremely positive with clients stating that the migration to IP House was smooth and transparent and the expertise and ongoing attention provided, helps clients move their focus onto other business revenue items and work towards company growth.

Get connected with IP House in 2024 and help your business thrive with colocation data centre services! Fill out the form below to make contact.

Sources:

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-does-future-look-like-uk-fintech-roberto-napolitano-mba#:~:text=The%20UK%20FinTech%20market%20is,UK%20FinTechs%20to%20scale%20faster .

2.RBC Wealth Management:

https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-ca/insights/fintech-and-the-future-of-finance

3.Selleo: https://selleo.com/blog/why-is-fintech-the-future-of-finance

4.Stanford Law School: https://law.stanford.edu/

5. World Financial Review:

https://worldfinancialreview.com/the-future-of-fintech-technologies-that-drive-the-industry/

6. Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scalability-future-proofing-building-infrastructure-grows?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

7. First Achieve:

https://firstachieve.com/blog/data-security-in-fintech-priorities-and-best-practices-for-ctos/

THE BENEFITS OF COLOCATION DATA CENTRES FOR THE GAMING INDUSTRY

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 18:07:54 GMT

How IP House supports the needs of gaming studios

Jamieson Lee Hill, 29th December, 2023

The gaming industry has seen astronomical growth in recent years, especially during the pandemic with a 39% rise in gaming time. With this rapid growth, there's a crucial need for robust, secure, and scalable infrastructure. That's where colocation data centres like IP House play a vital role. We offer a multitude of advantages for gaming companies. Let’s find out more…

The growth of the gaming industry

From 2018 the global gaming industry grew from $242.52 billion to $406.2 billion in 2023. For an industry that is bigger than the movie and music industry combined, it is vital to have reliable

colocation data centre servers.

The growth of generative AI in gaming

A major part of future growth is set to be global generative AI; IP House already uses AI to provide enhanced performance for all our clients. We are fully prepared for the predicted rise in AI in gaming from now until 2032.

“The Global Generative AI in Gaming Market is poised to grow from $922 million in 2022 to over $7 billion by 2032. Generative AI is revolutionizing the landscape of the game development sector by accelerating the development process and reshaping team dynamics.”

Source: Vintageisthenewold.com , Nov 2023

The importance of low latency for gaming

IP House is able to offer low latency which significantly improves performance for gaming studios. As any gamer knows, lag or connection loss can ruin the gaming experience. This is caused by high latency. Therefore, gaming studios understand the importance of minimal network delays to keep gamers satisfied. It also protects their brand because the gaming community can be brutal about technical problems.. Latency is particularly important for e sports and online gaming competitions.

“Online gaming has become a global phenomenon, with millions of players engaging in competitive gameplay across various platforms. Whether it's battling opponents in first-person shooters or strategizing in real-time strategy games, these online competitions require split-second decision-making and lightning-fast reflexes. However, one major hurdle that can hinder players' performance and overall gaming experience is network latency.

Source: Utilitiesone.com , July 2023

IP House offers high-speed internet connections which reduce latency and enrich the overall gaming experience. IP House’s facilities also provide improved reliability and uptime for gaming studios. As gaming is a 24/7 industry, downtime can lead to substantial revenue loss and reputational damage. IP House’s services ensure gaming servers are always operational by providing professional-grade redundancies for power and cooling.

The security benefits for gaming studios

Security is another massive concern for gaming companies due to the rise in cyber threats. Gaming in the Web 2 and 3 fields has had an unprecedented number of cyber attacks in the last 10 years. Our blog article in March 2023 explored some of the biggest hacks in recent years including GTA VI and Axie Infinity.

With the rise in cyber threats, security is therefore a top priority. Colocation data centres offer advanced security measures including 24/7 surveillance, providing protection against both physical and cyber threats. As noted by Datacenterdynamics.com,

"Data centers are the first line of defense for a company's information and applications."

IP House offers the following cyber security benefits for gaming companies:

Secure Network - we transmit data securely between servers and end-user devices.
Secure Infrastructure - we provide servers, storage, and other critical components.
Full Compliance – we are an ISO Certified Data Centre.
Redundancy - we supply high availability and redundancy, ensuring systems and data are always available even in the event of a failure or outage.

Scalability and flexibility benefits for gaming studios

As gaming communities expand, the need for adaptable infrastructure solutions becomes essential. Colocation facilities at IP House enable easy expansion and upgrades, adapting to the unique needs of each gaming server. TechRadar , an independent voice on tech industries, states that

"Colocation provides a high level of scalability as it allows you to expand your infrastructure as your business grows."

Geographic Diversity and Edge Computing

IP House London also offers strategic data centre choices for disaster recovery and optimised edge computing. Localised resources are part of a new trend for smaller data centres to support sectors with edge computing and colocation services.

"Edge computing and colocation services are two trends converging and driving the need for more localized, distributed IT resources closer to the end-user."

Source: Network World , 2023

Cost saving benefits for gaming studios

Lastly, subscribing to IP House's colocation services also offers cost-effectiveness without the need for large, upfront investment into onsite data centre facilities. Equally, we guarantee gaming studios professional support from our highly skilled team.

Hosting gaming servers can be an expensive business. However, IP House's colocation services provide a cost-effective solution with economies of scale, reducing the overall overhead costs. According to a report by CIO,

"Colocation is a cost-effective way for companies to expand their data center capacity without overspending on equipment and maintenance.

Source: CIO, 2023

Reflections

The benefits of IP House's colocation facilities for gaming companies are numerous. From enhanced performance and security to scalability and cost-effectiveness, our colocation data centre supplies the high-performance infrastructure that is in high demand from the gaming industry.

Get in touch today to find out how we can support your gaming company with cutting edge tech services!

Sources:

GAME-CHANGING TRENDS FOR THE DATA CENTRE INDUSTRY

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:12:32 GMT

A look back at 2023 and towards 2024

Jamieson Lee Hill, 15th December, 2023

As the year draws to a close we examine some of the trends in the data centre sector in 2023 and look to 2024. IP House plays a crucial role in supporting the increasing demand for data storage, processing power, and connectivity. With tech developing at such a rapid rate, we are committed to staying ahead of the game.

1 a. AI and Colocation Data Centers

Artificial Intelligence is on everyone’s lips and data centre colocation is no exception. AI is revolutionising colocation data centers, bringing automation and intelligence to various aspects of our operations. AI-powered predictive maintenance algorithms can analyse data centre equipment performance in real-time, predicting potential failures and enabling proactive maintenance to minimise downtime. This improves operational efficiency and reduces the costs incurred with equipment failure.

Also, AI can be used for intelligent automation in routine tasks such as monitoring and troubleshooting. Furthermore, AI frees up time for your staff to work on other important projects. Equally, AI-powered threat detection and response systems make your cybersecurity more robust by mitigating potential risks.

Leveraging AI-driven insights, IP House optimises resource allocation and capacity planning for our clients based on data patterns and trends. This means we can improve your overall operational efficiency and optimise your resources usage.

1 b. AI Infrastructure Spending in the Data Centre Sector

Data Bridge Market Research predicts that AI infrastructure market spending will reach $422.5 billion by 2029, with an impressive 44% annual growth rate. Also, Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, predicts a $1 trillion spend on data centre upgrades over four years driven by generative AI. As would be expected, the majority of this rapid growth in costs will be covered by multi-billion dollar brands like Amazon and Google.

With data centres in such high demand, especially in major markets such as the USA and Singapore (Tier One markets), vacancies are at a decade-low across North America. However, supply constraints are anticipated to lower by 2025 and beyond.

2. On-Site Energy Generation in Data Centres

Adopting on-site energy generation facilities to reduce reliance on the power grid and minimise carbon footprint is a very positive step towards Net Zero. Adopting measures such as equipping data centres with solar panels to generate renewable energy are one such example.

On-site energy generation has a number of benefits including long-term cost savings, increased energy independence, and improved sustainability. Furthermore, innovative energy storage technologies such as lithium-ion batteries or hydrogen fuel cells provide uninterrupted power supply during peak demand periods or grid outages. This shift towards on-site energy generation in data centres is supported by a study published in the ACM Digital Library . The report highlights the potential for next-generation data centres to optimise energy supply from on-site generators and the power grid.

3. The Rise of Smaller Data Centers

With the rise of edge computing and distributed data centres, smaller data centres are gaining popularity over larged sized ones. One of the benefits of edge data centres is that they are strategically placed closer to end-users. This allows faster content delivery and low-latency processing which is beneficial for real time analytics.

Smaller colocation data centres have the advantage of being agile to scale infrastructure, reduced latency for latency-sensitive applications, and cost savings with lower upfront investments. Thus, Edge computing is playing a significant role in creating faster, more efficient data processing. Therefore, the demand for smaller data centres is expected to increase in the future.

Indeed, the trend towards smaller data centres is becoming increasingly prominent in the tech industry. According to JLL, market research analysts predict the global edge data centre market to grow at a CAGR of 22.1%, reaching US$ 57.8 billion by 2031. The rise of edge computing and distributed data centres has been a driving force behind this. The need for edge computing with smaller data centres is now on the agenda for hyperscale data centre providers. They have realised the need to invest in smaller data centre. As Patrick Sweeney states,

“The trend toward edge computing is having a significant impact on the data center industry. Hyperscale data center providers now realize it is not a choice, they have to invest in edge computing infrastructure, and new companies are emerging to provide edge computing services such as micro-datacenters, immersion cooling and rapid deployability. The shift to edge computing is expected to create new opportunities for innovation and growth in the data center industry.”

Source: Patrick J Sweeney II, Linkedin article 2023

4. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Data Centers

“ Gartner defines MSP as a firm that offers network, application, infrastructure and security services through ongoing support. This could be through active administration on customers’ premises, in their MSP’s or in third-party data centers.”

Source: NRI.com , Oct 2023.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are increasingly investing in building strong relationships with data centers to offer their clients scalable infrastructure, reliable connectivity, and advanced security features without big capital investments. By partnering with data centers, MSPs can enhance their service delivery, gain access to advanced infrastructure, and achieve cost efficiencies through shared resources.

Successful partnerships between MSPs and data centres have shown just how partnerships between the two sectors can provide end-to-end solutions that meet the ever evolving customer demands. The collaboration between MSPs and data centres benefits both parties and improves the overall service quality for clients. The spending on the MSP sector was massive in 2022.

“In Q2 2022, global spending on MSPs reached $8.8 billion – surpassing the $8 billion annual contract value for the fifth consecutive quarter, per ISG research.”

Source: NRI.com , Oct 2023.

5. Looking Towards 2024

As we look towards 2024, the data centre industry is heading towards even greater continued growth. The increasing adoption of hyperscale data centres by major cloud providers is helping them meet the growing demand for storage, processing power, and AI-driven services.

Likewise, the collaboration between MSPs and smaller data centres is also improving services for end users and meeting the high demand. AI plays a major role in both small and large data centres worldwide. Also, the drive for energy generation from renewable sources is a key aspect. With the considerable rise in cyberattacks on UK businesses, cybersecurity will remain a top priority for IP House to protect all our customers with leading edge technologies.

Here at IP House in London, we are excited about the fast paced growth of our industry and embrace change at every step of the journey. By staying informed and leveraging these trends, we can innovate and improve for all of our clients.

Looking for colocation data centre services for your company? Let's talk. Please fill out the form below today!

Sources

1. The Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2023

2. https://brightlio.com/ai-colocation-data-center-market/

3. https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/cloud/article/21439020/the-eight-trends-that-will-shape-the-data-center-industry-in-2023

4. https://www.evoquedcs.com/blog/5-data-center-trends-2024

5. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-05-16-gartner-says-4-trends-are-shaping-the-future-of-cloud-data-center-and-edge-infrastructure

6. https://new.abb.com/news/detail/107744/four-data-center-trends-as-demand-for-data-continues-to-skyrocket

7. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trend-edge-data-centers-away-from-hyperscale-simply-sweeney-ii-dscae/

8. https://www.nri.com/en/knowledge/blog/lst/2023/fis/finsights/know-1026

9. https://ir.isg-one.com/news-market-information/press-releases/news-details/2022/Global-Market-for-IT-Business-Services-Shows-Signs-of-Slowing-in-Q2-ISG-Index-Finds/default.aspx

HOW COLOCATION DATA CENTRES ENHANCE THE GAMING EXPERIENCE

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 14:50:07 GMT

IP House and its work with gaming studios

Jamieson Lee Hill, Friday November 10th, 2023, Marketer and Videogame Storywriter

The relationship between gaming companies and colocation data centres is set to grow in the future because of the high demand of an ever-increasing industry. The total revenue for the global gaming sector is the same amount as the movie and music industry combined. Let's explore how colocation data centres work with gaming brands to enhance the gaming experience.

What kind of infrastructure do gaming brands need from colocation data centres?

One of the main requirements for gaming firms is that infrastructure is reliable and high performance. Lagging or unstable connections are not acceptable for gamers, and it would damage the reputation of a gaming brand. Partnering with a colocation data centre like IP House London saves a company from the massive investment needed for an in-house data centre.

The Future Relationship Between Gaming Brands & Data Centres

Cloud gaming services rely on internet bandwidth, the capacity of a server capacity, and a massive amount of computer energy and power to operate. Gamers will not accept lagging and latency. Big games like Fortnite, Call of Duty and others depend on reliable data centres for their global success and expansion.

"In the coming years, there will undoubtedly be a closer interaction between the gaming industry and the specialized data centers capable of supporting and ensuring premium quality user experience. It is clear that 'edge data centers' close to end users are essential for the future of gaming".

Source: Infiniti, 2023

Latency and affordability

IP House already has the infrastructure and technology to supply the cloud gaming sector. Our high-speed connections resolve the challenge of latency. It is no longer just the big brands like Google and Microsoft who can afford data centre resources. With flexible and affordable services from centres like IP House London, game developers of all sizes can now subscribe to colocation dcs.

The death of consoles?

Colocation data centres like IP House are part of the gaming revolution and its vast developments in live streaming software technologies. Moreover, with cloud gaming and livestreaming via colocation data centres, it is easier to access games on any device.

"This propels the growth of games like 'Fortnite' because you won’t have to invest in a console to do it…. This indicates that you won’t even need consoles in the future."

Source: Colocation America, 2023

How colocation data centres give gaming companies the competitive edge

The rapid access to hardware, faster connectivity and robust cybersecurity gives gaming brands a competitive edge. The colocation data centre also provides flexible and rapid channels for growth. Harnessing dedicated servers in colocation data centre facilities staffed by expert technicians bestows the opportunity to expand in size and develops reliability. Working with IP House data centre helps gaming studios to lower the complexity of the process and choose where data, critical workloads and their systems are hosted and stored. This helps gaming companies to optimise their performance.

“By leveraging  dedicated servers  housed in secure facilities with specialized infrastructure managed by experienced technicians, teams have more room for growth along with improved reliability for their gaming platforms.”

Source: Datacenters.com, 2023

The growth of the Esports industry

"As the Esports industry grows ever more popular, devoted gamers around the world are looking for superfast game play and immersive gaming experiences. Today, even the slightest delay in play is too long. Data hosting is a vital part of delivering that smooth and engaging video game experience to your customers."

Source: Proximitydatacentres.com, 2023

Esports require low latency and for this it is necessary to have a colocation data centre near your customers. Situated in the heart of London, IP House is ideal for Esports providers in the capital to supply them with reliable and high-speed connections for their gaming tournaments.

Collaborating with IP House

Partnering with IP House in London means your gaming company has a supplier with scalable facilities for expansion. Our expert team also stays ahead of the latest gaming tech developments. We manage to provide secure, competitive and reliable infrastructure and 24/7 monitoring and technical support.

Data Centres like IP House are helping to forge the next level of gaming as we collaborate with both Web 2 and Web 3 gaming projects. IP House's ability to supply resilient power and uptime are essential to providing a seamless experience for gaming studios and their armies of gamers across a variety of platforms including pc, mobile, console and tablet.

IP House understands the challenges for game development, and we support gaming companies with innovative solutions to their challenges.

Reflections

Clearly, the trend towards gaming brands partnering with colocation data centres is set to continue in its upward trajectory. Here at IP House, we are dedicated to keeping ahead of technological developments to ensure gaming houses experience the very best possible services for their cloud games and systems. Colocation services are ideal for the gaming industry and here at IP House we look forward to working with many gaming studios in the years to come.

“Colocation services are an ideal option for gaming companies who want to dramatically reduce complexity and cost without sacrificing performance. If you work with the right data center company, they can help give you access to better technology and help you make the best decisions about where to store important information, programs, and data.”

Source: Datacenters.com, 2023

Interested to find out more about how IP House can help your Gaming Studio? Fill out the form below. Let's Talk!

Choosing a Colocation Data Centre

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:10:31 GMT

The factors to consider when selecting a data centre partnership

Jamieson Lee Hill, November 3rd, 2023

Choosing a colocation data centre to partner with can be quite daunting. There are so many factors to reflect on. Protecting your data and systems is paramount, so you need to be sure of the colocation data centre you are partnering with. Here at IP House, we have compiled a list of useful questions to help you in this process and we also explain how IP House supports companies with a number of factors.

8 questions for choosing a colocation data centre

This is our list of 8 questions to help you decide:

Is the agreement flexible to meet my needs?
Does the facility support my power needs, current and future?
Is the facility network carrier neutral? Or does it offer a variety of network carriers?
Is the security up to my standards?
Does my enterprise business have a plan for handling transitional costs?
Is this data centre scalable for future growth?
Does the DC have the practical functionality for our engineer’s needs? Location, covered parking for easy load/unloading, build suites and meeting rooms, along with kitchen facilities?
Will the data centre support my business growth plans and if required be adapted to my model of engagement with my clients?

If the answer is mostly yes to the 8 questions, then you have a sure sign that this is a data centre worth partnering with.

How IP House supports companies and the factors involved

As companies increase their digital infrastructure, finding the right colocation data centre becomes crucial. Data centres have to meet the specific needs of clients in these following areas:

● flexibility

● power

● network connectivity

● location

● security

● scalability

● practical functionality.

Flexibility to Meet Your Needs

IP House understands the bespoke requirements of different sectors and offers tailored solutions to overcome their challenges. Whether you need a small storage to start or plan future scaling up, IP House provides flexible options to scale your infrastructure. Having the extra capacity for expansion at your fingertips is a major factor.

“The average colocation contract is between three and five years and it will save a lot of time and money, not to mention the effort and downtime involved in having to change providers, if you choose a colocation facility that can offer the extra physical capacity, power and cooling you may need in future.”

Source: Steve Bebber, Customer Think.com , Jan 2023

Power Capacity and Future Readiness

It is essential to ensure that a data centre can support your current power needs and also having the capacity for future growth. IP House operates a purpose-built data centre with a robust power infrastructure that can meet the high demands of businesses. With state-of-the-art power systems and redundancy measures in place, IP House guarantees uninterrupted operations and reliable power supply. This is essential for any business to make sure staff and clients have continuity of online services,

“Many data centers may provide redundant equipment, such as UPSs and generators, to power IT equipment and support facility equipment in a grid failure. They also may have additional chillers and water pumps to serve as backup for cooling equipment.”

Source: Elementcritical.com , 2023

Network Connectivity Options

IP House is a carrier-neutral data centre, providing a wide range of network connectivity options. This allows businesses to choose the network provider that best suits their requirements in terms of performance, latency, and redundancy. Our London Dockland location means we have excellent connectivity to major network providers and internet exchanges .

“Interconnections allow for low latency and a high-performance network, as well as access to multiple providers. This provides more redundancy, scalability, and flexibility. It also means that you can quickly adjust your network needs to accommodate sudden changes in demand.”

Source: 515Engine.com, 2023

Ideal Location for Data

Location plays a vital role in choosing a colocation data centre. IP House's location in London's Docklands makes it highly accessible for companies in education, fintech, and gaming. This prime location provides easy access to international fibre routes and enables low-latency connections to global markets. Additionally, the facility is situated away from flood zones and major transportation routes, ensuring the safety and security of your data.

Robust Security Measures

Security is a top priority when it comes to data centres. IP House understands the importance of protecting sensitive information and employs stringent security measures. The facility features multi-layered physical security systems, including 24/7 surveillance, access control systems, and biometric authentication. Furthermore, IP House follows industry best practices and complies with relevant regulations. Strict security measures are vital for every data centre.

“Consider finding a colocation provider who keeps a strict list of people who are authorized to access your assets and is controlled by electronic cabinet door locks and card readers. You can also look for a facility where closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras or webcams are used so you can monitor who has access to your equipment at all times.”

Source: Sunbirddcim.com, 2023

Seamless Transition and Scalability

When considering a colocation data centre, it is crucial to evaluate the transitional costs and whether the facility can support your business's growth plans. IP House works closely with enterprise businesses to ensure a seamless transition with minimal disruption. Additionally, the facility offers scalable solutions that can accommodate your evolving needs. IP House provides the flexibility to scale up or down as required.

Customisable Engagement

IP House focuses on supporting your business growth and adapting to your model of engagement with clients. IP House offers customisable options to meet your specific requirements. We tailor your data centre environment and infrastructure to align with your bespoke needs.

Reflections

Choosing a colocation data centre requires careful consideration. As expert Steven Beber advises,

“A reliable colocation provider will have a proven track record and excellent reviews. Take the time to thoroughly research what others have to say as choosing where you are going to store your servers and data is not a decision to take lightly.”

Source: Steve Bebber, Customer Think.com , Jan 2023

IP House London has a proven track record of supporting your business with reliable systems and staff. By partnering with IP House, your critical data is housed in a secure and reliable environment with the potential for future growth.

Want to know more about how IP House can support your business? Fill out the form below! Let's talk!

Colocation Data Centres vs In-house Data Centres

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 14:29:23 GMT

Why IP House recommends colocation data centre services

Jamieson Lee Hill, October 9th, 2023

In this article we look at in-house data centres and how they compare with colocation data centres such as IP House, London. This is a deep dive into why we think colocation data centres services have the edge on in-house facilities.

What is an in-house data centre? (In-house DC)

An in-house data centre is when a company houses its servers, networking hardware, or other necessary IT equipment in its own onsite facility. The in-house DC is owned and managed by the company itself. In-house facilities are normally located on the company’s property or another place nearby owned by the company. Often companies hold onto their in-house data facilities for

…” mission-critical systems to account for the fact they can run out of space..”

Source: Data Span.com, 2023

In-house DC facilities mean that a company has full control over data as well as security, cooling and airflow.

What are the advantages of an in-house data centre?

A primary advantage of an in-house data centre is that your company has total control over data with the freedom to expand capacity when needed. Equally, with the hardware and software stored on-site, it is easy to troubleshoot problems or carry out maintenance.

Large corporations and their executive boards had a tendency in the past to prefer data to be stored onsite. However, this is slowly changing as more corporations adopt colocation data centre services like IP House.

“One of the main advantages of an in-house data centre is complete control and companies are always in touch with their data and are free to change or expand on their own terms as they need it.”

Source: Data Foundry.com

The downsides of In-house data centres

Nevertheless, housing your company onsite has certain disadvantages, mostly centring around resources. An in-house DC requires a lot of investment, human labour, and time for the maintenance and expansion of service. As your business scales, the complexity and resource demand of growth incur increased costs. There is also the question of getting employees with the right knowledge to maintain these services as it becomes harder to recruit staff with high-level and cutting-edge IT skills.

“More than half (53%) of the respondents to Uptime’s 2022 Global Data Center Survey report that their organizations are having difficulties finding qualified candidates — up from 47% in last year’s survey and 38% in 2018.”

Source: Journal Uptime Institute.com, 2023

This IT labour shortage is also seen in the cybersecurity sector with a shortage of staff of over 3 million,

“The 2022 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study identified a 3.4 million worldwide cybersecurity worker gap; the total existing workforce is estimated at 4.7 million.”

Source: Security Intelligence.com , Feb 3, 2023

Construction of an in-house DC costs a large initial investment for hardware, infrastructure and the building. Yet an in-house DC gives the firm the freedom to customise the design of the centre to meet their bespoke requirements as a company.

What is a colocation data centre? (Colocation DC)

A colocation data centre is where hardware and IT equipment are housed offsite in a secure third-party location. A colocation DC will normally house hardware and software for a number of companies in different sectors. IP House, London is a colocation DC which supports various sectors including fintech, gaming, and education.

What are the advantages of a colocation data centre?

Housing your data offsite in a colocation DC does put physical distance between your business HQ and your data. However, with 24-hour online access to your data and software, the distance is inconsequential. Due to changing attitudes to data storage, the colocation DC has seen significant growth in recent years with the industry expected to hit $54 billion in 2023.

Expertise and Knowledge

One of the main benefits of using a colocation DC is the 24/7 expertise that comes included with the package. IP House provides cutting-edge infrastructure and facilities with highly trained staff onsite to give you peace of mind that your data is in safe hands.

24-Hour Monitoring And Protection

With a colocation DC, your business data is protected by facility maintenance and 24-hour monitoring, against cyber attacks, power failures, and data breaches/hacking. This takes the pressure off your business in terms of resources and funding. It is the colocation DC which provides the staff, time, and resources to manage your systems.

