Investment
Scotland’s naturally cool climate proves to be a benefit to companies who locate their data centres here, as lower power is needed to cool expensive servers.
Scotland’s northerly geographic position means that the average daily temperature is at least 2°C cooler than most other major European data centre locations (including London and Dublin) and therefore Scottish data centers use less power to cool their facilities.
The growth in the shared services sector in Scotland is further evidence of the quality data centre infrastructure already in place – there are already several major multi-national companies based here.
Annual operating cost savings of 20-30 percent
When the lower temperature are combined with lower salaries and property prices, this equates to potential annual operating cost savings of 20-30 percent compared with other European locations.
Global demand for data centres is growing rapidly, with related costs expected to rise also.
Scotland can take advantage of its unique geographical positioning to offer cost savings to companies wishing to locate a data centre here.
Companies looking to operate e-services/data storage/cloud facilities in Europe are going to face compliance/governance issues that will necessitate having a physical footprint in Europe - Scotland is a great choice for them.
Scotland’s strong IT and telecoms infrastructure
Scotland boasts broadband access in virtually every corner of the country.
A fast optical fibre telecoms supply is available in the following areas and business districts:
- International Financial Services District
- West of Scotland Science Park
- Strathclyde Business Park
- Aberdeen Science & Technology Park
- Dundee Technology Park
- Heriot Watt Research Park
- Crichton Campus
A wide choice of telecoms carriers operate in Scotland, including:
- BT
- THUS
- Cable & Wireless
- Global Crossing
- Virgin Media
- NEOS Networks