How Ireland can Help Manage the lifeblood of digital media organisations: data

Written by Bryan Hill

In today’s economy, data is as valuable as oil to most organisations. For those in the digital media, finance and SaaS sectors, this is especially true. The acquisition, storage and processing through to the access, security and connectivity of data is the lifeblood of those organisations.

To thrive, US, Indian and Asian data and analytics-based platforms will need to serve their customers and partners from within each individual market to provide the best possible service. In other words, if data and analytics organisations around the world want to truly capitalise on the European market, they need to have their data in the European market. This applies for finance companies, data analytics companies, the saas sector and media organisations. For these sectors and beyond, GDPR is driving both data compliance and greater transparency in terms of where data is stored, processed and shared. Simply, to thrive in Europe, your platform needs to be in Europe.

When it comes to deciding where to put your platform within Europe there are a number of considerations. In terms of the technical details, organisations should look for diverse and performant international connectivity to all of their key European markets; the presence of Internet Exchange(s) for peering to key service partners, and the ability to expand your platform over time, easily and efficiently. Core to any decision is secure/performant access to key cloud platforms such as AWS for (i) hybrid cloud big data analysis/storage (ii) migration from cloud only architecture (if serving Europe from cloud at the moment) (iii) cost-efficient data egress from cloud (using AWS Direct Connect).

At a broader level there are a number of key considerations; does the location offer the ability to hire a pool of technical staff to support the platform; maintenance and upgrades required; does the business climate support the establishment to setup a regional office; hire personnel and get tax benefits. For organisations with a US hub, does this partner provide the connectivity back to your US based platforms for data sharing and replication?

When considered collectively these areas provide a methodology with which to select a partner and suitable location.

So why should organisations consider Dublin and Ireland for their European hub?

Dublin is perfectly positioned to act as a connectivity hub to the United Kingdom and the US with a number of submarine cables back to the US already deployed including the Hibernia Atlantic and the Emerald Networks’ new-build submarine cable system, with more such as IFC-1 on the roadmap. Dublin is already home to the world’s biggest technology platforms and companies for partnering with. The availability of services like AWS Direct Connect means that organisations know and trust that their data is secure and easily accessible.

At a broader level, Ireland is one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies, politically stable with a favourable tax landscape. With Brexit fast approaching Ireland will also be the only English-speaking zone in Europe, sported with a strong understanding of how both Britain and the EU operate.