The Ministry of Defence has procured a new data centre provider through the G-Cloud framework, signing a two-year-contract with British contractor Ark Data Centres.
The firm will relocate the MoD's data to a new facility in Wiltshire, claiming it will generate significant energy cost savings over the length of the next decade as the department closes its current hosting centre in Bath.
The value of the 24-month-long deal is £495,000, but Ark claimed it boasts a fixed power efficiency (PUE) rating that will save 14,000 tonnes of carbon over 10 years.
An MoD spokeswoman confirmed with Cloud Pro that the deal was initially only for two years, as allowed under G-Cloud procurement rules, with the option to extend to be considered in 24 months.
As the MoD sought another provider, the company put together a bid via G-Cloud demonstrating the department could achieve cost savings by upgrading facilities without sacrificing security.
Ark CIO Steve Webb said: “We surveyed the existing MoD datacentre and designed an Ark environment that is far smaller, more flexible and accommodates all of the department’s needs, future-proofed with room to grow.
“This includes a link to the MoD’s Information Systems and Services (ISS) headquarters building at Corsham - which happens to be next door to our site - so that ISS can conveniently work with the new datacentre.”
He added the fact Ark’s own headquarters is nearby was an important factor in winning the deal, because support is not far away.
This article was originally published on December 10, 2014, but updated on December 11, 2014, to confirm the cost and length of the contract.
