Data centre services
Save money, improve energy efficiency and get the scalability you need by moving systems and services to off-site data centres.
Save money and time
- Save valuable resources and allow IT staff to dedicate more time to core business activities
- Reduce spending on power, cooling and maintenance, contributing to your environmental strategy
- Put valuable real estate to more profitable core uses, such as teaching and research
- We’ve negotiated pricing and discounts with the data centre providers on behalf of the sector
If you don’t know what you’re spending on your existing data centre, our financial X-ray service helps you find the true cost, so you can work out what you might save.
Work more flexibly
Our flexible data centre services allow you to grow your rack footprint quickly and easily, depending on need.
Data-intensive research
The data centres can host racks running high-performance computers alongside conventional servers. They are directly connected to the world-class Janet Network, allowing you to take advantage of high-speed, high-capacity networking
Collaboration
You can ring-fence facilities for specific purposes - perfect if you need a neutral space to host a collaboration or research project. This is useful if your kit is so power-hungry that your existing campus data centre can’t support it
Extra services
There’s no need to travel there to perform tasks such as rebooting servers or changing tape libraries, with the ‘smart hands’ service (chargeable separately) on-site experts can do this for you
About the services
We offer two distinct but complementary data centre services to eligible members and customers. You can purchase from either service or both.
Shared data centre service
Two off-site facilities are available under the shared data centre framework, hosted by:
We’ve chosen Virtus and aql because they can meet your needs as a research and education organisation.
Both have data halls dedicated to Jisc members, so whether you’re collaborating on data-intensive projects that require high performance computing and/or running everyday business systems, we can support your requirements.
Sustainability is important to both providers. Find out about Virtus sustainability and aql green credentials.
Service specification for shared data centre
Service summary
You can see a full service summary in our shared data centres specification (pdf).
Pricing
Under each framework, members will benefit from market-leading pricing. Full details can be provided on application, so please contact your relationship manager.
Flexible core hosting services
In both facilities, four rack power categories are provided: 4kW, 10kW, 20kW and 30kW. Each facility provides the flexibility to scale up or down according to your needs.
- Power burst capability – Within certain bounds, the committed power rate may be decreased. For each rack rating, a customer can designate a lower committed power rate and can, with notice, burst to the designated rack rating
- Rack rating upgrade – Within certain bounds, the designated rack rating can be changed
Rack installations can also be ring-fenced for specific purposes or subject areas, enabling IT clustering and supporting collaborative working with partners.
Connectivity
Both data centres are directly connected to the core of the Janet Network offering high-capacity, high availability connectivity.
Availability
All racks are provided to meet the Tier III uptime classification or equivalent.
Additional services
A range of services such as “smart hands”, cabling services and rack caging are also available.
Service summary
You can see a full service summary in our shared data centres specification (pdf).
Pricing
Under each framework, members will benefit from market-leading pricing. Full details can be provided on application, so please contact your relationship manager.
Flexible core hosting services
In both facilities, four rack power categories are provided: 4kW, 10kW, 20kW and 30kW. Each facility provides the flexibility to scale up or down according to your needs.
- Power burst capability – Within certain bounds, the committed power rate may be decreased. For each rack rating, a customer can designate a lower committed power rate and can, with notice, burst to the designated rack rating
- Rack rating upgrade – Within certain bounds, the designated rack rating can be changed
Rack installations can also be ring-fenced for specific purposes or subject areas, enabling IT clustering and supporting collaborative working with partners.
Connectivity
Both data centres are directly connected to the core of the Janet Network offering high-capacity, high availability connectivity.
Availability
All racks are provided to meet the Tier III uptime classification or equivalent.
Additional services
A range of services such as “smart hands”, cabling services and rack caging are also available.
Service level description for shared data centre
Our shared data centre frameworks are single supplier framework agreements for the detailed design, supply, installation, configuration, commissioning and maintenance of co-location space within data halls dedicated to the research and education community. The data centres are owned, operated, and maintained by our technical partners; aql (north) and VIRTUS (south).
