Intelligent Data Centres Issue 25 | Page 50

FEATURE
Leaving a digital footprint in Norway
To overcome issues such as inconsistent Internet routing and ensure a hassle-free process that can combine services from various cloud providers , organisations are turning towards dedicated softwaredefined networking solutions . Not only does this provide cloud connectivity , but it provides flexibility as network connections can be set up simply , quickly and on-demand , without worrying about long-term contracts or additional fees .
Organisations can also connect to locations around the world , allowing cross-border collaboration .
Bringing it all together
Green Mountain , for example , a data centre company with three Tier III data centres in Norway , finds that customers are now more frequently making connectivity a crucial part of the colocation conversation .
For businesses considering colocating in Norway , they also need to ensure they ’ re prepared and able to connect quickly , easily and securely to cloud service providers – this requires a robust network strategy .
In a study conducted in 2019 by IDC and Megaport looking at businesses in the Nordic region , it was found that only around 40 % of the organisations surveyed had defined or considered a network strategy . Simultaneously , this meant that over half of businesses using data centre space in the Nordics had yet to think about the role of connectivity in their overall digital strategy .
For these businesses , they ’ ll come to realise that connecting to cloud services via traditional point-to-point circuits can be time-consuming and cumbersome , and Internet connections don ’ t offer secure and reliable performance . When
Vincent English , CEO at Megaport
businesses consider multiple cloud vendors , matters become even more complicated . So , how can organisations marry the benefits of colocating in Norway with a flexible cloud strategy that enables them to connect to multiple clouds now and in the future ?
“ Every business out there has a cloud strategy . So , even if the workloads colocated in our data centre aren ’ t currently cloud-bound , prospects always want to know what their cloud connectivity options are for the future ,” said Svein Atle Hagaseth , Chief Sales Officer , Green Mountain .
“ Of course , every customer I speak to wants to connect to a different combination of cloud providers – many of which don ’ t necessarily have a data centre or on-ramp here and some customers need to connect their workloads back to data centres in other parts of Europe or across the globe . This is where the flexibility and extended reach of a Network-as-a-Service platform like Megaport comes into play .”
Today , organisations are turning to Norway to host their IT workloads due to the country ’ s unique traits . It ’ s greener , more business-friendly and lower cost . But what convinces these organisations to remain in our region is having a robust network strategy in place that enables them to stay competitive and deliver on their growth goals . ◊
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