Investment: why is an internationally successful IT company tying its future to Estonia?
At a time when many companies are looking away from Estonia, Playtech, with a global turnover of €1.6 billion, has announced an investment here. Specifically, the company unveiled a major technical overhaul of its development center and its move to the greenest data center in the Baltics, the Greenergy Data Centers on the outskirts of Tallinn. Investment in infrastructure is high these days, and moving servers and systems costs millions of euros in Playtech's case. This means that the company is also making a longer and stronger connection with Estonia, and taking an important step towards reducing its carbon footprint.
Why be local in Estonia?
Founded in Tartu in 1999, Playtech is a leading technology company in the gaming industry, providing software, services, content and platform to customers worldwide. The company employs more than 7,000 people in 24 countries, with more than 700 specialists working in its Tartu and Tallinn offices. Greenergy Data Centers (GDC) was selected as a partner for a number of reasons, including sustainability, security and reliability. "Playtech's product means that people trust our system with their money - we are like a bank. Like banks, we have very high standards," explains Ivo Lasn, Director of Playtech Estonia. "Stability, reliability, security of supply - all of this is crucial for us and guarantees us unrivaled success," he adds.
This is and will continue to be taken care of by GDC specialists. "Until now, we had many hardware environments in our own office server room in Tartu. We were looking for a company offering professional data center services to take care of the hardware hosting, allowing our infrastructure team to focus on managing the hardware itself rather than the server room. That was the main argument for us," admits Lasn. The GDC data center allows Playtech to focus on its core activities in peace, freeing up resources to expand its services.
For Playtech, the location of the data center in Estonia is important, as 95% of the group’s infrastructure department operates here. Estonia has very skilled employees with strong technical backgrounds, and the plan is to maintain and expand this level of expertise.
One of the company's largest development centers is also based in Estonia. "It is a great advantage that the people responsible for managing and developing our system can operate locally in an agile manner, as the ability to respond quickly in today's world is the key to success," says Lasn.
Lasn has no concerns about security, as the GDC data center is the most secure in the Baltics. "This is an important guarantee for us," says Lasn, while stressing the role of redundancy. This means that business-critical data for the company is always backed up and protected.
An investment running into millions
The move to the GDC data center is an important but challenging step for Playtech, requiring time and a large investment. "The investment in infrastructure is considerable, we are talking about several millions," says Lasn. It may not be just a one-off investment. "Over time, we have the opportunity to grow here. Today, it's too early to say where it will lead - how big we will expand," he explains.
The move will also improve the quality of Playtech's services to both internal and external customers. "It will allow us to better deliver our services, to build new systems based on the latest technology. When you move from one place to another, it's a good opportunity to leave behind a historical legacy. It's a great opportunity for our whole team," says Lasn. However, the complexity of the move also comes into play here - the development center is undergoing a major technical overhaul, but work must not be interrupted in the meantime.
The road to carbon neutrality
The GDC is renowned for its high energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. The data center's PUE (power usage effectiveness) target is 1.2, which is significantly better than the industry average of 1.5 - 1.6. The latter has already been achieved, and energy efficiency is increasing in line with load growth. In addition, 100% certified green energy is used.
In the last five years, Playtech has reduced its carbon footprint by 40%, with a further halving by 2032 and a target of full carbon neutrality by 2040. "The GDC's helping hand is crucial for us to get there in the first place," says Playtech's Estonian Director. A green mindset is not only important for a responsible outlook, but also gives a competitive edge. Saving energy, reducing waste and optimising the use of resources reduces costs, increases customer loyalty and boosts reputation.
All in all, Playtech has taken a significant step in modernising its data processing infrastructure by moving its equipment to the Greenergy Data Centers. This will allow the company to focus on its core business, increase energy efficiency and reduce its environmental impact, thereby supporting both Playtech's business and sustainability objectives.