NEP opens dedicated broadcast data centre in the Netherlands
NEP has completed the construction and set-up of its new data centre at the Media Park in the Netherlands. Not only is it fitted with standard IT and storage equipment but the 700-m2 large space is also suitable for robust broadcast systems holding more than 300 19” racks.
In the Netherlands and abroad, NEP’s services are facilitated from its own modern data centres, which form the core of the media technology company. The entire service provision runs on technology and equipment that is centralised in the data centre and, among other things, facilitate centralised production, post production, augmented reality, OTT content distribution and playout services. Nduction created increasing demand for more capacity in the data center.
The fact that NEP has kept construction entirely under its own management – also from an international point of view – is unique. It means NEP does not have to depend on third parties. This way, the data centre can be geared more to the specific requirements of broadcast activities, bringing broadcast and IP technology together in one space.
NEP’s data centres are linked to clients via the domestic fibre optic infrastructure and other data centres in the Netherlands. In addition, NEP has direct fibre optic connections with the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) and a large number of international data centres.
The plans for the large-scale expansion of its own data centre were started a year ago. “We secured a lot of new and big innovative projects both in the Netherlands and Europe and that’s when you really need rack space if you want to be able to continue to facilitate the growth of services,” Johan Bakker, NEP The Netherlands infrastructure manager explained. “All our facilities and services come together in our data centre, so the design and construction thereof require the greatest possible care.
“We’ve thought of all the possible risks the technical systems of the data centres should be able to automatically deal with, like the new connection to the 10-kV high-voltage network in the Netherlands, with a capacity of nearly 3 Megawatt and NEP’s own redundant emergency power supply and cooling systems. We can’t afford to go black, so we aim for 100% uptime. Nowhere in the chain do we rely on single-design equipment. We’re building a data centre that can’t be broken, really.”
The data centre is being set up in various phases and eventually there will be more than 300 new 19” racks. These new racks come on top of the more than 300 racks already in use by NEP in the Netherlands for its national and international managed services.