EvoSwitch is well prepared for future growth

IMPRESSIVE GROWTH

EvoSwitch was established in 2007 and has experienced impressive growth ever since. Eric Lisica, Operations Director EvoSwitch: “We operate a large data centre campus in Haarlem (the Netherlands) with six data halls. We have 25 megawatts worth of equipment here. We also have a presence in the US, in Manassas (VA). Meanwhile, we are studying where the next expansion will take place.”

THE ALTERNATIVE TO THE BIG PLAYERS IN THE DATA CENTRE MARKET

EvoSwitch has a varied customer portfolio with a strong focus on the corporate and cloud market. “We work for a large number of hosts, system integrators and cloud providers from all over the world. The market is currently undergoing significant consolidation. One acquisition after another is taking place and that trend will continue for a while. We do not have the ambition to become the biggest, but we do want to be and remain the alternative to the big players in the data centre market looking for capacity in the Netherlands. Our personal approach and focus on ser vice are incredibly important.”

THE APPEAL OF THE DUTCH DATA CENTRE MARKET

The Dutch data centre market has a high level of appeal to the rest of the world. Eric Lisica also notices this in day-to-day operations. “Traditionally we have the four main internet nodes: Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt and Paris. None of those nodes has experienced the same growth as Amsterdam. The growth in Paris has stagnated somewhat over the past one and a half to two years. Frankfurt is dealing with high energy costs. Real-estate is particularly expensive in London, and how will the Brexit affect London? That’s a whole different stor y. Therefore, Amsterdam is a great alternative for companies that are looking for a location to establish operations in Europe.”

MODULAR GROWTH

EvoSwitch is well prepared for future growth. “We now have a building in Amsterdam. We also have enough property in Haarlem and access to funds to continue development. The sixth hall that we built in Haarlem was built based on our own modular concept and it is highly energy-efficient. A key benefit of this modular concept is how quickly we can add capacity. We can deploy a new module whenever the need arises; a layer for IT and an integrated layer for the complete data infrastructure including UPS, fire extinguishing equipment and cooling units. The Minkels racks fit perfectly within this modular concept. Racks are normally installed based on certain width and depth measurements. We can easily deviate from those standard dimensions to meet a customer’s specific needs. Therefore, the flexibility and customisation options Minkels offers greatly appeal to us.”

FLEXIBILITY AND SPEED THANKS TO BUSBARS

EvoSwitch also works with Legrand busbars, tap-off boxes and cable ducts. “The busbars give us flexibility in terms of power supply and they provide an excellent price-quality ratio. We do not need to install a whole new set of cables for every new customer. Ever ything can be set up within the same structure. This is the flexibility that works for us and we can help our customers right away. We recently migrated a customer from one data hall to another, while also increasing the capacity. The customer was online in no time.”

DEVELOPMENT IN FULL SWING

EvoSwitch continues to focus on development. Eric Lisica: “We recently launched the EvoSwitch OpenCloud. With this service we can offer customers an open cloud infrastructure. Customers can build their private cloud with EvoSwitch and simply connect to the large public cloud providers. We have high expectations of this ser vice. We will also keep focusing on our USPs, which is important in this day and age. For instance, we have trained technical personnel on site 24/7. A customer who calls after hours from any location is not connected to a regular helpdesk employee. The customer is connected to a qualified engineer who is available to discuss solutions with the customer and to walk directly to the rack if necessary. Customers like being able to rely on local people with knowledge and expertise who can physically walk over to the systems and help them. Talking about customers, we are a happy Minkels customer. And that will not change as long as Minkels continues to deliver the flexibility we experience today.”