We live in an era of big data.

There will soon be two billion websites in the world. And there are already more than four billion internet users, which equals to well over 50% of the world’s population, compared with approximately 30% ten years ago.

And then the world was hit by the coronavirus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of data dramatically compared to the pre-pandemic situation. For example, the outbound server traffic of the members of FICIX, an association having Finland’s most significant internet service providers and international operators as its members, has more or less doubled during the past year.

There are several natural explanations for the growth of data traffic. The use of cloud services, entertainment content and social media video apps has increased massively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples include Tik Tok, which has now also gained foothold in western countries, and Marco Polo, with its more than ten-fold growth in 2020 requiring a huge increase in data storage capacity. The number of video meetings for work and leisure has also exploded: for example, there was a twenty-fold increase in the use of Zoom between March and June 2020.

All this has logical consequences: with more data being transferred, more server and data center capacity is needed.

Data Centers are the Answer to Growth

Increasing traffic means growing resource needs in companies making their living from data. As a result, companies are willing to use outsourced data center services instead of building their own data center capacity.

Data centers offer customers premises, electricity, state-of-the-art telecommunications capabilities and a safe location for servers on which various services, such as video distribution services and online stores, can be run.

In recent years, the global data center market has grown at an average annual rate of over 10% and, as stated above, the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated its growth. It is therefore safe to say that data centers run the world today as far as telecommunications and various information technology systems are concerned.

“As per our strategy, Digita is increasingly investing in the Data Center operations. As a major independent service provider, we want to develop and provide companies in need of excellent telecommunication connections and connectivity with the digital infrastructure they require. Our Data Center services provide reliable and stable Data Centre facilities for companies considering the relocation or decentralization of servers or other telecommunications equipment”, says Markus Ala-Hautala, COO, SVP Telecom.

Platform Economy for the Real World

Data centers can provide companies with reliability, security for critical systems, scalability of capacity and predictable cost structures that correspond to what their own data centers can offer. “The ultimate goal is that customers can focus on their core business without worrying about building, owning and maintaining their own data center premises”, says Ala-Hautala.

Data centers are like office hotels for information system equipment that provide businesses with all the best features of data centers: 100% safety, optimal temperature and humidity conditions, well-maintained cooling and power supply with multiple back-ups. And even though data and equipment are in the possession of an external party, customers still have access to their own servers and thus have direct control over them.

A Good Example of a Sustainable Circular Economy

Despite the impressive figures, the growth of data centers is surprisingly sustainable. Data centers are undeniably one of the best examples of a sustainable circular economy.

In data centers, ecological aspects are taken into account from the very beginning. Waste heat generated when premises are cooled can be recovered and resold, which of course reduces the energy costs of data centers but also benefits other parties.

In addition, the northern weather conditions in Finland are very favourable for data centers. The annual average temperature in Helsinki is only 5.8 degrees Celsius, so the cooling of data centers is practically cost free thanks to the cool climate. In a land where there are thousands of lakes, the supply of cooling water is also always guaranteed.

“Digita’s Data Center offers top-level data center services in Pasila, Helsinki – the best location in Finland and the Northern Europe. In addition, Digita’s 38 regional data centers serve companies throughout the country. Digita’s TV masts and the related premises are high-level data communication hubs that offer modern data center space”, says Teemu Lampila, Director, Digita Site Services.