The Bunker is a UK provider of outsourced IT Infrastructure and data storage, with a very strong focus on security. It wholly owns two British based data centres and provides colocation, managed hosting, cloud hosting and cloud infrastructure from those sites. It also offers expertise on a consultancy basis and managed colocation services that can be tailored to individual businesses.
Data centre space is available according to business need, with anything from quarter racks up to full suites available. This also means that services are scalable and suitable for a wide range of business sizes. Customers can also commission bespoke systems, which are designed and built in-house by The Bunker staff.
Location
The Bunker operates out of two UK data centres, one in Kent and one in Newbury. As the company name suggest, both of the centres are former Ministry of Defence command and control nuclear bunkers and the latter was built for US forces. They were both purpose built during the cold war to protect data and key people from disaster, including a 22-kiloton nuclear blast. The business is headquartered from the Kent office.
The Bunker has retained as many military-level security measures as possible in order to make its data centres among the most secure in the UK. Security technologies include electromagnetic pulse protection, RFI protection, infrared CCTV and high-tech access controls. Systems are built securely in-house and all servers are held below ground in Faraday cages.
As well as being technologically secure, the Bunker data centres also benefit from physical security measures such as 3.5 metre high barbed wire perimeter fences, blast proof reinforced walls and steel doors. Military trained guard dogs and CCTV look out for unexpected entrants whilst ex-police and MOD security staff greet visitors on arrival.
Energy
The Bunker sites are powered via two completely separate power supplies and backed-up with a diesel generator, with N+1 fully redundant power and air conditioning. Most energy is procured the traditional way, and with such a strong focus on the USPs of security, reliability and affordability, generating and using sustainable sources of energy are not a strong focus for the original Bunker sites at present. The age and unique design of the buildings themselves are also a contributing factor.
The Bunker 2 on the Kent site is new and is a tier 3 data room spread over 12,000m2. This new centre was built with sustainability in mind, and so whilst security still remains the overriding feature of the data centre, the new building does conform to the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) best practice for low energy, sustainable data centre design.
Funding/Business Model
The Bunker was founded in 1994 by a team of cryptologists, software develops and data security experts. In 2004, the business incorporated and in 2006, private equity firm Foresight Venture Partners joined the board in order to provide funds and growth opportunities. As of 2015, the fund was repaid the original £3 million investment with interest thanks to rapid growth and the acquisition of more than 200 customers. Foresight has retained a share in The Bunker and will continue to provide direction and support.
Customers/Partners
The Bunker holds a number of accreditations and formal partnerships and is ISO 27001 accredited and PCI DSS compliant. It is a Microsoft Gold Mid-Market Solutions Provider a status that can only be obtained by way of vigorous examination and audit. It also holds the Citrix Silver Solution Advisor accreditation and is part of First and Tech UK organisations that seek to share information and best practice between government, security and technology experts and commerce.
The Bunker has a large number of satisfied customers, many of whom rate security as one of the biggest considerations in choosing a data centre. Its 200 clients include the NHS, Voipfone, Databarracks and Hosted Desktop. In addition, The Bunker is host to customers whose need for security means they keep their presence out of the media. An international payment gateway provider, for example, is a long-term satisfied customer of The Bunker.
A secure choice at a competitive price
The Bunker is clear on USP the most secure data centre sites in the UK at reasonable rates. The Bunker data centres are a solid choice for companies that put security near the top of the list of priorities. For those companies that require sustainable energy solutions, The Bunker 2 caters for that need without compromising on security.
Scalable services, bespoke software and system design and tailored services make The Bunker ideal for companies that want all the best features of a secure data centre without the inflexibility of fixed services. Furthermore, as the data centres are based near to, yet not inside London, businesses benefit from the proximity to a major commercial hub, without the risks associated with an inner-city location.