The shared data centres frameworks are designed to support the needs of the research and education community and cater for enterprise systems co-location, and high-performance computing platforms, along with high bandwidth requirements utilising the Janet network. The data centres are directly connected to the core of the Janet network with multiple 100Gb connections.
Charges
Charges are contained within the framework agreement. Charges will vary depending on the technical solution required. Additionally, networking charges will apply to access the shared data centres. These charges are based on requirements.
Customer responsibilities
The customer is responsible for signing the master services agreement (issued by the data centre providers). This allows organisations to purchase from the shared data centre framework.
The customer is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all equipment installed within their racks within the shared data centre.
Security
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the security policy. Further security requirements relating to the operation of the shared data centres will apply as dictated by the data centre provider.
Hours of service
The shared data centres are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are open every day of the year.
Target availability
The data centre providers are contractually obliged to offer a power and cooling delivery service-level agreement of 100%. The target availability of the network is 99.7% measured monthly over a 12-month period, excluding service-affecting maintenance.
Fault management
Faults with the service may be reported to the data centre providers dedicated support teams, through the various mechanisms detailed in the contractual arrangements.
Resilience
The shared data centres are built, operated, and maintained to tier III standards, so have very high levels of resilience in terms of power and cooling delivery. The data centres are diversely connected to the core of the Janet Network providing high levels of resilience.
Request for service
Request this service via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Service delivery time
Once an organisation has signed the necessary agreement to use the purchasing framework, the data centre providers are contractually bound to deliver the organisation’s requirement within four weeks.
Terms and conditions
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the terms and conditions. There are additional terms and conditions relating to the contractual arrangements within the framework.
Escalation
Escalation paths are provided by each data centre provider to each customer. If you are experiencing an issue with the service and wish to escalate the issue within Jisc please contact us via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Technical section
Organisations can connect their campuses to the shared data centres via a variety of networking technologies including Layer2VLAN and Layer 3, utilising existing campus Janet bandwidth, or additional Janet connections. Please contact your relationship manager for more information.
Premium services
Bandwidth between campuses and the shared data centres can be reserved and guaranteed for an additional cost and where such facilities exist. Please contact the service desk for more information.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The framework master services agreement with the data centre providers covers the necessary aspects in relation to GDPR.
Jisc requires information about users of this service in order to communicate with you as a shared data centre contact for your organisation. We’ll use it, as described in our standard privacy notice, to provide the service you’ve requested, as well as to identify problems or ways to make the service better. We’ll keep the information until we are told that you are no longer performing the role of shared data centre contact.
Our shared data centre frameworks are single supplier framework agreements for the detailed design, supply, installation, configuration, commissioning and maintenance of co-location space within data halls dedicated to the research and education community. The data centres are owned, operated, and maintained by our technical partners; aql (north) and VIRTUS (south).
The shared data centres frameworks are designed to support the needs of the research and education community and cater for enterprise systems co-location, and high-performance computing platforms, along with high bandwidth requirements utilising the Janet network. The data centres are directly connected to the core of the Janet network with multiple 100Gb connections.
Charges
Charges are contained within the framework agreement. Charges will vary depending on the technical solution required. Additionally, networking charges will apply to access the shared data centres. These charges are based on requirements.
Customer responsibilities
The customer is responsible for signing the master services agreement (issued by the data centre providers). This allows organisations to purchase from the shared data centre framework.
The customer is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all equipment installed within their racks within the shared data centre.
Security
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the security policy. Further security requirements relating to the operation of the shared data centres will apply as dictated by the data centre provider.
Hours of service
The shared data centres are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are open every day of the year.
Target availability
The data centre providers are contractually obliged to offer a power and cooling delivery service-level agreement of 100%. The target availability of the network is 99.7% measured monthly over a 12-month period, excluding service-affecting maintenance.
