SECURITY...

The datacentre (or server farm as they are sometimes referred to) is physically manned 24/7, every day of the year, and here is the cool bit - the datacentre is actually housed in a decommissioned Bank of England bullion vault - the server hardware is where the gold used to be kept! Protected by two 7ft thick walls, over 70 cameras (to avoid blind spots) and situated beneath street level, we think this is one of the safest places in the country we could house our servers. The only way into the server vault is through two interlocking gates. The inner gate cannot be opened unless the outer gate is closed. And in between the two is a 12-ton bombproof door.

POWER...

Installed in the datacentre is an ultra-reliable, steady source of power. In normal operation, the datacentre draws power from the National Grid - sometimes routing the supply through in-house step-down transformers. However, the datacentre is also equipped with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment so we can stay fully operational - even in the event of a prolonged power outage. If the main power supply fails, the datacentre will immediately switch to UPS power. This keeps all hardware functioning in the short term, while the system automatically fires up on-site diesel generators. At a minimum, they store 36 hours worth of fuel for these and have more generating capacity than we need.

NETWORK...

The local area networks (LANs) within the datacentre are based on Cisco architecture, and each LAN is connected to a powerful tier one (T1) network.

With multiple points of presence across the country, this has no single point of failure. Its huge capacity and fast connection to the global internet is what allows us to offer unlimited bandwidth to our clients.

ENVIRONMENT...

The datacentre is equipped with a climate control system to monitor and adjust the temperature and moisture levels within the server rooms. Air conditioning units all have dual-circuit designs for maximum availability. Alarms alert the datacentre staff to any problem - for example if the temperature or humidity levels move outside a tightly-defined range. Floors are raised to provide flood protection and they have installed under-floor moisture, temperature, air-flow, humidity and fire detection.

SAFETY...

Finally, the datacentre is equipped with a fully-automated fire detection and suppression system. These systems are able to detect the sub-micron particles released during a fire's early stages. They also monitor heat and smoke. Fire suppression is provided by gas systems which release Inergen gas (75% carbon dioxide) to neutralise combustion. These systems activate 30 seconds after the first stage alarm is triggered. They have carefully designed every aspect of the datacentres to keep our server hardware - plus the data stored on that hardware - absolutely safe and secure.