Model

Our business model is quite simple. We are specialist agents or brokers for data centres, colocation, managed hosting and related services. We introduce buyers to suitable suppliers (see Services) and we earn standard, fixed commissions which are paid for by the successful supplier if a deal is done following an introduction. Our success is based on our specialist, up to date market knowledge and expertise.

Approach

Our aim is not to provide buyers long lists of quotes, we believe that is a waste of the buyer’s time and all the vendors who we have asked to quote. What we would rather do is engage directly with the buyer, understand all the relevant issues regarding their requirement and then based on this make some recommendations as to who suitable suppliers might be. Perhaps sometimes there may be only one option, but we’d usually aim to provide two or three alternatives. After agreeing this list with the buyer and explaining the reasons why we will then introduce the buyer via email to the appropriate contact at the other party. We believe our approach serves both buyers and suppliers best.

Areas of Expertise

90% of our activity is focussed on the colocation and hosting sectors in the UK and Europe, but we also remain active in Eastern Europe, India, Asia and the MENA region .  We maintain contacts and still do business from time to time in the North American markets, particularly for European companies.

Although we track the activities of the large scale real estate operators we do not deal in leasehold transactions.  We can work with appropriate real estate brokers/commercial property agents where required and have often done so.

History

We have been closing colocation deals since 1999, which was pretty much the start of the colocation and hosting industry in Europe.  Tim Anker, founder of The Colocation Exchange was Director of Colocation and IP Services at Band-X from 1999 and he established The Colocation Exchange in September 2004.

In his time in the industry Tim has closed deals all over the world, including locations such as Panama, Bucharest, the US, Asia and all over Europe.  Deals have varied from 1U to 50,000 sq ft, but our main focus is really in the market for racks, 1 rack up to 100kW.

Tim is a regular speaker at industry conferences, has written in the trade press and has also been on the judging panel for the Data Centres Europe for the past three years.