Kyberio (Hannover Mittelfelde Data Center) Data Center

Hostway Deutschland operates one of Europe’s largest and most secure data centers, boasting a 5,000 m² footprint in Hannover. The facility is uniquely designed with a focus on physical separation; critical components are housed in two distinct buildings situated 70 meters apart. These buildings are linked via subterranean network and cable funnels but remain completely autonomous. This twin architectural approach ensures that even if one segment fails entirely due to extreme events, the other maintains operational integrity, a design validated by their ISO 27001 BSI certification.

The infrastructure is engineered to withstand catastrophic incidents, including fire, airplane crashes, or sabotage. By utilizing multiple fire compartments and infrastructure zones, Hostway provides high availability solutions that can be configured as Active Active with load balancing or Active Passive with failover. This geographic separation within a single site allows for private cloud and managed services to maintain dedicated connections across separate fire zones, ensuring that data remains protected and accessible regardless of localized disruptions.

To eliminate the risk of power failure, the data center is supplied by two different substations Hannover Mittelfeld and Hannover Wülfel via a ring operation. The facility utilizes six 1000kVA medium voltage transformers and four emergency standby systems ESS. In the event of a grid failure, these diesel generators guarantee 48 hours of continuous operation, supported by 24 7 365 fueling contracts with external suppliers. All diesel tanks are located outside the building to allow for secure, external refueling without breaching the facility perimeter.

Hostway guarantees 99.99% network availability through a multi homed, carrier neutral environment. As a member of RIPE, they operate their own autonomous system and utilize a diverse range of IP upstream providers including DTAG, Level3, and Colt. The network features a 43 Gbps backbone capacity and a dedicated fiber ring connected to DE CIX in Frankfurt. To mitigate hardware specific risks, Hostway employs a multi vendor strategy in their core backbone, using components from different manufacturers to avoid universal firmware bugs.

The facility offers a wide array of physical hosting solutions tailored to different scale requirements. Clients can utilize Full Cabinets for maximum capacity, Partial Cabinets for smaller deployments, or Shared Rackspace for cost effective entry level hosting. For those requiring enhanced physical isolation, Cages and Suites provide dedicated, enclosed areas within the data center floor, while larger Footprints are available for enterprises needing custom built, expansive layouts.

The data center is monitored 24 7 365 by onsite professional staff and an external security company. A major advantage of this facility is the presence of technical professionals on site, providing Remote Hands services that allow for a fast de escalation of issues within two minutes. This eliminates the risk and lag time of third party support. Access is strictly controlled through personal authentication and electronic monitoring, and for added legal security, clients can optionally have their colocation area entered into the official land register of Hannover.

Fire safety is managed through Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus VESDA systems operating in two line dependency. In the event of a fire, nitrogen N2 flooding is deployed into the false floors to extinguish flames while protecting human life and sensitive hardware. Cooling is equally robust, with autonomous and redundant air conditioning units installed on a tamper proof roof. Each of the four fire compartments possesses its own dedicated cooling infrastructure to prevent cross compartment thermal failure.

Hostway Deutschland has integrated Green IT principles into its core operations since 2008. The facility utilizes a customized heat recuperator to capture the thermal energy produced by servers, which is then used to heat the data center’s office spaces and those of surrounding businesses. Furthermore, during cooler months, the facility employs free cooling techniques, using ambient outside air to regulate temperatures, significantly reducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption of the cooling systems.