Colocation accelerates growth for IP-Projects with enhanced services and security

Vision

Flexible products with transparent pricing and services

IP-Projects’ goal is to offer high-quality, carrier-neutral, and secure internet services. In the interest of its customers, CEO Michael Schinzel also attaches great importance to flexibility and service. NTT met these requirements from the beginning. The IP-Projects team was already impressed with the quick response times during the bidding phase, and the ability to implement specific requests – such as combination locks on the racks or cable trays for better cable routing. Depending on the customers’ requirements, colocation racks can also be powered with green energy so that the companies can reach their climate targets and document their compliance.

Transformation

Building their own network with ASN in a protected environment

Parallel to their application for a separate Autonomous System Number (ASN) at the Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE) Network Coordination Center, IP-Projects leased the first colocation racks at our Frankfurt 1 Data Center site. The internet service provider deliberately chose NTT as its carrier-neutral colocation partner. The construction of their separate, independent environment started with seven racks at the Frankfurt 1 Data Center. Since then, the number of racks has been steadily increasing. In addition to racks in the open colo spaces, twelve of the 41 racks they now have are located in a separate cage exclusively accessible to the IP-Projects team.

Results

Transferring the advantages of highly available infrastructure to customers

Based on NTT’s comprehensive security approach, IP-Projects offers their customers a high level of security and availability. The extensive package of certifications held by NTT ensures that high security standards are met, and this opens many doors for the internet service provider, especially in the case of tenders.

Demonstrable security

Companies that host their own server systems via IP-Projects, or for which the company operates complete web shops, often want to see the on-site security in the data center firsthand. To enable this, NTT offers data center tours to prospective customers.

IP-Projects values this service as a way to demonstrate the security features in a live environment. All relevant aspects in the data center are shown and explained in detail, from entry control and redundant power supply to emergency power generators.

Unified backup strategy

In addition to data center security, data protection also includes regular backup of servers. IP-Projects also operates the backup systems at the FRA1 site, but in a different location: they are not only housed in an own fire protection zone but in another data center building separated from all productive systems. This ensures a high level of security, while also allowing for the fast transmission of data via the local fiber optic network. The backup location can also be used by IP-Projects hosting customers who operate their own infrastructure.

Stable costs

Schinzel knows how important reliability and price stability are to his customers.

As to the cooperation with NTT, he also focuses on long-term agreements and a cooperative partnership. Thanks to favorable costs and a fixed electricity price for eight years, IP-Projects can calculate costs reliably. The company also saves significantly thanks to the efficient processes within the data center: it takes the IP-Projects team about 15% of the time to onboard a new server in Frankfurt 1 compared to other colocation providers.

Comprehensive services

To be able to react quickly, IP-Projects has their own office with four workstations at Frankfurt 1. Generally, one or two team members are on-site during business hours. Furthermore, the company makes use of additional services offered by NTT. Whether support is needed for the delivery of new hardware or it’s necessary to dispose of packaging afterward, they can book these services via the NTT Client Portal.