Also in this section

Two years for SunGard partnership and data centre

brightsolid – the new name for leading internet services provider Scotland Online – recently completed a successful second year of operation of its state-of-the-art data centre at Dundee, Scotland.

The data centre investment coincided with the linking of a strategic partnership with leading information availability and business continuity provider SunGard Availability Services. 

The centre was designed to allow brightsolid to expand its data management services and offer new and existing clients reliable data security protection.  

The partnership with SunGard Availability Services, the company that pioneered the disaster recovery arena has enabled the company to provide a unique business continuity and IT disaster recovery service toScottish businesses. 

Chris van der Kuyl, brightsolid Chief Executive, commented:  

“One of the main areas of our business data hosting and the provision of  continual internet access meant the launch of a data centre was a natural progression for the company. 

“By forming a strategic partnership with SunGard we have been able to offer business continuity services that are resourced by one of the world’s largest IT companies. 

“The consequence of data loss through software and hardware failure, or even human error, can prove disastrous to companies.  Although the majority of businesses are beginning to realise the importance of storing business-critical information data off-site, this centre has helped to highlight the importance of business continuity planning. 

“Two of the key components of a data centre are continuous power and a robust telecommunications system.  We have used state-of-the-art technology such as MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) making the centre the most advanced of its type. 

“We were also the first company in Scotland to install waterless fire suppression technology in a private data centre.  The Novec 1230 system can detect and suppress fires within seconds without causing the collateral damage that can be caused by using traditional water sprinklers.

” The data centre incorporates four disaster recovery suites with the capacity to seat 100 workers, all of which were created following consultation with SunGard.  This allows clients to relocate to the centre if they were to lose access to their data or offices. 

Keith Tilley, UK MD and SVP Europe, SunGard Availability Services said:

“Companies are generally becoming more strategic about keeping their employees and the information they need to do their jobs, available.  The ‘always on’ approach to commerce has made it crucial for businesses to be ‘more available’ than the competition in order to safeguard brand reputation and market share. 

The transparency of supply chains is another driver for strategic continuity planning.  SunGard is seeing a major knock-on effect from companies that expect their suppliers’ systems to interlink and perform at the same levels of reliability and availability as their own.” 

By connecting brightsolid to the SunGard network, Scottish businesses will be well positioned to continue competing on the national and global scene.

| | | | | | | | |