Scalability

With a colocation DC, it is much easier to expand your business because of the flexibility of the colocation DC infrastructure. Depending on the sector, each industry has different needs. IP House’s leading-edge facilities will help your business scale rapidly while maintaining high standards for your clients.

Affordability

Affordability is another key reason to use colocation DC services. Rather than having a massive investment for an in-house data centre, a business can grow step by step. Colocation DCs allow a business the flexibility to scale and expand gradually or as quickly as needed.

“Colocation is often the less expensive option because having your company servers hosted in a shared facility can lead to lower energy, connectivity, and other utility costs.”

Source: Lightwavenetworks.com, 2023

Connectivity, Latency and Speed

Excellent connectivity and latency in colocation DCs mean that businesses have fast and reliable servers for their staff and clients. In the modern world, as data becomes more decentralised and speeds increase, colocation DCs are starting to replace in-house DCs in many cases. Colocation DCs tend to have a much higher and quicker bandwidth than in-house facilities.

Server Uptime

Colocation DCs provide businesses with the advantage of being guaranteed a certain % of the uptime. They do this by buying a specific ‘tier’ of the uptime. This comes without the salary expenses or maintenance

costs that an in-house facility would incur.

Risk management

If a natural disaster or power cut happens, a colocation DC like IP House will be able to keep your business services working so that network traffic is not affected. Layers of ‘redundancy’ at a colocation DC are much more complex than most in-house data centre facilities.

Security

Colocation DCS have the latest cutting security technology. This includes biometric readers, CCTV cameras, check-in desks and other security measures. 24/7 & 365 day a year security monitoring online and in the real world tackle cyber security issues for all of IP House’s clients.

“Colocation data centers typically offer fully redundant power and internet connections, mirrored data centers for reliable disaster recovery, and high-end physical security features like biometric screening included with their colocation lease agreements.”

Source: Lightwavenetworks.com, 2023

Cost savings of colocation data centres

One of the main advantages of colocation is that it results in significant cost savings especially when measured against managing a data center in-house. This helps businesses to make significant cost savings to stay on budget. Also, the ongoing maintenance of an in-house DC is much more expensive than outsourcing to a colocation data centre like IP House.

Certified Experts

Partnering with a colocation DC like IP House guarantees that your firm is working with certified experts. This results in significant savings over salaries that happen with an in-house facility. The experts who work for colocation DCs can troubleshoot, monitor and manage your business systems, saving your firm time and money.

Reflections

With a significant shortage in high-level, expert staff to work in data centres, IP House strongly recommends that companies go down the collocation DC route. Outsourcing your software, systems and data to IP House will give you peace of mind. Plus, your business will be able to scale and provide consistent services that are safe, reliable and fast.

Collocation data centres with shared facilities equate to lower costs for your business; as the cooling and power expenditure are covered by a multitude of customers, rather than paying for it all as with an in-house data facility. Furthermore, colocation DCs usually have a volume of usage that allows them to negotiate better price deals with internet providers to further lower costs for businesses.

Finally, the large bandwidth capacity of colocation data centres is often greater than that of in-house DCs. It is this bandwidth that is increasingly important for remote workers to ensure faster and more reliable online connections for apps, systems and data.

Find out more today by filling out the form below and then speaking to one of our experts at IP House.

Sources and Extended Reading List:

1. https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/blog/pros-and-cons-in-house-data-center-vs-colocation/#:~:text=Redundant%20internet%20and%20power%20connections,an%20in%2Dhouse%20data%20center .

2. https://www.webwerks.in/blogs/what-choose-colocation-vs-house-data-centers

3. https://www.lightwavenetworks.com/resource-articles/colocation-vs-in-house-data-center/

4. https://cdpcorp.com/on-premise-data-center-vs-colocation/

5. https://www.tateinc.com/us/en/knowledge-articles/colocation-vs-in-house-data-centers/

6. https://www.bmc.com/blogs/data-center-colocation/

7. https://www.coresite.com/blog/choosing-a-data-center

8. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/colocation/5-factors-consider-when-choosing-colocation-provider

9. https://www.sunbirddcim.com/blog/what-look-colocation-data-center

10. https://elementcritical.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-colocation-data-center-for-future-needs/

https://www.515engine.com/unlocking-maximum-potential-choosing-the-perfect-data-center-colocation-for-your-business/

11. https://medium.com/@zindagitechnology/types-of-data-centers-how-to-choose-the-right-data-center-for-your-business-7ae9d6fc64f7

12. https://www.servercolocation.uk/blogs/news/how-to-choose-a-data-center-colocation-provider

13. https://colocation.yotta.com/blog/6-factors-to-consider-when-choosing-a-data-center

14. https://blog.equinix.com/blog/2020/07/02/7-things-you-need-to-know-when-choosing-a-data-center-partner/

THE FUTURE FOR THE FINTECH INDUSTRY

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 09:13:02 GMT

Views of leading authorities on FinTech’s development and growth

Jamieson Lee Hill, September 18 ^th , 2023

The FinTech industry is thriving. With the expansion of services and utilisation of co-location data centres and cloud computing, the financial services industry is witnessing an immense period of growth. IP House Data Centre in London is a key part of this digital revolution supplying services to FinTech organisations across the UK and worldwide. In this article we explore the views on FinTech’s future from some well-known organisations and leading experts.

FinTech in 2023

In 2023 over half C-level executives in FinTech agree that,

‘Digital transformation is the most important strategic initiative for their company and now spend 27% of their overall IT budget on digital transformation initiatives, compared to only 11% in 2022.”

Source: Core Site.com 2023

Banks look to invest in measures which enhance the customer experience for financial services. Also, with scalability and affordability of colocation data centre services offered by companies like IP House, it means that banks and financial services firms can reduce their overhead costs for acquiring and retaining customers.

Leading authority Gartner listed the main priorities for banking and investments in 2023 as including:

· Growth

· Digital transformation

· Customer experience

Digital transformation using colocation data centres and cloud services is helping to expand and develop FinTech services. Furthermore, Gartner has predicted the key focus for banking and investment services in 2023,

“According to the Gartner 2023 CIO and Technology Executive Survey , banking and investment services CIOs will spend the largest amount of new or additional funding in 2023 on cybersecurity , data and analytics , integration technologies and cloud .”

Source: Gartner.com, 2023

IP House And The FinTech Industry

IP House colocation data centre in London is a leading provider of services for the FinTech industry. With cutting edge technology IP House provides affordable, pay as you grow solutions for financial services firms. The innovative technology used at IP House also means that services can be expanded rapidly and seamlessly. In addition, the cybersecurity and 24/7 monitoring provides the robust security that is essential for the FinTech industry.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

BCG is a global consulting firm and a pioneer in business strategy when it first started in 1963. They work in partnership with leaders in business and society to help face the biggest challenges and embrace opportunities.

“Our success depends on a spirit of deep collaboration and a global community of diverse individuals determined to make the world and each other better every day.”

Source: BCG.com, 2023

BCG predicts that FinTech sector will grow from a current 2% share of global financial services revenue to 25% by 2030. In monetary terms that equates to $1.5 trillion dollars in annual revenue.

Also, BCG forecast that B2B and B2B2x (B2B to any user) will be the two main sectors that will lead the way in future. Equally, BCG state that ‘emerging markets are expected to continue to see disrupter, full-stack models reign as they expand financial inclusion.’

They emphasise that regulators need to be ‘proactive and lead from the front to develop policies that create a collaborative, safe, and open financial ecosystem’. This is needed to allay the fears of executives who have concerns about using cloud services and colocation data centres for hosting FinTech services. Large corporations tended to house their software and data onsite in the past due to cybersecurity dangers. However, the tide is now changing. The overall flavour from BCG is that FinTech is,

“Not just a passing trend but a foundational force that will continue to transform the financial landscape for years to come.”

Source: BCG.com, 2023

The World Bank’s View OnThe Future For FinTech

“FinTech, the application of digital technology to financial services, is reshaping the future of finance– a process that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated.”

Source: World Bank.org, 2023

The World Bank has a positive view for the future of FinTech stating that the ongoing digital transformation of financial service and money is creating opportunities ‘opportunities to build more inclusive and efficient financial services and promote economic development.’

They identify ‘a paradigm shift’ with FinTech transforming the financial sector. In a similar vein to BCG, the World Bank emphasis the need for a review of ‘regulatory, supervisory, and oversight frameworks to ensure they remain fit for purpose and enable the authorities to foster a safe, efficient, and inclusive financial system.’ Lastly, the World Bank is encouraging cross-border co-ordination and sharing of information and best practices.

Financial Times

The FT has an upbeat and dynamic view of the future of FinTech,

“The FinTech space is booming and as finance and technology converge further, investors will continue to pour billions into new innovations that deliver services more efficiently.”

Source: Financial Times, 2023

However, there is a caveat on their buoyant optimism because they have observed that Silicon Valley’s transition to financial services has been ‘relatively gradual’. Nevertheless, they cite Google as having plans to work with existing financial services firms like Citigroup. Google’s goal is to expand the use of Google Pay. The FT commented that FinTech strategy appears to not ‘disrupt or replace banks, but to act as partners.’

The FT’s Innovation Editor John Thornhill believes that FinTech is completely ‘redesigning in finance in China from the smartphone user’s perspective.' Smartphone payments in China are 50 times that of the USA.

Selleo’s View On The Future Of FinTech

“The need for simple, safe, online payment systems has grown dramatically along with e-commerce.”

Source: Selleo.com, August 2023

Selleo, a global brand working within FinTech, highlights the growth of FinTech services in tandem with e-commerce. They also point out that all over the world,

“There are sizable, neglected communities all over the world that have little to no access to banking or financial services.”

Selleo see FinTech providers as the solution to supplying services to these communities to help overcome barriers of social development and to generate fast economic change. They also emphasis the massive amounts of data which e-commerce transactions, online searches and social media provide. This allows FinTech to choose what to charge customers and which services to offer them. Data is hugely important for the FinTech sector.

Conclusion

“The UK FinTech market is expected to reach a global market share of 12% by 2030 . Today almost 70% of UK individuals use less cash and more digital payment solutions, a phenomenon that accelerated during the recent pandemic crisis. This is a clear opportunity for UK FinTechs to scale faster.”

Source: Roberto Napolitano on Linkedin, May 2022

As well as considerable growth in the UK, ‘the global FinTech market is expected to triple and reach £380bn by 2030’ states Napolitano. This is immense growth for a sector that is at a leading edge of technology and data services. The pandemic accelerated the digital revolution for financial services massively and it seems set to continue. FinTech’s success is partly built on the ‘high adoption rates by small investors and retail customers looking for convenience and ease of use’ explains Napolitano in his excellent Linkedin article from 2022.

The USA is number one for FinTech investment closely followed by the UK in second place with 50% of the total investment in Europe going to the United Kingdom. Napolitano believes that the future of UK FinTech depends on,

“How well equipped the ecosystem of political institutions, entrepreneurs, investors and incubators is to support growth, maintain competitiveness and face the challenges ahead.”

Source: Roberto Napolitano on LinkedIn, May 2022

Stanford Law School believes that,

“FinTech innovation is changing customers’ experience and expectations by promoting a more client-centric and interactive approach to financial and banking services.”

Source: Stanford Law School, 2023

FinTech innovation is harnessing the global reach of data networks and smartphone technology. Large portions of the world population are getting access to financial and banking services via this technology. This is in turn putting pressure on the banks and other regulated organisations to embrace the wave of new Fin Tech technology.

Gradually, we are seeing the banking and financial regulatory authorities evolving as the FinTech revolution continues. Regulation in FinTech is an essential bedrock to make online financial services safe and secure as this thriving industry seems set to grow in the years to come.

IP House with our colocation data services, cutting edge technology and cybersecurity are part of this dynamic FinTech revolution. Together we are partnering with financial services institutions to help them realise their ambitions.

If you would like to find out more about IP House's colocation services for FinTech, fill out the form below. Let's Talk!

Sources

1. Gartner: Gartner.com, 2023

2. Stanford Law School: Stanford Law School, 2023

3. Financial Times: Financial Times, 2023

4. Selleo: Selleo.com, August 2023

5. BCG: BCG.com, 2023

6. Core Site.com: Core Site.com 2023

7. World Bank: World Bank.org, 2023

8. Roberto Napolitano on LinkedIn: Roberto Napolitano on LinkedIn, May 2022

TOP TRENDS IN EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY PART TWO

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:40:37 GMT

Gamification in Education

Jamieson Lee Hill, 8th September 2023

In this second article on education and technology trends we explore gamification and its history. We also look at how and why it is used, and some of the main components of a gamified approach. Gamification is an inspiring complement to teaching and learning!

IP House And The Gaming & Education Sectors

IP House already hosts key gaming businesses and educational organisations. We help them leverage low latency networks and routing to help ensure a great global presence and experience is achieved.

What is gamification?

“the practice of making activities more like games in order to make them more interesting or enjoyable ”

Cambridge Dictionary

Gamification is used in education and also many industries to make learning and training more engaging and fun for participants.

Who invented the term gamification?

The term "gamification" was first coined by Nick Pelling, a British programmer and inventor, in 2002. However, it wasn't until late 2010 that the term gained widespread recognition. Pelling was well known for creating the game Frak in 1984. He saw the value of implementing game mechanics in different industries and businesses. Peling was inspired to spread his game design to other disciplines.

“As games became increasingly popular, articles started to emerge, outlining the countless uses of gamification. The gamification history helped this concept become a catalyst – a powerful marketing and social tool that can be used in the workplace.”

Source: Spinifycom, March 5th, 2023

The origins of gamification in education

The origins of gamification in education are not one hundred percent clear but it is widely believed that gamification was originally used in the education of children in the Scout movement in the 1900s. The scouts used ‘active educational methods’ to help build the character of young children but obviously without the technology that we have today.

1980s gamification in the classroom

Early examples of gamification in the classroom go back to the 1980s and video/computer games. 'Where in the world is Carmen San Diego' was a very successful game released by software developer Broderbund Software in 1985. Players operated as detectives, with the ACME Detective Agency, searching for a former ACME Detective Carmen SanDiego. Simultaneously they learned about geography and history. With 70 awards, including the Silver Apple Award from the National Educational Media Network in 1996, it was a massive success. Read more here for other examples.

When was the first modern gamification platform launched?

Rajat Pahari launched the first modern gamification platform in 2005. It was called ‘Bunchball’. Bunchball is a cloud-based platform designed to help organisations and businesses leverage the power of gamification. The game mechanics included leaderboards, points, missions, and badges. It was merged into the working environment to motivate staff.

In 2007, Kevan Davis developed a web app called Chore Wars. The app brought gamification to daily household tasks. It employed a collaborative RGP-style system.

Why is gamification ideal for the classroom?

“ Ninety-seven percent of adolescents play at least one hour of video games per day, so bringing games into the classroom is intuitive for students.”

Source: eschoolnews.com, 2023

Students are highly motivated by gamified learning; it helps them to engage fully with education and learning. Also, using a system of points, leaderboards, and badges keeps them excited and spurs them on to learn more. It also has other beneficial factors as shown in the following extract,

“Bringing games into the classroom also gives students an opportunity to explore social-emotional principles, increasing their adaptability and communication and improving their ability to work with others.”

Source: eschoolnews.com, 2023

The growth of esports in schools

In recent years there has been an increase in schools taking part in team esports. This is expected to continue in the future with schools investing more time and money into esports resources for students to practice and take part in games. Research shows that academic esports have a beneficial effect on ‘academic performance and social-emotional learning’. Furthermore, some students who are very successful in esports can gain scholarship opportunities.

Gamification and motivational methods

Teachers can use gamification to harness the competitive nature of students as they compete for points and badges on leaderboards. Gamified aspects of lessons can make the learning process more exciting and engaging. Let’s explore points, badges, and leaderboards.

Points

Points are given out and used to measure the academic progress of students. The allocation of points is down to the teachers but it can be for completing tasks, contributing positively in class, model behaviour, or excelling in homework. Gaining points gives students a feeling of accomplishment and inspires them to take greater responsibility and ownership over their learning in their quest for more points.

Badges

Badges are another effective way to show achievement by students. They can be given out at certain milestones or when students show particular skills or abilities. They help to build students’ self-esteem and confidence as they share their badges with others or put them in their portfolios

Leaderboards

Leaderboards foster healthy competition between students as they are motivated to gain more points by studying harder. If teachers encourage team collaboration to gain points, it can be very motivating. Putting the students into different houses, where they gain individual points and a collective number of points for all students in that house, is also a great approach to encourage students to learn more.

Differentiation and gamification

Gamification is also an opportunity for teachers to create differentiated resources to give students individualised learning experiences. Students receive activities and tasks that fit their learning styles with the gamified dynamics of the classroom. Therefore, gamification can cultivate a supportive learning environment where tasks can be tweaked to the level and needs of each individual student.

Skills and competencies in gamification

“Gamification for learning can be beneficial because games instill lifelong skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, social awareness, cooperation, and collaboration.”

Source: Elearningindustry.com, 2023

Gamification, as the quotation shows, promotes important competencies, abilities, and skills for students as well as making learning more fun. Problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and social awareness are some of the core skills that games get students to employ. Using these skills in groups and pairs prepares learners for real-world situations where collaboration is essential. However, gamification can also be used for gamifying individual tasks as well.

Reflections

Gamification is an excellent tool to complement teaching and learning processes. It is important to find a balance between gamified learning and making sure that all aspects of the academic curriculum are covered. Using badges, points, and leaderboards can foster healthy competition between students and encourage collaborative learning.

Gamification gives students increased motivation to learn and fosters the development of important skills and abilities. It is an extremely important tool for the future of education helping teachers and students alike to meet their objectives.

IP House and Gamification

If your educational organisation would like to run your gamification platforms using a colocation data centre, IP House has affordable and flexible packages. Our easily accessible and scalable systems mean that you have flexibility to increase your provision as demand dictates. Furthermore, our colocation data centre services use the very latest technology to ensure your gamified learning processes and apps run quickly and smoothly without a delay to the learning process. Furthermore, IP House can safely store all your valuable data with our hi-tech cybersecurity systems.

Fill out the form below to arrange a chat with IP House about your needs as an educational organisation using gamification apps, software and systems.

Sources

1. https://spinify.com/blog/gamification-history/

2. https://www.eschoolnews.com/innovative-teaching/2023/01/30/5-of-the-biggest-education-trends-in-2023/

3. https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/webdevelopment/9781782168119/1/ch01lvl1sec09/history-of-gamification-in-education

4. https://www.biworldwide.com/about-us/about-bunchball/

5. https://elearningindustry.com/gamification-for-learning-strategies-and-examples

6. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf

TOP TRENDS IN EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY PART ONE

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 09:25:15 GMT

Personalised Learning and Blended Learning

Jamieson Lee Hill, August 22nd, 2023

In this article, we explore some of the biggest trends in education and technology in 2023. The educational landscape is rapidly evolving worldwide, and staying informed about the latest trends that will shape the future of learning is crucial.

Educational Technology Trends

There are currently a number of educational technology trends that encompass a wide range of advancements. These include the integration of AI and robotics in classrooms, the emergence of virtual and augmented reality, the increasing utilisation of online learning tools, and the shift towards personalised learning. In this first article, we explore personalised and blending learning and how technology is central to these approaches.

Personalised Learning

“Personalized learning, a prominent and transformative educational trend of our era, represents a paradigm shift in teaching and learning methodologies.”

Source: Gradesmiths.com, May 2023

Personalised learning is a step away from the one model fits all approach. It involves educators creating bespoke learning experiences and journeys for students. The teacher or lecturer plans the learner’s learning based on their individual needs, learning styles and interests. In addition, personalised learning helps to engage students more fully and is far more effective and motivating for them. With differentiation in the tasks personalised learning meets the individual needs of students. It also fosters greater intrinsic motivation in students as they take ownership of their studies.

Using online technology for assessments and real-time data, lecturers and teachers can spot the areas where students have weaknesses and need further assistance. This means that students can be given bespoke resources and guidance from their tutors. Likewise, online technology for education allows students to work together easily online in virtual environments and have immediate access to communication with teachers. Equally, working together online helps students to experience peer learning, and the sharing of ideas and develops their critical thinking processes. In 2024, personalised learning is predicted to develop even further,

“2024 will see further refinement in personalized learning strategies, aiming to customize learning according to each student’s strengths, needs, skills , and interests.”

Source: Moonpreneur.com, September 2022

IP House Supporting Personalised Learning

IP House Colocation Data Centre provides the perfect software and hardware solutions for educational institutions to house their data and systems. It is a more cost-effective option than housing data and infrastructure onsite at a school, college or university.

Furthermore, IP House’s pay-as-you-grow approach means that educational institutions can scale in stages and within budgetary constraints. As increasing numbers of educational organisations switch to personalised learning online, the colocation data centre option to host online learning platforms, educational software and other digital materials is growing in popularity.

In addition to this, machine learning and other algorithms can provide a bespoke analysis of learners’ data to tailor support to students and for their assessments. Technology for education is taking the sector into an exciting new era where individual learning is taking off. IP House Colocation Data centre is proud to be part of that evolution.

Blended Learning

“Blended learning has the potential to transform education by personalizing learning experiences and leveraging the power of technology.”

Source: Arne Duncan , 2023

Blended learning is not a new concept but it is certainly making strides with the advancement of technology. It is made up of conventional face-to-face teaching along with online learning. It enables students to work at their own pace and the resources are differentiated to their personal needs online. For students who struggle with classroom learning, blended learning gives them the opportunity to excel while working online.

With blended learning, students benefit from the in-class and campus learning which provides human interaction with teachers and fellow students. This gives them a more personable and interpersonal experience than solely working online. Online learning includes discussions in pairs and groups, group and individual tasks, video activities and so forth. Having the ability to use online resources gives students the freedom to work when and where they want to. Also, for older students with jobs and family responsibilities, blended learning means they can fit online learning into their busy schedules as well as face-to-face classroom contact time.

“Blended learning is about creating a more student-centered and data-driven approach to education.”

Source: Jeff Bezos , 2023

The flexibility of blended learning technologies gives those students who struggle to learn and focus in a real classroom, the chance to learn in their own way and at their own pace. Moreover, blended learning trains students to use technology and gives them the digital skills needed for the workplace. With experience studying online using digital platforms and collaborating in teams, it is the ideal grounding for hybrid working or fully remote working in their future careers.

Reflections

The differentiation and personalisation of blended learning is one great example of how education technology is revolutionising teaching and learning. IP House Colocation Data centre in London works in collaboration with educational institutions to host their software, hardware and digital platforms for blended learning.

If you would like to find out more about how IP House can host your educational software and digital platforms for your organisation, fill out the form below!

Sources:

1. https://moonpreneur.com/blog/top-education-trends-2023/

2. https://www.class.com/blog/five-education-technology-trends-2023/

3. https://www.eschoolnews.com/innovative-teaching/2023/01/30/5-of-the-biggest-education-trends-in-2023/

4. https://gradesmiths.com/blog/ignite-your-educational-journey-unveiling-the-top-10-game-changing-educational-trends-you-must-embrace-in-2023-2024/

5. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/02/17/the-top-5-education-trends-in-2023/

PROUDLY SUPPORTING SEWA UK: EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES AND TRANSFORMING LIVES

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 09:41:12 GMT

IP House and the Rickshaw Run 2023

We are thrilled to have participated in the exhilarating Rickshaw Run 2023, an adventure for a greater cause – supporting the incredible efforts of Sewa UK!

Sewa UK, a humanitarian organization committed to empowering communities, has deeply inspired us with their unwavering dedication to making a positive impact in society. Here are some of the reasons why we wholeheartedly support Sewa UK:

�� Empowering Communities: Sewa UK's initiatives extend a helping hand to underprivileged communities, bringing positive change to countless lives. From healthcare and education to disaster relief and environmental conservation, they touch upon diverse aspects of social welfare.

�� Healthcare Initiatives: Sewa UK's Mobile Medical Vans and medical camps provide critical healthcare

services to those with limited access to medical facilities. Their efforts in promoting well-being align perfectly with our belief in ensuring a healthy society.

�� Education for All: Education is a powerful tool for transformation. Sewa UK's educational projects ensure that children from marginalized backgrounds receive quality education, empowering them to build a brighter future.

�� Disaster Response: When communities face adversity, Sewa UK's disaster response teams swiftly mobilize to provide essential relief and support. Their rapid and compassionate action embodies the spirit of service.

�� Environmental Conservation: Sewa UK's commitment to environmental sustainability is commendable. Through tree planting drives and waste reduction projects, they demonstrate their dedication to a greener and more sustainable future.

�� Compassionate Values: At the core of Sewa UK's endeavours lies their compassionate approach, exemplified by the Sanskrit term "Sewa," meaning selfless service. Their actions reflect the true essence of making a positive difference.

�� Transparency and Accountability: Sewa UK maintains utmost transparency in their operations, ensuring that every contribution is utilized effectively to maximize social impact.

We are honoured to support Sewa UK's noble vision and join them in their journey to create a more equitable and compassionate world. The Rickshaw Run allowed us to combine our passion for adventure with a meaningful cause, driving change and supporting those in need.

