Last spring a pair of bright young entrepreneurs opened Netwise Hosting via a new data centre in South London. After nearly 10 months of profitable business, the enterprise is expecting this year to be even better. If a visit from Conservative Party Co-Chairman Grant Shapps (MP) is any indication, the company's future looks bright.

Shapps made the data centre news cycle with his visit to the facility earlier this week. His visit was part of an ongoing project through which the UK government is trying to fuel small business and encourage young entrepreneurs in their efforts. He spent a good part of the day visiting with Netwise management, listening as they told their stories and talked about their experiences in starting a new business venture.

Although some view Shapps' visit as little more than politics, this is not his first interaction with Netwise. He has been an ardent supporter of the company since they opened their hosting and collocation facility last year. He insisted on being kept apprised of the company's progress, as well as with their plans for 2013. The invitation to visit was simply part of keeping him up to speed.

After spending the morning with the company's management team, Shapps was given a full tour of the data centre facility. The focus of the tour was to highlight not only what Netwise can offer customers, but the fact that they are doing it using green technology at the same time.

Hopefully Government Support Continues

One must always view events like the Grant Shapps visit with sceptical eyes. Unfortunately, politicians are well known for using businesses as tools to further a campaign agenda. However, giving Mr. Shapps the benefit of the doubt, it's great to see him show his support for Netwise. Hopefully that support will continue well into the future.

Being that South London is one of the most important IT hubs in all of Europe, it is essential for the businesses located there to have the support of both the local and national government. The last thing they need is to have to worry about fighting Parliament or any one of the dozens of regulatory agencies that oversee their activities.

When government gets out of the way, companies like Netwise are free to prosper. When governments throw their support behind these businesses, there is even greater potential. We look for Netwise to continue growing and expanding as they have over the last 10 months.