Host in Scotland fully believes that this element is within the DNA of Scottish people, businesses and initiatives and that the surface has not yet even been scratched on what this could mean in the data hosting, storage, analysis and utilisation in the future. We recognise that many other countries have led the way in this competitive and exciting sector however we strongly believe that, through innovation, Scotland provides a compelling alternative location for the development of a vibrant datacentre market.
We believe that Scotland has innovative:
- People;
- Companies;
- History;
- Education;
- Government; and
- Infrastructure.
People
Scotland is a welcome and inclusive country that seeks to marry up the talents of its indigenous population with the very best talent from around the globe. Organisations such as ScotlandIS, The Data Lab and Fintech Scotland seek to bring together novel approaches to delivering new ideas and products and we actively promote working together across sectors to stimulate growth and investment. Examples of where our people are delivering world class innovation can be found here.
Companies
Scotland is an outward looking country. Our companies and industries are always seeking to make a mark on an international scale and recent success stories such as Skyscanner, Fanduel and Rockstar are testament to how innovative start up businesses can be successfully incubated and developed in Scotland. We believe that this is also true in the data hosting space and are keen to make our mark on a global scale in this fast-paced, developing sector. Our Partner, Scottish Development International is keen to support his development – read more here
History
There is a myriad of examples of Scottish people developing critically important ideas throughout history – we don’t need to repeat them here, but think of us the next time you turn on the television, get cash from an ATM or answer your telephone! We are a nation of ideas, with the ability to turn those ideas into reality.
Education
Scotland is home to a number of the finest Universities in the UK and Europe, and many of these are also recognised on a global basis as having first class facilities for research and development. Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Glasgow, St. Andrews and Strathclyde Universities all have exciting data driven programmes. In particular, the Data-Driven Innovation Programme is seeking to establish the next generation of data analytics and identify and exploit opportunities associated with data management. This programme is based at The University of Edinburgh, ranked first in the UK for computer science and informatics research and the city region’s universities attract research income from within the UK that is almost four times greater than the national average. Click here for further details.
Government
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of data hosting, management and analytics and is keen to support the work of Host in Scotland and its partners to expand our presence in this exciting area. Through their funding support for Host in Scotland, the Scottish Government have provided a commitment to better understand the needs of the country, recognise the economic benefits and growth associated with a vibrant data industry and to identify the interventions which could be made to unlock value and growth. Host in Scotland is keen to work congruently with the Scottish Government to develop innovative ways in which the datacentre industry can be supported and expanded in the country and are very keen to hear from existing and potential new investors to understand your needs, risks and opportunities to make the investment decision easier.
Infrastructure
Scotland is in the process of delivering world class fibre-first infrastructure across the country. This is not easy – we have a very concentrated population base in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen with a much greater rurally distributed population than many other countries of comparable size. In order to address this, the Scottish Government and SFT are working to deliver both the 4G Infill project and the Reaching 100 (R100) projects. In so doing, the country will be ready for the advent of technologies such as 5G, AR/AI and IoT. These technologies will require many more Edge/Colo facilities and we recognise that investment and support of these facilities is pivotal to the future success of the country.