White paper
Southeast Asia is the fastest growing region for colocation data centers. This rising number of data centers means more business critical information is vulnerable to threats. At SpaceDC, we set the benchmark for best practices in safeguarding your data with the 8 layers of security at our facility.
Deep dive into our white papers below to read the latest industry reports on topics ranging from green facilities to digital transformation.
White paper
This white paper highlights the growing importance of data centers deploying innovations in support of green and sustainability, especially in this digital age where data traffic grows at an exponential rate.
Without comprising scalability, security and resiliency, we continue to raise standards with innovative and sustainable solutions that make our facilities greener, requiring minimum energy for maximum efficiency.
At each facility, we analyse the location’s natural surrounding and bring out her best assets keeping in mind our corporate, environment and social responsibility.
Deep dive into our white papers below to read the latest industry reports on topics ranging from resiliency and connectivity to data center security.
Latest news, press releases and announcements.
Our Executive Vice President, Jeffrey Tay, talks with Andy Davis on the Inside Data Centre Podcast covering a range of topics including:
If you are interested in learning more about our data center facilities, please contact us here.
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Latest news, press releases and announcements.
Alibaba Cloud is a robust solution available in 200+ countries with over 3 million customers. It continues to grow from strength to strength. With their third availability zone going live in Indonesia the company is cementing its performance and reliability in Southeast Asia.
SpaceDC is proud to partner with Alibaba Cloud and offer it to our customer base in Southeast Asia. We look forward to growing together and helping support the launch of their new product Express Connect.
Express Connect is a cloud service solution that integrates the high reliability and performance offered by dedicated physical connections. A direct connection allows SpaceDC to bypass the Internet service provider (ISP) to keep the network stable and secure. We do this by establishing a physical connection between our on-premises data center and an access point of Alibaba Cloud. This provides a more secure and faster network connection with lower latency.
If you are interested in learning more about Alibaba Cloud / Express Connect and our JAK2 data center facility, please contact us here.
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Milestones and updates.
Last year was an unexpected year for all industries, including the data centre industry in APAC. With the accelerated push towards all things digital, technology players witnessed and will continue to experience exceptional growth. While we are hopefully turning a corner in the fight against COVID-19, investment in digital transformation at the same time will continue to grow at an exponential rate.
On top of that, with the massive shift to both private, public or even hybrid cloud, businesses are leveraging the explosion of data as the new currency that will help them gain a competitive edge in today’s digital driven economy. So where should data centre operators be looking to grow within the region?
Historically, data centre development in APAC has taken place in Tier 1 markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. These markets account for most of the data centre capacity in APAC, driven by cloud providers that have deployed their infrastructure.
According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield, Southeast Asia (SEA) is one of the fastest growing markets for data centres globally. The overall APAC data centre market size will be worth US$28 billion by 2024, with SEA accounting for an estimated 13% of the region’s total market value.
A closer look at the distribution of data centres in SEA does show a disconnect between capacity and local demand. Tier 1 markets like Singapore, account for over 60% of data centre capacity in SEA despite having only less than 2% of internet users in the region.
However, with an unparalleled acceleration in digital transformation, data centre industry players are facing pressure and the need to expand beyond Tier 1 markets to meet these demands and address existing challenges. Some challenges include land and power constraints and/or increasing regulation – such as sustainability and data sovereignty regulations.
Therefore, Tier 2 markets in SEA with favourable demographics like India, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand will be the next focus for expansion and explosive growth in APAC. Coupled with the growing appetite for all things digital, the acceleration will create additional attractions to these fast growing data centre markets.
The key drivers of data centre expansion within Tier 2 markets are twofold. Firstly, the domestic digital demands from Tier 2 markets are exponentially growing, and secondly Tier 2 markets can continue to offer resources such as lands and manpower necessary for data centre developments.
40 million internet users came online in Southeast Asia in 2020, pushing the total number to 400 million. Behind the numbers, there is a pool of young and digital savvy consumers, contributing to a dynamic e-commerce and technology industry and escalating data storage needs. From a talent standpoint, Tier 2 markets will benefit from data centres as well – the digital advancement will help upskill tech personnel and bring new technologies that can be used across other industry sectors.