Join us in backing Sewa UK's transformative work – together, we can be the change-makers that uplift communities and transform lives!

https://sewauk.org/RickshawRun

Visit their website at https://sewauk.org/ to discover how you can contribute to this incredible mission. ��

5 TOP GAMING TRENDS IN 2023

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 06:24:18 GMT

Gaming Technologies and the Colocation Solution

Jamieson Lee Hill, August 4th, 2023

The gaming industry is quickly growing and evolving as we have seen in previous articles. In this blog post, we explore 5 of the biggest trends in gaming in 2023 and how colocation data centres are the ideal solution for gaming companies.

Virtual Reality (VR) Gaming

VR has been on the scene for years now. Amazingly, the first interactive Virtual Reality platform was in 1975 and was called VIDEOPLACE. In the 1990s both SEGA and Nintendo released VR Headsets but neither were commercially successful. Jumping forward to the 21st century, in 2023 there are a number of VR headsets for gaming on the market including Meta’s Oculus, Sony Playstation and PC.

VR gaming has far more immersive gameplay than in the past; it seems to be finally gaining popularity and could transform the future of gaming. These are exciting times for the gaming sector. With VR you can step into very realistic digital environments and explore whole new worlds. I remember first playing Sony Playstation’s Resident Evil on VR a number of years ago and screaming when the monster stabbed me in the leg. The level of realism is mindblowing. Gameplay is being taken to a new level.

The global revenue size of VR is small in comparison to mobile, PC and console gaming, but it is growing significantly,

“Global revenue within the VR gaming industry is forecast to grow to 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, up from 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.”

Source: Statista.com, 2023

Colocation Data Centres and Virtual Reality

Colocation has played a key role in the world of VR gaming because it provides minimal latency and optimal reliability. This is due to colocation data centres’ centralised, high performance technology and hardware. Basically, low latency and high performance is essential for virtual reality gaming because even small delays in VR can cause motion sickness in the gamer and negatively impact the gaming experience.

In addition, colocation data centres also supply enhanced security for gaming companies and robust power supplies which keep the game servers running 24/7. Having a reliable and consistent service is crucial for VR gaming!

Colocation also allows gaming studios the scalability to expand their size as demand grows. IP House in London offers a ‘Pay-as-you-grow’ service which is both affordable and cost effective. The rapid speed at which scaling is possible within a colocation data centre is due to the cutting edge technology which allows fast growth as audiences increase.

Top Virtual Reality Games in 2023

Check out some of the top games in 2023 . This video outlines ten VR games to look out for this year. If you haven’t tried VR gaming, why not give it a go!

2. Mobile Gaming

Mobile gaming has grown phenomenally in recent years with games being developed for smartphones and tablets. The forecast for global mobile gaming revenue is expected to reach nearly $300 billion this year,

“Revenue in the Mobile Games market is projected to reach US$286.50bn in 2023.”

Source : Statista.com 2023

The technology and sophistication of mobile gaming is now remarkable and the diversity of mobile gaming too. Overall, mobile gaming encompasses every type of genre from action, sport, adventure, puzzle, strategy, FPS, racing and many more. Indeed, the mobile gaming sector is an integral part of the industry with the technology of smartphones and tablets rapidly evolving and more players gaming in the cloud.

3. Augmented Reality

“Augmented reality gaming (AR gaming) is the real-time integration of virtual game elements with the physical environment of the player.”

Source: Tech Target.com, 2023

Augmented reality (AR) is like a halfway house between virtual reality and the real World. AR brings digital elements into the gamer’s real world view and places virtual objects, characters, monsters and treasures in your physical surroundings. The conduit for this technology is usually AR glasses or smart phone mobile cameras. They allow the gamer to see an augmented reality where the real world and virtual worlds exist in the same space.

Pokemon Go was a very popular AR game released on July 6th, 2016 that took the AR gaming genre to mass market. However, the first ever AR game was called AR Quake and was launched in 2000; players had to wear a backpack with a computer and gyroscopes in it. Clearly, AR and VR are both revolutionising the gaming world; AR is predicted to continue increasing its global revenue over the next decade,

“The global augmented reality market is projected to grow from $62.75 billion in 2023 to $1,109.71 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 50.7% during the forecast period.”

Source: Fortune Business Insights.com, 2023

4. A.I. Within Games

In recent times, the impact of A.I. has been transforming the gaming industry. Gaming studios can now use A.I. tools to craft art and animations, write content and even coding. One of the most exciting A.I. developments for the industry is the ability of A.I. algorithms to enable NPCs in games to chat freely with players and adapt with more realistic reactions, decisions, speech and behaviour than in the past. This will make gaming much more immersive and interesting because NPCs do not merely repeat the same actions over and over.

A.I. games offer a new horizon where games evolve into something new and more unpredictable as characters within the game make their own decisions. The future for A.I. in gaming is very exciting. We saw in our recent blog article that A.I. already plays a key role in colocation data centres in terms of monitoring efficiency and improving sustainability. No doubt the role of A.I. in colocation data centres supporting gaming studios will continue to increase in the future.

5. Blockchain Gaming and The Metaverse

Blockchain is another major trend shaping the future of gaming with the integration of blockchain technology and decentralized protocols. This new breed of games known as Web 3 enable players to have true ownership of in-game assets and the ability to trade or sell them outside of the game environment.

With blockchain, gamers can have verifiable scarcity and uniqueness of NFTs as well as trading with tokens within these new token gaming economies. This trend, known as Play-to-Earn (P2E), has gained traction and is expected to continue growing in popularity in 2023 and beyond. Despite resistance from traditional Web 2 gamers, blockchain crypto tokens and NFTs actually give players more control over their assets because they can trade in NFTs and tokens and exchange them for real money on crypto exchanges.

The Metaverse

The Metaverse is a virtual world that connects different games and platforms. It offers a unified space where players can interact, socialize, and engage in various activities across different virtual environments.

With the integration of blockchain technology and advanced networking capabilities, the Metaverse presents exciting opportunities for collaborative gameplay, immersive experiences, and new forms of social interaction. In 2023, further developments and initiatives are happening towards building a more interconnected and immersive gaming Metaverse.

Web3 startups are continuing to join the market and in the first quarter of 2023 investment in startups for blockchain was significantly high,

“In the first quarter of 2023, 108 web3 startups raised a total of $814,287,823 in investments.”

Source: Metaverse Post.io, 2023

IP House And The A.I. and Blockchain Sector

IP House is currently collaborating with some very exciting leading-edge organisations in the AI & Blockchain space, we are currently developing some innovative solutions which will support a line of new products and services, new announcements coming soon!

Reflections

The gaming sector is expanding at a breathtaking pace and we have already seen in previous articles how important cloud gaming is becoming. Colocation data centres like IP House in London are a crucial part of the evolution of gaming with colocation features providing low latency, reliability of servers and power supplies and the ability to scale at a rapid rate when necessary to cater for growth in the number of players. The cutting edge technology of IP House data centre is perfectly matched to the demands of the gaming industry. Staying ahead of the game and upgrading our hardware and software on a regular basis, we are able to provide bespoke solutions for gaming companies. We look forward to onboarding increasing numbers of gaming studios and brands in the future.

If you are a gaming company and would like to know more about what IP House Colocation Centre can offer, please fill out the contact form below.

Sources:

The Most Anticipated Gaming Technology Trends of 2023:

https://www.datacenters.com/news/the-most-anticipated-gaming-technology-trends-of-2023

Two Technology Trends Shaping The Future Of Gaming: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/07/11/two-technology-trends-shaping-the-future-of-gaming/

Top 10 Gaming Technology Trends to Watch Out in 2023: https://www.auxanoglobalservices.com/top-gaming-technology-trends/

Advances in gaming Technology in 2023: https://www.tekrevol.com/blogs/top-advances-in-gaming-technology/

The Most Anticipated Gaming Trends in 2023: https://www.datacenters.com/news/the-most-anticipated-gaming-technology-trends-of-2023

Game Market Trends In 2023: https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/newzoos-game-market-trends-to-watch-in-2023-part-1

WHY DATA CENTRES ARE SUSTAINABLY SMART

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 11:55:41 GMT

Sustainability Practices in Colocation Data Centres

Jamieson Lee Hill, July 28th, 2023

In this article we address the main sustainability issues around colocation data centres (DCs) and encounter some interesting stats about energy & resource consumption. Plus, we examine sustainable initiatives by 3 multi-billionaire brands: Google, Meta and Microsoft. Finally, we explore the key eco-sustainability measures implemented by IP House.

Sustainability Issues For Data Centres

Energy consumption

Energy consumption is a key issue for colocation data centres. The facilities need a considerable amount of energy to run servers and cooling systems,

“Data centers usually use a lot of energy to maintain their servers. They consume about 1,000 kWh per square meter. This is about ten times the power consumption of a typical American home.”

Source: C&C Techgroup.com, Jun 8, 2023

IDCs are estimated to account for around 1% of global electricity consumption. This high energy usage leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions and rising energy costs. What's more, server racks are one of the prime culprits for high energy consumption,

“The most common data center equipment is the server racks, which use a lot of energy to maintain and cool down their components.”

Source: C&C Techgroup.com, Jun 8, 2023

Water Consumption

Large amounts of water are needed in DCs for cooling purposes. Thus, it is important for colocation data centres to implement conservation measures to reduce their impact on water resources.

“ A large data center, researchers say, can gobble up anywhere between 1 million and 5 million gallons of water a day — as much as a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people.”

Source: Washington Post, Apr 25, 2023

Carbon Footprint

With a high carbon and significant environmental impact, it is crucial that energy efficient technology and renewable energy resources are used by DCs,

“Data centers account for 2.5% to 3.7% of global GHG emissions. Data center emissions exceed GHG* emissions from the aviation industry (2.4%) and other activities that fuel the global economy.”

Source: 8billiontrees.com, 2023

*(GHG = Greenhouse gas emissions)

Rising Demand For Data Centres

With increasing numbers of businesses using DCs, the overall demand and reliance on digital technologies means that sustainability and resource consumption remain vital issues for the future.

These challenges have led many colocation data centres to adopt renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, and energy-efficient technologies to reduce their carbon footprint.

Multi-billion Dollar Brands Use A.I. Models For Sustainability

You could be forgiven for thinking that A.I. was only detrimental to the human race from news coverage in recent years. However, A.I. has a prominent role in leading data centres towards increased sustainability and energy efficiency. In fact, A.I. uses predictive analytics to highlight areas of concern and links them with different processes and energy consumption.

Let’s see how A.I. is helping to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of multi-billion dollar companies.

Meta: Sustainability in Data Centres

First up, is the social media ‘megalosaurus’ Meta. They have been investigating ways how ‘its data centers will operate under “extreme environmental conditions” that might lead to unsafe work environments’.

Meta has been creating physical models to simulate extreme conditions. Then they input this data into A.I. models which help to optimise the energy consumption of cooling and airflow in their servers. Basically, the A.I. models help discover ways to reduce energy consumption and costs.

Microsoft

Towards the end of 2012, Microsoft launched its ‘A.I. anomaly detection methods. They were designed ‘to gauge and mitigate unusual power and water usage events within the data center, using telemetry data from electrical and mechanical devices .’

Microsoft also utilises A.I. methods to spot and solve power meter problems within their data centres. They also determine the optimum placement of servers to minimise the ‘wasted power, network and cooling capacity’.

Google

Google was able ‘to cut down 40% of its data center’s cooling costs ’ just by controlling the cooling infrastructure through AI programs. Indeed, A.I. gives facility managers a clear picture of the health for all the data centre components. That way, Google can repair or replace components that need attention.

Encouraging Steps By The Big Brands

With leading brands working hard to make their data centres more sustainable, this is welcome news for sustainability experts.

A.I. systems that regulate energy are improving the environmental footprint of colocation data centers worldwide. With data centres responsible ‘for 0.3% of all carbon dioxide emissions (according to a Environmental Investigation Agency report in 2020), the example set by Meta, Microsoft and Google is encouraging.

Sustainability Practices In IP House

From looking at 3 leading household brands, we are now going to explore how IP House maintains best practices in eco sustainability.

External Sustainability Measures

First of all, IP house has a significant sized, private secure parking and loading area, with strong natural light access. Also, low voltage auto lighting used during darker conditions saves on energy consumption.

Likewise, there are vast solar panels used through roof lines to ensure that ongoing energy management takes place throughout the year.

Transport wise, the vehicle fleet is balanced to ensure electric usage is maintained for the majority of scenarios. Last but not least, all the glazing is heat insulating which reduces the electricity usage and costs.

Internal Sustainability Measures

Inside IP House, recycling is a mandatory concept. Every team member contributes to minimal packaging and maximum recycling of all materials. In addition, customers support this by ensuring packaging of any goods to the DC is minimised and recyclable by IPH.

Next up, aircon usage is optimised with the latest low energy, auto conditioning systems that ensure the temperature is maintained without an overuse of energy. Also, filtering is key; IP house has continuously invested in new technology in the form of filtration materials. These enhance the lifespan of the air con units whilst using fully recyclable materials.

Customer Power Management

Customer power management is monitored to help ensure usage is managed and reported on where requested. This allows customers to ensure they are not over subscribing and this reduces their carbon footprint and costs.

Low Energy Lighting

Low energy, auto power lighting is used throughout the data centre. This ensures that minimal lighting is running in areas with low access requirements or during any low periods of inactivity.

Heat Management

Heat management and disbursement is monitored and controlled 24/7 to ensure optimal conditions and minimal energy loss. These all are monitored using the very latest active alarms controls. Furthermore, cold aisle containment is used throughout the Data Halls.

IP Houses’ Future Plans For Sustainability

Currently, we are working closely with key partners and suppliers to introduce more new initiatives to sustain our low energy drive. Equally, not all of our measures involve hi-tech investment which is a sustainable brownie point! We are excited to be leading by example in the Data Centre space!

Watch this space for updates.

If you would like to talk about Colocation Data Centre services for your company, please fill out the form below. Let’s talk!

Sources:

Washington Post 2023:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/25/data-centers-drought-water-use/

8 Billion Trees:

https://8billiontrees.com/carbon-offsets-credits/carbon-ecological-footprint-calculators/carbon-footprint-of-data-centers/#:~:text=Data%20centers%20account%20for%202.5,that%20fuel%20the%20global%20economy .

CC-techgroup.com: https://cc-techgroup.com/data-center-energy-consumption/#:~:text=Data%20centers%20usually%20use%20a,and%20cool%20down%20their%20components .
Network-King.net: https://network-king.net/five-areas-of-environmental-impact-in-data-centres/
Techcrunch.com: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/18/microsoft-and-meta-join-google-in-using-ai-to-help-run-their-data-centers/
The Sage next.com:

https://www.thesagenext.com/blog/technology-trends-transforming-data-centers

EXTENDED READING

Fancy reading more about Colocation Data Centres and Sustainability? Here are some other articles which we enjoyed reading:

Green Intelligence: Why Data And AI Must Become More Sustainable

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/03/22/green-intelligence-why-data-and-ai-must-become-more-sustainable/?sh=9702fc27658c

March 22,2023

Making Data Centers More Sustainable

https://www.datasciencecentral.com/making-data-centers-more-sustainable/

September 17, 2022

Top 10 sustainable data centre innovations

https://datacentremagazine.com/articles/top-10-sustainable-data-centre-innovations

February 8, 2023

Data centres race to be green

https://www.mida.gov.my/mida-news/data-centres-race-to-be-green/

January 23, 2023

What Makes a Data Center Sustainable?

https://sustainability.fb.com/blog/2023/04/17/what-makes-a-data-center-sustainable/

April 17, 2023

QUICK GUIDE TO A.I. AND DATA CENTRES

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:49:34 GMT

Why A.I. in colocation data centres is a game changer

By Jamieson Lee Hill, June 19th, 2023

Introduction to A.I. and its applications in data centres

Data centres are at the leading edge of technology and innovation in today’s world. A.I. is part of the strategy for colocation data centres to enhance their efficiency, security and reliability. Let’s delve into Artificial Intelligence in data centres and why it is being hailed as a game-changer for the industry.

The Benefits of A.I. in Data Centres

Within a colocation data centre, A.I. systems can perform natural language processing, image recognition and decision making. They can also monitor and optimise performance, predict the maintenance needs, and improve the energy efficiency of the data centre. In fact, the predictive aspect basically means that A.I. spots problems before they occur. It analyses data from sensors and other sources to identify anomalies and issues e.g. the A.I. can spot if a server is using more energy than normal. In this sense, it is preventative because it can stop a problem before it becomes critical.

Energy Efficiency With A.I.

Likewise, A.I. can also identify ways to be energy efficient to reduce overall energy consumption. Data centres can be energy-intensive, and any reduction in energy usage lowers the operating costs and environmental footprint. Also, A.I. can optimise cooling and airflow in data centres. This lowers energy usage without affecting performance. Finally, A.I. can predict when equipment is likely to fail and so maintenance can be scheduled at times when energy usage is lower.

Enhanced Performance, Reliability & Sustainability

AI offers great potential to enhance the performance, reliability, and sustainability of colocation data centres, and can play a critical role in optimizing the performance. Leveraging machine learning algorithms, AI monitors and analyses data generated by the data centre, including server utilization, power usage, cooling systems and other systems.

A.I. Neural Networks

A.I. consists of computers working together, “...in neural networks that emulate the learning process of the human brain to solve new challenges. It’s a process that requires lots of computing horsepower, which is why the leading players in the field have moved beyond traditional CPU-driven servers.”

Source: Datacenterfrontier.com, Dec 15th, 2022

META and Cutting Edge A.I.

Last autumn the global brand Meta set out a roadmap for a gradual change to water-cooled, A.I. infrastructure. This system would implement cold plates to supply direct-to-chip cooling on GPU servers. At first, this would be achieved using a rear-door heat exchanger along with air-assisted liquid cooling. Then, they would use a facility water approach for when thermal loads go beyond the limits of the rear-door heat exchanger.

After this, they would probably need piping to provide chilled water to cool the rack. Meta unveiled their new facility to house its Research SuperCluster or RSC. This could become the fastest A.I. system in the world today when the project is completed. The GPU-powered infrastructure is also air-cooled and uses an InfiniBand Network with a liquid-to-liquid cooling distribution unit.

A.I. Risks in Data Centres

On risk is that A.I. systems could become overly reliant on historical data, leading to biased decision-making or sub-optimal performance. Furthermore, there is a need for A.I. systems to be properly integrated with other systems and processes, including management tools and reporting frameworks, for them to be truly effective.

Reflections

A.I. technology has massive potential to transform the colocation data centre industry. We have already seen its ability to improve performance, reduce energy usage, and predict maintenance needs. Without doubt, A.I. is becoming a crucial tool for colocation data centres across the world.

Would you like to know about how colocation data centre and cloud computing services can help your business? Fill out the contact form below and let’s talk.

Sources

https://www.ip-house.co.uk/ - IP House website for more information on their services
https://www.techradar.com/news/how-ai-will-transform-the-data-center - TechRadar article on the transformation of data centres with A.I.
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/artificial-intelligence/where-ai-applicable-data-center - Data Center Knowledge article on the applicability of A.I. in data centres
https://www.cbronline.com/opinion/the-role-of-ai-in-data-centres - CBR Online opinion piece on the role of A.I. in data centres
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/analysis/artificial-intelligence-in-the-data-center-a-primer/ - Data Center Dynamics primer on A.I. in data centres
The impact of A.I. on your data centre https://www.gavstech.com/the-impact-of-ai-on-your-data-center/

DATA CENTRES SAVE ON PREMIUM SPACE

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 20:04:01 GMT

Why Companies Are Moving To Colocation Data Centres To Save Premium Space

The footprint cost of companies of all sizes utilising premium space can be very high, whether it’s their own in-house Data Centre, office space or similar. In this article we explore the 3 types of environments for data and why companies are switching to colocation data centre hosting to reduce the cost of using premium space in-house.

Three Environment Types

Most of the companies utilising premium cost environments use them for housing physical infrastructure that represents at least these 3 environment types:

● Production systems

● Test Environments

● Development environments

Let’s explore those 3 environments now to get an idea of what they represent. Also, how switching to a colocation data centre to house them makes sense in terms of cost, scalability and security.

Production Systems

First up, production systems are critical to your company's success because they are used to run live applications and services that customers rely on. As you probably know, any downtime or failure in the production system can have severe consequences for your business. This could be a loss of revenue, customer dissatisfaction, and reputational damage to the company.

Utilising premium space in colocation data centres means that your companies’ production systems are housed in secure, reliable, and redundant facilities.

Premium data centres like IP House, London, offer advanced security features like biometric access control, video surveillance, and 24/7 monitoring. All of which minimise the risk of cyber threats, physical breaches, and other security risks.

IP House also supplies redundant power and cooling systems, multiple internet service providers, and backup generators to ensure uninterrupted operations even if there are power outages or network failures.

Test Environments

In general, test environments are used to validate software changes before they are deployed to production systems. Also, they are vital to ensuring that new features, updates, and bug fixes do not interfere with existing functionality for your company’s services. Furthermore, test environments must be as close (in specification) to the production environment as possible to ensure accurate testing and avoid potential issues down the line.

Premium space in a colocation data centre can provide your company with the flexibility to create customised test environments that meet their bespoke needs. In addition, they can easily scale up or down as needed, and you avoid the expense of building your own in-house test environments. Lastly, premium data centres typically offer high-speed connectivity and access to cloud service providers. This means that it is easy for your company to deploy and test applications across different environments.

Development Environments

The final type are development environments which are used by software developers to build and test new software applications. Overall, these environments require significant processing power and storage and must be flexible enough to support multiple development teams simultaneously.

By using a colocation data centre, your company can create customised development environments that meet your specific requirements and save on in-house premium space. Also, you can easily scale up or down as needed and avoid the cost of building and maintaining your own in-house development environments.

Finally, premium data centres also offer high-speed connectivity and direct access to cloud service providers. This makes it easy for developers to build, test, and deploy applications across different environments.

The Transition To Colocation Data Centres

In the majority of cases the development and test environments do not need to use in-house premium cost space. Therefore, many organisations are now moving these environments to lower cost, colocation data centres such as IP House.

By doing this your company can significantly reduce your costs because you are no longer using premium space within your own buildings. Also, you have the flexibility to expand and scale at any time using a colocation data centre.

Distributed Logical Security

Important security benefits of housing your data in a colocation data centre include distributed logical security and physical security (IP House have 24 hour security and monitoring). As expert Stephen J Bigelow asserts,

“A data center is the technological hub of modern enterprise operations. The data center provides the critical IT infrastructure needed to deliver resources and services to business employees, partners and customers around the world.

Source: Stephen J Bigelow, Tech Target.com, May 2022

Reflections

Clearly, colocation data centres can help your company better manage your production systems, test environments, and development environments. Although some boards of directors may be reluctant to house data offsite due to security concerns and brand reputation, the tide is changing as colocation data centres are now seen as reliable and robust in their security measures.

Using a colocation data centre can provide significant benefits to companies managing their production systems, test environments, and development environments. Furthermore, the reduced costs saved on premium, in-house space is very significant. Transferring your data offsite allows your company to relocate that premium space to other projects.

There are also further environments that help test the waters of Colocation Data Centre’s, such as Sandpit environments and other Multi Test scenarios, IP House has extensive experience in helping businesses of all scales to review and eventually transition in a safe, secure and fully controlled manner. IP House offer flexible scaling and contracts, to ensure clients can grow and adjust footprints with a cost model that works to their requirements.

By leveraging the advanced infrastructure, security, reliability, and flexibility provided by a colocation data centre, you can reduce downtime, improve testing accuracy, and help develop software applications more efficiently.

Many reading this blog may question how does this compare with Cloud solutions, in short there are viable solutions that again can make the overall cost base more efficient, by utilising Cloud alongside Colocation Hosting - this will be covered in out next Blog �� – Stay tuned!

Interested in using a colocation data centre for your company? Fill out the form below today and let's talk!

Sources:

Tech Target.com:

https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/How-to-design-and-build-a-data-center#:~:text=A%20data%20center%20is%20the,and%20customers%20around%20the%20world .

2.Leeway Hertz.com:

https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/How-to-design-and-build-a-data-center#:~:text=A%20data%20center%20is%20the,and%20customers%20around%20the%20world .

3.Medium.com:

https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-move-a-data-center-4ab553cd131d

BIG BRANDS, CLOUD GAMING & DATA CENTRES

Wed, 24 May 2023 07:17:38 GMT

How top gaming companies are using cloud computing and co-location data centres

Jamieson Lee Hill, May 24h, 2023

The use of cloud computing and colocation data centers for big gaming brands is widespread across the globe. Let’s have a look at how some of the big brands make use of cloud gaming and colocation data centres.

Introduction

The gaming industry has seen tremendous growth over the past decade, with the introduction of new technologies in cloud computing and the increasing use of colocation data centres. Cloud computing is a form of distributed computing that allows for the delivery of IT services over the internet. It enables gaming companies to store and process data in remote data centres, allowing them to scale their operations quickly and efficiently.

Microsoft

Microsoft recently announced a 10 year agreement with Boosteroid to put their XBOX and PC games into the Boosteroid gaming cloud platform. With 4 million users worldwide, Boosteroid is one of the biggest independent cloud gaming providers in the world today. Boosteroid is in BETA mode at the moment, but the fact that Steam, Epic Games and XBOX titles can be used on the Boosteroid platform is a game changer. Ultimately, games will be able to be played on mobile, pcs, mac and Linux using the Boosteroid cloud.

