Interview with Guy Willner, CEO of IXcellerate for ITW
Data Center POST recently spoke with Guy Willner, Chief Executive Officer, about what the company would like to accomplish at the upcoming International Telecoms Week (ITW), the world’s largest meeting for the global wholesale telecommunications community. ITW 2016 will take place at the Hyatt Regency and Swissotel in Chicago, IL from May 8-11, 2016. In our Q&A with Mr. Willner, we discussed how the company differentiates itself from other data centres, the data centre industry in Russia, as well as the problems IXcellerate would like to solve. IXcellerate is Russia’s top carrier neutral datacentre based in Moscow.
Q and A with Data Center Post’s contributing editor, Kathy Xu
Data Center POST, Kathy Xu (DCP-KX) Question: Who is IXcellerate and how does your company differ from other data centres in your region?
IXcrellerate, Guy Willner, CEO (IXCELLERATE-GW) Answer: IXcellerate is an unparalleled carrier neutral datacentre operator in Moscow. We offer pure-play co-location designed to meet the standards of financial institutions, multinational corporations, international carriers and major content operators.
Our carrier-neutral model at IXcellerate offers focus, flexibility and choice. Our Moscow One Datacentre, designed and operated to Tier 3+ standards,is certified by IBM and is the exclusive partner datacentre for NTT in Russia, whilst boasting over 30 telecom network connections. The campus sits at a prime location in Moscow where power is available in abundance both now and in future to offer tailor-made datacentre halls, while offering security and low latency links to and from other global markets such as China and Western Europe. Customers include Thomson Reuters, Orange, Sprint, NTT group, RETN and Le Pain Quotidien.
DCP-KX Q: How is the Data Centre business different in Russia than here in America, for instance?
IXCELLERATE-GW A: There is much less capacity; it’s as if it’s 2004 in Russia today. Things are just about to really accelerate as major cloud deployments happen in 2017 and 2018. Capacity is getting tight due to lack of finance available to the industry and strongly increased demand due to the new Information Law and the upcoming FIFA 2018.
DCP-KX Q: What problems does IXcellerate solve – either locally, globally, or both?
IXCELLERATE-GW A: We provide an easy route to the complex but highly profitable market of over 85 million internet users of the Russian Federation. Compliance with the Data Sovereignty Law, the Data Protection Law and Forex trading minimum infrastructure regulations means relying on a pertness who knows the market. Our Moscow datacentre is a hub for Finance, Content, access to China and West Europe through multiple trunk cables and over 30 telecoms networks, and we also operate the new regional Eurasia: peering internet exchange.
DCP-KX Q: What do you hope to accomplish at ITW 2016?
IXCELLERATE-GW A: Spread the word that you can do great business in Russia and that we can facilitate this. Find provider who will partner with us to provide diverse high capacity routes into Equinix AM3, FR5,6, LD4, InterXion Amsterdam and routes into mainland China.
DCP-KX Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
IXCELLERATE-GW A: Most international companies from fashion to web who operate in Russia are non-compliant with the 2015 FZ242 law which stipulates Russian citizens’ information should be stored in Russia at least for the master database. We have witnessed in the press that many companies seeking to comply, from booking.com to La Redoute to Apple but many are ignoring the law (which now exists in a number of countries) at their peril as their websites can be summarily blocked by the Russian state regulator. We can show that it is a simple process to both set up systems with us in Moscow and secure compliance confirmation from the authorities, and hence continue doing great and profitable business here.
DCP-KX: Thank you for your time and we hope ITW 2016 is a successful event for you and your team. Readers, if you are interested in learning more about IXcellerate, please visit the company’s website: http://ixcellerate.com/
