Background
Second location, high standards
An insurance company had to close one of its data center locations. To complement its existing data center, it sought an additional, highly available, and secure location in the immediate vicinity that would operate in conjunction with the first one. Certified colocation was a requirement. Operating the second location in-house was virtually out of the question due to the high costs.
The DORA requirements had to be met. In addition, the network connection between the two data centers—including the operation and coordination of the individual suppliers—as well as a secure connection to hyperscalers for the hybrid operation of cloud solutions were required.
The company was looking for a partner that could provide the facility, network, and operations from a single source and offer practical support to the internal team.
Our Areas of Expertise
- Colocation Services: Highly available, certified space, SLA-based, and DORA-compliant
- Managed Services: Operation of the DWDM interconnection, including management of the carrier and system vendor
- Interconnection Services: Geographically redundant hyperscaler connectivity via DE-CIX in Frankfurt and Amsterdam
- Hands-on Support: On-site support at the data center
Your Added Value
- Duplex configuration consisting of a secondary site and an existing data center
- Certified operation: Highly certified, DORA-compliant data center
- No costs for maintaining your own secondary site
- A single point of contact for all services
Solution
Duplex networking, interconnection, and hyperscaler connectivity—all from a single source
GRASS-MERKUR provided the insurance company with highly available and secure colocation space that is SLA-based, highly certified, and DORA-compliant. The second location, together with the existing data center, forms the duplex network.
Today, both data centers are connected via DWDM. GRASS-MERKUR operates the DWDM services and manages the carrier and DWDM system vendor. Hyperscalers are connected via DE-CIX with geographic redundancy in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, which also includes service provider management.
For all services, there is a designated organizational contact person who coordinates all matters. Operationally, direct contacts and support hotlines are available, and GRASS-MERKUR provides hands-on support as needed.
GRASS-MERKUR provides the site, the interconnection, and the hyperscaler connectivity from a single source, turning them into a secure combination of data center, network, and cloud.
Results
The second location in the immediate vicinity operates in conjunction with the existing data center.
There is no need for a separate second location; investment and operations remain the responsibility of the data center operator.
The second location meets the insurance company's DORA requirements.
GRASS-MERKUR coordinates carriers and DWDM system suppliers, and the interconnection of the two data centers is managed by a single provider.
Hyperscalers are connected via DE-CIX with geographic redundancy in Frankfurt and Amsterdam; the data centers work securely with cloud solutions.
Contact
Let’s Talk About Your IT Operations
Tell us about your project — we will get back to you with a concrete assessment.
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GRASS-MERKUR GmbH & Co. KG
Rothwiese 5
30559 Hannover
