We spend a *lot* of time in datacentres – both our own for obvious reasons, and our other Points-of-Presence (PoPs) plus looking after 3rd-party installations at various other UK locations.
Almost all the internet connectivity in the UK runs through Docklands – so all the better connected DC’s are here in E14 – and this part of London is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets – where it is mandatory to recycle paper and cardboard (despite it being as non-green as you cab get to recycle paper products).
Business also have to pay to have their recyclables taken away – despite the council then selling the recyclables that are collected !
Most well run facilities (quite rightly) do not allow cardboard on the datafloor – it’s flammable, particles get in the aircon, and it makes a mess – cardboard bad is the general principle, some dont even allow cardboard into the building (daft but true), and yet others have a we-dont-care attitude and even allow people to fill up racks with boxes !
One room that’s needed “off datafloor” at any colocation provider (yet sadly almost no UK datacentre provides) is a “workbench” where you can assemble and configure your hardware – and with some devices being sensitive (especially to static discharge) this is critical.
Yet the majority of DCs don’t even provide anywhere to unpack your items or deliveries – so you end up in the car-park, often in the pouring rain, attempting to get a server out of a box, because you’re not allowed to take the cardboard inside. Then you’re faced with having to go home on a train, carrying all your packaging with you, filling the tube up with poly-snow – because the DC doesn’t even provide bins.
So, at our London Docklands DataCentre in E14 we’ve decided to improve the service to our clients by providing a dedicated BuildRoom free and as standard to all colo clients, offering:
- unpacking facilities
- recycling bins
- build/assemble area
- test/configuration workstations with KVM
Now you can unpack in a clean, insulated, noise-reduced environment, dispose of your packaging/recyclables, and assemble/test your hardware before taking it onto the datafloor.
-
- Unpacking Area
-
- Assemble Area
-
- Configure Area