Additionally, Tier 2 markets have an abundance of landmass for data centre operations to expand, allowing them the physical capabilities to potentially integrate renewable energy technology, which generally requires at least ten times more land area per unit of power produced.
What’s more, as governments in emerging markets are trying to catch up with more advanced economies, they are more open to data centre developments. For instance, Mumbai in India has become one of the most attractive investment destinations for setting up data centres, thanks to the high quality and cost effective infrastructure like stable IT power load, as well as comprehensive ecosystem to serve data.
At the same time, the rising demand for data centres is driven by the desire of cloud service providers to expand geographically, broadening their reach and offering improved performance such as reduced latency to drive data centre demand and gain first mover advantage in tier 2 markets. For example, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and other cloud providers have announced new cloud expansion plans in the region, which will contribute to the increasing number of data centres in tier 2 markets.
While the growth can be exciting, we cannot lose sight of the potential challenges in these Tier 2 markets. Firstly, for developing economies, uncertainty of political stability, lack of intangible resources such as data centre skillsets as well as limited systems and procedures in place can hinder the expansion. It is crucial for governments to provide regulatory certainty and set out a roadmap for data centre investment that addresses its limitations.
Secondly, sustainability is increasingly becoming a higher priority across the Southeast Asian region, with consumers and regulators alike placing greater emphasis on climate consciousness.
Southeast Asia’s tropical climate is a challenge on data centre’s energy efficiency and the growth of sustainable data centres, as cooling needs represent 35 – 40% of total energy demand to maintain the controlled environment of the servers and IT facilities. Data centre developers will need to rethink the long term sustainability of power supply while ensuring the expansion is meeting future energy demands.
Lastly, industry players need to consider the impact of unstable internet connectivity, power supply or natural disasters that can impact the chances of expansion in shortlisted cities.
At SpaceDC, we have been introducing best practices and cutting edge technologies to the Tier 2 markets. Data centres in these emerging economies should tap into the technological advancements for sustainable growth, especially in today’s digital economy. Having said that, governments also need to support data centre operators with adequate legislation and incentives and establish common sustainability standards within the sector.
As we move forward in the digital age, the data centre sector is a part of broader society and it has the potential to be a force for great good and change, that potential needs to be realised in the face of global disruptions, particularly for Tier 2 markets.
We are excited to see how data centres will progress in APAC, particularly how a more united force of change between each country can benefit the wider economy in the region.
By addressing the key challenges in its infrastructure connectivity and equipping with a deeper understanding of each country’s data centre landscape, Tier 2 markets in APAC will continue to be the hotbed for data centre expansion and will eventually blur the existing tiering system across the region.
Deep dive into our white papers below to read the latest industry reports on topics ranging from green facilities to data center security and digital transformation.
Latest news, press releases and announcements.
Powered by Infiny by Epsilon, SpaceDC can now support customers with extended reach and secure, scalable, on-demand direct connectivity to cloud service providers including:
Epsilon is a global Cloud-centric Network service provider, extending carrier grade connectivity services to the world’s Communications and Cloud ecosystems. The company offers smart networking capabilities that combine on demand infrastructure, automation, web-based portals and APIs to give partners friction-free access to global connectivity.
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Milestones and updates.
For an “apples to apples” comparison of data centers, data center tiers are a good place to start. Tier certifications make sure that data centers satisfy clear, comparable criteria. They help you choose the right data center to meet your goals.
Yet tier certification ratings alone only tell you part of the story. True, they let you compare expected uptime between data center facilities. However, availability is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to know how to align ratings with different types of business.
In this article, we describe tier classification levels. We position them for different needs. As well as telling you what they can do, we also tell you what they cannot do. You get the whole story about the data center tier system and how to choose for your organization.
