The challenge
As part of its commercial growth strategy, Custodian required a solution that would support its deployment of four new data floors, with the ability and capacity to provide customisable wavelength services for its range of blue chip clients.
From a technical perspective, Custodian needed a scalable solution that would cost-effectively connect its flagship data centre in Maidstone, Kent with diverse connectivity routes to its partner facilities in London. Custodian also required a solution which it could fully control and manage itself from its own network operations centre.
As an independent data centre, access to other data centres was also an important consideration, which is why Custodian investigated a high capacity optical networking service.
The outcome
Following a competitive tender, Custodian selected Neos Networks to meet its latest connectivity needs, delivering two diverse dark fibre routes to link the data centre provider’s flagship facility in Maidstone, Kent with two London data centres: Telehouse North and Level 3’s Goswell Road site.
Neos Networks already delivers high bandwidth connectivity services to Custodian, which has enabled it to rapidly deploy diverse fibre network services to meet its latest requirements. The new dark fibre provided by Neos Networks will support the continued growth of Custodian which requires increased network capacity as it completes the build of four new data floors. Custodian will be lighting the fibre itself meaning that its existing connectivity to the capital will benefit from reduced latency to 0.4 m/s.
Due to the added reach afforded by the new network routes, providing high-speed and ultra-reliable connectivity between its main data centre and the capital, Custodian is now able to easily and cost-effectively co-locate and deliver its services to a wider customer base. With the new high-speed routes into London, Custodian has full control over its network and can manage core bandwidth requirements more effectively and easily accommodate any future increases in customer demand.
Additionally, our successful existing relationship gave Custodian the confidence that we could deliver ultra-reliable connectivity. Custodian also benefits from our LIGHTNOW service, which links 23 of London’s busiest data centres – and nine in Manchester – with 1Gbps and 10Gbps Ethernet wavelength connectivity. Launched as part of our major Ethernet network expansion, ‘Project Edge’, LIGHTNOW allows enterprises to select different data centres for different IT assets, which are connected as one data centre portfolio. Ultimately, this gives Custodian the ability to cherry pick data centre partners to achieve a truly best of breed service for its requirements, at the lowest possible price. This will also allow Custodian to further extend its reach as and when needed by immediately connecting additional locations in the capital, with round-the-clock support and at cost-effective prices.
“Our customers trust us with their critical IT assets and data and, as a result, rely on us to deliver the highest levels of availability. To ensure our growing connectivity needs were met without any fear of downtime, we turned to Neos Networks as a tried and tested network provider to deliver ultra-reliable connectivity between our Maidstone data centre and London facilities. As we had a good existing relationship with Neos Networks, we were confident that it could fulfil our latest requirements with a high quality and ultra-reliable solution. Following the swift and successful implementation of the first dark fibre route, we look forward to the completion of the second phase. Investing in a future-proofed solution was also very important to us, and the partnership with Neos Networks allows us to deliver this in line with our changing business needs and those of our customers.”
Rowan Kinch CEO at Custodian Data Centres
About Custodian Data Centres
Custodian Data Centres is one of the leading privately owned data centre facilities in the UK. Custodian is a data centre owner/operator providing co-location and network services along with a 100% power uptime record. The firm operates a fully multi homed and highly resilient IP transit service. Its Cisco network has an extremely high level of resilience and diversity in both its physical and logical routing. It focuses on providing Tier 4 standard facilities at Tier 3 pricing – achieved by award winning efficiencies. It offers 20kW+ rack capabilities with fast and direct connectivity options, and is ISO 27001 certified.