Microsoft is on the verge of signing a deal with Activision Blizzard and if that goes through, Boosteroid could also host the global franchise ‘Call of Duty’. This means the number of online players in future could rise to over 150 million,

‘When combined with other partnerships recently announced by Microsoft, this means popular franchises such as Call of Duty will surpass more than 150 million additional players, and make games built by Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard playable on multiple cloud gaming services and subscriptions,’ Microsoft said.

Source: Gameshub.com, May 2023

Also, Microsoft is also on the verge of buying Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion dollar deal which has just been approved by the EU. However, British regulators have blocked the deal in the UK,

“The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority said in its final report that “the only effective remedy” to the substantial loss of competition “is to prohibit the merger.” The companies have vowed to appeal.”

Source: LA TIMES.com , Apr 26, 2023

Epic Games

Epic Cloud Gaming is a cloud gaming service from Epic Games, the same company behind the hit title Fortnite and the famous Unreal Engine. It allows users to play games on any device with an internet connection without having to download or install them. It works by streaming games over the internet from a server, meaning you can play the latest titles on any device.

Epic Games Colocation Data Centres

Epic Games uses a combination of colocation data centers and cloud computing to support its platform. It operates its own data center located in North Carolina, which includes high-performance servers and networking equipment. This data center provides the physical infrastructure necessary to support the millions of players who access Fortnite each day.

In addition to colocation, Epic Games also uses cloud computing to provide scalable resources for its platform. The company uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host its game servers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and other infrastructure services. By leveraging AWS, Epic can quickly and easily scale its platform to handle increased traffic during peak usage times.

Epic Games Analytics With Cloud Computing

Epic Games also uses cloud computing for analytics and machine learning. The company collects vast amounts of player data, which it analyzes using AWS services such as Amazon S3, Amazon Redshift, and Amazon EMR. This data analysis helps Epic Games improve its game performance, optimise player behavior, and develop new features and content for its platform.

By using both colocation and cloud computing, Epic Games can ensure that its platform is always available and running smoothly, even during times of high traffic. With over 350 million registered users, the scalability provided by cloud computing is essential to Epic Games' success.

Amazon Luna

Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform that allows users to stream games on various devices, including Fire TV, Windows PC, Mac, and iOS devices. Amazon Luna leverages colocation data centers and cloud computing to guarantee a smooth and reliable gaming experience,

Amazon Luna uses AWS for its cloud infrastructure, which includes data centers located around the world. By co-locating their servers in these data centers, Amazon can reduce latency and deliver faster responses to user requests. Additionally, AWS provides Amazon Luna with the scalability necessary to handle increased traffic during peak usage times.

Alongside colocation, Amazon Luna also uses cloud computing for game rendering and streaming. When users play games on Luna, the gameplay is rendered on powerful cloud servers and streamed to the user's device over the internet. This approach eliminates the need for users to invest in expensive gaming hardware, as all the processing occurs on Amazon's servers.

By utilizing both colocation and cloud computing, Amazon Luna can provide a high-performance gaming experience to users worldwide. With the ability to scale up or down based on demand, Amazon Luna can ensure a consistent level of service at all times.

Amazon Luna and Ubisoft’s PC Store

Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service has a new integration with Ubisoft’s PC game store. This means that PC gamers can now connect their Ubisoft account to Amazon Luna and play select Ubisoft games they own on Amazon’s cloud gaming service at no additional cost.

Steam

Valve's Steam platform , one of the most popular digital distribution platforms for PC gaming, uses a combination of colocation data centers and cloud computing to ensure that their services are always available and running smoothly. The company operates multiple data centers around the world, including locations in the US, Europe, and Asia, which are equipped with high-performance servers and networking equipment. These data centers provide the physical infrastructure necessary to support the millions of users who access Steam each day.

As well as colocation, Valve also utilizes cloud computing to provide scalable resources for its platform. The company uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host content delivery networks (CDNs) that distribute game updates, patches, and other content to users worldwide. Furthermore, Valve also uses AWS for its matchmaking system, which pairs players together for online multiplayer games.

By using colocation and cloud computing, Valve is able to provide a reliable, high-performance platform for PC gamers around the world. Valve stated that their "global network of datacenters and edge locations ensures that Steam can quickly and efficiently serve customers wherever they are." With over 120 million active users, Steam's use of colocation and cloud computing is essential to manage the high levels of traffic they get each day.

The 2022 Cloud Gaming Report

The 20202 report forecasted that the cloud gaming industry is going to grow by over 300%. The total annual cloud spend by gaming companies has increased by more than 60% since 2016,. Also, there are 22 companies ‘ who have experienced 100x growth year-over-year’ . As these gaming companies grow, they will require additional cloud infrastructure to support higher traffic demands. Furthermore, the gaming market is expanding rapidly worldwide with an estimated three billion plus players across the globe in 2023.

Reflections

Cloud computing is enabling large gaming brands to develop fully immersive experiences for their gamers. Leveraging cloud-based infrastructure and colocation data centre services, game developers can access powerful hardware resources on demand, allowing them to create more complex games with better graphics and improved performance.

It also allows companies greater flexibility with storage capacity and scalability, being able to expand rapidly without investing in additional hardware and software. Finally, big brands experience significant cost savings using cloud computing and colocation data centres.

Also, game developers can ensure that their players’ information is secure and protected from potential cyber threats. By using reliable cloud-based infrastructure and colocation data centres, game developers can ensure that their games run smoothly and stay live at all times.

With many big brands engaged with colocation data centres and cloud computing, IP House London expects increasing numbers of smaller game developers to come onboard in the near future! With further rapid growth expected, these are certainly exciting times for colocation data centres and gaming companies.

If you are a gaming studio looking for colocation data centre services and cloud computing, please fill in the form below. Let’s talk!

Sources

Amazon. (n.d.). Amazon Luna – Cloud gaming service. https://www.amazon.com/Luna/b?ie=UTF8&node=21250767011
Amazon Web Services. (n.d.). Gaming on AWS. https://aws.amazon.com/gaming/
Epic Cloud Gaming: https://medium.com/cloud-believers/enter-a-new-world-of-gaming-with-epic-cloud-gaming-3eeade5c1a4d
Epic Games. (n.d.). Fortnite. https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home
https://medium.com/cloud-believers/enter-a-new-world-of-gaming-with-epic-cloud-gaming-3eeade5c1a4d
Amazon Web Services. (n.d.). Gaming on AWS. https://aws.amazon.com/gaming/
Microsoft: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/cloud-computing-dictionary/what-is-cloud-computing
IBM: https://www.ibm.com/topics/cloud-computing
Ubisoft and Amazon Luna:
https://www.thurrott.com/games/276728/pc-gamers-can-now-stream-ubisoft-games-they-own-on-amazon-luna
Valve Corporation https://store.steampowered.com/about/
Valve:
ttps://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/2560658870586853000
2002 Cloud Gaming Report:

https://hginsights.com/data-report/hg-insights-intricately-aws-ecosystem-report-in-2022-2

FINTECH'S TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN THE CLOUD AND CO-LOCATION DATA CENTRES

Wed, 24 May 2023 07:04:33 GMT

Why fintech companies depend on cloud computing and data centres for their expansion

Fintech is rapidly growing within the cloud as demand drives change. Despite security concerns more and more financial services companies are turning to colocation data centres and cloud computing to host their software and systems. Let's find out more.

Cloud Computing Leading Change

One of the key drivers has been customer demand. This has precipitated a fast migration of traditional fintech services to data centres. However, the fintech sector has seen a slower adoption of cloud technologies than other sectors. This is partly due to financial institutions having security issues and concerns over governing regulations in the sector. Nevertheless, the fintech sector is now embracing data centre technology and the transformation is accelerating rapidly.

Agile Technology & Fintech

Agile technologies are a crucial part of fintech and its services. Certainly, banking institutions are intricately structured. To keep up with global digitisation, banks are onboarding agile technologies to streamline their organisational processes and to become more simplified and accountable. By outsourcing their technology to a data centre, fintech companies can make important cost savings as they don't need to invest in onsite infrastructure. Also, apps and tools operating in the cloud can be deployed very quickly and help a fintech business stay ahead of the crowd.

Applications and Financial Services

Self-service applications in fintech allow customers much more autonomy and convenience over accessing financial services. Banking applications on mobile devices, self-service machines and so forth, mean that consumers can control their finances much more easily than in the past.

Fintech Data Management

Within cloud computing, Fintech companies can control their data in a secure manner and do not have to rely on data silos when using the cloud. Also, the merging and centralisation of data is fast and efficient within cloud computing. In addition to this, storing data in the cloud is protected by robust security systems and customers can access their data and apps at any time,

“Some of the popular methods include using next-gen firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention technologies, securing endpoints, data encryption, audits and penetration testing, tokenization, and (Virtual Private Network) VPN.”

Source: Srijan.net, May 11th, 2022

Customer Segmentation & Data Analytics

Banks by their very nature need to take a more subtle approach to customer segmentation. Indeed, cloud computing for fintech is now a crucial player in helping banks to achieve this by using data analytics to understand customer behaviour and requirements. Therefore, data driven insights allow banks to design bespoke services that are tailored to the specific needs of different customers.

Fintech Services & Additional Cloud Data

Fintech companies supply a wide variety of services such as payment, investment, transfers, online trading and financial management, insurance, money exchange and standard online banking services. Furthermore, a significant number of fintech businesses now use additional cloud data storage to rapidly and efficiently scale their reach globally with the aforementioned services.

Hybrid Clouds

A reported 39 percent of fintech companies use hybrid clouds to back up their data in peak traffic times and during the expansion of traffic to their services. Equally, many companies use cloud computing in partnership with other businesses for collaborative projects. In addition to this, 33 percent of fintechs also said that they,

‘Use hybrid clouds for the development of applications and services), for delivering more sustainable infrastructure (36 percent) and support service operations.’

Source: Register.com, 30th March, 2023

Colocation Data Centres To Balance and De-risk The Cloud

The rise of fintechs has revolutionised the finance industry, and these startups are increasingly relying on colocation data centres like IP House in London to handle their computing needs. Colocation provides a way for fintechs to balance their loads and minimize the risks associated with having everything in the cloud. With colocation, fintechs can place their servers in a secure facility that provides redundancy and backup power, ensuring that they can continue to operate even during an outage.

Equally, fintechs face unique challenges when it comes to data management and security. However, colocation data centres like IP House offer the reliability and stability that these startups need to succeed. By colocating their servers, fintechs can take advantage of advanced security measures and fire suppression systems that keep their data safe from theft and disaster. Also, colocation provides access to high-speed networking equipment and other critical infrastructure that is essential for scaling applications and services rapidly.

Reflections

In summary, many fintechs are successfully using a hybrid approach of colocation data centres like IP House in London and cloud computing to de-risk their operations and balance their loads. Colocation provides a secure, reliable environment for fintechs to store their servers, ensuring uptime and minimizing the risk of downtime. With access to cutting-edge infrastructure, security measures, and networking equipment, fintechs can focus on developing innovative products and services that drive growth.

In terms of cloud adoption, Fintech companies, in particular banking, need to carry out self-assessments to determine the many choices for cloud technology adoption and how they best fit their products and services. Furthermore, they also need to be well informed on the industry regulations for using cloud services, as well as the potential security risks that can arise.

The movement of fintech companies into cloud computing and colocation data centres is partly since it allows rapid and efficient growth. Cloud technologies are driving growth in the fintech sector, and this is set to continue in the coming years due to its scalability, security and convenience for customers.

However, a hybrid approach of cloud computing and colocation data centres is a prudent approach for those fintechs concerned about security. The hyrbrid approach reduces the risk to their operations and balances their data loads.

If you would like to find out more about using IP House Data Centre’s services for your fintech business, please fill out the form below.

Sources:

1.Srijan.net

: https://www.srijan.net/resources/how-is-cloud-computing-driving-digital-change-in-fintec

2.Medium.com:

https://medium.com/@lenaztyson/how-cloud-migration-enabled-fintech-firms-to-stay-ahead-in-the-game-4265ca0eb86b

3.Weetechsolution.com:

https://www.weetechsolution.com/blog/fintech-cloud-computing-a-perfect-match

4.The Register.com:

https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/30/fintechs_depend_on_cloud_for/#:~:text=Fintech%20firms%20turn%20to%20clouds%20to%20drive%20global%20expansion&text=For%20fintechs%20with%20the%20low,will%20make%20all%20the%20difference

5.Private Technologies.com:

https://privetechnologies.com/unlocking-growth-cloud-based-fintech-and-scalability/

THE BRILLIANT ECOSTRUXURE™ TECH AT IP HOUSE

Wed, 24 May 2023 06:53:58 GMT

Why it is important for real-time visibility of critical data centre assets

May 2023

IP House, one of London’s premium data centres, first adopted EcoStruxure IT, the next generation cloud-based Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) platform in 2018. It provides 24/7 monitoring of their ISO-accredited facility. In this article we explore some of the features of EcoStruxure and why in 2023 it still provides cutting edge technology for IP House.

EcoStruxure’s Ability to Integrate

“During the planning stages we chose to utilise software from an industry-leading vendor. One that had a reputation for innovation and a focus on continual improvement,” said Vinny Vaghani,

Operations and Commercial Manager, IP House, “One of the biggest drivers for selecting EcoStruxure IT was its vendor-neutrality and ability to integrate with different products to provide detailed data in a single dashboard. As a colocation provider we have to adhere to the highest standards of uptime and resiliency, monitoring and management is therefore an absolute necessity for our customers.”

IP House and EcoStruxure

IP House’s carrier-neutral data centre was built to Tier III standards on the edge of London’s financial district. It contains 14,000 Sqft. of white space across two technical suites and was first operational in March 2018. The facility also utilises key components from Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for Data Centers architecture, including Power Distrubution (PDU), Switchgear, NetShelter™ Racks and Symmetra™ PX UPS.

“Our clients depend on both uptime and 24/7 connectivity to business-critical applications hosted within the data centre.” said Sean Hilliar, Data Centre Manager, IP House. “Having the ability to proactively monitor all elements of the infrastructure with an advanced software solution like EcoStruxure IT will reassure customers that we’re providing them with a secure, competitive and resilient colocation service, that safeguards them against downtime.”

The Industry’s First Vendor-Neutral Datacentre Management

EcoStruxure IT was the Industry’s first vendor-neutral Datacentre Management as a Service (DMaaS) architecture, purpose-built for the hybrid IT and data centre environments. It provides global visibility from anywhere, at any time on any device and data-driven insights into critical IT assets, which helps customers mitigate risk and reduce downtime.

“The data collected by EcoStruxure IT is aggregated in the Schneider Electric Cloud and analysed to provide actionable, real-time recommendations, which optimize infrastructure performance and mitigate risk for end-users.” Said Kim Povlsen, Vice President & General Manager, Digital Services & Data Center Software, Schneider Electric.

“The software is supported by 24/7 remote monitoring through the Schneider Electric Service Bureau and can be connected to registered Elite Partners, such as UK-based Comtec Power , who are able to provide an additional layer of monitoring.”

Operating On Three Levels

EcoStruxure IT is part of Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for Data Centers solution , which is comprised of three levels; connected products, edge control software, and cloud-based apps/analytics/services. Connected products refer to IoT-enabled hardware such as Symmetra UPS, which are connected to a management network so that they can be monitored and controlled by on-premise software, Cloud-based Web applications, analytics or services. Edge control refers to the software or systems (either on-premise or via the Cloud) that offer monitoring, alarming, and individual device controls /configuration for physical infrastructure equipment.

Apps, Analytics and Services

At the top of the EcoStruxure architecture are the “apps, analytics, & services”, which is where the value and promise of the EcoStruxure architecture is delivered. Cloud-based applications and “big data” analytics provide unprecedented insight to reduce risk, simplify operations and increase efficiency.

Find Out More About DmaaS and EcoStruxure

For more information about DMaaS or Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT platform please click here .

If you'd like to know more about IP House's services, please fill out the form below. Let's talk!

HOW GAMING IS GROWING WITHIN THE CLOUD

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:41:20 GMT

The disruptive influence of cloud gaming on the gaming industry

By Jamieson Lee Hill

It would have seemed inconceivable 20 years ago that the trend for buying gaming consoles and PCs could fade away. However, cloud gaming could render them both unnecessary in the future. Nowadays, cloud computing can handle and store even the biggest of games. Let’s investigate how cloud computing is changing the gaming industry.

What is Cloud Gaming?

Cloud gaming basically means playing video games using the remote facilities provided by data centres like IP House. Gaming in the cloud, players have no need to download and install games on their PCs or consoles because everything is stored and runs in the cloud. However, players do need a good internet connection capable of running the cloud. The internet connection allows information to be sent to a browser instead of the game being installed on a pc or console.

Benefits Of Cloud Gaming

The benefits of cloud gaming for gaming studios and publishers are numerous including location independence and not needing to update hardware as it is all housed within the data centre. Overall, costs are much lower for gaming studios and publishers as the software/hardware are all housed in the data centre instead of onsite at the company.

From a gamer’s point of view, the instant game launch using the cloud is particularly appealing, as well as playing games cross-platform. Moreover, the integration with other devices can be seamless using cloud gaming, as you can enjoy console or PC games on your mobile. Cloud gaming provides gamers with a cutting edge experience on a variety of devices.

Advanced gaming software runs on lightning fast servers at IP House Data Centre and players can indulge in lag-free gaming across the internet in real-time. Another major benefit for gamers is they only pay an affordable monthly subscription fee to stream games, instead of spending heavily on a gaming pc/console.

Will Cloud Gaming Kill Off Consoles/Gaming PCs?

Certainly, the need for expensive consoles and gaming pcs is no longer there because the cloud stores and runs the largest of games. Without doubt, cloud gaming is changing the landscape for mobile, PC and console video games. Ultimately cloud gaming means that you can run a powerful game on your mobile phone without using a gaming pc or console. Therefore, players can access the latest high spec games regardless of their hardware or location. It remains to be seen whether the demand for consoles and gaming PCs drops in future as more players migrate to cloud gaming or whether they will co-exist?

Innovation During Covid in Cloud Gaming

During the pandemic, a number of innovations occurred in cloud gaming including players being able to experience high-end gaming hardware for a small percentage of the usual cost through a streaming subscription service. Also, players could play games in a subscription service without downloading them and mobile gamers no longer needed to download large amounts of GBs for big titles.

The Revenue From Cloud Gaming

The revenue from cloud gaming is certainly rising fast with 21.7 million gamers in 2021 having generated $1.5 billion. This figure is forecasted to rise 4 times by 2024 to over $6 billion. In comparison, the total forecasted global gaming revenue for 2024 is a massive $281.53 billion dollars.

Reflections

Big data requirements from different sectors have seen data centres grow in capacity and capability. In fact, the average server cabinet has gone from 3 to 5kW to nearly 10kW in only a few years. IP House Data centre is fully equipped with the right infrastructure, hardware and software to host cloud gaming. Also, as a colocation provider we have effective connectivity options to prevent latency problems in gaming.

Gaming has been on the increase since the pandemic and the surge in demand means the need for reliable and robust cloud computing is even higher. IP House is fully equipped to host gaming studios’ games with high quality streaming on fast servers. Keeping up-to-date with the latest hardware and software, IP House stays at the leading edge of the cloud gaming industry.

The future of gaming lies within the cloud…

Are you a gaming studio looking for a top data centre to house your games? Fill out the form below and let's talk!

Sources:

1.Data Centre Evolution 2023:

https://www.commscope.com/blog/2023/data-center-evolution-in-2023-efficiency-is-the-name-of-the-game/

2.The Rise of Cloud Gaming:

https://www.datacenters.com/news/the-rise-of-cloud-gaming

3.FIFA EA 2023:

https://help.ea.com/sg/help/fifa/fifa-game-data-center-faq/

4.Cloud Gaming and Revenue:

https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/cloud-gaming-market-generated-1-5-billion-dollars-in-2021

5.The Future of Gaming and Cambridge Data Centres: https://kaodata.com/blog/how-data-centres-are-shaping-the-future-of-gaming-in-cambridge-and-beyond

THREE EXCELLENT TIPS FOR A POSITIVE MINDSET

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 10:42:56 GMT

(How To Stay Positive At Work And In Business)

By Jamieson Lee Hill, April 12th, 2023

Staying positive at work or in business can be challenging when dealing with the pressures of modern life. In this article we cover three practical and effective techniques to help you maintain a positive mindset.

1. H AL ELROD’S MIRACLE MORNING

Let’s first explore this classic routine which is very popular with entrepreneurs across the world. Hal Elrod’s method is a daily morning routine before you start work to get you in the optimum mindset. Depending on how long you have in the morning, you can either spend 20 minutes or as long as 90 minutes on the miracle morning. There are 6 core stages to Hal's method:

A. Meditation

Find a place where you will not be disturbed and meditate for at least 5 minutes, 6 days a week. Breathe in through your nose on a count of 5 and out through your mouth on a count of 5. Still your busy mind. If you are not sure how to meditate, then check out this link ‘10 Minute Meditation for Beginners’.

B. Affirmations

Repeating positive affirmations about what you want to achieve is a potent method for manifesting your intentions. There is now scientific evidence to suggest that affirmations can create new neural pathways in the brain,

“ According to research on the self-affirmation theory, there is MRI evidence that suggests that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks, such as repeating positive affirmations daily.”

Source: Positivepsychology.com , 2023

Affirmation Examples:

I will develop my business knowledge by listening to an Audible book each day for 20 minutes.
My business will be the market leader in my sector within 5 years.
I will X5 my business revenue within 12 months.
I will triple my salary within 12 months.
I will be free of money worries by setting up a side business this year.

C. Visualisation

Visualisation is a popular method used by professional sports stars, business people and other professions. E.g. Some top footballers visualise themselves scoring goals, creating the perfect pass, stopping an attacker and so on. Rehearsing skills in their mind is an effective way to create a positive mindset. Likewise, some business people and entrepreneurs visualise themselves achieving their goals and dreams as a way of enhancing their mindset.

Practical Steps For Visualisation

Sit in a comfortable position in your chair and imagine achieving your goals and dreams. Be specific as you visualise the realisation of a dream or ambition or work goal. Ask yourself:

Where are you?
What have you achieved?
How does it feel?
What is no longer a problem in your life?

The power of visualisation grows over time as you practise it on a daily basis over months. Scientific research suggests that it helps you to create new neural pathways and positive traits. Read more here about visualisation and links to neuroscience.

D. Exercise

A core part of the Miracle Morning is exerciseAim to do daily ; you should do daily exercises within your physical capabilities. How much time you spend is down to you, but regular exercise is beneficial for your mind and body. Examples of exercise are walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, sit ups, push ups and so forth. You can organise your daily routine so that your exercises increase in difficulty each 2 weeks. Give yourself targets for improvement.

E. Reading

Reading stimulates your brain and gives you new ideas. Read a book everyday about business, self-development etc; anything which will help you grow as a person. Aim to read for at least 10 minutes each day.

Daily reading is the next part of the miracle morning. Select books which are inspirational, business related and/or about self-development. Set yourself a target of reading so many pages per day. Over time you will get into this habit and find it beneficial because reading inspiring books generates innovative ideas for your own life.

F. Writing

Last but not least is writing. It is a good idea to keep a journal of your thoughts and reflections. You can write down any new ideas you discover each week. A journal is an effective way to have a frank conversation with yourself to explore what you want to achieve. Writing also helps to alleviate stress and anxiety; it can help you to be more objective, especially with difficult work situations. Also, write down anything which inspires you e.g. something someone said, a quotation, ideas in a blog or podcast etc.

2. POSITIVE SELF-TALK

Your biggest backer or supporter should be you. Suffering from low self-esteem or impostor syndrome are common issues in today’s fast and competitive world.

Low self-esteem and impostor syndrome

Low self-esteem and impostor syndrome are two very prevalent issues in today's world. The way we speak to ourselves in our internal dialogue is very important. If you are berating yourself and undermining your own abilities, it is time to stop and reverse this trend. Cultivate a positive inner dialogue with yourself, so that you become your own biggest backer and supporter. At the end of the day, if you do not believe in yourself, then who else will?

Practising positive self-talk is a powerful tool to develop a more positive mindset. Try to frame your daily and weekly events in a more positive manner i.e. instead of looking back at your mistakes or problems as failures, see them as learning experiences. Also, avoid speaking to yourself internally in a negative manner that you would not use when conversing with a colleague. Encourage yourself and be compassionate with yourself when things go wrong.

Objective Rationalising

When negative thoughts overload you, evaluate them objectively and rationally. Swop negative thoughts of failure and not being good enough with potent positive affirmations.

Gratitude

Practise gratitude for the positive things you have in your life including your work, your family, your talents and achievements. Each day say out loud to yourself those things that you are grateful for in life. Daily repetition of showing gratitude can alter your neural pathways to a more positive way of thinking.

3. FIVE PEOPLE

This tip comes from author of the book ‘Let It Go’ and Mind Coach David Rahman. In a live online session, he explained that the 5 people that you have most contact with will have the greatest effect on your mindset. As an employee in the workplace you cannot necessarily choose who you interact with. However, if you are a business owner, you will have more control over this and you can choose not to work with very negative people. Outside of work we have more control over who we socialise with.