Businesses rely more and more on their data and information systems. Data center availability is a key factor. The time you can survive without your data or systems depends on your type of business. For some, an outage of days or hours might be tenable. For others, even minutes of downtime could be a disaster. Many businesses therefore look to data center operators for uptime guarantees.
But what sort of uptime promise can you get? How can you compare one specification with another? Enter data center tier classification. Using open or industry standard criteria, an independent entity can assess and rate data centers. A data center can then present its rating to users to set their expectations.
An example of such an entity is the Uptime Institute. It has defined its own data center classifications that are divided into four levels or tiers. The tiers define criteria for maintenance, power, cooling, and fault handling. Each tier builds on the tier below, adding stricter criteria. An example of an open standard is ANSI/TIA-924-B. There are similarities between this standard and the Uptime Institute criteria.
Getting certification for a data center can be expensive. This is especially true for higher tiers like Uptime Institute Tier III and Tier IV. Some data centers may simply declare that their facilities have uptime to the same level as a certain tier. For example, “Tier III equivalent”. However, if no official rating exists, users should check for themselves.
The main differences between data center tiers are in uptime, redundancy, and paths for power. For data center operators, added factors are costs and times to implement. Each tier rating is based on the weakest component or system in the data center. The higher the availability required, the higher the cost of the data center facility.
The Uptime Institute tiers for data centers can be summarized as follows.
A Tier I data center has an area for IT systems with dedicated cooling. It has an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). It also has an engine generator for power outages. Tier I protects against human error. It does not protect against unexpected failure or downtime. The facility must shut down for maintenance and repairs.
A Tier II data center includes Tier I capabilities. It adds redundant power and cooling at the component level. This improves protection against disruptions. Maintenance of components can be done without an entire shutdown. However, failures will affect the system.
A Tier III data center builds on Tier II capabilities. It adds distribution path redundancy to the Tier II component redundancy. No shutdowns are needed for maintenance or replacement of equipment. Any part can be shut down without impact on IT operations.
A Tier IV data center adds fault tolerance to the Tier III capabilities. Redundancy comes from independent and physically isolated systems. There will be no disruption from planned or unplanned events. However, if maintenance is in progress, a failure may mean a higher risk of disruption.
There is also a Tier V. It has been defined by the service provider Switch. Tier V aims to enhance uptime and reliability for colocation facilities. Tier V data centers must meet all the Tier IV conditions plus other even stricter ones.
How do tier certification ratings relate to the real world? There are no hard and fast rules. However, the following indications may help.
Moving from one tier to another means more investment by data center operators. In turn, data center and colocation prices go up for customers. For example, a Tier IV data center may cost twice as much to build as a Tier III data center. Many customers opt for Tier III as a good mix of availability and affordability.
Each of the four data center tiers corresponds to a certain minimum uptime. Or in other words, a certain maximum downtime.
To see how many “nines” you need, start by estimating the cost of downtime to your business. Cost may be financial, as in loss of revenue. However, downtime can also cost you in terms of your reputation. For some organizations, there may be fines for non-compliance. Overall, higher costs of downtime will mean more “nines”.
An operator can use tier standards to drive design of its data center. It is better to include availability while building a facility. Trying to bolt on availability after is harder and riskier. Whichever approach is used, an assessment by a recognized entity is still needed for a rating.
Businesses using data center services can show the rating to their own market. Your clients and partners may even insist on such proof. They want to know that they are not at risk because of a problem with your uptime. Likewise, your stakeholders want to see that you are protecting their investments.
Data center availability costs more than money. It also has an ecological impact. Businesses are under pressure to make their carbon footprint smaller. Stakeholders and governments want to see results. Carbon footprints also extend to partners and suppliers. Businesses cannot pass the buck to their providers. They must be sure that the raw materials and services they use are green as well.
Data centers should strive to be as efficient and as green as possible for a given data center tier certification. Users also need a green approach. Right-sizing of uptime is key. Poor availability can hurt business. On the other hand, uptime specifications that are too high are wasteful.
The Uptime Institute encourages effective and efficient operations. However, its focus is on behaviors and risks in data centers. It is not on carbon footprints. The Tier V standard from Switch is greener. It demands that data centers run on local, renewable energy.
