Slough: Top hosting company locates at STE

In one of the biggest deals in the Thames Valley this year, Rackspace Managed Hosting, Europe’s fastest growing hosting company, will locate its UK data centre at the Slough Trading Estate, SEGRO has announced.

The company, which specialises in providing professional managed and intensive hosting solutions, has agreed a twenty-year lease for a 50,000sq ft unit on the estate, which will accommodate 65,000sq ft of technical space via a mezzanine floor once fit-out has been completed. Energy for the data centre will be provided by Slough Heat & Power, a multi-utility company that operates an environmentally-friendly power station on-site, and generates 85% of its electricity from renewable sources.

In addition to a secure power supply, the Trading Estate’s award winning security system, enviable location within easy access of London and Simplified Planning Zone status (SPZ), has made it a prime business location for data centre operators, one of a number of sectors in which the on-site leasing team specialise.

“Our ability to meet all of the power supply requirements for this specialist use, together with our Simplified Planning Zone status, award-winning security and IT and cable infrastructure, ensure that Slough Trading Estate is a leading location for business continuity” commented Stephen Bailey, Regional Director of the Slough Trading Estate. “The ability of Slough Heat & Power to meet the energy requirements of our customers through renewable sources is also beneficial for socially responsible companies who are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint” he continued.

Jacques Greyling, managing director at Rackspace, added: “Rackspace and its clients are increasingly looking for ways to minimise the negative impact they have on the environment. As a leader in managed hosting, Rackspace is working on a number of initiatives to offer organisations the opportunity to utilise carbon neutral hosting. This reflects Rackspace’s commitment to offering Fanatical Support® to its customers by going the extra mile.

"Having invested in a carbon offset scheme through tree planting, Rackspace is now looking at solving the problem at the root by sourcing renewable energy for its servers.”

Some of the world’s most successful companies are in operation at the Trading Estate, including Ferrari, Black & Decker, Research in Motion, Fujitsu, GE Medical, LG and O2. The new letting was announced as a second data centre operator, IXEurope, prepares to take occupation of a new £15m facility at the estate, which has been specially constructed for them.

DTZ and Jones Lang LaSalle represented Slough Trading Estate for the deal, whilst Rackspace were advised by GVA Connect.