Think about the 5 people you have most contact with outside of work and the effect they have on you. If some friends leave you feeling drained and negative, you should consider reducing the time you spend with them. At work, who do you see the most and who has the most negative effect on you? Can you reduce time spent with these people?

With family it is obviously more difficult as you may be expected to interact. Overall, become aware of the people who bring you down and those who lift you up. If you discover that some people regularly have a negative influence on you, then you need to reduce the amount of time you spend with them. Being around negative people a lot will affect your mindset in a detrimental way.

So there we have it, three potent tips to help you develop a positive mindset in work and also in your personal life. Start tomorrow with the Miracle Morning and also begin to practise positive self-talk. Also, workout who in your life is having the most negative impact on your mindset and reduce the time you spend with them and if necessary stop socialising with them.

To find out about running your business using cloud computing with IP House Data Centre, fill out the form below. Let's talk!

Sources:

https://positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations

COLOCATION: THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 17:21:39 GMT

The advantages of colocation data solutions

In this article we explore what colocation services provide for businesses and the many positive benefits.

The Benefits of Colocation

Colocation facilities can be valuable partners in reducing IT costs, improving flexibility and creating robust, highly available infrastructure that connects seamlessly to multiple clouds. In addition, colocation facilities provide not only rapid setup in professionally managed data centers, but also reliable on-ramps to the internet through shared high-speed pipes.

Colocation Data Centre Definition

Although some businesses perceive a two-way choice between an in-house data centre or hosted infrastructure, colocation data centres are the third option. The principle of a colocation data centre is that an organisation leases space in a similar fashion to a cloud-based model. In contrast to the cloud model, the network infrastructure and data servers are privately owned and managed by the company taking out the lease.

Types of Colocation Facilities

There are a few different types of colocation data centres:

Retail

Clients lease space in a retail colo data centre e.g. a fenced-off space or a rack.

Hybrid Cloud

This consists of a combination of outsourced data centre solutions and onsite facilities.

Wholesale

For wholesale, the client leases a fully-constructed data centre space.

The Advantages of a Colocation Data Centre

Deploying IT assets in a colocated data centre bestows a number of advantages:

Flexibility Of Location: You can store your data and IT resources at colocation data centre facilities in any location. You have the freedom to house your infrastructure closer to clients and staff, or in a location with faster internet connectivity or less vulnerability to natural disasters.
Higher Reliability: A colocation data centre has the necessary resources to deploy and maintain redundant and resilient systems. This provides a higher level of reliability than many in-house systems.
Lower Labour Costs: Housing your data in a colocation data centre reduces the need for technical staff to manage in-house facilities. At IP House our staff manage your data for you.
Reduced Costs: Colocation services enable economies of scale as we support the data of multiple customers in one data centre. Therefore, clients can build data systems at a lower cost than if they stored their data in-house.
Scalability & Affordability: As your business expands and seeks to advance digitally, a colocation data centre allows scaling both rapidly and at affordable rates to suit your data requirements.

Colocation & Cloud Computing

With the rise of cloud computing over a decade ago, many organizations began to divest themselves of servers and storage entirely as they shifted infrastructure responsibility to cloud providers. Initially, some people said that the cloud was a threat to the colocation industry because hyperscale computing would obviate the need for businesses to own equipment. Yet ironically, cloud is fuelling a rebirth and a resurgence of colocation in a new form.

The Global Colocation Market Growth and Interconnection

A survey of more than 300 IT professionals by Enterprise Management Associates found that 84% expect their cloud traffic to grow over the next three years. The global colocation market is expected to reach $90 billion in 2024, up from $35 billion in 2017, according to Global Market Insights. A principal driver of this growth is interconnection, or private data exchange between businesses. Interconnection is best done in a vendor-neutral data center where a large ecosystem of vendors, customers and cloud providers are clustered together. The interconnection market is growing even faster than the colocation market, with revenues expected to more than double from $3.48 billion in 2019 to reach $7.65 billion in 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence.

IP House Colocation

IP House offers an ultra-resilient, private facility in the London docklands. As a Carrier Neutral operator, you can access virtually any connectivity service through a choice of Tier I and Tier II providers. From Dark Fibre to Fully Managed MPLS/LAN/WAN, we can help drive your business through the power of efficient networks. We have quarter, half and full rack colocation hosting in the UK with A + B dual power feeds included. All of our racks are situated within secure, cold aisle containment. With 24/7 and 365 day access and support, IP House is always on hand to serve the data needs of businesses. A guaranteed optimum blend of uptime, security, and accessibility.

With IP House colocation services, your business's technical infrastructure is securely located in our dedicated racks and protected by industry leading technologies.

Would you like to find out more about IP House's Colocation Data Centre services for your business? Please fill out the contact form below and we will get back to you.

(Based on an article from 2020 called 'The Colocation Solution')

WHY DATA CENTRES ARE PERFECT FOR FINTECH

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:40:05 GMT

Exploring the advantages of Cutting Edge Cloud Services For Fintech

Data is crucial in the fintech industry because being able to process large amounts of data helps companies create bespoke and smarter experiences for their customers. Data centre services allow the fintech industry to have a more in-depth understanding of their customers' individual needs. Let’s explore in more detail why cloud computing is a perfect match for fintech and how IP House data centre in London serves those businesses..

The Data Centre Digital Revolution For Fintech

Financial services technology has revolutionised how transactions are carried out and how funds are managed across the world. As data centres have become integrated into fintech, cloud computing means that financial transactions can be conducted securely and efficiently. This is the essence of why fintech and data centres are a perfect fit for each other.

Security For Financial Technologies

Data centres provide a very secure physical and digital environment to entrust your fintech data with. IP House in London has robust surveillance systems; it is a highly secure facility, protected by 24/7 CCTV. Also, it has other anti-intrusion measures to give your data the highest levels of security available in the industry.

Equally, the IP House data centre is equipped with cutting edge firewalls, biometric authentication processes and a wide range of other technologies that stop cyberattacks on a 24 hour basis. This multi-layered approach to security provides a solid architecture for your data systems to keep them safe.

Affordable, Flexible and Scalable

Using a data centre for services is affordable for both the fintech companies and their clients. Likewise, the technology is very flexible which means data storage and management are easy to access. IP House in London is ideal for fintech businesses because of its reliable scalability that allows your business to expand at your own pace. The data centre facilities are set up with modularity in mind which effectively means your company can extend its capacity and add more server space as it grows. This is called ‘pay-as-you-grow’ services. In essence, fintech companies can rapidly add increased capacity to meet sharp rises in demand. Fintechs are fast growing platforms, so an infrastructure that can scale without complex barriers and challenges is essential.

At the same time, it also saves companies the extra money they would have needed if investing in onsite hardware and software.

Accessible Data Services

Using IP House, your customers and staff can easily access your financial services from all over the world. The adoption of cloud-based technology is rapid and developers who work in fintech solutions can design and build applications much quicker without needing to be experts in networking and storage. IP House takes care of the expertise and supplies efficient and practical solutions that work seamlessly across different platforms.

Fintech companies and your clients can experience the rapid transmission of data; they will receive your financial services that much faster in the cloud. This is reassuring for customers and it improves the reputation of your brand. In addition, the rapid technology provides effective analytics to check for errors and to leverage effective, strategic planning.

Self-Service App Access

A fintech company using IP House will have network services at their fingertips and bespoke apps will perform much better in the cloud. Individuals and companies can manage their finances remotely and staff can access the apps and services too.

Agile Technology

IP House data centre uses agile technology which means it is able to keep your business up-to-date with the latest developments in financial services technology. Ultimately, we can get your products and services on the market faster and meet all of your demands. The world saw the importance of reacting fast with digital solutions during the pandemic and this is one of the main strengths of IP House’s data services.

Quantum Computing Cybersecurity

With the use of Quantum computing, cloud computing services give the fintech sector peace of mind over cybersecurity. This leading edge technology safeguards customers’ financial data with the very latest cryptography.

Reflections

For fintech ventures security is paramount due to the financial services they are providing. Therefore, the robust cybersecurity of IP House is ideally matched to these needs. In addition, the flexible and scalable nature of cloud-based data services provide the rapid ability to grow fintech ventures and their applications in a short period of time.

It is time to turn to cloud computing. Find out more by filling out the contact form below today.

Sources:

1. https://www.skblindstrom.com/data-center-security/
2. https://techgenix.com/data-centers-for-fintech/
3. ttps://wwwshopifynet/partners/blog/cloud-technologies-financial-services
4. https://securityboulevardcom/2018/11/data-center-market-emerging-trends

5. https://www.neucentrix.co.id/en/news/235-data-centers-and-the-finance-industry

6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2021/04/19/how-the-cloud-is-changing-fintech/?sh&sh=50f667869cc6

7. https://inc42.com/resources/how-fintech-startups-are-leveraging-cloud-computing-to-scale-securely/

THE HELLERMANNTYTON PARTNERSHIP GIVES THE LEADING EDGE!

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:17:19 GMT

The technological importance of the IP House Hellermanntyton partnership for your business

IP House’s Partnership with Hellermanntyton, the leading supplier of cabling and network infrastructure solutions, future proofs the data centre and delivers resilient, low-latency services to all of our customers. In this article we evaluate the technological advantages for your business this partnership offers.

The Size of the Global Data Centre industry

With the data centre industry growing year on year worldwide, partnering with the very best companies in the field is vital to IP House’s own development,

“The global hyperscale data centres market will grow from $35.72 billion in 2022 to $41.69 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.7%. The hyperscale data centres market is expected to grow to $76.73 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 16.5%.”

Source: Businesswire.com , Feb 2023

HellermannTyton and IP House Partners Since 2018

IP House is a UK based data centre and supplier of high-performance data centre colocation services. It has been partnered with leading UK cabling company HellermannTyton since 2018. Their RapidNet hybrid cabling system is deployed throughout its London facility.

London Data Centre

Located on the Edge of the city’s financial district and close to Canary Wharf, IP House serves customers in the finance, gaming and online gambling industries. It serves businesses who depend on high availability, high performance and ultra-reliable colocation services delivered in accordance with ambitious and strictly observed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

RapidNet Technology At IP House

RapidNet is a British manufactured pre-terminated, pre-tested cabling infrastructure solution that enables copper and fibre cables to be terminated on the same panel, saving space in data centres. Freeing up rack space for deployment of additional IT equipment is a primary concern for colocation providers such as IP House.

“The beauty of the hybrid approach is that customers can utilise fibre, copper or a combination of both to be terminated on the same 1U unit,” said David Gagel, Sales Director at HellermannTyton. “It means less space is required for connectivity infrastructure, which in turn leaves more room for customers and revenue-generating IT equipment in the data centre whitespace.”

Simple And Fast Installation

RapidNet’s modular cassette-based design makes installation simple, fast and efficient, thereby allowing Systems Integrators and connectivity partners such as TwistedPair , who created the backbone cabling system inside the IP House data centre, to guarantee tight deployment schedules, which can in turn be built into customers’ SLAs.

“In today’s business environment, customers are connecting from multiple devices and applications at any one time, creating a surge in Big Data.” said Kevin Baylis, LV Technical Consultant at TwistedPair. “RapidNet allows changes to be made quickly in accordance with customers’ specific requirements and helps to future proof the data centre against rapid technological change, by utilising laser technology and improving the amount of fibre required to implement a high-speed network.”

Tier III Standards

Built to Tier III standards, IP House’s data centre maintains a highly reliable service, with rigorous uptime requirements suitable for customers who depend on real-time delivery of products or services for a significant part of their revenue stream. As such all the equipment, including cabling and termination systems provided by HellermanTyton and Twisted Pair, must be highly resilient, reliable and durable.

Working Towards A Common Goal

“The collaborative process genuinely works best when customers, Vendors and Partners can envisage and work together towards a common goal,” added David Gagel, Sales Director at HellermannTyton.

“In today's business, success is achieved when all parties understand that their own best interests are served by respecting each other’s strengths and working together. This partnership has focused on ensuring that we can meet and understand IP House’s needs, treating them as our own to ensure the outcome is a success for us all.”

Maintaining High Standards In The Data Centre Industry

IP House is committed to working together with the very best partners in the industry and utilising leading edge technology to deliver the best results for our clients. Hellermann Tyton is one of our key partners in maintaining high standards of service.

To find out more about our data centre services, please fill out the form below:

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR WELL-BEING IN DIGITAL

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:05:28 GMT

The Detrimental Effects Of Working In Digital And How To Overcome Them

By Jamieson Lee Hill, March 16th, 2023

Most of us live in a world where we are submerged in digital technology in our working lives and this can have detrimental and positive effects on our lives. Looking after well-being at work is more important than ever as more people are working remotely or in hybrid fashion. Let’s dive into the issues and also explore tips for maintaining positive well-being in the digital workplace.

62% Of The World Is Online

When we talk about the digital workplace we are referring to people working in technology and people who work primarily online. All of whom spend long hours in front of a screen using a computer. If you examine the figures for internet usage and compare 2000 to 2023, the expansion of the internet globally has been immense,

“There are 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide. That’s 62% of the world’s total population. Only 361 million people used the internet worldwide in 2000 (6% of the world’s population at the time).”

(Source: Zippia.com, 12th Jan, 2023)

Remote Working

Working from home may seem like ‘living the dream’, but it can also blur the lines between work and home life, with colleagues imposing on your downtime. Therefore, the reality can be very different from the imagined ideal of working remotely,

“Employees often encounter bigger interruptions, miss more lunch hours, and put in longer days than they ever did back at the office. On average, remote workers clocked a whopping 16.8 more days a year than their office colleagues, which could be why almost a third of remote workers requested a mental health day.”

(Source: Lucidchart.com, 2023)

With remote working many staff can feel compelled to work more hours than if office based. Thus, burnout and fatigue can be a very real challenge for these workers.

Technostress And The Negative Side of Digital Working

Technostress is not a new term; it first appeared in 1984 in Craig Brod’s book ‘Technostress: The Cost of The Computer Revolution’. It refers to the ‘one’s inability to cope with technology that results in distress’. Research links technostress with biological stress reactions. Also, there are negative effects on your personal life because modern day technology keeps you in regular contact with work via messaging, emails, video conferencing etc. The cumulative effect of this can be increased technostress levels as work and family life become mixed up. It is hard to switch off and relax after work if you are constantly getting notifications. Gradually, mental health can be eroded if this inability to disconnect from digital is not managed.

Big Brother Is Watching

Digital technology allows employers to monitor staff work by tracking time, which websites you used and tasks you covered. Certainly, this can add to your stress being closely monitored and under duress. The resulting effect can be a decline in mental well-being which can affect performance and efficiency.

Tips For Positive Well Being in The Digital Workplace

Whether you are working remotely or in a digital and technological environment, it is important to follow a healthy routine for your own well-being. Here are some handy tips for staff or managers to follow:

Good Ergonomics Set Up

First up, make sure your workstations are set up properly with adjustable chairs, desks, and monitors to prevent strains, pains, and other injuries from prolonged sitting or typing. The last thing you want is a back injury or repetitive strain injury.

Take Regular Breaks

Taking regular breaks to stretch, walk around, and recharge is essential. This can help reduce stress, increase focus and energy, and prevent burnout. Schedule it into your day along with your work duties.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water throughout the day can help you stay focused and energized. Keep a water bottle nearby and refill it throughout the day. The benefits of drinking water throughout the day will show in your work performance and mental/physical well-being.

Eat Healthily

A company that cares about its employees will provide healthy food options in vending machines or the cafeteria, and encourage workers to bring healthy snacks from home. If you are working from home, plan healthy snacks to keep you going as well as your main meals. Too much sugar and fatty foods will slow you down.

Good Lighting and Ventilation

Make sure your workspace is well-lit and has adequate ventilation to prevent eye strain and headaches. Some buildings can cause illness due to ‘sick building syndrome’ due to poor lighting, ventilation and so forth.

Regular Physical Activity

A company can help its staff by offering free or discounted gym memberships or yoga classes to help them stay active and to relieve stress. If you are working remotely, dedicate 45 minutes a day to exercise.

Mental Health Support

Companies can offer resources for mental health support, such as counselling or employee assistance programs to support their employees with mental health struggles.

Stay Connected With Friends & Family

If you are working remotely, make sure you manage your time to have some face-to-face contact with friends and family. Working in isolation can have a detrimental effect on your mental health and exacerbate anxiety, depression and stress.

Positivity & Team Attitude

Businesses should encourage collaboration, teamwork, and open communication to promote a positive work environment. If you work at home alone, try methods such as Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning to put you in a positive frame of mind each morning.

A Culture Of Open And Honest Feedback

Openness and transparency in a company are essential; giving staff the chance to speak openly about work issues makes them feel valued and contributes to positive mental well-being. This is especially important for teams working remotely where it is easy to overlook key problems for staff.

Time Management Apps

There are apps available to set a time limit on how long you spend on tasks and to help you manage your time. You can also set time limits on your social media usage to protect your mental health from excessive usage. Social media can instill anxiety and depression in people if used too often.

Keep To Digital Boundaries

It is important to maintain the boundaries between your work and personal

life when working in digital. If you do this, you will allow yourself to have proper downtime with your family and friends. It will significantly reduce your stress levels. Turn off your phone on the weekend at times or refrain from checking work emails and messages

Disconnect With Hypnotherapy

A great technique for disconnecting is using hypnotherapy recordings. Recently, I have been using Andrew Johnson’s hypnotherapy app ‘Disconnect’ and found it very effective. There are many different hypnotherapy products and services online.

Disconnect With Binaural Beats Music

Binaural beat music is an effective way to maintain positive mental health. Youtube has freely available binaural beats music to help you relax. You need to listen with headphones to get the full effect; the binaural beats work on your brainwaves to induce a relaxed state of mind.

Information Overload And How To Cope

Information overload is a prevalent problem in the modern world. It is important to have strategies to overcome it such as filtering information you want to receive and scheduling times to access urgent and non-urgent information. The internet can feel overwhelming if you don’t discipline your usage of it.

Reflections

Digital well-being is recognised by the European Parliament as a ‘growing crisis of mental health amongst our workforce’ and the EU is seeking to create legislation to give workers ‘proper level of protection’. The EU Parliament stated that the, ‘right to disconnect is essential to ensuring the mental well-being of employees and the self-employed’. Whether this ‘right to disconnect’ will exist globally remains to be seen, but for now , you can protect your own well-being by implementing some of the tips in this article. Good luck!

To find out more about using IP House's Data Centre Services for your business, please fill out the contact form below. We are always happy to hear from new clients.

Sources

THE TOP 8 BENEFITS OF CLOUD SERVICES FOR EDUCATION IN 2023

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 11:38:53 GMT

Why educational institutions are switching to cloud computing

Cloud computing is a popular choice for educational organisations because of the many benefits it provides. In this article, we examine why cloud computing is becoming the new status quo for universities, colleges, schools and other institutions. In 2023, cloud services are expected to become even more widely used in education. Let’s find out why.

1. Real Time Collaboration

Using cloud computing allows your organisation to work together in real time without the need to buy expensive software or hardware . This means that staff or students can work collaboratively using cloud based apps and other software. Furthermore, cloud computing makes IT infrastructure management much easier. Equally so, administrators can rapidly add new desktops and scale up the services to expand the number of users.

Organisations can use AI and machine learning in their educational settings to enhance their teaching and learning. With cloud services, educators can quickly share files between multiple users around the world. Real time collaboration enhances student communication, drives remote learning classrooms and creates management portals for staff which allow parents to be involved too.

2. Cost Savings

Cloud services help educational organisations save money on costly hardware upgrades and maintenance costs with data stored virtually in the cloud. In addition, institutions can easily access more computing power and improve their overall performance. Overall, the data centre manages the costs of the server hardware, software and storage which produces valuable savings for the college, school or university. Also, cloud services allow organisations to flexibly scale as their number of students expands which provides in turn higher profits for the educational institution.

Having data services offsite means institutions can switch from intensive, heavy costs for capital investment for onsite servers & IT infrastructure to more affordable monthly costs. Lower data storage costs, less expenditure on new hardware and minimal onsite maintenance are all meaningful advantages.

Overall, a comprehensive and well-planned strategy for cloud computing will help educational institutions utilise these services in the optimal way for cost savings and provide a better virtual learning environment for staff and students.

3. Global Reach

Educational institutions benefit from cloud computing because they become more agile and can respond rapidly with their services. Likewise, it breeds innovation because they can use cutting edge technologies to reach their global audience. With organisations able to roll out leading technologies in a more economical way than having onsite software and hardware, both staff and students benefit as a whole.

The global market for cloud services for education was approximately £100 billion in 2021 with cloud spending in the UK at about £25 billion in 2022. The US Cloud Computing education market was valued at USD 23.81 Billion in 2021 and it is forecast to hit USD 173.62 Billion by 2030.

4. Enhanced Quality of Education

A cloud-based educational system is a powerful tool for improving the quality of education because it allows educators and students to collaborate on projects online across the world. Equally, this allows educators to share lesson plans and track student progress from anywhere.

It’s an ideal tool for fostering a global educational community as cloud-based education systems allow teachers and students to focus on more rewarding activities while saving time and money. With the right tools, educators can spend more time improving individual classes and new resources can be added to courses with just a few clicks. Cloud-based educational systems also reduce the cost of textbooks.

Finally, student engagement is improved by utilising tools like video conferencing and interactive whiteboards to hold students’ attention better than traditional methods.

5. Flexibility

Data hosting solutions are very flexible with a ‘pay-as-you-grow’ approach, so you can add more services and users as you scale and expand. This means flexible growth rather than large capital investment for onsite IT services and infrastructure. The connectivity of the cloud services allows connection with multiple commercial and state networks. Furthermore, as the educational sector is prone to rapid change, cloud computing allows the flexibility to respond to innovations and changes as new technology is hosted on external data servers.

6. Risk Management

A data centre will monitor facilities 24/7 and maintain power availability. The cloud computing services are managed to ensure minimum disruption and downtime. Also it gives educational institutions peace of mind knowing that their data is secure and compliant with GDPR regulations.

Cloud-based platforms provide increased levels of advanced security by encrypting data and offering robust authentication measures that protect against unauthorized access. Also, cloud services provide automated data backup instead of having to manually back up. This means educational providers can rest assured that information is stored safely.

7. Future Proofing An Educational Organisation

A data centre has an extensive fibre infrastructure and diverse routes, so an educational organisation can connect to a multitude of services and leverage tools such as apps. This future proofs the educational institution as it does not need to install any new IT infrastructure onsite and has direct access via the fibre infrastructure. Thus, futureproofing saves your organisation the need to invest in costly IT infrastructure.

Clearly, cloud services help to modernise learning environments and prepare them for the future developments. This also makes your organisation more attractive for prospective students because of the leading edge technology.

8. Sustainability

Working with a data centre to host your computing offsite in a cloud can save electricity and reduce your carbon footprint. Not to mention the money an organisation would have spent and the carbon emissions created from building onsite data storage and IT infrastructure. Also, if schools, colleges and universities use virtual services they can reduce the amount of paper documentation they use which will also reduce their carbon footprint.

Reflections

Certainly, cloud services are revolutionising teaching and learning in terms of delivery of lessons, online collaboration and the sharing of resources. It connects staff, students and parents together seamlessly in one virtual environment complete with apps and software.

All stakeholders can make the most out of the virtual environments with such innovative technologies. With data hosting your institution can be at the leading edge of technology and enhance the teaching and learning experience for staff and students. Finally, as educators, you can work faster and harness the power of cloud computing and its technological innovations without the worries about outdated software and hardware. Leave all of that to your data centre!

Call us today to find out more about IP House Cloud Computing Services for educational institutions. Fill out the contact form below!

SOURCES

1. https://crownhostingdc.co.uk/sectors/education/

2. https://nexstor.com/the-importance-of-cloud-computing-in-education/

3. https://nexstor.com/the-importance-of-cloud-computing-in-education/

4. https://compareyourbusinesscosts.co.uk/cloud-for-education

5. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crown-commercial-service-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021/ccs-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021-html-version

HOW IOT AND BIG DATA ARE DRIVING HOLISTIC DATA CENTRE SERVICES

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 10:12:59 GMT

IP House deploys Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ architecture with the help of APC™ by Schneider Electric™ Elite Partner Comtec Power at London’s newest colocation data centre

By Sean Hilliar , March 3rd, 2023

This technical report explains the capabilities of IP House Data Centre in London and how it serves businesses in gaming, financial services, education and other industries with cutting edge technologies.

Executive Summary

Located close to the financial sector of the City of London, IP House provides high performance colocation data centre services to customers for whom uptime, availability and service excellence are essential. Adopting a pay-as-you-grow approach to deployment, the company needed to build its capabilities in a modular, scalable manner to match customer demand.

IP House has utilised Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for Data Centers Architecture, including its industry-leading modular UPS systems and Cloud-based Data Centre Infrastructure Management software (DCIM), to provide customers with services of the utmost reliability at competitive prices.

Introduction

IP House is a specialist supplier of high-performance colocation data centre services. Located at the edge of London’s financial district and situated next to the Docklands, it is an independent and privately owned company, founded in 2016, whose main facility was previously owned by a telecommunications provider.

