Pulsant has completed a £2 million investment programme across its UK data centre estate, with the focus being on user experience. 

The programme delivered upgrades to sites including Croydon, Edinburgh, Maidenhead, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Reading and Rotherham. The upgrades focused less on the data hall itself and more on the people using the facilities day-to-day. That includes clearer navigation, refreshed interiors, upgraded build rooms, improved meeting spaces and new breakout areas for engineers, IT teams and visitors working on site.

While much of the conversation around data centres understandably focuses on power, cooling, connectivity and capacity, the experience of working inside those facilities can often be overlooked. For colocation customers in particular, engineers and technicians still need to spend time on site to install, configure and manage their own infrastructure.

Pulsant says that was the driver behind the investment, with its Data Centre Experience programme first piloted at Croydon in early 2024. The company worked with clients through user groups to better understand how its facilities were being used in practice, with feedback pointing to a need for more welcoming, efficient and collaborative spaces.

More than 500 UK businesses currently use Pulsant’s colocation services, housing their own servers and IT infrastructure across the company’s network of secure and interconnected facilities.

“Data centres are often designed primarily around the infrastructure, rather than the people who work in them every day,” said Ben Cranham, Chief Operating Officer at Pulsant.

“From the outset, our goal has been to create spaces where everyone – clients, partners, visitors and our team – feels welcome, supported and happy to be there. We’ve listened to the people who spend time in our data centres to shape environments that reflect how they work, now and in the future.

“By paying close attention to details, we’re delivering spaces that not only enhance wellbeing and productivity but also help us stand apart in the market.”

Making data centres easier to use

The upgrades include improved signage and a new zonal layout, designed to make it easier for engineers to move around sites and reduce the amount of time spent finding key areas.

Pulsant has also added dedicated breakout spaces for calls, meetings and downtime, alongside modernised meeting rooms equipped with AV technology and guest Wi-Fi. While these may sound like relatively small changes compared with the scale of investment usually associated with data centre infrastructure, they are likely to matter to customers spending long periods on site managing equipment or coordinating project work.

The programme has also included upgraded build rooms, with dedicated build bays, tools, test Power Distribution Units and other equipment. That should allow customer equipment to be configured away from the data hall before being installed, reducing disruption and improving the practicality of working on site.

Other improvements include EV charging points and streamlined site access processes, with Pulsant aiming to reduce bottlenecks at busy times while maintaining security.

The company says clients and contractors have already pointed to improvements in site security, board and breakout rooms, rest areas and complimentary drinks following the upgrades.

Further work is now under way at Pulsant’s recently acquired Birmingham and Fareham sites, suggesting the programme is not quite finished yet.