Fault management
Faults with the service may be reported to the data centre providers dedicated support teams, through the various mechanisms detailed in the contractual arrangements.
Resilience
The shared data centres are built, operated, and maintained to tier III standards, so have very high levels of resilience in terms of power and cooling delivery. The data centres are diversely connected to the core of the Janet Network providing high levels of resilience.
Request for service
Request this service via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Service delivery time
Once an organisation has signed the necessary agreement to use the purchasing framework, the data centre providers are contractually bound to deliver the organisation’s requirement within four weeks.
Terms and conditions
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the terms and conditions. There are additional terms and conditions relating to the contractual arrangements within the framework.
Escalation
Escalation paths are provided by each data centre provider to each customer. If you are experiencing an issue with the service and wish to escalate the issue within Jisc please contact us via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Technical section
Organisations can connect their campuses to the shared data centres via a variety of networking technologies including Layer2VLAN and Layer 3, utilising existing campus Janet bandwidth, or additional Janet connections. Please contact your relationship manager for more information.
Premium services
Bandwidth between campuses and the shared data centres can be reserved and guaranteed for an additional cost and where such facilities exist. Please contact the service desk for more information.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The framework master services agreement with the data centre providers covers the necessary aspects in relation to GDPR.
Jisc requires information about users of this service in order to communicate with you as a shared data centre contact for your organisation. We’ll use it, as described in our standard privacy notice, to provide the service you’ve requested, as well as to identify problems or ways to make the service better. We’ll keep the information until we are told that you are no longer performing the role of shared data centre contact.
Data centre referral service
One off-site facility is available under the data centre referral agreement, hosted by:
- Kao Data, from its campus in Harlow
Kao Data was selected as the first data centre to join the service based on their existing connectivity to the Janet network, which can be tailored to meet customers’ requirements.
Jisc has conducted due diligence of Kao Data at organisational level, further supported by a technical inspection carried out by a reputable data centre design and build specialist. The resulting report is available to interested customers on request.
Their data centre achieved the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) BREEAM “excellence” certification. Find out more about Kao Data’s sustainability commitment.
Service specification for data centre referral
Pricing
Under each referral agreement, members will benefit from market-leading pricing. Full details can be provided on application, so please contact your relationship manager.
Connectivity
The data centre is directly connected to the core of the Janet Network offering high-capacity, high availability connectivity.
Availability
All racks are provided to meet the Tier III uptime classification or equivalent.
Additional services
A range of services such as “smart hands”, cabling services and rack caging are also available.
Pricing
Under each referral agreement, members will benefit from market-leading pricing. Full details can be provided on application, so please contact your relationship manager.
Connectivity
The data centre is directly connected to the core of the Janet Network offering high-capacity, high availability connectivity.
Availability
All racks are provided to meet the Tier III uptime classification or equivalent.
Additional services
A range of services such as “smart hands”, cabling services and rack caging are also available.
Service level description for data centre referral
The data centre referral service operates under a third-party referral agreement between Jisc and the data centre provider, such as Kao Data. Other providers may join the service over time, subject to due diligence.
Charges
Charges are contained within the referral agreement. Charges will vary depending on the technical solution required. Additionally, networking charges will apply to access the referred data centres, based on a customer’s specific requirements.
Customer responsibilities
The customer is responsible for signing a referral contract, issued by the data centre providers. Depending on their procurement policies, customers can either make a direct award to the supplier or run their own process.
Ultimately, it is the institution’s responsibility to ensure that they comply with their relevant policies and conduct appropriate due diligence before entering into a contract with the data centre provider.
The customer is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all equipment installed in their racks within the referred data centre.
Security
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the security policy. Further security requirements relating to the operation of the referred data centres will apply as dictated by the data centre providers.
Hours of service
The referred data centres are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are open every day of the year.
Target availability
The target availability of the network is 99.7% measured monthly over a 12-month period, excluding service-affecting maintenance.
Fault management
Faults with the service may be reported to the data centre providers dedicated support teams, through the various mechanisms detailed in the contractual arrangements.
