As I look back on the past 5 years since CyrusOne entered Europe, it’s been a rollercoaster, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There have been many learnings but thankfully many more successes, and I’m incredibly proud of what our team has achieved in such a short period of time.
While I could fill several journals recounting the many ups and occasional downs since we launched in the region, I will focus on sharing my observations on some of our key successes.
We are now recognized as one of the leading data center companies in the region
CyrusOne has quadrupled in size since we launched in Europe just 5 years ago, with our company now considered among the top data center owner-operators in the industry. This is an incredible achievement and far exceeds what we thought would be achievable in such a short amount of time.
While it would be easy to say that this was driven by a degree of luck, I don’t believe that is the case. This growth comes down to our strategic decisions to double down on the right locations – specifically London and Frankfurt – and concentrate the right resources and capabilities in these geographies. This is alongside growth in other FLAP-D markets, as well as in emerging Tier I markets, including Madrid.
Our successes are the result of smart and deliberate decisions, and of that, I am very proud.
1. We learned from every single hiccup and came out stronger
Of course, there were hiccups along the way, but each one was worthwhile, as we learned to combat them by continuing to mature as an organization and investing in our team in the right way.
I think it’s important to note our failures were not just solved by money, but through adjusting and refining our organizational capabilities, enhancing our operations, as well as our design construction capabilities.
It wasn’t a given that we would succeed in this region, instead, we thrived.
2. We’ve made a commitment to collaboration within the industry
It’s been a true pleasure to see the industry come together to meet important societal objectives.
The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP), of which I am honoured to be a board member, is a prominent example of this where over 100 data centre operators and trade associations have committed to the European Green Deal. As part of this, the data center industry is truly working together to achieve the ambition of being climate-neutral by 2030. It was a proud moment for our organisation when CyrusOne became the first to inform the CNDCP Board that all its fully operational data centers in Europe had been independently audited to align with the European Code of Conduct and the targets of the CNDCP.
3. We’ve played a central role in a sector-wide effort to humanise the industry
While our sector continues to be largely misunderstood, notable efforts have taken place over recent years to rectify this and demonstrate the critical nature of the data center industry.
On a larger scale, we are working closely with Brussels, Westminster, and other national governments to ensure that they truly understand our industry and recognize the value we provide to individual communities, as well as wider society.
As important as these larger efforts are, we also see equal significance in the smaller, grassroots initiatives. Perhaps one of my proudest moments was when we delivered a brand-new, multi-sports court to the students at the UTC Heathrow campus. This formed part of our partnership with the Digital Futures Programme to make the industry more attractive to a new young and diverse skill set, and in doing so combat the ongoing digital skills crisis in the sector.
We will continue to provide true value to individual communities and prioritise nurturing young talent to ensure that we meet and exceed our ambitions for the next 5 years.
We have a world-class team and have solidified our reputation as a leading company in the sector; we look forward to building upon this and capitalising on our growth opportunity. If I could tell myself one thing 5 years ago as this journey with CyrusOne began, it would be this: don’t be afraid of growth. While working in a fast-paced, evolving industry presents many challenges, it is also incredibly rewarding. I look forward to what the next 5 years will bring.