Sharp data deal completes
Manchester-based data centre operator ANS Group has agreed a deal to occupy 20,000 sq ft at the Sharp Project, the thriving digital content complex in Newton Heath.
The company also has the option to take an additional 20,000 sq ft space in the building in the future which would create a combined 1,600-rack facility.
ANS Group agreed a 15-year lease on the space and plans to invest £8m in the data centre over the next three years. The firm will install its National Cloud infrastructure and secure co-location facilities to house computer systems, data storage and associated components such as telecommunication systems.
The facility will allow businesses to securely rent anything from a basic rack to a fully managed computer infrastructure minimising the chance of disruption to their business. Companies using the data centre facilities can also take advantage of two separate high speed connectivity networks that serve the building.
Paul Sweeney, managing director, ANS Group, said: "It's great to be associated with the Sharp Project in this way. From this Tier 3 data centre we can offer our dedicated Infrastructure 3 solution or our hosted National Cloud infrastructure both built on Cisco, NetApp, VMware and Microsoft technology."
Sweeney added: "The Sharp Project's superfast connectivity and power and its Point of Presence link with the rest of the internet offers true diversity for communications and is a major reason for us basing a data centre here. This facility will enable us to grow our business and create up to 100 jobs over the next three years."
Scott Fletcher, ANS chairman and founder, said: "It's been a fantastic year at ANS and this is a significant milestone in our history; we are delighted to be building this state of the art facility which will take advantage of all the latest technology, such as fresh air cooling and offering high density racks in the most efficient way possible, we have our sights on a PUE of 1.2. The Sharp Project has a special meaning to me as my dad worked there in the 1980s and I remember spending a lot of time there as a teenager."
The data facility will be built by Manchester firm Sudlows. Construction is due to start soon and completion is scheduled for March 2013.
