It’s been nine months since the launch of Crown Hosting Data Centres – and what an exciting time it has been. With new customers signed up, and increasing interest from all areas of the public sector, we are looking forward to what 2016 will bring.

As in all other industries, this year’s headlines about (other companies’) data breaches have once again brought security considerations to the fore. Organisations are looking to minimise risk, so physical security and continuity of services will be a key consideration in any IT project. Having a Pan Government Accreditation for the data centre facilities ensures the highest standards are available immediately and without further accreditation necessary.

Organisations of all sizes – and especially those under scrutiny of the public eye – will want to be safe in the knowledge that their data centre, whether in-house or outsourced, is operated according to the strictest security standards. Public sector organisations in particular will need higher levels of assurance that the physical, technical and procedural measures in place keep their data centre – and the data held within – safe from attacks, and agreed service levels are met at all times.

Agility is going to be another key consideration in the coming months. There is a lot of pressure on public sector organisations to streamline the services they provide, take advantage of the latest technologies, and at the same time cut costs – they simply don’t have large budgets to invest in new infrastructures.

Working more efficiently has to be a focus, and flexibility is key if organisations are going to adapt to the changing demands that our connected lives bring. All of this can be achieved within our hosting framework, which allows our customers to only pay for what they use.

Flexible contract periods, scalability and vendor neutrality are all part of the package – and a hosting contract can even provide a safe and convenient route to the cloud, as and when the customer is ready.

The pace of digital transformation is increasing. With the growing volume of digital data that needs to be processed and stored, data centre infrastructures are available to Public Sector organisations as a commodity without compromising the things which are really important; security, resilience, availability, quality and flexibility, in terms of speed to operation and pricing.

Rising data centre demand has of course also raised questions over energy usage and carbon emissions. Organisations will want to see proof of how efficient their data centre operations are, as using less power to run and cool the data centre means less impact on the environment. Free air-cooling – as used in our data centres – is not only readily available, it is also the most efficient way of cooling, allowing significant carbon and cost savings.

Security, agility, and efficiency: All likely buzzwords for 2016. As public sector organisations are faced with the challenge to do more with less, and deliver better services at lower costs, we are here to help – whatever the requirements.

Steve Hall