We are Becoming an IT Business Hub

“We have created a business environment where it’s easy to navigate and add value to each other,” explains Liis Tammekivi, Head of Partner Segment at Greenergy Data Centers. This has resulted in a central hub around the largest data center in the Baltics, whose value extends far beyond just hosting equipment. It is often said that a data center is the foundation of an IT business, but the facility located in Hüüru, near Tallinn, proves that the benefits are much broader.

Liis Tammekivi, Head of Partner Segment at GDC, elaborates on this.

Liis Tammekivi. Photo by Andres Oolberg.

You mention that the data center enhances IT businesses and acts as a hub. What do you mean by this?

A data center is a meeting point for various services and value propositions. In addition to hosting equipment, companies operating here offer connectivity services, cloud solutions, hardware, software, equipment management, cybersecurity, and much more. This ecosystem creates a fertile ground for new partnerships. Therefore, a company that previously only sold hardware and software can now offer a full service package to clients with the support of partners. This includes everything from selecting equipment and software to hosting and hardware management. This allows companies to strengthen and extend customer relationships and increase profitability.

To illustrate the idea, we can compare ourselves to Ülemiste City or another business campus where various companies come together and can intertwine and collaborate. When a client comes to Ülemiste City and asks a company if they sell servers, it’s great to be able to respond, “We sell laptops, but you can get servers from the building next door.” Similarly, if someone comes to us and we don’t offer a specific service, we recommend our partners. Likewise, partners can easily recommend someone else who is in our building or ecosystem.

Overall, it’s a business environment where it’s easy to navigate and add value to each other.

What types of businesses make up this business environment or ecosystem?

Our ecosystem consists of various connectivity providers, such as those renting internet and fiber optic connections. We are neutral, meaning that clients can choose which service provider to use.

In addition, we have partners in the IT field who help clients find solutions for cloud services, hardware procurement, software development, backup, or full services. If necessary, we can also offer financing solutions.

The main thing is that the client has the freedom to put together a suitable package.

What do they gain from this?

For an IT company, this means more convenient management, as all partners and clients are in one place – there’s no need to travel around to different locations to manage and maintain equipment. This also gives clients a better overview of their IT costs.

By bundling equipment hosting with other services, the company invests in longer-term customer relationships. Since equipment is typically kept in the same place for years, the IT company has a stable monthly income guaranteed.

One of the most easily understandable benefits is the freedom to grow and expand, which might not be possible in one’s own office and server rooms. As the business grows, at some point there will be a lack of electricity, space, security, or infrastructure reliability. Our capabilities are significantly broader.

Can and how do smaller companies benefit from this?

Smaller companies can participate in our ecosystem through larger IT partners. If a small company wants to offer, for example, backup services, it can host its equipment in a larger IT company’s equipment cabinet. If the volumes are still small, it’s not necessarily cost-effective to rent a separate rack.

How does the GDC partner program work?

Today, many companies have a bridge made up of products and services to their end users. By joining the partner program, they can add a new layer in the form of equipment hosting. This way, the IT company has the opportunity to earn more and contribute to more stable relationships with end users, who in turn receive the value offered by our facility and all its capabilities.

How many connectivity service providers are there today?

Over ten, and more are added as needed. If a client insists on using a specific provider’s service, it is also possible. At the end of the year, we expect to add a new major service provider, creating new opportunities.

Our carrier-neutral facility is attractive to connectivity providers. We are the newest and most modern data center in our region, and it is seen that business grows with us. Our role in international transit also plays a part. For those building communication corridors through or around here, we are a very reasonable solution.

How do you build trust in your and the broader ecosystem?

Building trust is an ongoing process that requires consistent work and fulfilling promises. It’s like building a tower – you add one block at a time. Over time, the tower becomes increasingly robust.

Since we have a unique facility with unique capabilities that were not previously available in Estonia, we are inevitably a key component in the development of the local IT landscape. Together with interested parties among local IT companies, we contribute to taking the entire Estonian IT landscape to the next level. This, in turn, creates trust in both us and other local IT companies on both a local and international level.

Our certifications, such as EN 50600, attest to our quality and help clients prove the reliability of their business.

What have been the main challenges in adopting your service?

The first answer we often hear is, “I don’t want to bother.” Moving is a time-consuming and complicated undertaking that inevitably comes with a series of challenges. Of course, it’s initially a bit daunting.

I can sincerely say that no one who has taken this path with us has regretted it. When clients come to the center to maintain equipment, they often call saying, “Come help, I don’t remember where my cabinet was!” This shows that the service is of such high quality and reliability that they don’t need to visit often.

Today, several successful companies are hosting their equipment with us, and this fact has greatly contributed to building trust. It’s like a snowball effect – the bigger we grow, the more we attract others and the more confidently we move forward. At one event, I sat at a table with representatives from three different companies, and one of them suddenly realized that he was the only one not yet hosted in our facility. Moments like these are encouraging and motivating.

Doesn’t the fact that you have various certifications, starting with the unique EN 50600 in this region, demonstrate trust in you?

It always needs to be explained what this certification entails. People are familiar with ISOs, but EN 50600 is a very high-level, data center-specific certification that no one else in the Baltics or even Finland has.

This plays a more significant role for clients with international ambitions. The certification makes the client’s life easier – if they host their assets with us, it’s much easier for them to prove their business’s reliability, security, and sustainability. This paves the way for many partnerships. Internationally, it is a very strong quality mark.

More information about the partner program and its benefits can be found here: Greenergy Data Centers Partner Program.