We caught up with Surrey based 4D Data Centres on the 22nd of July when visiting their Byfleet colocation facility which is  ideally  situated to serve local businesses in the Weybridge, Woking and Esher areas, ie between the M25, M3 and A3 corridors in central Surrey.

Since acquiring the data centre  in 2007 4D have undertaken a programme of significant upgrades including the most recent improvement of full cold-aisle containment which has had a significant effect on their operational efficiency as well as allowing higher power per cabinet densities with 16Amps per  cabinet now possible.  Furthermore, connectivity options continue to improve and the facility is a significant local bandwidth hub with BT, Cable and Wireless, Global Crossing and VirginMedia already onsite whilst both Geo and Easynet are also expected to arrive in due course.  Some 40Gbs of connectivity is now available connecting directly back to two Docklands based colocation facilities and thus bandwidth pricing is on a par with the ultra competitive Docklands market.  This network means 4D Byfleet is ideally suited to clients looking for a diverse data centre location for redundancy to any central London location. 

At present 4D cater for just over 100 colocation clients, ranging from the smallest of 1U (rack unit) up to several cabinets worth of equipment and quite a large portion of these are locally based IT suppliers, systems integrators and web developers.  Looking forward, further capacity expansion is planned with a power upgrade allowing 4D to provide another bank of 40 cabs on the main data floor and 80 in the area currently housing their offices, with this accommodation moving upstairs in the building.  Thus certainly no immediate capacity constraints look likely for the near future. 

Colo-X Analysis:   4D Byfleet offers a well thought through and very well connected locally based colocation option for the mid-Surrey market which is made all the more attractive by pricing that looks great value compared to the central London market.  Furthermore 4D is a dedicated and enthusiastic team offers the sort of client support (including 24�7 onsite assistance) that you’d expect from a small and fast growing service provider.