Pulsant completes GBP £2 million data centre upgrade

JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Pulsant has completed a GBP £2 million investment programme across its UK data centre network, covering eight sites and focusing on upgraded facilities for customers, visitors and staff.

Delivered over the past two years, the programme covered sites in Croydon, Edinburgh, Maidenhead, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Reading and Rotherham. Further upgrades are under way at Pulsant’s recently acquired Birmingham and Fareham locations.

The refurbishment focused on customer-facing and operational areas inside the facilities. Changes included new layouts and signage, meeting rooms with AV technology and guest Wi-Fi, breakout areas, electric vehicle charging points, upgraded build rooms and revised access processes.

The work followed a pilot project at Pulsant’s Croydon site, where customer groups were used to assess how people use its data centres in practice. Feedback pointed to demand for more efficient and more welcoming on-site spaces for IT teams and technicians.

More than 500 UK businesses use Pulsant’s colocation services, placing their own servers and IT systems in the company’s facilities. Background information accompanying the announcement said Pulsant serves about 700 clients across its wider digital infrastructure estate.

Site changes

Pulsant introduced a zonal layout and updated signage to help engineers move around sites more quickly. It also created dedicated build bays with tools, test power distribution units and equipment so hardware can be prepared outside the data hall before installation.

Security and access were also part of the overhaul, with site access processes improved to reduce bottlenecks at busy periods while maintaining existing security standards.

Other additions included boardrooms, breakout rooms, rest areas and complimentary drinks. Post-upgrade feedback from clients and contractors highlighted those features alongside site security.

Customer feedback

Pulsant said client advocacy more than doubled after the changes, with a 33-point rise in Net Promoter Score among those who said they would recommend the company to industry peers looking for colocation services.

Ben Cranham, chief operating officer at Pulsant, said the project was designed to shift attention towards the people working in and visiting the facilities, alongside the underlying infrastructure.

“Data centres are often designed primarily around the infrastructure, rather than the people who work in them every day,” Cranham said.

He said the company used feedback from regular site users to guide the redesign.

“From the outset, our goal has been to create spaces where everyone – clients, partners, visitors and our team – feels welcome, supported and happy to be there. We’ve listened to the people who spend time in our data centres to shape environments that reflect how they work, now and in the future.

“By paying close attention to details, we’re delivering spaces that not only enhance wellbeing and productivity but also help us stand apart in the market,” Cranham said.

Pulsant operates 14 data centres around the UK and positions its network around regional connectivity and access to cloud, connectivity and compute services. The latest investment reflects a wider push by data centre operators to improve working environments at facilities regularly used by customer engineers, contractors, suppliers and in-house teams.