Ireland: a stand-out European data centre destination of choice

by | Nov 17, 2016 | Articles, Markets

For the majority of organisations, big data is clearly the order of the day. According to “Europe for Big Data”, a report published by Forbes, nine out of 10 companies say they are exploiting big data to inform and optimise their business processes and strategies.

Data is driving all organisations, regardless the industry or geography they operate in. And it’s recent advances in technology that are generating real commercial opportunities for organisations to leverage. Leading international businesses are using smart technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to capture, analyse and use their corporate and customer-related data. It enables them to better understand and respond to their target markets, discover new business models and create improved product offerings.

However, the increasing volume of data being collated by organisations is putting additional pressure on existing IT infrastructures, which is driving data management, data centres and cloud technologies to become high-growth businesses. The challenges and opportunities that big data presents are now key considerations when deciding where to locate big data projects.

Where in the world?

When choosing a data centre location, most international organisations consider these top five key elements:

– Tax rates
– Ease of doing business
– Legal framework
– Availability of expertise
– Data-related conditions/regulations

Fulfilling these key criteria best is Europe. According to the research from Forbes, 80% of international organisations already have a European business presence, demonstrating that regionally based data control hubs are the cornerstone for managing regional data strategy. And within Europe, it’s Ireland that’s fighting for pole position. Despite its smaller economy and population size, Ireland is perceived as one of the top two destinations for EU data-driven investments, narrowly missing out to the UK in first place, but ahead of Germany in third place.

So what makes Ireland the data centre destination of choice?

Ireland: a land of opportunity

With 96% of senior business executives having a favourable view of Ireland as a data-related investment destination, it should be no surprise that the country has quickly become a world leader for big data, the Internet of Things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and fintech, amongst other areas.

Ireland is already home to many of the world’s leading international companies across all industries and sectors. In addition to placing second in Forbes’ report, the country also ranks first in the world for investment incentives, and first for international competitiveness in the Eurozone, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2016.

Many large brands are proud to call Ireland their home, including Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Twitter. In fact, according to the Irish Development Authority and Enterprise Ireland, the country is home to:

– Nine out of the top 10 global software companies.
– All of the top 10 global ICT companies.
– All the top 10 ‘born on the Internet’ companies, and the list goes on.

There are many factors that position Europe favourably as a data centre destination. Host in Ireland, an industry-led initiative specifically developed to generate awareness of the country’s assets, boils Ireland’s attributes down to five key points:

Policy: pro-business approach to policy issues.
Pedigree: home to over 1,000 global companies.
People: highly educated, experienced, tech-savvy, multifaceted and multilingual workforce.
Power: exploits its natural resources to commit to 40% renewable energy by 2020.
Pipes: strategic global position to provide secure and resilient low-latency global connectivity.

Future-tech: where experience meets innovation

Future-tech is represented on Host in Ireland’s executive committee and we are at the forefront of innovative data centre design and construction management.

Our flexible approach to the changing demand cloud services are putting on data centre power and cooling infrastructure is reducing the cost associated with building market leading cloud enabled facilities.

From high density research focused data centres through to hard core rack it and stack it ho-lo we will work with your team to understand what your clients want and how best to achieve it in a smooth, cost and energy efficient manner.

Discover how we can provide you with the ability to expand your data centre in line with business needs while maintaining live IT services.