adapt in the News
London faces data center power shortage
London firms ready for disasters
The London Olympics is causing a scramble for data center capacity as it puts pressure on an already overburdened power grid in the capital.
With no new data centers being built in central London, and the Olympic site and London Cross Rail diverting even more power, data centers are in severe danger or running out of capacity.
Half of mid-sized companies with 500 to 1,000 employees will need to ramp up their co-location needs in the next 12 months, according to a survey commissioned by virtual network operator adapt. Some 43% of the 200 senior IT executives surveyed said that they don't have a plan in place to manage the extra demands for server co-location.
Banking and finance would be the hardest hit, as industry demands such as Markets in Financial Instruments Directive and Sarbanes-Oxley add to the problems. Almost half of finance companies said their requirements would increase over the next 12 months.
"Consolidation of data center operators, absorption of old capacity, and a shortage of new sites being built, means co-location now carries a scarcity value. With demand outstripping supply, it's clearly not a buyer's market, meaning the corporate sector will be under-serviced," said adapt CEO Peter Knight.
adapt for a change
Independent Virtual Network Operator (VNO), adapt has signed a deal with CSC to provide data centre services with a deal worth £8.8m over six years.
“There is an increasing demand for managed data centre services from our customers, in central London and beyond, and the solution adapt proposed to us matched our requirements very well” said Mark Anstey account director at CSC. “Unlike traditional co-location providers, adapt is able to offer a range of options, with high power and cooling density, across multiple geographies. Combined with its flexible contract SLA’s it makes an ideal partner for us”
“adapt has numerous relationships with a number of key data centre providers including both traditional collocation providers and Real Estate Developers. By Designing, building, project managing and creating bespoke services, we can simplify and optimise our clients’ network infrastructure” explained Peter Knight, CEO, adapt. “Our broad depth of knowledge, key partners and contract flexibility make us the ideal partner for CSC. Furthermore, the Network to Network interface’s in place with leading Global Tier 1 Carriers enable us to bolt on the telecom infrastructure components which are often essential with projects of this nature.”
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Talking point on energy supplies
London firms ready for disasters
While it is pleasing to see London firms taking business continuity seriously, our experience shows that the vast majority have not even begun to consider one of the most potent threats. The capital is fast running out of data hosting capacity. With new technologies, such as Web 2.0, introducing an array of rich online applications that are being hungrily adopted, demand for hosting sites is set to soar further. Yet physical space is at a premium-not only because of the servers required but also because each server needs to incorporate ever more powerful cooling systems. The stark reality is that this massive drain on the local grid will soon become unsupportable. By 2009, London faces the prospect of regular reductions in electric power, much like California had at the beginning of the decade. Undoubtedly, steps need to be taken to address this problem. The alternative is to condemn London and other major business centres to the real risk of power failure and business disruption on an unprecedented scale.
Peter Knight- adapt |
KPN prepares to adapt
CRN, 28 May 2007
Virtual network opertor adapt has addded to its vendor line-up by signing up to KPN International's business partner programme. The company said the partnership would allow it to address the needs of UK firms with international sites. |
London's data-centre shortage
Mike Hills - adapt, ZDNET, 18 May 2007
Life couldn't seem brighter for companies that supply bandwidth, network services and collocation capacity to London's businesses, residents and visitors. Web 2.0 technologies are driving a second wave of innovation and introducing an array of rich online applications that are being hungrily adopted by businesses and a net-savvy public that has become used to broadband, always-on connectivity. Conducting business and personal transactions over the web has become second nature to all but the most unreconstructed Luddite.
The original vision of a pervasive, high-speed internet enabling secure, rich communication has come true and, in doing so, has become a critical part of all our business and personal lifestyles. What could possibly threaten this triumph of technology?
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Wholesale telecoms: VNOs: An uneasy alliance
Virtual network operators tell network owners to leave the mid-size business customers to them.
The relationship between virtual network operators and their network-owning counterparts can be uneasy at the best of times. But as competition for networks business intensifies, VNOs are calling for operators to forget competing for contracts from mid-sized business customers and consider embracing a wholesale-only model instead.
VNOs say telcos can still capture a slice of the business by providing them with network capacity.
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Mnet plans to adapt to VNO
Name change marks start of aggressive growth strategy
Doug Woodburn, CRN, 26 Mar 2007
Mnet has set out ambitious plans to become one of the UK’s largest virtual network operators (VNOs) after changing its name to adapt.
Following a management buy-out (MBO) from parent Margolis last year, the firm intends to pursue an aggressive growth strategy, which could include acquisitions in the adjacent systems integration (SI) arena.
Peter Knight, chief executive at adapt, said: “We will see some consolidation between the WAN and SI space and adapt will certainly be an acquirer rather than the other way around.
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Mnet rebrands as adapt
London, 20 March 2007
Independent Virtual Network Operator (VNO), mnet, today officially announces its change of name to adapt. The re-brand marks an aggressive and ambitious new phase for the VNO in the UK who are fulfilling the needs of organisations being underserved by traditional operators and responding to the changing requirements of telecoms purchasers.
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