Private cloud set to boom in spite of recent scares

Andrew Gilbert, managing director of Node4, believes that the attacks have put the issue of data security into the spotlight, and argues that companies will increasingly opt for "the high levels of security and backup offered by cloud-based data storage". But he also points to findings that many companies want local service. And hence, he says, his company's strategy of building regional data centres – the company is currently constructing its fifth. Gilbert indicates that customers will, on average, choose data centres within a 30 kilometre radius of their headquarters. "Customers still want to touch and see their data centres," he explains. "It provides them with a greater level of assurance, when their primary and often mission-critical assets are in an environment they understand and control, as opposed to being far away – perhaps in a different legal jurisdiction and even time zone." But there is another reason for going distributed, he says. Although fewer, larger data centre sites might bring economies of scale, there is an inherent robustness, he asserts, in an infrastructure that spans geographies. And the same goes for the notion of outsourcing to multiple cloud providers – enabling companies to switch suppliers or spread the risk. It's all about private cloud, and Gilbert says he is one of the UK's strongest advocates. "The private cloud has addressed many of the concerns over security associated with cloud in the past," he insists. "This has caused many enterprises to reconsider their choice not to convert from costly, on-premise IT infrastructures. As a result of developments in the cloud, we expect there to be a positive impact on the data centre industry."