The advantages of Datacentre Colocation outside London

There is a belief in the UK that London forms a core of connectivity, meaning that colocation centres must be located there to take advantage of this perceived highest-speed connection. Furthermore, if an organisation chooses colocation then the decisions on who provides the service and how an organisation arranges its network can become almost immaterial.

The reality is, we have to base all of our decisions on rational probability and weigh up the pros and cons – there are always advantages and disadvantages to any location, the key is to ensure you are clued-up on the facts and examine what your business needs are.

A recent article by Telstra it has identified that the increasing rise in data centre facilities outside  London is extremely advantageous for customers. The reality is that it all comes down to one fundamental question: do I operate my IT and telecoms in London or elsewhere?  Of course there are many valid arguments for both, however, the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) guidelines state that financial services companies must have a back-up facility over 40km from their primary facility, making towns outside of London extremely attractive as they can then be more than 40km from Docklands to meet FSA guidelines. Any large metropolitan area, and particularly London as the capital city, will always be more vulnerable to terrorist attacks than remote countryside destinations.

With ever-faster network connections, data communication to and from these centres can be measured in milliseconds, making London’s perceived increased connectivity immaterial in most cases. At the same time, with limitation on space and available power, London can only support a limited number of such centres meaning that the location can command a premium price. Unless a business is based in London, and is in an industry where near-instantaneous communication is essential- such as finance, it tends to be a more cost-effective solution to use a colocation centre outside of London.

There are many positives when looking into a DataCentre outside London, but perhaps cost can be considered as rather important since choosing a data centre outside of London  will have an impact on the price you pay, particularly if you need a lot of electrical power and cooling.  Of course also one could consider it will be a lower risk as housing your equipment outside London is also thought by many to be a lower risk option in terms of terrorist attacks as well as the fact that many newer Data Centres in remote locations are purpose-built rather than conversions of existing buildings.

Netcetera attributes much of its success to the fact that its state-of-the-art Data Centre is based in the Isle of Man – away from the disadvantages that many of its competitors and their clients have faced. The company’s strategic location is a powerful draw for businesses when considering outsourcing their data.  Every company will have its own requirements when it comes to selecting the location of its data centre but some needs are common for almost all users. Reliability, security and support that enables them to focus on their core business, are all key elements that feature highly on the list of priorities for any company but in today, the cost of attached to the data centre location will also grow in importance. This isn’t about a price war however, rather, a consideration of high-end cloud-based services that put Netcetera at an advantage.

For more information about how Netcetera can help you, contact our friendly Sales Team

 

 

Netcetera Voted Top 25 Most Popular Web Host for October 2011

Netcetera has once again been voted by the Web Hosting Directory in the UK as one of the Top 25 Most Popular Web Hosts, for the month of October. This is the 11th consecutive month for Netcetera.

Whatever your Web Hosting requirements, Netcetera’s range of managed hosting options cater to your needs. Our UK based hosting packages can help create a professional backbone for your online business. Hosting packages start from as little as £2.99/pm and include FREE Migration from your current host and one month FREE Trial.

Netcetera is perfect if you’re promoting a new business venture, launching a full e-commerce shop, blog or small business portal. Netcetera handles the daily operations of servers including all maintenance and updates. Our experienced system administrators handle tasks such as applying software patches and the constant security monitoring of the server.

Please remember that to vote for us, to visit the Web Host Directory UK Awards. We would especially like to thank everyone who has voted for Netcetera, and if you would like to contact us or find out more about our innovative products, please contact the Netcetera Sales Team, who will be pleased to assist you.

 

Why is PCI Compliance so Important?

When it comes to electronic payments, Web-based threats, attacks and crimes are escalating. To combat this, the Payment Card Industry has created the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for all companies that process or store credit card data. These standards enhance payment account security and protect cardholder data.

Companies that are not PCI compliant, even those that process very few transactions, have a lot to lose, and those costs continue to rise. In addition to fines, they can be prohibited from accepting credit cards in the future and suffer major loss.

When working towards compliance, there are a couple of options to consider before taking your decision:

Code review
This often entails various procedures. Applications should be reviewed by an organization specializing in security. If you opt for this method, your internal IT team must prepare the code for review, and be available for queries and support. Once vulnerabilities are identified they should be corrected, and when that is completed the application is tested and re-evaluated. Then fix and test cycles are scheduled on an ongoing basis.

Code review doesn’t always find all vulnerabilities, such as those unknown to the reviewer at that time. And the application must be re-tested frequently, including with each code change. This is often extremely costly, can result in production outages, manual validation and elimination of false findings, data ownership issues and more. When third party software is used, you don’t own the code and can’t fix it without breaking the licensing agreement.

dotDefender application firewall
This is a more consistent, less costly and more reliable unlike code review, it:

  • Provides an ongoing compliance solution that protects your website and Web service, even as updates and changes in code are made
  • Protects against vulnerabilities, instead of simply identifying them
  • Requires no development effort
  • Is suitable for third party applications and components
  • Causes little to no interference with business processes
  • Proves and documents corrected vulnerabilities
  • Has minimal impact on website response times
  • Performs a deep packet inspection of incoming traffic, creating a security layer in front of all Web applications

Ease of Use

dotDefender features comprehensive protection, along with remarkable ease of use. A Web administrator with no security training can have dotDefender up and running in minutes with just a few clicks. This out-of-the box protection is easily managed through a browser-based interface with virtually no impact on server or website performance.
dotDefender runs independently of other server applications, which allows for zero downstream maintenance for typical server changes.

Netcetera are very pleased to be able to offer dotDefender which not only provides comprehensive compliance, but also exceptional value to application owners and users. Being completely software based, dotDefender works with any web application, boasts a low TCO, and has minimal ongoing costs.

As your online business grows, you can rest assured that dotDefender has you covered with no expensive hardware upgrades or costly application integrations. dotDefender has no noticeable effect on web server resources, giving you enterprise-class protection with no degradation in performance, and prices range from are £55/pm per server for Dedicated Servers and £20/pm per server for Vmachines.  To test drive dotDefender today, contact Netcetera’s friendly Sales Team and take advantage of our FREE 30 DAY TRIAL.