Since its foundation, IP House has refurbished the facility as a Cloud and carrier-neutral data centre with superfast Internet speeds ranging from 10Gb/sec to 100Gb/sec, making it the perfect high-performance solution for customers dependent on connectivity to business-critical applications.

Challenge

As a colocation provider, whose target customers are in the finance, gaming and managed-services industries, IP House has to adhere to the highest standards of uptime, security and resiliency. It has designed and built the communications, power and cooling infrastructure at its London facility to provide a competitive and customer-focused colocation service.

“Uptime, security and service availability are our main priorities,” explained Vinny Vaghani, Operations & Commercial Manager, IP House. “With today’s businesses dependent on instant connectivity to critical applications hosted in the facility and a demand for technology that’s always available, our clients cannot tolerate any downtime or disruption.”

To offer high-end services while remaining price-competitive, the company follows a “pay as you grow” deployment strategy, scaling up to add infrastructure to satisfy customer demand. The 15,000 sq ft facility has two technical Data Suites, the first of which is now operational, with plans for the second suite to be brought online in the future.

Solution approach

Understanding IP House's need for a scalable, resilient and secure data centre solution, APC’s Elite Partner Comtec Power worked with the company to deliver a retrofit and upgrade project at their London facility.

Working with Comtec enabled IP House to design and build the data centre to meet the requirements for Tier III classification. “Their insight and experience played a critical part in the company’s decision making,” said Vinny Vaghani, “ensuring that our future clients would continue to benefit from the most innovative technology solutions available in the market.”

“Comtec’s expertise in design and build were unparalleled and invaluable.” he continued. “Their familiarity with data centre technology and proactive approach to customer support during the initial stages were one of the key reasons they were selected to work with us.”

“As the newest colocation market entrant we wanted to acquire and leverage both the experience and expertise of the partners supplying our critical infrastructure. We’ve always had a great relationship and single point of contact via Ian Gregg, Data Centre Specialist at Comtec Power.”

Vinny continued. “This meant that at every stage of the project we were able to communicate our requirements with someone who understood our objectives from the customer's perspective. That level of service was outstanding and is something they continue to provide us to this day.”

The data centre contains industry-leading infrastructure solutions including Schneider Electric’s Symmetra UPS, deployed in an N+1 configuration with 4x 500kVA to deliver rapidly scalable and resilient power options. In addition, IP House selected Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT, DMaaS platform for 24/7 advanced monitoring, management and data-driven insights.

“From the design stages through to the deployment of the first pod, our focus has always been built around three core principles.” said Vinny Vaghani. “The first was to partner with industry-leading vendors, which ensures we deploy the most reliable and innovative technology solutions. The second was to gain accreditations that would reflect our commitments to uptime, security and resiliency. The third was to develop a reputation for customer service excellence.”

The company has deployed industry-leading hardware and software products from Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for Data Centers architecture, which comprises three levels; connected products, edge control software, and cloud-based apps/analytics/services.

IP House’s infrastructure deployment strategy is based around modular growth, utilising components of Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for Data Centers Architecture to scale up and add capacity as customer requirements demand it.

Suite A consists of 192 racks, all of which are Schneider Electric’s 48U NetShelter SX enclosures. These are larger than the standard industry size and allow the company to offer higher power densities and more scalability or space for IT equipment to customers. High-density racks maximise the use of available space in the data centre and also facilitate the use of containment solutions for efficient cooling operations, both of which result in energy efficiency and ultimately, reduced operating costs.

“Our market research revealed that demand among our target customers was for higher rack densities,” said Vinny Vaghani,. “IP House can provide peak power densities of 6kW/rack without making any modifications to our core infrastructure. We can maintain an average power density of 4kW per rack and by making changes to the local circuit breakers we can offer even higher power densities of up to 14kW/rack.”

When planning to upgrade the existing data centre, one of IP House’s main priorities was to prepare the facility for scalable, modular growth. “We needed a resilient power distribution system that would give us the flexibility to add capacity to Suite A and Suite B in two phases,” Vaghani continued. “As part of the retrofit, we deployed two Schneider Electric Symmetra PX UPS systems, which provide us with the perfect mix of modularity and scalability, while protecting our customers from downtime.”

Symmetra PX allows backup power to be added in smaller increments of 25kW, up to the maximum 2MW capacity that is envisaged for Data Suite A. Once operational Suite B will have its own independent plant room with a separate utility feed and an additional 320 racks, bringing the total to 512.

The power distribution system in Data Suite A also comprises Connected Products including transformers, rack PDU’s (power distribution units) and switchgear. The PDUs were chosen in part because they provide intelligent monitoring, outlet switching, tool-free mounting and have the ability to integrate with NetBotz sensors.

“The original facility had only a single power distribution system,” continued Vinny Vaghani. “As part of the retrofit, we deployed a truly diverse power feed via the addition of a secondary switchgear that mirrors the first. The new switchgear was supplied by Schneider Electric and installed with the expert partnership and guidance of its Elite Partner Comtec Power.”

Edge Control ensures advanced management

Another key aspect of the facility is Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare for Data Centers™, Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software, which enables the infrastructure equipment to be monitored and managed from a “single pane of glass”, while providing seamless integration with the company’s building-management software.

IP House makes use of several Schneider Electric software modules and includes a Data Center Expert, which monitors alarm notifications and manages the physical infrastructure, reporting on availability, temperature, humidity and airflow to provide instant notification of any faults.

In addition, the company uses the StruxureWare for Data Centers, Data Center Operations Colocation Module to map the facilities physical infrastructure, plan future capacity, manage the network and map airflows to ensure sufficient cooling. Other benefits include the ability to model effects of changes in cooling equipment to the data centre environment and anticipate its potential impact on customers.

The final component of IP House's software solution is Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT; the Industry’s first vendor-neutral Data Centre Management as a Service (DMaaS) architecture, purpose-built for the hybrid IT and data centre environments. It provides global visibility from anywhere, at any time on any device and delivers data-driven insights into critical IT assets, which helps customers mitigate risk and reduce downtime.

Results

Thanks to its deployment of industry-leading power and UPS (uninterruptible power supply) systems, high-density racks and DCIM (data centre infrastructure management) software from Schneider Electric, IP House’s new data centre is a highly resilient facility that meets the requirements of a Tier III data centre, as defined by the Uptime Institute. It is therefore ideally equipped to meet the high-availability service demands of the company’s key customers.

“When choosing the software platform we went through a thorough selection process”, said Vinny Vaghani. “We particularly liked the vendor neutrality aspect that Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT system offers. We can integrate it with any equipment that communicates over standard TCP/IP protocols and manage the entire data centre using the same solution. Previously, the monitoring systems were completely separated, integrating them all into one platform gives us enhanced reporting and the ability to make data-driven decisions.”

In addition, the EcoStruxure IT Mobile Insights Application allows updates to be sent to mobile devices at remote locations, allowing the facility to be monitored 24/7 by both staff and field by service engineers. Comtec Power remains linked to the IP House facility via the application and has the ability to monitor the same alerts in real-time, providing expert support in the face of downtime or an unplanned event.

IP House maintains that the reputation of Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure architecture, coupled with the control and management features of the EcoStruxure IT platform provides a vital advantage when addressing the high-availability market that is its principal target.

“Our customers are always interested to know how we’re using Big Data analytics and advanced software to control and monitor the environment”, said Vinny Vaghani. “They know that our infrastructure is not only of the highest quality, but is proactively monitored and response is immediate in the event of an unplanned alert. None of which would be possible without utilising Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centers architecture. It’s been an important factor in our decision making and one that we believe will benefit both our customers and business, long-term.”

(First published in 2018. Republished 2023)

HOW DATA CENTRES CAN SAVE GAMING STUDIOS

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 09:55:49 GMT

The cybersecurity issues for gaming companies and how data centres can protect them

Jamieson Lee Hill, March 3rd, 2023

Cybersecurity for gaming studios is increasingly a major issue as criminals become more sophisticated as technology advances. In this article we explore some of the cybersecurity issues gaming studios have had worldwide and how data centres like IP House offer solid protection to future proof their systems and data. A gaming studio that doesn’t take cybersecurity seriously is unlikely to last long in the industry…

The Increase in Cybersecurity Issues For Gaming

Cybersecurity companies have been warning the gaming industry of a significant increase in cyber attacks since the early days of the pandemic. As games expand with the number of players the risk of cybercrime correspondingly increases. Director of Security Technology at Akami Technologies Tony Lauro states,

“When you add more users or devices or applications to a user pool, you’re creating a larger attack surface…In general, that is what is driving this massive increase over time.”

Source: New York Times , Oct 13th, 2022

The Akamai Report 2022

Akamai published a report in August 2022 which showed that web application attacks , which target software such as mobile video games, had increased by 167% from May 2021 to April 2022. The report also revealed that gaming was the industry with the highest number of DDos attacks (distributed denial of service), amounting to 36% of all worldwide DDos traffic. Other significant information was that,

“As of April 2022, web application and API attacks represented the largest category of attacks overall, and they have increased in volume. Since January 2021, the top-three web application attack vectors targeting gaming were, in order, LFI at 38%, SQLi at 34%, and XSS at 24%.”

(Source: Securitymagazine.com, Aug 4th , 2022

Gaming Revenue Attracts Cybercrime

The lucrative nature of the gaming industry is one of the main reasons the gaming industry is targeted by cybercriminals with revenues 5 times bigger than the global movie industry,

“ Today, gaming is the largest category in the entertainment industry, with revenues that far exceed those of both the film and music industries. This year, the gaming industry is expected to be worth more than $170 billion in global revenues, five times greater than global movie box office revenues.”

Source: Gameranx.com, Dec 2022.

The Range of Cyberattacks on Gaming

Gaming studios experience a wide variety of different cyber attacks. Companies can lose large amounts of data, video games may be offline for a time and players may lose money & personal data, as well as having game disruption.

Cybersecurity companies have highlighted that microtransaction fraud has been more prevalent in gaming. In fact, scammers sometimes target small purchases because the cumulative total from thousands of gamers can be profitable. Furthermore, small fake in-game purchases such as a £1 scam are less likely to be followed up by gamers and gaming studios.

Notable Cyber Attacks on Gaming Studios

A number of well-known gaming studios have been attacked over recent years with cybercriminals stealing company and gamer data, important game code stolen, leaked or sold, and games being forced offline. Some attacks involved hackers demanding money to return stolen data, code or put the game back online. Here are some main examples:

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts are famous for classics such as FIFA, the Sims, Need for Speed, Mass Effect, Plants Vs Zombies, Battlefield, Titanfall and many more. June 2021 saw a hack with game code being stolen from EA . Subsequently, the snatched code was given a starting bid of $500,000 in an auction by cybercriminals.

The GTA 6, Rockstar Games Hack

Possibly the biggest shock of 2022 was the GTA 6 security breach where a hacker illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from its data systems. Next, the hacker released developmental footage of the unreleased GTA 6 and also claimed to be the culprit behind the cyberattack on Uber.

Known as the ‘teapottubehacker’, the individual gained access via a Slack Channel for Rockstar Games staff and then claimed to have 90 videos about GTA 6. In addition, the hacker wanted to negotiate a deal to stop further hacks.

Later a coordinated effort between Rockstar Games and the FBI led to a notorious hacking gang called the Lapsus$ Group being arrested. Shortly afterwards, 7 people were arrested in the UK and London police charged a teenager known as Michael.

Bandai Namco

July 2022 saw multi-billion dollar brand Bandai Namco, creator of Tekken and Elden Ring, announce that it had been hacked . The big name brand was hacked by ALPHV Ransomware group who claimed to have ransomed the gaming company. However, Bandai Namco said the cyberattack on their internal systems was shut down to stop any further damage,

“ …we confirmed the unauthorized access, we have taken measures such as blocking access to the servers to prevent the damage from spreading.”

Source: PC Gamer.com, July 2022

Axie Infinity - The Biggest Ever Crypto Gaming Hack

This was the biggest ever crypto gaming hack with the blockchain game Axie Infinity having $625 million dollars i n crypto stolen. Their decentralized finance (DeFi) platform initially lost that amount before the hacker returned most of it. The hacker took USD Coin stablecoins and Wrapped Ethereum from the Axie’s Ronin blockchain. They exploited vulnerabilities in so-called ‘bridges’ which let users trade crypto between blockchains.

Gaming Companies ‘Lax On Security’ Set To Fail

With a market flooded with choice, if players are hacked or experience disruption to their game, they are likely to switch to another game at the loss of the gaming studio. Chief CX Officer For Arise Gaming, Jonathan Shroyer, affirms that,

“...if gaming companies are lax in security, their games will not succeed. Players of games depend on trust, credibility, and predictability when leveraging a brand's game…

If they find out there was a hack, or fraud, or other security issues, you will see a dramatic drop in gameplay and spend."

Source: Jonathan Shroyer, Darkreading.com , Nov 25, 2022

The Solutions Available For Gaming Studios

Gaming industry expert Shroyer believes that the industry is now in a stronger position due to ‘technical measures available to developers.’ Gaming companies can use cutting edge software updates for unique online accounts that gamers must download and,

“...new tech and security placed in gaming data centers that make hacking more difficult, and the ability to turn off access via games online if bad behaviors are noticed.”

Source: Darkreading.com, 25th Nov, 2022

IP House and Cyber Security For Gaming Studios

Data centres have a key role to play in supporting gaming studios worldwide to strengthen their security. As Shroyer highlighted, tech and security placed in data centres mean that gaming studios have peace of mind knowing their data and software are safe.

Clearly, gaming studios also need to keep educating gamers about the dangers of phishing, malware, and so forth, but the role data centres play is instrumental in future proofing security for gaming studios. IP House offers the following robust cyber security advantages for gaming companies:

A Secure Network - to transmit data securely between their servers and end-user devices.
A Secure Infrastructure - servers, storage, and other critical components.
Full Compliance – ISO Certified Data Centre.
Redundancy - Provide high availability and redundancy, ensuring systems and data are always available even in the event of a failure or outage.

To echo Shroyer’s warning, a gaming studio with poor cybersecurity will find that their ‘games will not succeed.’ To find out more about how IP House can save your gaming studio from cyberattacks, fill out the form below today!

To find out more about how IP House Data Centre can support your gaming studio, fill out the contact form below.

Sources

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/technology/gamers-malware-minecraft-roblox.html

2. https://gameranx.com/updates/id/416500/article/gaming-is-five-times-bigger-than-movies-now/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CToday%2C%20gaming%20is%20the%20largest,global%20movie%20box%20office%20revenues.%E2%80%9D

3. Rockstar Games confirms hack after 'Grand Theft Auto' leak | TechTa...

4. Uber and Rockstar Games hacks show employee messaging privacy needs work

5. Axie Infinity: 4 Urgent Lessons from the Largest Crypto Hack Ever

6. How data centres are supporting the gaming industry

7. For Gaming Companies, Cybersecurity Has Become a Major Value Proposition

8. https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/social-engineering

9. https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/cybersecurity-major-game-company-value-proposition

10. https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/98114-top-3-web-attack-vectors-in-the-gaming-industry

'PAY AS YOU GROW' DATA HOSTING IS YOUR BEST SOLUTION

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 16:18:54 GMT

The flexible approach for your business to scale and grow

In this article we explore why pay-as-you-grow data hosting services are an optimum solution for startups and existing businesses of all sizes. Let’s explore why…

Pay-As-You-Grow London Data Centre

IP House is perfectly positioned in the UK’s capital city, close to London’s financial sector. Our core offering is high performance colocation data centre services for clients for whom uptime, availability and service excellence are crucial. In offering pay-as-you-grow data hosting, IP House had to build its capabilities in a modular, scalable manner to match customer demand.

Ultimately, a pay-as-you-grow deployment strategy allows businesses to procure high-end data hosting services at a competitive price. As demand increases you can scale up and add to your IT infrastructure to meet customer demand.

The Main Priorities: Uptime, Security & Service Availability

In 2023 businesses of all sizes require data hosting with guaranteed services which are not disrupted or experience downtime. It is essential that their clients have continuity of service. Vinny Vaghani, Operations & Commercial Manager, IP House explained that,

“Uptime, security and service availability are our main priorities”.

Vinny highlighted the importance of reliable data services to maintain the critical applications and systems of a company,

“With today’s businesses dependent on instant connectivity to critical applications hosted in the facility and a demand for technology that’s always available, our clients cannot tolerate any downtime or disruption.”

Why is Pay-As-Grow Data Hosting So Popular for Businesses?

Pay-as-you-grow data hosting is rapidly evolving as the go-to solution for businesses of all sizes for the following reasons:

Cost Savings

With pay-as-you-grow data hosting services, you only pay for the resources and storage capacity you need at any given time. This eliminates the cost and time needed to either upscale or downscale your IT infrastructure as your business expands or reduces.

Scalability

With pay-as-you-grow data hosting services, scalability is built in and flexible. Essentially, it means that a business can easily add or remove IT resources as required without needing to invest in expensive hardware upgrades or additional server space.

Flexibility

Pay-as-you-grow data hosting enables businesses to take advantage of new technologies and features without the necessity to sign up to long term contracts. Therefore, your business can tailor your services to meet specific and bespoke needs, while at the same time enjoy the very latest cutting edge technology on the market.

Data Security

At IP House your company data is stored safely and securely on separate servers which are constantly monitored by security experts. This gives you peace of mind with your data protected from external threats like cybercrime.

Data Services Bespoke For Different Sectors

IP House’s target market covers a variety of different sectors including finance, education, gaming, managed-services industries and startups. Adhering to the highest standards of uptime, security and resiliency, IP House designed and built leading edge communications, power and cooling infrastructure to provide the optimum ‘pay-as-you-grow’ data hosting for today’s market.

Three Core Principles in Data Hosting

From the design stage of the data centre through to execution, IP House has always focused around three main principles,

“The first was to partner with industry-leading vendors, which ensures we deploy the most reliable and innovative technology solutions. The second was to gain accreditations that would reflect our commitments to uptime, security and resiliency. The third was to develop a reputation for customer service excellence”, said Vinny Vaghani.

Solution Approach

Right from the beginning in 2016, IP House understood the need for a scalable, resilient and secure data centre solution. Therefore, working with APC’s Elite Partner Comtec Power, who delivered a retrofit and upgrade project for IP House, was the ideal course of action. Moreover, working with Comtec allowed IP House to design and build the data centre to meet the requirements for Tier III classification,

“Their insight and experience played a critical part in the company’s decision making,” said Vinny Vaghani, “ensuring that our future clients would continue to benefit from the most innovative technology solutions available in the market.”

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure For Data Centres

IP House utilises Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ for Data Centers Architecture, including its industry-leading modular UPS systems and Cloud-based Data Centre Infrastructure Management software (DCIM). This means IP House can provide maximum reliability and competitive prices for data hosting services. Vinny Vaghani highlighted the importance of this,

“Our customers are always interested to know how we’re using Big Data analytics and advanced software to control and monitor the environment”, said Vinny Vaghani.

“They know that our infrastructure is not only of the highest quality, but is proactively monitored and response is immediate in the event of an unplanned alert. None of which would be possible without utilising Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centers architecture. It’s been an important factor in our decision making and one that we believe will benefit both our customers and business, long-term.”

Pay-As-You-Grow Data, The New Paradigm

As the data hosting industry continues to rapidly expand, the pay-as-you-grow model is the flexible, affordable and reliable approach that startups and existing companies are adopting. Whether you are a small, medium or large enterprise, flexible data hosting provides the perfect equilibrium of scalability, security and flexibility.

Get in touch today about Cloud Services for your business. Fill out the contact form below!

(This article was inspired and partly repurposed from a 2018 report on the technical capabilities of IP House Data Centre. For full and comprehensive technical specifications of our data services please read the article 'HOW IOT AND BIG DATA ARE DRIVING HOLISTIC DATA CENTRE SERVICES'.)

5 TOP DATA HOSTING NEEDS FOR CIOS

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:37:33 GMT

Taking companies to the edge of technology in cloud computing

Data centres are becoming increasingly important to businesses as more organisations transition to cloud computing. In this article, we explore developments of the last few years for CIOs and the main needs companies have to be at the leading edge of data hosting.

The Challenge For CIOs

With the huge digital boom since the pandemic, CIOs now need to take advantage of disruptive technologies, resilient data centres and edge computing sites. Cloud computing can help them to develop an IT infrastructure strategy that encompasses faster technology refreshes and greater digital services than ever before.

CIOS Reports On The Need For Emerging Data Technologies

The 2020 State of the CIO Executive Summary by IDG reported that 89% of IT leaders ‘believe the CIO increasingly needs to rely on trusted advisors to help navigate emerging technologies, processes and methodologies. In the 2020 Harvery Nash/KPMG CIO Survey the importance of data hosting and management was also emphasised

“Data as an asset must become part of your corporate culture. Mastering your data, defining ongoing data ownership and increasing everyone’s data literacy are critical when trying to take advantage of things like automation and AI.”

Source: Baron Unbehagen, CIO, Encino Energy, Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey 2020

In the same 2020 Survey, ‘80 percent of CEOs in KPMG’s Global CEO Outlook survey said that more digital acceleration had occurred within the last few months than in the previous few years. The digital leap during lockdown was tremendous and CIOs realised the need for ‘significant investment…in enabling technologies such as AI, payments, integrated platforms, and automation.’

Three years on in 2023, CIOs are working to create technical capabilities such as cloud computing and ‘emerging enabling technologies’ to modernise their systems and supply chains. The 2020 Survey highlighted the need for CIOs to take action to create ‘a modern digital backbone’.

The Increasing Number of Cyber Attacks

The 2019 Harvey Nash & KPMG’s CIO Survey, entitled, ‘A Changing Perspective’ highlighted that only 26% of technology leaders in 2019 felt “very well” prepared for cyber-attacks, a decline of 3% on figures 5 years before. In 2023, as businesses have been adopting new technologies, the threat of hackers has also increased. Hackers have been finding new ways to break into IT systems. With cloud computing technology and the hacking threat evolving concurrently, working with a data centre that has the leading edge cybersecurity is essential as echoed in these words,

"We need an enhanced cybersecurity framework. Information security has clearly taken center stage, more so in the post pandemic area. As CIOs and technology leaders, we need to bring security to the head of the table.”

Source: Venkatesh Mahadevan, CIO, Dubai Investments PJSC , 2023.

With a secure and reliable colocation data centre partner like IP House, many of these risks can be mitigated for.

London, Strategic Hub

London remains one of the most strategic international technology hubs in the world in 2023. IDC’s Worldwide Whole Cloud Forecast , 2020–2024, forecasts that the global cloud computing market spending will go beyond USD 1 trillion in 2024. Independent colocation facilities like IP House form an important conduit of near-edge services for CIOs, leading their companies towards the next phase of edge transformation. So what are the core needs of CIOs regarding data hosting?

5 Top Data Hosting Needs For CIOs

When looking for a colocation provider to help get closer the edge of technology, there are 5 key factors:

1. Location

Location is often the most important criteria when selecting a data centre to host your critical IT infrastructure. Cost vs QoS, accessibility, network latency and factors such as scalability and capacity are some of the areas that can directly impact CIOs’ ability to deliver digital services in the future.

Data centres are designed to scale up or down depending on the business’s needs. This means that businesses can easily adjust their capacity but without the need to invest in new infrastructure. Cost savings are gained from using a data centre instead of building and maintaining an in-house server room.

Europe’s Data Hub

IP House lies in the heart of Europe’s data hub, E14 in London. Connectivity providers have been building their networks and services around the home of rich connectivity links in this prominent district for years. As the termination point and gateway to transatlantic links, it has long been the choice for service providers who understand the technologies and infrastructure underpinning the global network and routing of traffic across the world.

2. Customer Service & Technical Advisory

Companies need fast response times and clear technical advice to solve any issues which arise. At IP House we respond to our customer’s needs day or night without exception. Our customers receive a response to queries or requests within 1 hour of initial contact being received. IP House provides a variety of communication protocols with alternative back-up options.

Our technical advisory team works closely with our clients to determine their data centre strategy, both for their immediate requirements and predicted future scope. Our business ethos is founded on customer service and satisfaction, as such our client testimonials and online reviews reflect our dedicated approach. We understand the importance of rapid response and that your services are both critical to you and your clients.

3. Uptime | Reliability

Our facility provides 99.98% uptime and is constructed by industry-leading vendors and their ultra-reliable systems. With multiple redundancy layers and critical backup infrastructure, we take away the worries of staying online and maintaining uptime.

Furthermore, IT monitoring helps to detect and diagnose problems before they cause major issues, reducing costly downtime in the process. Our data centre is highly connected, and we have full visibility of all critical systems through a single pane solution, using Schneider Electrics, AI-enabled EcoStruxureTM IT.

Reliable services means minimal downtime for customers during outages etc. Our clients can depend on us for their data needs and the continuity of their services.

4. Security

Providing a secure environment for businesses to store and access their data is essential. Businesses need cutting edge security and systems to protect their data. IP House’s high security level is defined by our purpose-built design and layout, which benefits from the omission of windows to reduce the potential risk of intrusion. Access into the data centre is restricted to authorised personnel only.

