Ireland’s lure as prime location for data center colocation is intensifying, and the acquisition of TelecityGroup by Equinix in January is a big reason why. The arrival of Equinix in Ireland has given locally-hosted businesses access to interconnection on a grand scale. Now, organizations can reach 40 global markets on five continents. At a time when global volumes of data are mushrooming, that presents both indigenous and foreign direct investment (FDI) companies with an abundance of opportunity, unique to Ireland. Coupled with the country’s favorable corporate tax structure, data privacy laws and potential for mining big data, Ireland has arguably never been so attractive as a destination for business infrastructure.
Given the booming demand for colocation services and Ireland’s strong reputation within the data center industry, we wanted to uncover key trends and find out more about why businesses colocate resources in Ireland. So we recently carried out a survey of Ireland’s decision-makers, in partnership with TechBeat, to discover what drives them when it comes to placing their digital assets there.
We asked these business leaders their thoughts on a range of issues affecting their hosting decisions, and we got great responses. We aren’t quite ready to release the findings of the survey yet. That will come June 2 at our Equinix Lands in Ireland event. But here’s a look at some of what we covered:
The Internet of Things
At the forefront of discussion around the monumental global growth of data is the Internet of Things (IoT). Research from Gartner shows that there will be some 20.8 billion connected devices in use by 2020; creating untold opportunities for businesses. But with those opportunities comes an ever-increasing volume of data that companies will need to store securely. But how do Ireland’s IT leaders perceive that growth? We asked respondents if they expect the Internet of Things to directly affect their hosting requirements in the next five years.
Data Privacy
As volumes of data increase, so, too, does the value of interconnection between businesses and regions. However, late last year saw the demise of Safe Harbor, an agreement that allowed the free transfer of data between the U.S, the EU and Switzerland. We asked our respondents whether or not they fully understand the current U.S.-EU data regulations, and if the disintegration of Safe Harbor would make them more likely to seek a data hosting solution in Ireland, which has robust data protection legislation in place.
Sustainability
As businesses consider how to best store and get value from their masses of data, another factor is starting to enter the decision-making process: sustainability. The worldwide growth of the Internet has led to an enormous demand for power at our data centers. Increasingly, customers are demanding that the data center they choose be as “green” as possible. But is the environment a make-or-break issue for businesses in Ireland? We asked the country’s IT leaders just how important a data center’s green credentials are to their decision-making process.
The survey promises real insight into what makes Ireland’s IT decision-makers tick. Be sure to look for the results!