Resilience
The data centres are built, operated, and maintained to tier III standards, and thus very high levels of resilience in terms of power and cooling delivery. The data centres are diversely connected to the core of the Janet Network providing high levels of resilience.
Request for service
Request this service via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Terms and conditions
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the terms and conditions. There are additional terms and conditions relating to the contractual arrangements within the referral agreement.
Escalation
Escalation paths are provided by each data centre provider to each customer. If you are experiencing an issue with the service and wish to escalate the issue within Jisc please contact us via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Technical section
Organisations can connect their campuses to the shared data centres via a variety of networking technologies including Layer2VLAN and Layer 3, utilising existing campus Janet bandwidth, or additional Janet connections. Please contact your relationship manager for more information.
Premium services
Bandwidth between campuses and the shared data centres can be reserved and guaranteed for an additional cost and where such facilities exist. Please contact the service desk for more information.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The referral agreement with the data centre providers covers the necessary aspects in relation to GDPR.
Jisc requires information about users of this service in order to communicate with you as a referred data centre contact for your organisation. We’ll use it, as described in our standard privacy notice, to provide the service you’ve requested, as well as to identify problems or ways to make the service better. We’ll keep the information until we are told that you are no longer performing the role of referred data centre contact.
The data centre referral service operates under a third-party referral agreement between Jisc and the data centre provider, such as Kao Data. Other providers may join the service over time, subject to due diligence.
Charges
Charges are contained within the referral agreement. Charges will vary depending on the technical solution required. Additionally, networking charges will apply to access the referred data centres, based on a customer’s specific requirements.
Customer responsibilities
The customer is responsible for signing a referral contract, issued by the data centre providers. Depending on their procurement policies, customers can either make a direct award to the supplier or run their own process.
Ultimately, it is the institution’s responsibility to ensure that they comply with their relevant policies and conduct appropriate due diligence before entering into a contract with the data centre provider.
The customer is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all equipment installed in their racks within the referred data centre.
Security
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the security policy. Further security requirements relating to the operation of the referred data centres will apply as dictated by the data centre providers.
Hours of service
The referred data centres are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are open every day of the year.
Target availability
The target availability of the network is 99.7% measured monthly over a 12-month period, excluding service-affecting maintenance.
Fault management
Faults with the service may be reported to the data centre providers dedicated support teams, through the various mechanisms detailed in the contractual arrangements.
Resilience
The data centres are built, operated, and maintained to tier III standards, and thus very high levels of resilience in terms of power and cooling delivery. The data centres are diversely connected to the core of the Janet Network providing high levels of resilience.
Request for service
Request this service via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Terms and conditions
Please ensure your organisation understands and adheres to the terms and conditions. There are additional terms and conditions relating to the contractual arrangements within the referral agreement.
Escalation
Escalation paths are provided by each data centre provider to each customer. If you are experiencing an issue with the service and wish to escalate the issue within Jisc please contact us via the service desk on 0300 300 2212 or via email to service@ja.net
Technical section
Organisations can connect their campuses to the shared data centres via a variety of networking technologies including Layer2VLAN and Layer 3, utilising existing campus Janet bandwidth, or additional Janet connections. Please contact your relationship manager for more information.
Premium services
Bandwidth between campuses and the shared data centres can be reserved and guaranteed for an additional cost and where such facilities exist. Please contact the service desk for more information.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The referral agreement with the data centre providers covers the necessary aspects in relation to GDPR.
Jisc requires information about users of this service in order to communicate with you as a referred data centre contact for your organisation. We’ll use it, as described in our standard privacy notice, to provide the service you’ve requested, as well as to identify problems or ways to make the service better. We’ll keep the information until we are told that you are no longer performing the role of referred data centre contact.
Find out more
Your relationship manager can talk in more detail with you about pricing and your service requirements.
ISO certification
These services are included within the scope of our ISO9001 certificate.
