IBM goes against Brexit fears

Triple the number of UK data centres

While some companies are planning to leave the UK if it follows through on its plan to leave the EU, IBM is going the opposite direction and said it will triple the number of data centres it has in the country.

Biggish Blue said it would build four new data centers to meet demand from its corporate and public sector clients who were increasingly storing data and managing their businesses in the cloud.

IBM Europe’s general manger for cloud services, Sebastian Krause, said the investment reflected the strength of the UK economy and the size of the opportunity in cloud computing.

Apparently it is little to do with “Brexit” vote, the country needs more data centres and IBM said that it sees no reason to change course as a result of the decision.

“Everyone has concluded the UK economy will continue to be very strong and there will be significant opportunities with or without Brexit,” Krause said.

IBM said its footprint in Britain would increase from two data centers to six, serving customers such as travel group Thomson, which is owned by TUI, retailers Boots and Dixons Carphone, and National Grid, as well as the government. It did not disclose the size of the investment.

Brexit also creates uncertainty about Britain’s future compliance with European data protection rules, which have recently been overhauled. But IBM thinks that its datacentres are “well-equipped” for any post-Brexit scenario, and it had 10 data centers in continental Europe that it could also use if Britain did not adhere to any European standards in the future.