SSE Enterprise Telecoms steps up VIRTUS data centre connectivity

SSE Enterprise Telecoms will deploy a set of connectivity solutions at Virtus’s Tier 3 LONDON2 data centre in Hayes, Middlesex.

One of the solutions is its LIGHTNOW optical networking service which offers sub 1ms latency, and high-capacity, ultra-resilient wavelength connectivity, according to the company.

The LIGHTNOW solution already serves 31 UK data centres (22 in London and nine in Manchester) with 1Gb and 10Gb Ethernet wavelengths that can be provisioned within seven days, according to the network infrastructure provider.

SSE Enterprise Telecoms said VIRTUS customers will also benefit from high capacity Ethernet, IP transit and Internet Access services connecting sites across the country to the 65,000 sq ft West London facility in Hayes.

Nigel Pitcher, Marketing Director at SSE Enterprise Telecoms, told CBR: "The Virtus data centre in Haynes is in a smart position as it half way from the busy data centre hubs in Slough and London Docklands."

The deployment of SSE Enterprise Telecoms connectivity solutions will mostly benefit the financial customers sitting in VIRTUS’ data centre, according to Pitcher.

He added: "This service will give financial services speed to market and speed to trade."

Matthew Larbey, product strategy director at Virtus said: "With increasing demand for our data centre services, largely due to its strategic position, we needed a network provider that could keep pace without risk of failure."

Tiny Haynes, research director at Gartner, told CBR that today, organisations are looking more for very well connected data centres.

He said: "Bringing the networks together creates a community of interest. This allows for data exchange, financial exchange and media exchange."

Some of the London data centres using SSE Enterprise Telecoms’s LIGHTNOW service include Digital Realty (Woking), Equinix LD4, LD5 and LD6 (Slough) and Telecity (Harbour Exchange 6-7).

In Manchester, the data centres connected by SSE Enterprise Telecoms are DataCentred, Dock 10 – Media City, M247, Telecity Group (Williams House), Telecity Group (Reynolds House), Telecity Group (Synergy House), UKFast – MaNOC 6, Telecity Group (Joule House) and Telecity Group (Kilburn House).