The Bunker, Kent

Colo-X analysis

As makes sense given its original purpose, The Bunker is focussed on regulated businesses such as financial services or public sector customers needing the highest levels of security for their data centre operations. Certifications are obviously crucial, and The Bunker can support Government ratings of IL Official, PCI DSS v3.2, ISO27001 and will work with customers on all audits. Colocation solutions range from rack space through to individual private suites and we estimate total site capacity of 700 cabinets. A full suite of managed services is also available.

The Bunker facility description

Located above the east Kent coast, The Bunker is a former MOD ‘control and reporting centre’ whose Cold War role was to track manned bombers and coordinate the Royal Air Force’s response. The site was sold by the MOD in 1998 and acquired by a small firm of open source cryptographers before being purchased again and re-branded as The Bunker, with an emphasis on the ultra-secure hosting market.

The entire complex is located underground and was built to withstand a 22-kiloton nuclear blast! Thus with 3m-thick concrete walls and up to 100 feet underground, the building sits on rubber buffer strips to absorb shocks and each room is Faraday caged, with blast doors in the corridors. Power comes from separate parts of the national grid, each backed up with generators, offering 2N power to each cabinet.

The network list is not massive but BT and Virgin Media are present, and The Bunker offers network connections directly to Telehouse North or Level3’s Goswell Road facility in London.

Accreditations and audit-ability are second nature given the stringent regulatory environment of the majority of clients. The Bunker also has the highest MOD security clearance.

Technical stats