How Storm Internet Differentiates Itself in the U.K. Marketplace with Secure Cloud Solutions and Forward-Thinking Accreditations

TL; DR: Businesses large and small are starting to realize the advantages of migrating some, if not all, of their IT infrastructure to managed hosting and cloud providers. Storm Internet is one of the most established cloud hosting providers in Europe, and its team has a combined 150 years of experience getting websites and applications online. The company is committed to business continuity, data protection, and service delivery, which is why it pursues the latest industry certifications. And Storm Internet’s dedication has earned it a wide range of awards and accolades for its products, services, and innovative solutions.

As organizations rethink their IT strategies in the face of digital transformation, many have made the move to cloud hosting to decrease operational costs. But today, the benefits go beyond cutting out infrastructure maintenance and divesting capital expenditures.

According to McAfee’s latest Cloud and Risk Adoption Report, 87% of corporations surveyed said they’d experienced business acceleration from using cloud services. And 52% of respondents said they see better data security in the cloud than they did before.

Storm Internet understands those shifts in the market and believes it’s imperative that managed hosting and cloud providers shape their services to the current landscape. That’s because even modern SMEs may have the same data security needs as larger enterprises.

“Security is taking priority,” said Salim Benadel, CEO and Founder of Storm Internet. “It has always been important, but now it’s a necessity, more than ever. Consumers have heard of it, and they are a lot more aware of the requirements.”

Storm Internet has established a track record of adding value to businesses through its managed hosting and cloud service offerings. The company is intent on allowing market imperatives — including data security — shape its product offerings and certifications.

And its continued expansion and a steady stream of industry awards validate that approach. Storm Internet’s accolades and accreditations signify more than just excellent service, they represent successful differentiation in a vital segment of the market.

Data security is now as much about regulatory compliance as it is about technological innovations. That’s why Storm Internet even works with its competitors to share threat data and issue alerts. Meanwhile, the host continues to scale its services portfolio to align with customer needs, an approach shaped by the company’s mission to make customization standard.

If Storm Internet displays all of its awards, accolades, and certifications, then visitors to its Oxfordshire, U.K. offices will have plenty to take in. That’s due, in part, to the company’s impressive history of success at the annual Internet Service Providers’ Association awards (ISPAs).

Storm Internet has won an impressive number of ISPAs, including Best Cloud Service and Best Host (2017), Best Cloud Product (2016), Best Business Use of Cloud (2015), Best Dedicated Hosting (2014), and Best SME Business Hosting (2013).

The latest addition to that list is the Best Hosted Service honor it won at the 2019 ISPAs in July. The company was also nominated in two other categories: Best Cyber Security and Best Customer Solution.

“This year’s short list comprised some of the toughest competition we’ve seen,” Salim said. “To take a win in this category is a real testament to the hard work our team carries out.”

And Salim said he expects the company to be in contention for many more awards in 2020.

Those accolades compete for wall space with Storm Internet’s own updated industry certifications. Recently, the company attained ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 accreditation, a year-long process during which its security infrastructure was analyzed and audited.

The awards and certifications cap a busy year for Storm Internet. The company also designed a new platform for a large healthcare software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider. And in developing that bespoke customer solution, Storm Internet is building in the top-notch cloud-based data security connections to businesses across the U.K., said Salim.

Salim attributes Storm Internet’s ongoing success to its sustained focus on data security, service availability, and disaster recovery. While each area remains essential, Salim said he believes data security awareness characterizes the most significant market change Storm Internet has embraced in recent years.

“It was not so long ago that prospective customers would ask us the same questions: ‘How fast can you make my site?’ and ‘Will I get a good ranking on Google?’” Salim said. “Now, SEO and website speeds are still important, but the primary focus has shifted to system security and safeguarding customer data against cyberthreats. In the final analysis, there’s no point in having good SEO and whizzy website response if your site remains vulnerable to attack.”

Storm Internet has augmented its value-added services in line with those requirements with offerings including penetration testing, security audits, PCI compliance, and SSL Certificates. It also offers GDPR Optimized Hosting — an automated process for checking compliance with the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation.

An additional security differentiator is Storm Internet’s position in the hosting service provider ecosystem. The company provisions its hardware in top-of-the-line datacenters in order to deliver its managed hosting services.

It also openly collaborates with competitors to share cyber threat intelligence and so protect their respective customer’s interests. That puts Storm Internet in a position to add to its value proposition.

“We’re competitors, but we have the same pain points and problems,” Salim said. “So we’ll pursue solutions and collaborate to catch up quickly to make things as secure as possible, together. That feeds down to our customers, and provides them with a safer, more secure service.”

Storm Internet customers often realized that, as IT becomes more integral to their business model, it also requires more resources, which can stunt growth. Storm Internet alleviates that dilemma by taking on that hosting responsibility and managing customer IT to help customers scale.

It also advises clients on the growing necessity for compliance with data protection laws and regulations — including GDPR. Storm Internet is working to educate customers on relevant focus areas from the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office.

And when customers need to purchase server space, Storm Internet can provide security certifications, compliance solutions, anti-malware scanning, and other services.

Storm Internet has had success in such a competitive market by reinventing the perception of a managed hosting provider. Its business model borrows from larger IT consultancies — but maintains a focus on customer requirements. That also enables small businesses to expand.

And when its customers expand, so does Storm Internet.

Salim said that many businesses still desire fast internet interconnection speed, especially if they use cloud-based, as-a-service infrastructure and applications. Because of that demand, Storm Internet upgraded its interconnect speed from 1GB to 10GB, and standardized its storage media to the latest SSD format.

Storm Internet strives to set the highest technological and industry practice standards, and it has earned numerous awards in that pursuit. But companies won’t find a standard fit with Storm Internet because it designs service packages to meet the unique IT needs of businesses.

And it understands that those customers are more cybersecurity-savvy than they used to be, which is why many prioritize security when seeking a managed host or cloud provider. Storm Internet is also aware of its valuable market position between the commodity service providers and the enterprise-class IT consultancies.

“Security is now at the forefront and the whole industry is changing to be more security conscious.” — Salim Benadel, CEO and Founder of Storm Internet

That is evident in both its core service offerings and the value-added support it provides customers who face data security challenges. That is especially vital today, as effective cybersecurity is as much about regulatory compliance as firewalls and threat monitoring software.

And Storm Internet is a leader in collaboration and exchanging knowledge — joining forces with competitors to counteract common threats. Market rivals must be conscious of risks and benefit from mutually assured protection for themselves and their customers.

“As more information and dependency is placed online, there’s a lot more to gain,” Salim said. “Security is now at the forefront and the whole industry is changing to be more security conscious.”