In 2010 European IT services company Tieto constructed a 19,680-ft.² data centre in Espoo, Finland. Now, the latest datacentre news coming out of the company comes by way of announcement that they plan to double the capacity of that facility in 2013. The expansion is in response to increased demand and the installation of the company's new cloud server. Tieto will invest the equivalent of USD $13.7 million (€10.38 million) in the project which, when completed, will not only increase the capacity but also allow them to close up their outdated facilities. It is an important milestone for the company as they move forward into 2013. Company vice president Mikko Pulkkinen said in his official comments that Tieto is concentrating on both increasing space and swapping out inefficient technology with high capacity, energy efficient equipment. Their strategy is necessary in order for them to keep up in an industry that is focusing more and more on sustainable solutions. They plan to design and build their expanded facility according to the latest standards of sustainability. One example of that technology is a plan to use the heat generated by the facility for home heating. The facility will be connected to the Espoo heating district to supplement that heat already being provided. If all goes as planned then Espoo will be able to reduce significantly its fossil fuel use for home heating. For the average Tieto customer the expansion means greater access to the company's cloud server and IT services. It should mean more speed, more uptime, and more security and redundancy. Moreover, since Tieto prides itself in customized solutions and meeting the needs of each customer individually, their new facilities are being designed with that in mind.

Great Day for Sustainable IT Services

Tieto's announcement is certainly good for both their business and the data centre market in Finland. Whenever new facilities are added, capacity is increased and customers are better served. However, the idea of supplementing Espoo's heating system is even more impressive. Heating districts in Europe have been around for generations, providing centralised heat for entire towns and cities. Nevertheless, finding cost-efficient and environmentally friendly ways of heating these districts has always been a challenge. It seems a perfect marriage considering today's data centre technology produces an awful lot of heat. If it works out well for Tieto and Espoo, we will undoubtedly see more of it in the future. Moreover, even for those who are not concerned with the use of fossil fuels it is still good to put this heat to use rather than simply venting it into the atmosphere. Making it usable to the heating district means less fossil fuel is burned and everyone's costs are better controlled. Lastly, the sustainable nature of the new Tieto facility is a feather in its cap for customers looking to get their IT services and cloud computing from an environmentally responsible company. The facility will be a great selling point to bring in new customers and maintain current customer relationships.