NRB and Etix Everywhere co-invest in Liege data centre

The project consists of three modules of 300 square meters and 300 kVA each. Construction work began in March 2017 and the first module will be ready to receive the first 100 racks in October 2017. Thanks to the technical design developed by Etix Everywhere, each additional module will be delivered in 16 weeks, so that the data center can be adjusted to market needs. The investment for the first phase of the data center, which includes building the next two modules, represents a total of ˆ4.2 million co-financed by NRB and Etix Everywhere.

This new data center demonstrates the attractiveness of Wallonia for foreign investors,” says Jean-Claude Marcourt, Minister for Economic Affairs and the Digital Economy. “This long-term partnership between a global company and a local player testifies to the potential of our region to grasp opportunities. This is, in fact, one of the primary goals of the ‘Digital Wallonia’ strategy.”

“This major investment reinforces the proactive Cloud strategy of NRB,” explains Pascal Laffineur, CEO of NRB. “We offer tailor-made Cloud solutions to our clients. We select for them the best ICT environment possible, whether an NRB private Cloud, public Cloud or hybrid Cloud approach. We connect and integrate the system and we ensure its efficient management. Moreover, with this project, we take a step further towards smarter IT infrastructure, thanks to automation and a smart software-defined data center.“

With its current data centers located in Herstal, Belgium, approximately 30 kilometers from the BelgiumDC, and dark fiber linking the two sites, NRB will be better positioned to offer a first-rate business continuity plan. For its part, Etix Everywhere will market data housing to clients seeking to accommodate their servers in the best performance and security conditions of the market. The data center will be carrier-neutral, providing clients the freedom to work with the service providers of their choice. As innovation is a core value of both companies, the data center will be equipped with all the latest technologies developed by Etix Everywhere’s R&D Lab, particularly in addressing security matters.

“We were looking for a partner that shares our vision of innovation,” comments Thierry Engels, Infrastructure Manager of NRB. “With Etix Everywhere, we are assured to have a data center that is always at the cutting edge of technologies, which meets our clients’ demanding requirements.”

A Grid of Data Centers

This data center reflects the common international growth strategy of both companies. The goal of Etix Everywhere is to develop an international network of homogeneous and interconnected data centers in order to offer colocation services of the same quality all over the world. BelgiumDC clients will be able to benefit from IT capacity throughout the Etix Everywhere network with a preferential tariff.

“In parallel with the BelgiumDC construction, we are also building a data center in Lille, France,” states Louis Blanchot, Business Director of Etix Everywhere France. “This territorial coverage will create development opportunities for companies on both sides of the border.”