Taking control of compliance: Why a UK data centre is a smart choice

As your business becomes more data driven, the responsibility for handling that data becomes more of a burden. Get it wrong, and you’re not just facing technical problems, you’re risking your legal compliance, your security, and the trust you’ve built with your customers.

In other words, this is something you need to get right. Throw GDPR and other regulations into the mix, and the question of where your data lives is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever have to make.

So, what’s the simplest way to get it right? While public cloud offers incredible flexibility, for many businesses the ultimate peace of mind comes from knowing exactly where their data lives. That’s not to say that hyperscale cloud solutions like AWS and Azure aren’t extremely robust – they are – but there’s also an excellent option that’s much closer to home. One where you can physically see and control the environment yourself.

Let’s talk compliance

For businesses that need clarity and control, UK-based colocation is the straightforward answer. It’s a smart choice that helps you meet your regulatory obligations and puts you firmly in control of your own data.

• Solving the data sovereignty challenge: The simplest way to make sure your data stays under UK law is to store it in a UK data centre. This removes any prospect of it falling under another jurisdiction and makes demonstrating GDPR compliance simpler.
• It makes you audit-ready: A purpose-built data centre is a secure fortress for your hardware. With multiple layers of physical security, it provides an environment that will pass the scrutiny of any audit, helping you prove compliance with standards like ISO 27001 (for information security) and PCI-DSS (for card payments).
• You’re always in control: With colocation, you own and manage your own hardware and data. No outsourcing it into someone else’s hands. We simply provide the secure, resilient and compliant home for it to live in.

So why not public cloud?

It’s a fair question. The big public cloud providers offer their own solutions to the data sovereignty challenge. But for many businesses, peace of mind comes from a more tangible, straightforward approach.

It’s really whether you have a preference for simplicity and control. With colocation, there are no complex virtual configurations to navigate or layers of abstraction to worry about. It’s the most direct way to be certain: your hardware is physically located in a secure UK data centre, operated by vetted, on-site staff.

Would you be comforted with the knowledge that you can actually visit and see your infrastructure? You may prefer colocation.

Beyond compliance: a practical, accessible hub

Of course, the benefits of a UK location go beyond compliance. When your IT team needs access to the hardware, the practical details matter.

Our data centre in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, is strategically located right next to the M62, one of the UK’s most important motorway links. This makes it easily accessible from across the North West and beyond. And when your engineers do visit, we make their lives easier with secure on-site parking and access to our restaurant and other facilities. It’s a small touch, but it’s part of our people-first approach.

Your trusted UK partner: that’s the Zen difference

Choosing a colocation hosting provider is about trust. You need to know that the people running the facility are as committed to your security and success as you are.

Our UK data centre is operated by our own vetted, on-site Zen staff. As an independent, B Corp certified business, our focus is on building long-term, responsible partnerships. Which is why we’ve recently invested in our data centre’s infrastructure to improve both power and reliability. We now offer a power limit of 50 amps per rack, enough for demanding requirements, along with a 99.999% uptime SLA. Because we’re serious about investing in your success.

If you’re ready to de-risk a critical part of your business, choosing a UK-based colocation partner is a smart move. Choosing the right provider is even smarter.

Explore Zen’s secure UK data centre today.