Tag: datacentre

Netskope expands presence in Ireland with new Dublin data centre

Netskope, the SASE leader, today announced an extension of its NewEdge network with the opening of a new data centre in Dublin, Ireland. Serving millions of enterprise users around the world, and with full-compute data centres in more than 60 regions worldwide, NewEdge is the world’s largest, and highest-performing security private cloud. NewEdge powers the real-time, inline security services of the Netskope SASE platform allowing security to be deployed at the edge where and when it’s needed.

Placing data-centric security as close to the user as possible is a key requirement of a SASE-ready architecture, and the delivery of world-class Security Service Edge (SSE) and software defined networking (SD-WAN) capabilities. As well as improving the experience for Netskope’s local customers, the new data centre in Dublin is a strategic investment for the company given Ireland’s unique position in the data landscape with access to the EU market and close proximity to trans-atlantic internet cables. With companies increasingly demanding choice over where and how their data is processed, having a presence in Ireland gives Netskope’s NewEdge network a strong competitive advantage.

Netskope customer Adam Hoffmann, IT Infrastructure Manager at Mercury Engineering, based in Dublin commented; “We chose Netskope over a year ago to secure both web and cloud applications for our pan-European workforce. They were very clear about the intentions and timelines for the addition of local infrastructure in Ireland and now they have delivered on that promise. Netskope was already improving the experience of our teams, and when the local Dublin data centre came on line it immediately added even further to that improvement for our 1,000+ employees based in Ireland.”

Brian Murray, who leads Netskope’s business in Ireland said; “Its geographical and political location is making Ireland a key strategic jurisdiction for the tech industry and with the opening of this data centre in Dublin, Netskope is well placed to deliver the best in class SASE solution for new and existing customers in the region. Robust SASE solutions backed by local data centres are important for all organisations that require clear oversight over their data, wherever it goes, in order to meet stringent data policies both inside and outside the EU.”    

To support the new data centre, Netskope is actively recruiting in Ireland for both Irish and flexible pan-European roles in engineering, sales, marketing and HR, with the aim of doubling its headcount in the country over the coming year. The new centre coincides with the expansion of Netskope’s Irish customer base, which already includes major customers in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and retail sectors.

Netskope’s NewEdge architecture ensures there are no performance trade-offs when implementing security features.  A crucial part of the infrastructure that underpins a SASE security and networking architecture, balancing security and user experience reduces the risk of users working around security controls, productivity being negatively affected, or business processes being slowed down or impeded.

Every NewEdge data center is extensively peered with the most commonly used web/content-delivery networks, cloud, and SaaS providers to deliver fast, optimised access to the content, apps, and data enterprises most care about. For example, every NewEdge data center is directly connected with Microsoft and Google, plus other peering relationships in key regions with Amazon, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Box, and Dropbox, among many others.

As the infrastructure underpinning the Netskope Security Cloud, NewEdge delivers real-time inline and out-of-band API-driven services spanning Cloud Firewall (FWaaS), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Cloud and SaaS Security Posture Management (CSPM/SSPM), Borderless SD-WAN and more.

To learn more about Netskope’s NewEdge, visit https://www.netskope.com/platform/newedge.

€450 Million Data Centre First Approved under New Government Policy

The €450-million Ennis data centre has been four years moving through various stages including strategic site assessment, zoning & planning. Art will create between 400- 450 permanent jobs when the data centre campus is fully operational. Up to 1,200 will be employed in construction and 600 jobs in support services.

The new Government Policy Statement on the role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy was published on Wednesday 27th July 2022 and the Ennis Campus is considered to align well with the policies set out therein.

Mr Tom McNamara, CEO of Art Data Centres, the developer of the project, welcomed the announcement. “This is great news for this data centre campus and for Clare as the project will be a key pillar of the Ennis 2040 Economic Plan for the area which was launched by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Leo Varadkar in 2021”

The campus will comprise six data halls of 33mw each, Energy Centre & Vertical Farm designed on a flexible and modular basis, covering 145 acres and 1.3 million sq ft. Construction of the Art Data Centre Campus will be phased over a seven-year year period commencing in 2022. It has been designed by data centre specialists Colin Hyde of ARC:MC, and Robert Thorogood of HDRInc. It has access to 200 mega-watts of power from both the network grid and gas generation on site & aligns with the current CRU requirements for dispatchable Power & being located in an unconstrained area. The proposed site, adjacent to Ennis, was zoned in 2019 for ‘Data Centres & Power Generating Infrastructure’.

The 200 MW Ennis Project underpins the Government Policy Statement as it has the key infrastructure on the 145 acres including access to Grid, Main Gas Interconnector running through site which facilitates self-generation availability on site, and access to both wind and solar farms in Clare through the Grid or Private Wire. It also has the key availability of existing high-speed fibre located both on & adjacent to the site . The energy centre turbines have been designed to run on green hydrogen which the Minister Eamon Ryan has indicted he is hopeful will be available by 2030 when the Project is due for completion

“This Ennis Project fulfils the Government’s key requirements immediately while state bodies, regulators and the electricity sector work to upgrade infrastructure, connect more renewable energy and ensure security of supply,” Mr McNamara said. “The infrastructure that is available in the Ennis site will assist Government in national ambitions to deliver ongoing opportunities for the country in the tech industry.”

Equinix project explores re-use of waste data centre heat for vital public and community infrastructure

Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company, today announces the launch of a community project that will see it explore new ways to reuse waste data centre heat for vital public infrastructure in Dublin’s Blanchardstown area. Working with Dublin’s energy agency, Codema, a feasibility study will explore how waste heat from Equinix’s data centres could be used to support important facilities in the local community, which includes a hospital, university and local aquatics centre.

The project is part of Equinix’s commitment to drive greater energy efficiencies in its own operations, as well as for the wider community in which it operates. The company has pledged to become climate neutral globally – and in Ireland – by 2030. This will be achieved, in part, by innovative projects and initiatives – such as district heating – that will support the circular economy.

District heating delivers low-carbon heat to buildings through a network of insulated underground pipelines. It is fuel agnostic, which helps to drive down heating costs and ensures security of supply.

In the last three years alone, Equinix, which has four data centres operating in West Dublin, has reduced its Irish data centre carbon emissions by 16%.

This is one of a number of initiatives deployed by Codema to reduce Dublin’s CO2 emissions. By collaborating with Codema on the sustainability project, Equinix hopes to further its progress towards climate neutrality in Ireland while also benefiting the community in which it operates.

Maurice Mortell, Equinix’s Sustainability Lead in EMEA and Managing Director for Ireland, said: “At Equinix, we are relentlessly exploring innovative ways to achieve our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030. As sustainability lead in EMEA, I have been involved in a number of groundbreaking projects to ensure we are continuously innovating and striving to achieve this goal. Our partnership with Codema will help us to explore new ways in which we can not only work towards our own decarbonisation, but also benefit the community in which we operate and contribute to the circular economy.

“As the world’s digital infrastructure company, we are committed to driving steady economic growth while reducing our carbon footprint – and the footprints of the organisations we work with.

“Codema has been doing admirable work in its goal to decarbonise Dublin. We are delighted to be working with them and look forward to learning how we can continue to support them on their important carbon zero mission.”

Donna Gartland, CEO, Codema, said: “Codema’s mission is to lead the low-carbon transition in Dublin, and one of the ways we have been successfully doing this is by identifying and implementing new innovative solutions to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We have enough waste and renewable heat available in Dublin to completely move all buildings away from fossil fuel heating, and working with progressive and ambitious industry stakeholders like Equinix enables us to bring these district heating projects to reality.”