A £5 million critical data centre hub under development in Aberdeen has received a major boost in its bid to service the cloud computing needs of the North Sea oil and and gas sector.
SSE Enterprise Telecoms, a subsidiary of Perth-based energy giant SSE, has confirmed a £1 million project to install a new state-of-the-art Ciena platform connection to Dundee-based brightsolid’s new Granite City data centre.
The move means the data centre will be connected to Enterprise Telecoms 100Gb UK-wide network, ensuring it has the bandwith and speed to service the energy sector.
The inclusion of offshore network operator Tampnet in the partnership will also allow connectivity to be extended directly to facilities based in the North Sea.
SSE Enterprise Telecoms said the total £6m investment in the data centre and Ciena project had the potential to generate £120m of economic benefit for the north east going forward, with further phased investment planned in future.
“The partnership between ourselves, brightsolid and Tampnet will provide huge advantages for Aberdeen and the oil and gas industry from the moment the data centre opens its doors,” SSE Enterprise telecoms managing director Colin Sempill said.
“Brightsolid will act as a critical data centre hub, and our ultra-resilient network will provide the roads to and from it, made more significant by the co-operation of Tampnet, which extends this connectivity even further afield.
“We are committed to investing in the future of UK telecommunications and this latest project will serve to get customers connected quicker, to a reliable network, that will serve demand both now and in the future.”
Brightsolid CEO Richard Higgs said the new data centre - a sister facility to the firm’s Dundee operation - would be world leading.
“Our mission is to deliver technical innovation with a personal service, and together with SSE Enterprise Telecoms’ shared ethos, the communications service we are delivering will be world class; somewhere that can facilitate the growing trend to migrate assets to the cloud without concern for capacity, security or speed.”
Trygves Hagevik of Tampnet said the oil and gas sector needed strong connectivity in order to compete.
“The future of the oil and gas industry will shape businesses and consumers alike; making reliable and flexible connectivity absolutely essential,” he said.
“It’s not enough, however, to just have good connectivity offshore or onshore.
“These need to link together and be able to do so quickly. This is what our latest partnership with brightsolid and SSE Enterprise Telecoms will deliver; ensuring our customers have a guaranteed level of service across the UK. After all, you’re only as reliable as your weakest link.”