Overall, good design decisions help make data centers and their availability green. Sustainability can rise via the following choices.
SpaceDC builds data centers that are sustainable as well as available. Our company focuses on the low-carbon factors listed. At the same time, we achieve Uptime Institute rating certifications for our data centers internationally.
Tier ratings help to compare data center uptimes. However, they do not cover all uptime factors. Local geography and weather are examples. So are security, staffing, and compute infrastructure. These items can also affect availability over the short or long term. So, while making the most of tier certifications, it also pays to check the following.
Official data center tier ratings help you to see what uptime you can expect from a data center, and therefore, which data center tier certification best suits your business. The estimated cost of downtime to your organization will steer you towards a suitable tier. Finally, be sure to consider any additional factors for a well-rounded view and the right data center choice.
Contact us if you would like to find out more about how SpaceDC can help your organization to achieve optimal data and systems uptime.
Deep dive into our white papers below to read the latest industry reports on topics ranging from green facilities to data center security and digital transformation.
Milestones and updates.
Reinventing a national economy with more than 270 million people is a huge challenge. Yet the Making Indonesia 4.0 initiative aims to do just that. The vision? To put Indonesia in the world’s top 10 economies by 2030. There are five priority sectors for this. They are food and beverage, textile and apparel, automotive, chemicals, and electronics. Together, they are the targets for new world-class industry value chains.
Digital transformation is a big part of meeting this goal. Key digital technologies include artificial intelligence (AI) and human-machine interfaces. Others are the Internet of Things (IoT), robotic and sensor technology, and 3D printing. Software apps and data turn this tech into business value. To do so, they need the right compute and storage infrastructure. Colocation and cloud can be fast, cost-effective ways to meet these needs.
Robust, high speed digital connectivity is also a must. Indonesian enterprises will need to send data to their AI and analytics apps for business insights. They will rely on good networks. Low latency is mandatory. This allows programs and the data they receive to always be in sync. Capacity must be high. There will be large amounts of data in real time from IoT devices. Making Indonesia 4.0 will also attract organizations from abroad. Good connectivity to and from Indonesia is vital for them and for export.
Connectivity has multiple facets in Indonesia as in other countries. Data centers must ensure that all the parameters are properly addressed. For example, links that are fast but often break down are not good enough. Neither are connections that cannot scale as digital transformation yields more network traffic. Data centers must plan their networks to handle both today’s and tomorrow’s needs.
What is the starting point for design and operation? It is the current connectivity landscape in Indonesia. Mobile communications have already grown rapidly. Now, there is also a rise in fixed line links. Fiber optic cables are being put in place across the country. Urban development and road construction projects are chances to cost-effectively install higher volumes of fiber. The fiber that is not used immediately (“dark fiber”) can serve for redundant routing. It is also backup for future growth.
Fiber links already meet many criteria such as speed and capacity. But network resilience is also essential. As cities in Indonesia grow, so too does congestion, both on roads and in cable ducts. Accidental damage to network links from building and road works happens more often. Downtime and costs increase.
Smart connectivity planning for a data center must therefore include a location for the best performance and reliability. For this reason, SpaceDC data centers in Jakarta are on the west side of the city, instead of the more congested east side. This innovative decision favors safer, high-speed land links. It offers good dark fiber connectivity. It also means that the SpaceDC data centers are close to strategic subsea cables as well as the international airport.
Choice for customers is also important. A data center that is not tied to any one network operator (carrier-neutral) can offer customers such choice. This means access to a range of telecoms, cloud service, and internet service providers. Organizations can then define and customize their network solutions. They can balance cost and performance. At the same time, they have the flexibility to adapt to new needs.
Inside data centers, connectivity is equally important. This includes links between servers and other IT equipment, and to network service provider access points. Many connections inside data centers may be changed or added daily. Links and power distribution for those links must work and be error-free. This can be handled by expert teams in the data center using management and automation tools.