Our advanced security system consists of 24-hour surveillance, remote monitoring, anti-intrusion measures, remote monitoring, multiple man-traps and a multi-factor access procedure with control points at every ingress and egress point.

In addition, the data centre is protected by extensive CCTV throughout with ANPR tracking, intelligent motion detection and also incorporates Grade III intruder protection with perimeter detection with anti-climb deterrent.

5. Connectivity

The data centre has been established for over 20 years and has a rich fibre network running throughout the facility. Availability of the world’s leading Tier I carriers ensures you can connect to the farthest reaches on the globe, whilst ultra-low latency connectivity routes to prominent Exchanges and Peering points, together with Direct Cloud, connect to all major Service providers are available from multiple providers. Network diversity can also be configured to further protect your connectivity.

Our flexible network backbone delivers high capacities in greater densities. Pre-terminated HT RapidNet solutions provide a combination of fibre and copper connections within a single U-Space, giving our customers more room for their equipment and cabling management. This future proofed solution can also deliver 100GB speeds through elite quality fibre and termination modules.

Today, IP House provides a safe, secure, resilient and reliable colocation facility within the heart of London, right on the edge of London’s financial district. The facility is purpose built to house companies’ critical infrastructure, incorporating all the necessary redundancies so that CIOs can rest assure that their business will remain online and be accessible at all times. We have also partnered with an esteemed group of industry leading vendors to provide ultra-resilient, highly reliable service offerings for our customers.

Summary

CIOs have the task of choosing data centres that will take them closer to the edge of data technology and ensure the 5 benefits of location, customer service, uptime/reliability, security and connectivity. Not to mention the scalability and cost savings that hosting your data offsite brings. With these advantages in mind, CIOs can rest assured that their businesses are well-equipped for what the future may bring.

(Original Article ' 5 REASONS CIOS SHOULD TRUST IP HOUSE TO MOVE THEM CLOSER TO THE EDGE' by Sean Hilliar, Co-Founder and Data Centre Manager, IP House. Updated and expanded January 2023.)

2020 Sources

2023 Sources:

Harvey Nash/ KPMG:

https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2020/10/harvey-nash-kpmg-cio-survey-2020.pdf

CIO, Economic Times:

https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/strategy-and-management/cybersecurity-could-be-the-game-changer-in-an-uncertain-2023/97295470?redirect=1

Veritis.com: https://www.veritis.com/news/covid-19-as-a-catalyst-for-cloud-global-cloud-spending-to-surpass-usd-1-trillion/#:~:text=According%20to%20IDC's%20Worldwide%20Whole,USD%201%20trillion%20in%202024.

HOW DATA CENTRES CAN GO CIRCULAR

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 15:12:11 GMT

The pathway to sustainability for data centres

By Jamieson Lee Hill, January 24th, 2023

With cloud computing on the increase, the number of data centres will rise in the future. If more data centres across the world join the circular economy, the carbon footprint for this sector could be significantly reduced as the industry becomes more sustainable. In this article, we explore data centres in terms of the current linear economy and what it will take for data centres to join the circular economy.

Data Centres and The Linear Economy

In the past, data centre facilities have been very much part of the linear economy with the design life of a data centre being about 10 to 15 years. This means that every decade or so the expensive and energy intensive equipment needs replacing which has a significant impact on the environment. The circular economy is an alternative to the current linear practices and can reduce the environmental impact of the industry as a whole.

The Growth of Cloud Computing

IT and cloud computing can play a crucial role in the circular economy because the industry is predicted to grow globally by 19.9% between 2021 and 2029. As the industry expands, the demand on data centres will increase and the impact on the environment; we are entering a new digital age,

“We are presently on the verge of a revolutionary digital industrial technology. Cyber physical systems can communicate with one another in this fourth technology wave in business by employing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), among other technologies.”

Source: Springer.com, July 1, 2022

What is the Circular Economy?

Ellen MacArthur, founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation , defines the circular economy as a ‘framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design.’ The question of sustainability is now being evaluated across the world by every industry. The Oxford Dictionary describes the circular economy as,

“an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way.”

What are the 3 Main Principles of the Circular Economy?
The circular economy is based on 3 principles which are design led: “eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.” (Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation.org, 2023)

With these core principles in mind, let’s look at ways data centres can become more sustainable and circular in their practices.

How Can Data Centres Become Part of the Circular Economy?

Fundamentally, data centres need to examine the lifecycle of their ‘IT and critical infrastructure when building new centres’ according to Carsten Baumann , Director Strategic Initiatives and Solution Architect at Scheidner Electric. This is instead of waiting for IT equipment to reach the end of its lifecycle and being thrown away. Baumann believes that focusing on the lifecycle of the IT infrastructure can help companies improve their bottom line and to fulfil sustainability KPIs. Furthermore, Baumann suggests the following 3 strategies over hardware to make it sustainable:

Alternatives To New Equipment

One way to embrace circular economy principles is for data centres to ‘purchase refurbished, remanufactured or used equipment’ according to Baumann. This lowers the carbon footprint and impact on the environment and can also save the company money. New equipment has a heavier impact on the environment because raw materials need to be extracted and manufactured. Using refurbished or remanufactured equipment extends the lifecycle of products which is aligned to circular economy principles.

Work With Organisations Dedicated to Circular

Data centres can be circular by finding suppliers who provide environmentally friendly products; products which have a lower carbon footprint and have been refurbished, recycled etc. Some companies such as Cisco are closing the loop and being circular by taking back their waste products. They remanufacture and refurbish waste products to extend their product lifecycle. Likewise, small businesses benefit from this because Cisco provides them with lower cost options for equipment which have been refurbished or recycled.

Partnering and collaborating with companies who are committed to the circular economy enables a culture of sharing best practices and implementing innovation.

Sustainable Prefabricated Modular Solutions

Baumann’s third recommendation in his World Economic Forum article is for companies to use ‘ready-to-use modular solutions that are sustainably made data centres with preassembled systems.’ They are pre-built with only the required materials used. Also, they are much quicker to install and that means that data centre expansions are faster. The combined effect is that there is much less waste than the traditional approach.

Cloud Centric Models

Data Centre Magazine.com reported in April 2022 that ‘In recent years, the global data centre industry has worked miracles.’ Expert Sam Steers explained how,

“In 2015, the total energy consumed by the global data centre industry totalled approximately 189 terawatt-hours, with traditional enterprise and colocation data centres accounting for the lion’s share (97.62 TWh) of that consumption.”

Source: Data Centre Magazine.com , April 2022

Even though the capacity of data centres had grown considerably from 2015 to 2021, the total estimated energy consumption for the data industry was 189 TWh in 2021. Therefore, the data industry had stayed flat using a cloud-centric model with large, hyperscale campuses. Economies of scale were derived from leading hardware innovations including liquid cooling, renewable power and improved server design. This bodes well for the future if this progress can be maintained.

The Value of Data Centre Waste

The United Nations estimates the value of printed circuit board waste at $62.5 billion each year. Components on circuit boards which have reached their end of life have immense value states Andrew Gomarsall, MBE, the Executive Chairman of N2S ,

‘Up to 40 rare and precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, copper and palladium. Many of the materials used are in increasingly limited supply, or hard to access and are lost due to ritual processes with a detrimental effect to our planet.”

Source: Data Centre Magazine.com , April 2022

Therefore, it is essential that data centres start to extend product life cycles and to recycle, refurbish and remanufacture valuable waste materials.

Summary

Data centres produce high amounts of carbon and heat which impact on the environment, but through innovation in hardware and cloud centric models they have flattened the total energy consumed between 2015 and 2021. Moreover, data centres can be a major player in spearheading the circular economy and their waste products have real value in the global economy. In the process of going circular, data centres will save money and resources and their bottom line will improve.

No doubt it is going to take a collective effort with data centres working with other organisations dedicated to the circular economy. But in sharing best practices, data centres and their partners can build a more sustainable future for the industry.

References

World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/datacentres-must-join-the-circular-economy-to-become-greener/
Springer.com: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43615-022-00191-9
Ellen MacArthur Foundation.org: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
Data Centre Magazine.com: https://datacentremagazine.com/data-centres/the-road-to-a-truly-circular-economy-in-data-centres
Cisco: https://blogs.cisco.com/partner/cisco-is-closing-the-loop-on-the-circular-economy

WHY REMOTE RESILIENCY IS SO IMPORTANT

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 10:03:50 GMT

Remote Resiliency Explained For Your Business

In the digital world of today, disruption is highly prevalent in business. Companies face great challenges with fierce competition, new technologies, economic, social and political change, not to mention pandemics. Disruption means that each business needs to prepare for the future. Protecting IT infrastructure and data systems is one of the core challenges. In this article we explore remote resiliency and how it is more important than ever for businesses.

What is Remote Resiliency?

“Resiliency is the ability of your system to react to failure and still remain functional. It's not about avoiding failure, but accepting failure and constructing your cloud-native services to respond to it. You want to return to a fully functioning state as quickly as possible.”

Source: Microsoft.com, 04/07/2022

Cloud resiliency is vital to make sure that IT services and resources can recover rapidly and without incurring any loss of data. Data loss scandals can seriously impact a business financially, legally and reputationally.

The Gartner 2019-20 Report

In Gartner’s 2019-2020 Top Insights for the C-Suite , analysis of nearly 1,000 organisations highlighted those companies which had temporary revenue and profit losses after a severe crisis found it harder to operate and grow in the future. In contrast, ‘Fit enterprises increased their revenue at a compound annual growth rate of 5% over the past three years, compared with 3.5% for fragile enterprises.’

The Wake Up Call For Business Leaders

The 2019/20 Gartner C-suite e-book prompted company leaders to review and update their contingency plans in order to face crises. In today's turbulent world there is mass digital, political and social change at unprecedented levels and the risk of being unprepared is high.

Even in good times, leading digital transformation and IT infrastructure strategies can be challenging, so considering going off-premise might not seem the optimal choice. However, benchmarking your IT infrastructure resilience and seeking trusted support provides the opportunity to re-evaluate requirements, improve cost efficiencies and navigate to safer shores.

The Resilience of Critical Infrastructure

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) cited the top 5 organisational functions important to the foundation of a resilient organisation as: Business Continuity; Crisis Leadership and Management, IT Disaster Recovery, Risk Management and Information Security². The resilience of critical infrastructure is the backbone of all these areas.

The Elements of An IT Disaster Recovery Plan

The most comprehensive IT disaster recovery plan will comprise a back-up strategy with a fully mirrored recovery site. This should work in conjunction with periodic risk assessments, the overall objective being to safeguard mission critical operations within unplanned scenarios, whilst at the same time continuing your digital transformation and ensuring business agility against changing external conditions. Successfully integrating real time data analytics and insights will also optimise risk mitigation.

With a secure and reliable data centre provider, you can alleviate many of these risks. The right colocation facility provides a safe, secure, and resilient, purpose-built environment to house your critical infrastructure, incorporating all the necessary redundancies so you can rest assured your business will remain online and operational at all times.

IP House: Multiple Levels of Resiliency

IP House is a Tier III data centre with multiple levels of resiliency to protect customers from unexpected downtime. Should incoming power to the facility be compromised, our UPS’ will take over the load, whilst UPS batteries and power modules are continuously monitored and maintained to ensure uptime during an outage or power event.

Critical Infrastructure Systems Monitored 24/7

Our UPS’ and all critical infrastructure systems are also monitored 24/7 via Schneider Electric’s AI-enabled EcoStruxureTM IT. Internal, remote and our vendor Partner NOC Operators are always connected and have the ability to react to real-time data and analysis for optimum performance and service. Our Intelligent UPS’ have multiple component redundancy and also perform scheduled self-maintenance tests to inform of any predictive risks.

Onsite Generators Fully Maintained

Additionally, the facility has dual redundancy A+B generators installed, designed to take the load off of the UPS’ if required. The site generators are fully maintained and serviced thoroughly throughout the year and a fuel supply contract ensures they run at peak capacity whilst any power outages are resolved.

Bi-Annual Testing To Optimise Our Facilities

Furthermore, Black Building Tests and Load Bank Tests are completed bi-annually to optimise the facilities resilience. Our goal is to ensure that clients’ business operations and critical infrastructure remain online and continue to function without failures.

Cooling, Network and Racks

Within the facility, infrastructure cooling systems are configured to N+1, so if a cooling unit fails there is an adequate configuration of units to continue operating at the correct efficiency. The systems are equipped with Network Integration Cards, which allow us to monitor the units via Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Data Centre Expert solution and all units are maintained and serviced regularly. Cooling units are also energised through ATS (automatic transfer switches), powered by dual redundant A+B feeds.

Network Carriers With Dual Entry Points

The data centre is carrier neutral with connections available from multiple carriers to a single client, depending on the levels of resiliency that they require. All network carriers have dual entry points into the facility and private rack footprints in each of the Meet Me Rooms. This allows for an A Feed from one carrier, and a completely separated B feed from another.

Consistent Availability From Incumbent Power

The facility is also designed to deliver consistent availability from incumbent power through to the racks and client equipment. Two power distribution units (PDUs) are provided per rack, which in turn are supplied from independent power supplies. Most servers, large switching devices and rack level equipment are supplied with dual power inputs. For equipment that is not, In-Rack ATS is offered which will convert a single power fed piece of equipment into a dual feed. This can be essential for non-redundant or standalone setups without failover configurations.

Cybersecurity and Safeguarding Remote Working

According to the FTI Consulting’s Resilience Barometer 2020 report, 90% of those surveyed believed they had cybersecurity gaps. IP House has spent years investing in multifaceted levels of physical security, cybersecurity protocols, advanced threat protection, endpoint protection, and remote monitoring. This combination creates a preeminent level of security. Data is protected via an in-house security operations centre, and intuitive monitoring software yields the highest quality of live data sets, rapidly identifying attack vectors and potential threats.

Next Generation DCIM Software

Utilising next-generation DCIM software means that by the time a client is aware of an issue, we are already working to resolve it. Through remote monitoring everything can be managed from an off-site location, and for organisations having to adapt rapidly whilst maintaining interconnectivity with staff, the colocation facility is ahead of the learning curve; uniquely positioned to guide new clients with technical advice, trusted partnerships and operational continuity driven by operational and service excellence.

Innovation and 24 Hour Protection

We are propelled by innovation, equipped to provide remote hands services covering all aspects of onsite management and engineering tasks. Our customers can be safe in the knowledge that all their services, no matter how large or small, are in the hands of experienced professionals. IP House acts as an extension of their team, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For organisations who need urgent assistance to maintain business continuity, we can move clients into the facility within a 24-hour timeframe.

Remote Assistance From Senior Team Members

Today IP House makes remote working seamless for clients. Our senior team will undertake the tasks that your engineers would have travelled here to complete, ensuring only minimal people are required on-site. We continue to facilitate digital meetings for existing clients and virtual tours for new enquiries, ensuring every precaution possible has been taken to deliver resiliency, upon resiliency.

For more information about data hosting for your business, please fill out the contact form below.

(This article is an update of the article originally written by Sean Hilliar on May 19, 2020 - ‘Remote Resiliency Must Haves To Make Your Business More Secure’)

CHOOSING DATA HOSTING FOR YOUR STARTUP IN 2023

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:18:45 GMT

The Boom in Cloud Computing & Factors To Consider As A Business

In this new article, we look at how data hosting and cloud computing has seen a major boom and acceleration in use during the last few years. Also, we consider some of the key considerations for a startup choosing which data hosting provider to sign up with. Let’s dig in!

Global Cloud Spending To Reach Record High in 2023

In 2022 the prediction was an 18.8% increase, but growth in cloud computing worldwide in 2023 is set to be even higher according to Gartner,

“Worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is forecast to grow 20.7% to total $591.8 billion in 2023, up from $490.3 billion in 2022, according to the latest forecast from Gartner, Inc.”

Source: Gartner.com , Oct 31, 2022

Cloud computing is set to continually rise as remote and hybrid working are both part of the new status quo.

The New Era of Startups

A new generation of startup entrepreneurs was born during the pandemic and after. For some it was a way to make ends meet as globally companies had to reduce their staff to cope with financial losses with the high street closed for long periods and people locked down. However, for others it was about finding their own freedom of lifestyle as their own boss and taking the leap to make their passion into a business. As a result, millions of people across the world started their own businesses.

Why Startups Prefer To Rent Cloud Computing

More and more startups are choosing to use data hosting services simply because of the savings they can enjoy. Rather than owning their own computing infrastructure, startups can rent data storage, applications and a host of other things. In essence they pay for what they use and when they need it, a kind of ‘pay-as-you-go’ for cloud computing. This helps a startup to reduce their operating costs and they can then scale the business at their own pace without heavy investment in their own IT infrastructure.

Peace of Mind With External Data Hosting

The business owner then has the peace of mind knowing that the cloud services provider will maintain the network hardware and advise about all technical matters. This saves a company having to hire their own in-house team as everything is hosted offsite. Data hosting services for startups are a very flexible and low cost IT resources for new businesses.

Factors When Choosing Data Hosting For A Startup

For certain startups, data hosting can be integral to their business operations especially for companies that work in the technology industry such as gaming, financial services and other such technology based sectors. Selecting the right data hosting provider is vital to maintaining reliability of performance for their clients while keeping IT resource costs low. Here are very 3 basic steps to take when deciding on your data hosting provider:

Step 1: What are your unique needs as a startup?

First, research your options and find solutions that meet your specific needs as a business. You’ll certainly need to consider factors like scalability, security, reliability and affordability in order to get the most out of your data host selection. How soon is your business likely to scale? How secure are the services of the various providers? What proof and stats do they have regarding the reliability of their servers? How affordable are the prices on offer?

Step Two: Testimonies and reviews

Next, you should look for a provider offering web and application hosting services with good uptime records. Get a short list of your top five favourites and make a list of their pros and cons over the factors in step 1: i.e. scalability, security, reliability and affordability etc.

Before signing on with any data hosting company, do an in depth read of customer reviews and ask for references from other businesses that have used their services. This will help to verify the quality of their service from existing customers. If your technical knowledge is limited, reach out to someone in your network who may be able to give you impartial advice.

Step Three: Deep analysis of the service agreement

Finally, look carefully at the terms of service agreement before you sign up. Pay attention to restrictions on IP addresses and transfer limits as well as fees associated with overages or additional server space needed in the future. These can affect your bottom line and should be discussed openly before you sign up to any contract.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is used by many companies and individuals to host web services and it is currently the cheapest type of web hosting on the market.

Shared Hosting Positives

It is therefore appealing to startups because it has low overhead costs. Sharing a server means that startups with small websites can start to build their brand image and presence in cyberspace quite easily without being very technologically savvy.

Sharing Hosting Negatives

With shared hosting, although it can be cheap, all the hardware is shared between users. This can have an adverse effect on the performance of everyone’s hosted services, which can have reputational damage for a startup trying to onboard and keep customers. Equally, with shared hosting your administrative rights are limited and you may not be able to change software configurations. Securitywise shared hosting is not particularly secure because any user on the same server could potentially breach the security of your website or software applications if they are hacked.

Last Thoughts on Data Hosting For Startups

With these aforementioned tips, we are confident you will find the perfect data hosting solution for your startup. Startups should carefully consider all the options available for hosting before taking the plunge. Startups should consider all of their options when selecting a reliable hosting service for hosting their website.

You should see data hosting as an investment in the growth and longterm success of your business. Cloud hosting have a plethora of benefits for startups which will make your business stronger and more competitive. Think about and research the four factors we mentioned before you sign any agreement:

Scalability
Security
Reliability
Affordability

If you need any information about IP House’s Data Hosting for businesses, read more on our website or get in touch with one of our friendly team. Just fill out the form below.

LONDON DATA CENTRE CELEBRATES ISO ACCREDITATION RENEWAL

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 18:26:15 GMT

The quality standards that underpin IP House data centre

As 2022 draws to a close, we are proud to announce that we have renewed our core ISO accreditations for 9001, 14001, 27001 and 50001. Commitment to quality is our ongoing goal in the data and cloud solutions sector. Let’s have a dive into what our 4 ISOs mean for clients and stakeholders.

What is ISO 9001?

In a nutshell, ISO 9001 is a set of management principles that make sure our quality management systems meet the various needs of consumers, stakeholders and the staff.

What are the benefits of ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is used by over one million organisations worldwide; it is one of the most widely recognised management standards globally. As an independent certification, the ISO 9001 is highly respected by consumers and the marketplace. Furthermore, the ISO 9001 brings financial benefits and shows that companies have managed to reach ‘superior operational performance’.

What do companies have to do to be awarded ISO 9001?

The two main requirements by the ISO are:

‘Demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.’
‘Enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the standard, including commitment to the continual improvement of the system and applicable regulations.’

(ISO.org website)

What is ISO 14001?

This ISO accreditation concerns environmental management; it is designed for organisations that need practical tools for the management of their environmental duties.

What does ISO 14001 do for a company?

This ISO sets out a framework for an environmental management system which an organisation can follow to effectively implement standards to reach accreditation. Moreover, ISO 14001 is available for any kind of organisation; it shows company managers, staff and other stakeholders that the ‘environmental impact is being measured and improved.’

What do the standards in the ISO 14001 family cover?

Overall, the standards cover environmental systems, audits, communications, life cycle analysis, climate change, labelling and so forth. Watch this Youtube video to get more information about ISO 14001.

What is ISO/IEC 27001?

The third ISO is for Information security management. In today’s digital world IT security, cybersecurity and privacy protection are essential for all businesses. The ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards protects companies and organisations from cybersecurity threats. Alos, it shows that we are adhering to the very highest standards of security for our data and cloud solutions.

“ISO/IEC 27001 is the world’s best-known standard for information security management systems (ISMS) and their requirements.”

(ISO.org website, 2022)

What are the benefits of ISO/IEC 27001 for an organization?

There are a number of ways that this ISO accreditation is beneficial:

It secures all types of information i.e. paper versions, cloud-based data and digital data.
It increases a company’s ability to face cyber-attacks.
It gives a centrally managed framework securing data in one place.
It guarantees protection throughout an organisation for technology and other risks.
It helps a business respond to ongoing security threats.
It lowers costs and spending on defence technology which is not effective.
It provides protection for the ‘integrity, confidentiality and availability of data’.

Best Practice For Security of Information and Data

Companies are not obliged to get this certification but it demonstrates to customers and stakeholders that a company is following best practices to ensure the security of data management.

What is ISO 50001?

This ISO accreditation covers energy management; it is designed for businesses who are dedicated to dealing with their impact on energy usage. Also, it focuses on the conservation of resources and efficient energy management. Furthermore, It is carefully designed to help businesses across all sectors and to give them a practical system to have more efficient energy usage using an energy management system (EnMS).

How does ISO 50001 help companies?

Firstly, it is about developing an energy management system with continual improvement. Plus, it helps organisations to integrate energy management into their existing systems to further develop quality and environmental management.

A Energy Management Framework To Support Companies

The ISO 50001 supplies a framework of requirements for companies to:

“Develop a policy for more efficient use of energy, fix targets and objectives to meet the policy, use data to better understand and make decisions about energy use, measure the results, review how well the policy works, and continually improve energy management.”

(ISO.org website, 2022)

Although the certification is not compulsory, companies attain it for the benefits it bestows. Also, it demonstrates to external parties that you have embedded an energy management system in your company operations. You can read more about ISO 50001 - Energy management systems .

What The ISO Accreditations Mean To IP House

The team at IP House are delighted to have renewed our accreditation for these key ISOs. Maintaining best practices in all key areas of our business benefits staff, customers and external stakeholders. The ISO renewals are testament to our team work ethic and motivation to be the best in what we do.

WHY CLOUD COMPUTING IS THE NEW FRONTIER

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 09:32:16 GMT

The digital transition for businesses and the link to remote working

Blog

December 21st, 2022

In this article we reflect on why cloud computing is the new norm and how remote working in lockdown was part of this digital transition for businesses. We also look at the specifics of how cloud computing can transform your business. Let’s dig in!

How 2020 Changed Remote Working

In 2020 remote working became the new status quo out of sheer necessity with a world in lockdown. A PWC 2020 Survey reported that 86% of UK CEOs believed the shift towards remote collaboration would endure compared to 78% globally. However, the challenge was not only pivoting to virtual working, it was also how IT leaders would provide adaptable, secure remote working solutions scalable at speed.

Digital Transformation To Face Risk

The transition for organisations to implement robust digital transformation and remote working strategies was essential in 2020 due to the increased risk to their business resilience during a pandemic. However, it was clear that this was no temporary fix and would need to prevail in the long term for future uncertainties.

Work Life Balance Improved By Remote Working

Research from the UK’s Office for National Statistics showed in February 2022 that hybrid and remote working had a positive impact on the lives of staff, “ONS data show that in February 2022 more than three-quarters (78%) of those who worked from home in some capacity said that being able to work from home gave them an improved work-life balance.”

The Impact Of Remote Working On Organisations

UK Parliament research in October 2022 indicated that organisations had seen both benefits and disadvantages to flexible working. The benefits included ‘increased staff wellbeing, reduced overhead costs, productivity gains, reduced sickness absence levels and more efficient allocation of labour’. On the flipside, it negatively affected the mental wellbeing of staff, staff interaction, collaboration, connection, engagement, working culture and led to a loss in productivity.

