NTS Workspace – Zurich Data Center, Switzerland

NTS Workspace’s Zurich data center is a carrier-neutral, high-performance colocation facility serving the Zürich region. It offers approximately 1250 m² of raised-floor data hall space for racks, plus an additional 500 m² earmarked for private cages and suites. As an owner-operated Swiss company, NTS emphasizes reliability, flexibility and customer-focused service at this facility, with solutions ranging from partial-rack colocations to dedicated private suites.

Designed to meet Tier IV reliability standards, the Zurich data center features fully redundant power and cooling infrastructure for maximum uptime. It has earned a reputation as “one of the most energy-efficient” data centers in Zurich. NTS achieves this efficiency through modern engineering measures like waste heat recovery and the use of 100% renewable energy (the utility supply is sourced entirely from sustainable hydropower). This combination of robust redundancy and green engineering ensures stable, yet environmentally responsible operations. All standard colocation packages (quarter, half, full rack) include pre-provisioned network cabling and can be upgraded or scaled as needed, giving clients a flexible growth path.

Physical security at the data center is stringent. Entry is controlled by a biometric access system. This means only authorized individuals may enter, one person at a time, and equipment deliveries go through secured loading locks.

The facility is under 24×7 video surveillance with CCTV cameras throughout, and all access events are logged. In addition, the data center is staffed by trained personnel, providing on-site security monitoring and rapid response. These comprehensive security measures ensure that customer IT assets are safeguarded against unauthorized access or intrusion.

The Zurich facility is equipped with advanced fire detection and suppression systems to protect infrastructure. An active VESDA (Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus) system continuously samples the air for even trace amounts of smoke. This early warning system can detect developing fire conditions far sooner than standard smoke alarms, allowing time for preventive action. In the event of a fire, an Inergen gas fire suppression system is in place to automatically extinguish fires without water. Inergen (an inert gas mixture) is released quickly to suppress flames while being safe for electronic equipment (minimizing damage compared to sprinkler water). The data center’s fire protection is designed to extinguish fires rapidly and prevent collateral damage, ensuring continuity of operations. All fire detection and suppression mechanisms are monitored 24/7 by the operations team.

The cooling infrastructure at colozüri.ch is built for both high efficiency and redundancy. The data halls use fully redundant air-conditioning systems (multiple CRAC/HVAC units in an 2N configuration) to maintain optimal temperatures and humidity for servers.

Cold air is delivered via cold-aisle containment; i.e. racks are arranged in contained aisles to separate cold supply air from hot exhaust air, significantly improving cooling efficiency.

The facility also implements heat recovery technologies, capturing waste heat from the servers and reusing it or dissipating it efficiently to reduce overall energy consumption.

Thanks to these measures, the data center achieves a very high level of energy efficiency in cooling operations. Environmental conditions are closely monitored, and cooling systems are backed up by emergency power, ensuring that server temperatures remain stable even if a component fails. In summary, a combination of modern design (cold-aisle containment, heat reuse) and fully redundant chillers/CRAC units keeps the IT equipment running cool and reliably at all times.

The power architecture of NTS’s Zurich data center is engineered for continuous uptime. Each rack is fed by dual independent power feeds (A+B power) backed by separate UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems. In normal operation, critical loads are supported by these redundant UPS clusters to filter power and bridge any gap until generators start. The facility has redundant dedicated transformers connecting to the regional medium-voltage power grid in a ring topology, which provides a resilient utility supply and protection against grid interruptions. In case of any outage, multiple diesel backup generators can kick in to supply full power to the site, with fuel on-site to sustain prolonged emergencies. This end-to-end redundancy (from utility feed, through transformers and UPS, to generators) means the site can tolerate failures or maintenance on any one power component without disrupting customer equipment.

Network connectivity is a key advantage of the colozüri.ch data center. It is a completely carrier-neutral facility, hosting a wide range of domestic and international carriers on-site. Customers have a choice of many fiber providers and can easily procure connections to the carriers of their preference. At least 15 fiber/wavelength carriers are available in-house, including major players such as Arelion (Telia Carrier), Cogent Communications, Colt, Lumen (Level 3), Swisscom, Sunrise, Salt, Zayo and others. These carriers have their fiber infrastructure and PoPs directly in the facility, so obtaining high-speed links (from simple cross-connects up to dark fiber or wavelength services) is straightforward. NTS Workspace also operates its own backbone network, which is one of the connectivity options in the ecosystem.

In addition to carriers, the data center houses a core node of the SwissIX Internet Exchange. In fact, colozüri.ch is one of the five main SwissIX sites nationally, meaning it contains a SwissIX exchange switch. This allows customers to participate in local peering with other ISPs and networks for free or at very low cost, improving latency and redundancy by exchanging traffic directly on-site. The presence of SwissIX and many ISPs (e.g. iway, Init7, etc.) fosters a rich ecosystem within the facility, where networks interconnect freely. All interconnections (fiber or copper between racks and carriers/partners) are available without recurring fees – NTS only charges a one-time setup for patching, making it economical to set up multiple connections. This connectivity setup enables tenants to build multi-homed network architectures with ease, enhancing their resilience and performance. Whether you require transit from a Tier1 carrier, a metro wavelength, or peering exchange access, the Zurich data center provides a versatile, carrier-neutral hub for all your connectivity needs.