Resilience of connectivity should also be designed into data centers from the beginning. On its data center campus to the west of Jakarta, SpaceDC has built in better connectivity uptime in several ways. For example, servers can connect to multiple ISPs via separate “Meet Me Rooms”. This avoids single points of failure. There are multiple network entry points to the data centers on the SpaceDC campus for the same reason.
Likewise, diverse underground cable pathways on campus make resilience higher. SpaceDC uses these within and between its data centers. Customers can use the high speed links for mirroring systems and data across the SpaceDC campus. Robust power and backup systems make sure that each data center and its connectivity are always protected. They are also designed to be sustainable. SpaceDC power systems achieve one of the lowest power usage efficiency (PUE) ratings in the industry.
SpaceDC also continues to enhance connectivity for customers in other ways. A recent example is the agreement with Console Connect and its network. This lets users access SpaceDC’s data center facilities in Jakarta from more than 50 countries. The Console Connect network is low-latency and fully redundant. It means end-to-end link quality for users all the way to their SpaceDC hosted systems.
World class data center connectivity lets data flow freely and securely. It helps power the digital technologies at the heart of economic change. With performance, resilience, and flexibility, it brings new capabilities to enterprises. It brings them possibilities they cannot get from their own business location. And it scales to accompany them as they grow into their Making Indonesia 4.0 roles.
Deep dive into our white papers below to read the latest industry reports on topics ranging from green facilities to data center security and digital transformation.
Milestones and updates.
The rise of India as a global power may not be a new conversation, but it is certainly becoming more pronounced as the global markets evolve during these interesting times. Not only are global cloud players increasingly setting up shop and pouring capital in the country, but local players are also stepping up to the plate and demonstrating that they can do everything global players can and better.
With more and more local businesses turning to Cloud and leveraging data to chart their next phase of growth, India might just emerge as the next big playground for cloud unicorns. We take a closer look at the drivers of this growth, and what hurdles Indian players will need to address in growing their cloud market.
India is ripe for “Cloud” growth, with digital transformation and the move to cloud being a no regret decision for local businesses. According to a report by BCG, India is one of the largest and fastest-growing public cloud markets in the APAC region, projected to chart trifold growth from US$2.6 billion to US$8 billion between 2018 and 2023.
More than ever, businesses are realizing the potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain in automating processes, reshaping personalized experiences, and sparking new innovations. Their enthusiasm to go all in on digital is expected to grow cloud spending by 49% in 2023.
Powering intense competition in the business landscape are global cloud hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud who have already made inroads in the country through hiring top tech talent and are setting their sights on building new availability zones and demonstrating their commitment to align with local security and compliance regulations.
Apart from the fierce adoption of cloud and emerging technologies amongst local businesses, strong support from India’s government has been critical in setting up the stage for its Cloud success. Programs such as Digital India, which aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and supporting initiatives such as GI Cloud to optimize ICT spending are kindling both businesses and consumers’ digital readiness and embrace of cloud technologies, services, and experiences.
COVID-19 has been a catalyst in ramping up the demand for cloud as private and public organizations increasingly turned to digital channels. This pivot to digital is also here to stay, as more businesses of all sizes and stripes are looking at leveraging intelligent solutions to tackle business-critical issues such as business continuity, resilience, and productivity. Over 60% of Indian companies have said that they’re planning to leverage cloud for digital innovation.
But perhaps what is more important is that businesses are looking at long term cloud infrastructure investments to build for their future, beyond plug and play cloud tools. With cloud as the new backbone of sustainable growth, businesses will not only be able to scale their services but also deliver innovative services and customer experiences.
Much like how Indonesia grew its digital economy with e-commerce players and unicorns, India is now home to promising cloud computing companies who are providing a range of SaaS, security and cloud business management solutions and looking at ways to cater to new demand and trends.
As the cloud ecosystem in India matures, we’re likely to see a new generation of local players that are “born in the cloud” emerge and grow to compete with mainstay cloud providers. To date, there is already a growing string of startups, with a valuation of over a billion dollars, joining the unicorn club including InMobi, Paytm and Ola.
