GlobalCenter opens scalable broadband centre in London

US web-hosting company GlobalCenter has opened the first scalable broadband data centre in the UK, in Docklands, East London.

Leo Hinderly, chairman and CEO at GlobalCenter, the fully owned subsidiary of Global Crossing, the US internet services company, said the it's more than just another real estate response to a server need. He said: "The use of broadband means performance will be unnoticeably better until you have a problem. If there is a problem you'll find the solution in seconds and minutes as opposed to hours and days". But Hinderly warned that a foolproof internet is still a pipe dream. He said: "I pray for the day when there's no problems but that's unrealistic. There will be problems. It's not a perfect or faultless world and there are always people out there who wish to hurt the internet". Peter Bell, president and CEO at StorageNetworks, said storage is one of the most important factors of the web. He added: "The role of storage is an important piece of the web. Data has to be moved and stored somewhere and always needs to be available. It accounts for 55 per cent of system cost." Speaking at the launch shadow Chancellor Michael Portillo said this was a boost for UK ecommerce but warned there was still some way to go before Britain becomes the centre of ecommerce in Europe. Portillo said: "We want London to become the enterprise centre of Europe but we are not where we should be in the cabling of the country and we've been talking about unbundling the local loop for too long". GlobalCenter also announced plans to build its largest European data centre in Dublin, Ireland in 2001, employing 100 people over five years.