Cancer Research UK future proofs data centre strategy

Cancer Research UK is running all of its primary systems, including CRM systems, finance systems and Citrix virtualised desktops from Interxion’s London data centre campus.

Locating its infrastructure with Interxion was part of a bigger programme for Cancer Research UK that involved consolidating eight offices into one and moving to a new thin client environment. Since the initial move, the charity has also implemented VNX storage which replaced all the production storage for its virtualised desktops.

By outsourcing its data centre requirements to Interxion, Cancer Research UK is able to retain control of its IT infrastructure while taking advantage of the state-of-the-art technology, scalability, security and availability. In turn, this gives the charity the scope to focus on its core activities.

Mary Hensher, IT Director at Cancer Research UK, commented “Over the past three years Cancer Research UK has carried out several projects that have been made easier because of Interxion’s customer-friendly approach, good connectivity options, reliability and uptime. Last year we implemented VNX storage which replaced all the production storage for our virtualised desktops. Key to the success of this project was Interxion’s ability to guarantee uptime. With employees now using a virtual desktop environment we couldn’t allow for a lower level of user experience. Interxion’s wide range of connectivity options and guaranteed uptime allayed any concerns we may have had.”

“As a charity, our budgets are limited but our needs are increasing all the time. Not only did the Interxion team make the infrastructure work as hard as possible for us, adding a second smaller cool corridor that didn’t initially look possible, but their response time was incredibly fast. We know our data centre strategy is future-proofed. If we outgrow our current space, Interxion has a second data centre, LON2, on the same campus” concluded Hensher.

Doug Loewe, UK Managing Director Interxion UK added: “We are proud that such a world renowned charity has chosen to house its infrastructure with Interxion and this announcement further reflects the level of service and technical knowhow of the Interxion team. By locating with Interxion, Cancer Research UK is able to future proof itself, benefiting from rapid response times and a wide range of connectivity options. We pride ourselves on understanding our customers’ business objectives and providing customised solutions to help them reduce cost, manage risk, and provide a sophisticated platform for future growth.”