However, these efforts would be futile if India doesn’t address key challenges in its digital infrastructure and data governance, against the impacts of external forces such as an ongoing pandemic and increased competition from other markets with established cloud players
For example, the physical connectivity infrastructure or lack thereof in India is a key challenge. Without basic routers, fiber optic links and servers to provide access to technologies, there is a growing digital divide between India’s urban and rural populace which is slowing India down in its digital sprint. To resolve this issue, data center operators need to work with multiple telecommunication providers to explore best options to set up good WAN links, from making sure the infrastructure set up remains resilient, adaptable to change and capable of supporting the distribution of users, workloads and different demands of cities. This increased connectivity will also give rise to potentially new data centres, which will further support India’s growing Cloud market.
Robust data policies will be key in positioning India as an attractive and trusted location for global companies to invest in for their cloud needs.
Lastly, with transformation boiling down to not only technology but also talent, one more consideration for India would be to equip their existing pool of IT professionals with the relevant skill sets for cloud and improve their data management strategies.
India stands a real chance at rewriting history as the next big cloud player, with all the right conditions for its growth already in place, including a strong adoption of cloud technologies in its business ecosystem. To make its next big leap in becoming a global cloud player, it will just have to address local challenges in its digital infrastructure and data governance and provide an innovation sandbox for local players to unlock the full potential of Cloud.
Deep dive into our white papers below to read the latest industry reports on topics ranging from green facilities to data center security and digital transformation.
Latest news, press releases and announcements.
Console Connect has recently partnered with local ISP Uninet to deliver on-demand connectivity to SpaceDC in Indonesia.
Through the new partnership with Uninet, which is a subsidiary of Interlink, Console Connect users can now access the Indonesia market and SpaceDC’s data centre facilities in Jakarta.
Console Connect’s Software-Defined Interconnection platform enables carrier and enterprise customers to self-provision layer 2 connections between more than 400 data centres in over 50 countries worldwide. The platform also enables users to quote, order, deliver and manage direct network connections to leading cloud providers located throughout the region, including AWS, Alibaba Cloud, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and more.
Existing Console Connect users will be able to directly connect to SpaceDC’s 1.8-hectare ID01 campus, which is home to its two flagship data centres; JAK1 and JAK2. With innovative design and infrastructure, SpaceDC enables a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.3, which is changing the industry’s approach to carbon footprint and ensures uptime for the users.
Console Connect users can also access pay-as-you-go pricing for on-demand bandwidth between key Asian markets, including Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore
SpaceDC is creating state-of-the-art data centres to help businesses grow in Southeast Asia’s fast-moving digital markets. Headquartered in Singapore, SpaceDC is applying over 60 years of combined leadership experience to create a network of top-of-the-line data centre campuses in Southeast Asia’s key regional cities. Our campuses are strategically located to tap the cities’ natural resources and maximize accessibility. They feature multiple layers of security, dark fiber connectivity and very low PUEs to ensure your business critical data is always secure and accessible. We offer a collaborative partnership that enables you to hyperscale on a long-term lease.
Console Connect is PCCW Global’s Software Defined Interconnection ® platform which spans data centres in over 50 countries, capitalizing on our low latency, fully-redundant, uncontended global MPLS Network. The Console Connect digital platform allows users to instantly self-provision connectivity between carriers, enterprises, cloud, SaaS, IX, IoT, UCaaS, security-as-a-service and other network-as-a-service partners in seconds. To learn more about Console Connect, please visit www.consoleconnect.com.
The company was established in 2008 and was granted the Internet Service Provider License by the Ministry of Telecommunication of Republic of Indonesia in 2009. When operations started, the company was only serving the Jakarta area. Now, PT. Interlink Technology is expanding their operational area to serve nationwide customers.
To view our full list of partners, click here.
For further information, please contact:
Wenny Ng
SpaceDC
wenny.ng@spacedc.com
Deep dive into our latest news, announcement and press release.
Deep dive into our latest news, announcement and press release.
