Nick Layzell, Customer Success Director at Telehouse Europe, argues that the next wave of data centre transformation will be shaped by transparency, responsiveness, and service design alongside infrastructure upgrades.

As digital-first customers demand greater visibility and responsiveness, data centres are under pressure to evolve beyond traditional infrastructure upgrades.

Technological advances – while vital – are no longer enough for today’s data centre customers. They expect a data centre to meet their specific needs more precisely than ever. We are in the era of industry-specific solutions. With business agility such a high priority among customers, data centres must be able to provide the flexibility and adaptability that customers need.

So, while modernising back-end systems remains important, a meaningful differentiator now lies in how well these facilities align their technology, processes, and touchpoints to support customers’ new requirements.

From CRM integration to real-time data visualisation, transformation efforts are shifting from back-office efficiency to customer-facing impact. Yet many operators still approach digital change as a purely technical exercise, and risk missing the opportunity to reshape how customers engage at every stage.

What needs to change?

Customers now want more detailed information on multiple levels, going beyond the operation of the data centre to encompass legal and compliance requirements, as well as commercial services.

With their more complex use of cloud and colocation, allied to heightened compliance concerns, customers want data centre operators to become trusted partners. This is a shift from a purely transactional approach to one where the customer has more insight and is offered greater reassurance about performance.

Demand for higher levels of service means data centres will need to respond quickly and effectively whenever a customer raises a concern. Frequent contact between operators and customers will be necessary to ensure minor issues do not become major problems.

Data centres must align with customer service metrics and SLAs to build a strong foundation for long-term trusted partnerships. In the future, customers will increasingly utilise dashboards to track service performance, security, and efficiency, including power usage and cooling.

What is driving the changes in data centre customer requirements?

A more customer-focused approach is necessitated by the growing sophistication and complexity of data centre use, as edge and AI workloads continue to expand across more distributed environments. 

A worldwide survey of IT decision-makers by S&P Global, commissioned by Telehouse, found 76% of AI workloads are hosted in the cloud or data centres. This year’s State of the Cloud report by Flexera also found almost a third of organisations (32%) are already using public cloud edge services. Seven in ten organisations surveyed for this report are now adopting hybrid cloud strategies, using at least one public cloud and one private cloud. 

The use of multi-cloud strategies is increasing the focus on workload mobility and the integration of data between clouds. Organisations are focusing on cloud metrics around speed of delivery for new products and services, and their ability to innovate.

Evidence suggests, however, that most organisations are not solely concentrating on AI – many are still involved in ongoing technical transformations which have important ramifications for data centre operators offering colocation. Providers’ infrastructure must, on the one hand, support current digital needs while also having sufficient flexibility to scale for future AI requirements. It is a balance that operators need to strike to remain relevant and competitive, supporting their customers’ needs.

Many factors are behind the need for closer relationships

Facing the challenges of cloud optimisation, customers have higher expectations of the visibility of information relating to their data centre provider’s service. But operators must also capture data in the form of customer feedback. They must monitor satisfaction levels in real time – and use the information as a strategic resource in reshaping services.

Communicating on strategy is increasingly important. Since customers have entrusted their ‘crown jewels’ to data centres, they are now far more interested in what a data centre provider’s plans are for the next 18 months or five years. The data centre is part of the customer’s decision-making about its own future.

The customer wants to know about their provider’s plans for expansion, the life cycles of the equipment in its facilities, the substance of its power purchase agreements, and its approach to security.

ESG requirements are increasingly front of mind for customers, driven in part by Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions rules under the UK’s implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. In the Flexera report, for example, 43% of European organisations said they have a defined sustainability initiative that includes the tracking of the carbon footprint of their cloud use.

Looking ahead, colocation providers may be expected to provide managed liquid cooling environments, enabling customers to benefit from this technology without the need to fully shoulder operational responsibility. The lower energy consumption of liquid cooling can assist in reducing PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) ratings and overall carbon footprints, helping organisations push towards their ESG goals.

Regulation is also a factor in how customers view data centre providers

Regulatory frameworks such as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and the Telecommunications Security Act are also reshaping what customers expect from data centre colocation providers. 

DORA has been designed to strengthen the operational resilience of financial entities like banks, insurance companies, and investment firms. Its aim is to help ensure the finance sector remains resilient in the event of severe operational disruption. It requires stringent standards and shared accountability, emphasising the need for collaboration with critical ICT providers, including data centres.

In this context, customers increasingly view their data centre providers as compliance allies, not just infrastructure hosts. Support with reporting and operational transparency are becoming as important as power and connectivity. This shift is reshaping relationships, as regulatory pressures make data sharing and collaborative governance essential parts of service delivery. Support with regulatory audits will almost certainly be built into these relationships.

Connectivity is still paramount

Customers certainly want higher levels of service and closer relationships with data centre providers, but they also want clear visibility into connectivity options and diversity, as well as well-designed cloud on-ramps.

Even if customers organise many of these capabilities internally, they still want access to a well-connected environment. Colocation providers are likely to see increased demand for ecosystems of connected carriers, major internet exchanges, ISPs, and mobile networks.

Yet while back-end technology and connectivity must keep pace with the demands of digital transformation, data centre providers need to evolve into trusted partners. The uptake of cloud may be accelerating, but services must also transform if providers are to meet customer expectations in a highly competitive market.