The Urgency Of Digital Transition For Businesses

The digital transition also brought the pressing need for businesses to adopt cloud services. In July 2020, an article from McKinsey recommended that, ‘leaders need to accelerate their journey to the cloud in order to digitize quickly and effectively in the wake of COVID-19.’ The article cited the importance of digital customer experiences which could be deployed in days rather than months on cloud platforms.

Finding The Optimal Solutions For Businesses

The McKinsey article highlighted that IT leaders have to find the optimal solution for their business while navigating the daily obstacles of a global situation with geographical restrictions. Successful transition for office-based teams to virtual working and migrating IT infrastructure can be extensive, complex and specific to each business. Clearly, implementing responsive cloud transformation strategies, high-performance connectivity, secure voice and resilient hosted IT applications requires specialist expertise and knowledge.

Future-Proof Cloud Transformation

A World Economic Forum report in October 2020 revealed that business leaders highlighted cloud computing, big data and e-commerce as their top priorities:

84% were quickly digitalising work processes
83% planned to provide more opportunities to work remotely in response to COVID-19, a figure which rose to 91.4% within the UK.
Chief Human Resource Officers surveyed stated that on average, 44% of workers were able to work remotely during the COVID-19 crisis while 24% of workers were unable to perform their current role, indicating an aspiration to expand the availability of remote work.

The WEF report highlighted a core barrier: ‘the adoption of new technologies and the skills gap’. Currently, this is an ongoing issue affecting all industries with increased reliance on virtual business since the pandemic.

Gaining The Maximum Value From Cloud Computing

Gartner highlighted in July 2020 that one of the essential questions CIOs should be asking to gain maximum value from cloud computing to make their businesses more resilient and prepared for unplanned events is:

‘Who are our key resources inside and outside of IT for execution of technology strategy?’

The article cited utilising employees outside IT who customise or build technology solutions as “force multipliers”. However, in light of the skills gap prevalent within the digital sector, not every organisation has the depth of skills and experience in-house to deliver. It is this skills gap that IP House has tailored its services to, to help businesses in their digital transition to cloud computing. Let’s find out how…

How does IP Cloud Connect help businesses?

At the heart of business is the requirement for people to connect and communicate effectively. Virtually, this requires secure, ultra-fast, resilient connectivity and data – in unison with an in-depth understanding of how to deliver best in class services for customers.

Each set of business requirements are unique, therefore bringing together trusted specialists adept at delivering bespoke or hybrid cloud solutions gives businesses the power to overcome any complexities or issues associated with remote working, accessing IT infrastructure, critical applications and unified communications.

Bespoke Cloud Solutions for businesses

IP Cloud Connect delivers high-level resiliency for remote working and operational continuity through our bespoke cloud solutions. Today, businesses are made up of teams who require the secure, ultra-fast connectivity to collaborate and communicate virtually. The more effective each person can be remotely ultimately benefits employee wellbeing, customer service and reputation, which positively impacts business success.

Combined Experience To Serve Companies

IP Cloud Connect is an independent consortium with the combined experience of many larger players. This allows an inherently agile and extremely flexible approach in delivering secure, scalable long-term solutions for future uncertainties. In addition, IP House is also a unique partnership of companies, each with distinguished skills, expertise and experience virtually on-hand to complement your in-house team, a force multiplier to accelerate your cloud transformation journey.

What Does IP Cloud Connect Consist Of?

IP House – An independent colocation data centre in the heart of London’s financial district, offering secure, resilient and accessible hosted IT solutions.
Cloud Systems – Offering data storage and cyber security through bespoke, trusted and secure public and private cloud services.
IP Office – Business voice and telecommunications specialists offering secure hosted and managed cloud services alongside traditional telephony.
CXS – Offering diverse and high-performance connectivity through

data-driven platforms.

Secure & Resilient Cloud Connectivity

The IP House data centre is situated close to Europe’s largest data centre hub, with the additional benefit of being completely independent. With IP Cloud Connect your business can operate from anywhere, securely with ultra-fast connectivity and unified communications. Plus, IP House provides bespoke end-to-end cloud and hosting services from our secure data centre, serving London, the rest of the UK and internationally.

Bespoke and Managed Cloud Services

IP Cloud Connect owns, manages and delivers every aspect of our bespoke services for seamless cloud transformation. From physical and cyber data security to resilient infrastructure, public and private cloud solutions to diverse connectivity and secure professional voice services essential to your business.

Peace Of Mind For Your Business 24/7

IP Cloud Connect keeps you connected, providing peace of mind by ensuring 100% uptime for critical IT systems. Your data is accessible 24 hours, 7 days a week, with no compromise to security and monitored with next-generation software. Our software provides real-time alerts directly to your mobile device, all fully supported by our in-house smart-hands technical team.

Specialist Knowledge You Can Trust

Our combined specialist knowledge imparts trusted advice and delivers the correct bespoke solutions for responsive cloud transformation strategies to maximise remote working, operational resilience and disaster recovery. Moreover, our IT support is continuous with the flexibility to scale your IT infrastructure bespoke to your needs.

Optimising The Customer Journey

We are dedicated to establishing long-term customer relationships built on prioritising service excellence, honesty and trust. This is the key to mutually beneficial and long lasting business relationships with all of our customers.

Cloud Spending Will Reach $600 million Worldwide By 2023

On October 31st, 2022 a Gartner Inc press release headline revealed that “Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Public Cloud End-User Spending to Reach Nearly $600 Billion in 2023.”

It predicted that worldwide public cloud spending will increase by 20.7% in 2023 which is a jump from $490.3 billion in 2022 to $591.8 billion in 2023. Furthermore, Gartner announced that by 2025 businesses ‘will spend more on public cloud services than traditional IT solutions’.

Cloud computing is the new frontier…

Get In Touch

For more information on IP Cloud Connect, visit the website . To book a virtual tour of the IP House data centre or book a call with our IP Cloud Connect team to gain further insights into our bespoke cloud solutions, please click here .

WHAT DOES WEB3 GAMING NEED TO OVERCOME FOR MASS ADOPTION?

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 11:43:07 GMT

The obstacles in the way of blockchain gaming

Blockchain gaming is gradually growing but there has been some slowdown in 2022. Also, there remains much antipathy towards Web3 gaming from traditional gamers; scams, hacks and crypto crashes have not aided the cause. Let’s examine some of the issues as the curtain falls on 2022.

Investment In Blockchain Gaming

A report from the DappRadar on October 12th, 2022, suggest investments in Web3 gaming in 2022 will

“ end up being lower by 8.8%, tallying around $9.25 billion, as the investors’ bullish outlook on the blockchain gaming industry holds.”

Although 2022 has been a difficult year for crypto, investors committed more than $3.4 billion to gaming and NFTs by October 2022. However, since November 2021 the crypto market has lost approximately $2.7 trillion. This is a staggering amount, but speculation is that the crypto market will return to a bull market in future.

FTX Collapse And Embezzlement Charges

The recent collapse of the FTX Trading platform for crypto was another damaging scandal for the credibility of crypto tokens. FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried was charged for “orchestrating a scheme to defraud equity investors in FTX Trading” (Schwartz, Brian, CNBC.com) . It sent shockwaves throughout the blockchain sectors.

A Resolute No From Steam

Uncertainty about crypto is not new and Steam announced in Autumn 2021 they would not be hosting crypto or NFTs to protect their reputation. Valve adamantly declared there would be no NFTs or crypto tokens on the Steam platform. As one of the biggest gaming platforms with 134 million users, this was a worrying turn of events for Web3 gaming studios and investors.

Fear of Fraud and Scams

Evovled Ape is a classic example of an NFT scam which added fuel to the fires of discontent. Evolve Ape was an NFT developer who created and sold 10,000 unique NFTs, playable in-game characters. However, the head of the project vanished a week before the game was due to launch, stealing 798 Ethereum coins ($2.7 million dollars) set aside for game development. NFT investors were left in shock.

Volatile Pricing & Markets.

Then came the crash of the so-called Terra stable coin i n May 2022 where investors lost tens of billions of dollars. This was a huge shock to crypto investors and Web3 gaming and fears of so-called ponzi schemes and market crashes were exacerbated.

Web3 Gaming Ecosystems

Many traditional gamers stand against blockchain gaming because of the poor perception of crypto safety and not wanting to be charged even more money for gaming. However, microtransactions have been part of gaming since 2006 when Bethesda sold horse armour f or $2.50. Moreover, the blockchain promises to give gamers economic self-autonomy to buy and sell NFTs and use them in different games i.e. interoperability. Despite scams like Evolve Ape, once the security of NFT trading is more established, we could see gamers trading NFT skins and items in decentralized Web3 ecosystems.

Blockchain Game Design

The high prevalence of poorly designed Web3 games, more about earning crypto than creating a fun game, has been a clear downside for Web3 gaming. However, the tide is turning with higher caliber games now being produced as blockchain gaming developers seek to promote long term sustainability with fantastic titles players love.

Is The Tide Turning For Web3 Gaming As 2022 Ends?

Only 2000 Gaming Apps On The Blockchain

DappRadar cited ‘fewer than 2,000 gaming applications currently use the blockchain' shows that Web3 gaming is still in an early stage of development. In fact, an article in December 2022 on the World Economic Forum website explained why ‘mass adoption is still some distance away’. WEF experts explained that the development cycle of a videogame takes years in terms of development, distribution, design and infrastructure before you get significant growth and uptake.

Epic Games and Blockchain Gaming

Though Steam took definitive action against adopting NFTs and crypto gaming tokens, Epic games showed an openness to incorporating blockchain gaming in Autumn 2021. Then in June 2022, it was announced that Epic Games would have their first Web3 game by the end of the year, partnering with Gala Games, a Web3 startup for a Western type battle royale.

Big Brands Coming On Board

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney first said in autumn 2021 that Epic was not planning to get involved with NFTs. However, that changed with EA, Activision, Warners, Zynga and Epic all joining together for ‘Pirates’, a Web3 game. Common sense suggests that mass adoption is only a matter of time with global brands getting involved in NFT and Crypto gaming.

Household brands will need to overcome issues around security and safety from scams, crypto collapse etc to achieve mass adoption. Furthermore, they need to produce Web3 games that players love. The global brands also need to have the capability to host millions, if not 100s of millions of players. Web3 gaming will have to focus on security, scaling and decentralisation of systems to be the true heir apparent to Web2 gaming.

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and 2023!

Are you a Blockchain Gaming Studio that needs secure data hosting? Checkout our hosting services for Web2 and Web3 Gaming.

BESPOKE HYBRID CLOUD – A NEW APPROACH TO RESILIENCE

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:23:34 GMT

Rise in hybrid cloud and future trends

Forbes predicts that hybrid and on-premise cloud solutions will be one of the five biggest cloud computing trends for 2021, forecasted to grow in popularity. Hybrid cloud solutions work by combining private cloud with one or more public services, giving customers the ability to scale as their business model changes. Therefore, a one size fits all approach is now rendered obsolete.

Remote working is here to stay. Almost overnight, accessibility and ultra-fast connectivity of IT systems and applications became more important than ownership. Research by Cloud Industry Forum illustrates how pivotal that shift was – 91% of decision-makers said cloud played an important part in their pandemic response, and 88% of organisations expect to increase their adoption of cloud services within the next 12 months.

A cloud transformation strategy is crucial for business continuity. Bespoke cloud solutions, encompassing secure hosting or colocation, diverse connectivity and disaster recovery are agile and scalable – mitigating the risk of downtime. Uptime Institute research reports that in 2020, there were a greater percentage of IT service outages costing companies over $1 Million comparative to the previous year. As digital transformation moves at pace, the key to future-proof resilience is agility.

IP Cloud Connect’s bespoke cloud solutions solve the top challenges facing CIOs, CTOs and IT Leaders – enhanced cybersecurity, protecting sensitive data, improving cost-efficiency, expert consultancy to address the increasing skills gap, and the flexibility to scale up or down as the business requires.

Bespoke Solutions – The Best of Both Worlds

Public cloud delivers third party services, from AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure – to lesser-known cloud providers, giving you the flexibility to choose. The speed of innovation driven by the investments of large-scale providers often sets the benchmark for public cloud services. Public cloud provides a fast and convenient way to add accessible services. Assessing pricing models, potential vendor lock-ins and the cost of moving data is advisable early on to avoid any unexpected costs.

On-premise private cloud is fully owned and operated by a provider, such as via IP Cloud Connect’s dedicated London data centre, IP House, ensuring enhanced security, especially for sensitive or critical applications, which can be offered on either shared or dedicated hardware. IP House’s partnership with Console Connect, for example, enables direct connections to +400 data centres across more than 45 different countries worldwide, as well as additional UK locations. Subsequently, IP Cloud Connect customers benefit from an expansive choice of accessible, secure, ultra-fast cloud services to ensure resilient remote activity for businesses of all scales.

Bespoke hybrid cloud solutions combine the best aspects of public and private cloud, for example, when a customer has the choice to host their storage and application servers on-premise, whilst email is hosted with a public cloud provider. Hybrid cloud can provide enhanced cybersecurity for critical applications and protect sensitive applications that cannot be move, for example, legacy databases.

According to The State of the Cloud Security 2020 , a global survey by Sophos – 70% of organisations experienced a public cloud security incident within the past 12 months.

A Consultative Approach for Cloud Success

The importance of applications can vary significantly from one organisation to the next. IP Cloud Connect will work in partnership with you to understand, audit, evaluate, plan and deliver a bespoke cloud transformation strategy and roadmap. The emphasis is that each set of business requirements are unique; therefore, our consultative approach, cloud and as-a-service solutions are tailor made for each of our customers.

According to Gartner , engaging external experts can accelerate and improve your cloud adoption. “Organizations can strongly benefit from expert assistance. Such assistance reduces implementation times, raises implementation quality, lowers implementation costs as well as long-term total cost of ownership, and provides a better foundation for the organization to enhance its cloud usage in the future.” Lydia Leong – Distinguished VP Analyst.

Experienced specialists that can bring all of your clouds together, as an example; email (cloud A), website (cloud B), CRM (cloud C) together with a process of streamlining subscriptions (e.g., where employees have left) delivering a bespoke hybrid solution which will improve the efficiency of your IT environment and cost optimisation.

Based on the type of applications, numbers of users and as-a-service requirements, cloud specialists working on your behalf can achieve the optimal bespoke solution. The combination of technical knowledge and trusted partnerships can yield significant cost and efficiency savings through economies of scale and purchasing agreements. A team dedicated to increasing your connectivity, bandwidth, quality of service and uptime ultimately empowers you to deliver a high-performance customer and employee experience.

Bespoke clouds can be custom built to scale, with enhanced security – right-sized end-user performance, flexible CPU and hardware utilisation, reducing excessive resource commitment whilst improving energy, operational and capital efficiency. The caveat is the expertise of the provider configuring your cloud solution and where your data is being housed.

Achieving Seamless Cloud Transformation

IP Cloud Connect cloud solutions can be deployed within 24 hours – delivering access-anywhere solutions, built on a foundation of diverse, ultra-fast connectivity to protect your business with resilience and critical disaster recovery services.

As IP Cloud Connect owns and operates every aspect of our end-to-end bespoke cloud services, customers can choose to have their data co-hosted in our secure London E14 datacentre, within their own private suite with the added option of dedicated servers. The Confidential Computing Consortium cites security is only as strong as the layers beneath it, so where extra security is required – dedicated hardware can reduce exposure to potential compromise, optimising security.

A key pain point for CIOs, CTOs and IT Leaders is establishing a comprehensive cloud transformation strategy. It is essential to understand existing issues and identify future state requirements specifically to suit your requirements, engaging stakeholders, defining a clear strategy and road mapping a path to success. Download our new 2021 eBook which provides guidance on how to Accelerate Your Cloud Transformation.

5 REASONS CIOS SHOULD TRUST IP HOUSE TO MOVE THEM CLOSER TO THE EDGE

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 09:20:11 GMT

Today, the challenge facing CIOs is how to take advantage of disruptive technologies, resilient data centres and edge computing sites in order to develop an infrastructu re strategy that encompasses faster technology refreshes and greater digital services than we have experienced before. The 2020 State of the CIO Executive Summary by IDG reports 89% of IT leaders ‘believe the CIO increasingly needs to rely on trusted advisors to help navigate emerging technologies, processes and methodologies.¹’

The 2019 Harvey Nash & KPMG’s CIO Survey, entitled, ‘A Changing Perspective’ also highlights that only 26% of technology leaders in 2019 felt “very well” prepared for cyber-attacks, a decline of 3% on figures 5 years ago². It’s clear that with the help of a secure and reliable colocation provider or data centre partner, you can alleviate many of these risks.

At Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo exploring the top industry trends for 2020 , Research Vice President Brian Burke stated that ‘edge computing will come to be a dominant factor across virtually all industries and use cases as the edge is empowered with increasingly more sophisticated and specialized compute resources and more data storage.’ As data increases exponentially, the importance of mitigating any outage risks becomes more prevalent.

However, there is a significant opportunity for forward thinking CIOs implementing best-in-class strategies to increase revenue. As Gartner also forecasted that digitally trustworthy companies will generate 20% more online profit compared to those which are not³.

London remains one of the most strategic international technology hubs. Forbes elucidates on research provided by Forrester predicting that the edge cloud service market will grow by at least 50% this year⁴. Independent colocation facilities such as IP House form an important conduit of near-edge services for CIOs, leading their companies towards the next phase of edge transformation.

We believe there are five key factors that CIOs should consider when looking for a colocation provider to help them get closer to users at the edge: –

#1. Location

Location is often the most important criteria when selecting a data centre to host your critical IT infrastructure. Cost vs QoS, accessibility, network latency and factors such as scalability and capacity are just a some of the areas that may directly impact CIOs ability to deliver digital services in the future.

IP House is in the heart of Europe’s data hub, E14 – London. For years connectivity providers have built their networks and services around the home of rich connectivity links in this prominent district. As the termination point and gateway to transatlantic links, it has long been the choice for service providers who understand the technologies and infrastructure underpinning the global network and routing of traffic across the world.

#2. Customer Service & Technical Advisory

At IP House we respond to our customer’s needs day or night without exception. Our customers receive a response to queries or requests within 1 hour of initial contact being received. IP House provides a variety of communication protocols with alternative back-up options.

Our technical advisory team work closely with our clients to determine their data centre strategy, both for their immediate requirements and predicted future scope. Our business ethos is founded on customer service and satisfaction, as such our client testimonials and online reviews reflect our dedicated approach. We understand the importance of rapid response and that your services are both critical to you and those that are dependent on the uptime of your equipment.

#3. Uptime | Reliability

Data centres must achieve unprecedented availability to meet the demands of business requirements. IP House is an EN50600 Accredited, designed and built to Tier III standards, with N+1 configurations throughout all critical systems, including Power, Cooling and Networks. Our facility provides 99.98% uptime and is constructed by industry-leading vendors and their ultra-reliable systems. With multiple redundancy layers and critical backup infrastructure, we take away the worries of staying online and maintaining uptime.

IT monitoring helps to detect and diagnose problems before they cause major issues, reducing costly downtime in the process. Our data centre is highly connected, and we have full visibility of all critical systems through a single pane solution, using Schneider Electrics, AI-enabled EcoStruxureTM IT.

#4. Security

IP House’s high security level is defined by our purpose-built design and layout, which benefits from the omission of windows to reduce the potential risk of intrusion. Access into the data centre is restricted to authorised personnel only.

Our advanced security system comprises; 24-hour surveillance, remote monitoring, anti-intrusion measures, remote monitoring, multiple man-traps and a multi-factor access procedure with control points at every ingress and egress point. The data centre is protected by extensive CCTV throughout with ANPR tracking, intelligent motion detection and also incorporates Grade III intruder protection with perimeter detection with anti-climb deterrent.

#5. Connectivity

Today, IP House provides a safe, secure, resilient and reliable colocation facility within the heart of London, right on the edge of London’s financial district. The facility is purpose built to house companies’ critical infrastructure, incorporating all the necessary redundancies so that CIOs can rest assure that their business will remain online and be accessible at all times.We have also partnered with an esteemed group of industry leading vendors to provide ultra-resilient, highly reliable service offerings for our customers.

To help CIO’s further in the decision making process, IP House has created a complementary Ebook discussing the Top 15 Points to Consider before choosing a colocation data centre in which to securely house your IT and network assets. Download it here today.

BRINGING INNOVATION TO IP HOUSE DATA CENTRE

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 09:26:18 GMT

The Challenge

Following a recommendation from an electrical contractor it was clear from initial meetings that IP House had big ambitions for their infrastructure.

The solution needed to implement a hybrid Tier III data centre network infrastructure that had the scalability to align with IP House business evolution, combined with the ability to deploy rapidly in a fast moving market and to incorporate a product set synonymous with quality.

The Solution

After much consultation and keeping in mind that IP House was a start-up business with specific budget requirements, TwistedPair recommended HellermanTyton (HT) RapidNet.

HT was the perfect fit for IP House with the ability to provide a hybrid copper and fibre data infrastructure whilst having a quality reputation. This solution is pre-terminated and pre-tested, enabling copper, fibre or both to share the same panel space, freeing up rack availability for end customer IT equipment. And this product also offered IP House a solution which was modular, that would in turn grow with the facility.

“TwistedPair have gone above and beyond to deliver a top quality service, from the initial recommendations made at concept stage on the most suitable cable and rack options, through to project management, implementation, testing and commissioning.”

COMTEC POWER WINS CONTRACT TO DELIVER STATE-OF-THE-ART DATA CENTRE UPGRADE FOR NEW LONDON-BASED COLOCATION START-UP

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 09:31:15 GMT

Schneider Electric Elite Partner is on track to deliver phase one of the Tier III Data Centre, located at the Edge of London’s financial district, and aims to be ope rational by 2018.

London, United Kingdom, November 21st, 2017 – Comtec Power , a specialist in data centre design and build, Elite Partner to Schneider Electric and Reigate-based Value-Added-Reseller (VAR), has won a contract to provide Start-Up Colo Company IP House with a critical data centre upgrade in London’s Docklands. Once completed, the 16,000ft, carrier-neutral facility will meet the requirements of the Tier III classification, to provide its customers with secure, resilient and ultra-fast colocation data centre services.

Situated next to the City of London and Canary Wharf, IP House is aiming to attract high-value customers in the financial services, gaming and online gambling industries to avail of its high-availability, high-performance and ultra-reliable colocation services. The Uptime Institute rates data centres from Tier I to Tier IV in terms of their systems availability. A Tier III rated data centre has the second most rigorous uptime requirements and is suitable for customers who depend on real-time delivery of products or services for a significant part of their revenue stream.

“We are currently in the initial stage of the data centre build, which will be delivered in two phases by Comtec over the next 18 months.” said Vinny Vaghani, Operations Manager of IP House. “Our first data suite is comprised of Schneider Electric’s InfraStruxure (ISX) integrated data centre architecture and has 14,000sq ft. of white space with a total of 216 racks – 192 of which will be available for customers when the facility is operational in 2018. Once the second stage is completed towards 2019, we’ll have a total of 512 racks with which to service our customers.”

London is well known as one of the World’s leading data centre hubs, and fears that Brexit would see a decline in growth for outsourced, or hosted data centre services have been downplayed in a new report by 451 Research’s Principle Analyst, Penny Jones. 451 predicts that the Multi-tenant-data-centre (MTDC) market will continue to grow throughout 2017, with an additional 423,000 square foot of colocation space estimated to be available by the year end.

Given the staged upgrade of the facility, IP House have opted for a modular, pay-as-you-grow approach to deploying their critical infrastructure, utilising components of Schneider Electrics InfraStruxure (ISX) Data Centre Physical Infrastructure solution, NetShetler SX Racks, Symmetra PX UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), APC by Schneider Electric Switchgear, NetBotz Environmental Monitoring and Intelligent Metered PDU’s. All of which will be delivered under the watchful eye of Comtec Power’s experienced data centre design and build team .

“Capacity, scalability and footprint were important considerations of the initial design,” said Ian Gregg, Data Centre Specialist at Comtec Power. “The modularity offered by Symmetra PX will allow IP House to expand their backup power as both the data centre and business grows. Its power modules and batteries have a smaller footprint than other products available in the market, meaning the space saved translates directly in the data centre, creating more room for customers IT equipment.”

“Comtec’s expertise in data centre design and build has been unparalleled and invaluable.” continued Vinny Vaghani, Operations Manager of IP House. “Their familiarity with Schneider Electric’s industry-leading technology and proactive approach to customer support during the initial tender process was one of the key reasons they secured the contract. As a Start-Up business we wanted to acquire and leverage both the experience and expertise of the partners supplying our critical infrastructure. We did our research and found that Comtec had delivered on a number of fantastic data centre projects of similar scale, so we could trust in their 20+ years of expertise and take guidance from them.”

“With Comtec, we’ve always had a single point of contact,” he continued. “At every stage of the project we’ve been able to communicate with senior members of their business and the service they continue to provide us with has been everything we hoped for, and more.”

IP House’s Docklands Data Centre aims to open doors to new customers in early 2018.

For more information about Comtec Powers experienced data centre design and build services, please visit http://www.comtecpower.com/ .