Data Center Specialists

At the confluence of real estate and technology

Commercial property is all the same, isn’t it? If you’ve seen one warehouse, fulfilment centre or office block, you’ve seen them all. Do data centers really call for specialist expertise?

Actually, yes they do.

AC Niellsen Data Centers is a new breed of real estate advisory firm for the 21st century. We have delivered over 350 data centers, containerised solutions and computer rooms across Benelux, Europe more widely and other parts of the world. Our clients are national and international enterprises, cloud providers, governments and IT service companies.

So why focus on data centers, how is this new asset class best served and what are we doing about it?

Services

Data Center’s are a specialist asset class where values are acutely sensitive to location, power, cooling, connectivity and security.  Our principal focus is to provide strategic advice and real estate services for data centers to occupiers, investors and operators.

With a huge resource of knowledge, expertise and contacts we provide strategic advice to clients who need to secure the best colocation solutions within EMEA.

Why

Investors in the data center market increasingly want a single point of contact to look after their investment. This has created the demand for a single-source company that combines know-how in the data center investment market with extensive knowledge about technical infrastructure. That company needs to be able to offer a full and comprehensive total package, including design and service teams to maintain data centers day to day.

How

We know the data center market inside out, having spent more than 25 years both on the investment side and on the technical and management side. Consequently, we are that unique, single-source company with the knowledge and service teams to provide expertise in multiple disciplines within the data center market. That combination means we are able to create synergies in fulfilling your requirements, resulting in a more cost-effective solution.

What

We are a specialist real estate and data center advisory company. We have expertise in all things ‘data center’, from design and construction to operation and maintenance. We distinguish ourselves by ensuring we are completely aligned with a client’s underlying business case for investing in datacentres, and understand how the data center may be used in the short, medium and longer terms. In addition to advisory services, we can also run the data center facility itself, providing design and service teams to offer a full and comprehensive total package.

AC Niellsen Data Centers holds an Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designers (ATD) guarantee, which certifies that our data centers are designed as concurrent, maintainable and fault tolerant installations.

  • Selecting the right site for your data center is a crucial step. We begin with a thorough analysis of your particular needs and preferences, and a detailed understanding how the data center will fit into your overall investment strategy.

    We are proactive in identifying off market opportunities throughout EMEA, so if a suitable location exists, we will find it. Where appropriate, we will present multiple opportunities and offer detailed advice on the pros and cons of particular sites, so your decision is fully informed.

    Acquisition and disposition

    Whether you are looking to acquire a data center as an investment opportunity or liquidate existing data center assets, we have the market expertise and deal-making ability to undertake complex transactions on your behalf.

    From initial acquisition appraisals to preparing a business plan for your new data center assets, we are there every step of the way, providing detailed cash flow modelling, overseeing due diligence analysis and providing recommendations as well as working with appointed third parties on technical due diligence.

    If you are looking to sell a data center, we have the expertise to maximise your return while ensuring full compliance. We will undertake a proposed sale financial analysis and prepare the assets for sale. We will then liaise with appointed third party legal and technical advisors to complete the sale process and oversee the post-sale handover of documents and the data center itself.

    Our fee is based on your success, so we are never less than fully committed to getting the best possible deal for your investment.

  • We have the expertise to oversee due diligence analysis for clients acquiring data centers and to provide recommendations accordingly, as well as working with appointed third parties, as required.

    We can also provide technical vendor due diligence (VDD), overseeing everything from assessment of existing asset conditions to building management systems, energy efficiency, Capex and Opex and potential points of failure.

  • The performance of your data center depends on careful management. Whether you require help with technical asset management and advice while you oversee the ’white space’ operations inside, or you are looking for someone to take on a landlord function, liaising with a tenant day-to-day on your behalf, we have the expertise to give you complete peace of mind.

    Asset management

    We can take care of the maintenance of your data center, including building management of exit and entry of existing and new tenants, as well as dilapidations and alterations, upgrades and modifications. And we can liaise with public bodies and relevant authorities on your behalf, including assisting with third party activities such as valuation, insurance and legal proceedings.

    Property management

    We can also take on data center site visits and tenant meetings, management of existing leases as well as lease renewals, extensions, surrenders and rent reviews. And we provide full Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) services and expertise.

    Whatever your investment management needs, we are on hand as your expert advisors.

  • From design and construction management to ongoing operations and maintenance, we have the expertise to take on full responsibility for any project related to your data center. From briefing to delivery, our project management services are comprehensive and results-focused, and we will keep you informed of progress from start to finish.

  • Qualified and reliable staff are crucial to the successful operation of any data center. We have the market knowledge and experience to recruit the right staff for your data center either directly or via a third party. And we can oversee smooth staff turnover and training where necessary in order to keep your data center running smoothly throughout the duration of your investment.

Done deals

We are delighted to present a glimpse of some of the deals we have done

Sale of an Interxion datacenter on Schiphol-Rijk on behalf of Penta to Keppel DC reit

Sale of 26.000 sq. m. land on Schiphol-Rijk for datacenter development

Sale of 68.000 sq. m. land on the Schiphol area

Sale of 60.000 sq. m. land on the Schiphol area for 2 30MW datacenters

Sale of 92.000 sq. m. land on the Schiphol area to Schiphol Area Development Company (SADC)

Sale of a datacenter to Penta on behalf of KPN (Koninklijke KPN)

Sale of Sentia Gyro datacenter to nLighten / iSquared on behalf of Sentia

Sale of a datacenter on the Capronilaan 2 on behalf of Bouwfonds

Sale of a KPN datacenter to Keppel T&T Fase I on behalf of Volker Wessels

Sale of a datacenter in Almere to Keppel T&T Fase II on behalf of Volker Wessels

Sale of a datacenter in Groningen

Sale of 4ha land to E-Shelter for the development of a 30MW datacenter

Sale of a datacenter in Frankfurt, Germany

Sale of AMS1, Amsterdam Zuid-Oost on behalf of Switch Datacenters

Sale of a KPN datacenter in Oude Meer to Stratus on behalf of Chalet Group

Sale of a Sentia datacenter in Copenhagen, Denmark

Sale of AMS5, Amsterdam on behalf of Telecity

Sale of a 100MW datacenter development in Amsterdam Westpoort on behalf of Caransa

Sale of a datacenter in the Westport area (Amsterdam)

Sale of 167.000 sq. m. powered land in Johannesburg, South-Africa

Sale of a 40MW powered plot

Sale of a claim portfolio

Acquisition of a datacenter in Eindhoven on behalf of Keppel DC Reit

Acquisition of a datacenter in Eindoven (High Tech Campus) on behalf of KPN

Acquisition of a logistic building in De Kwakel (The Netherlands) on behalf of a datacenter operator

Acquisition of 10 acres powered land in Grange Castle, Ireland for datacenter development

Acquisition of 42 acres powered land in Grange Castle, Ireland for datacenter development

Acquisition of Virtus (UK operator) on behalf of STT

Acquisition of Interroute Operations on behalf of an operator

Acquisition of a small datacenter location in Belgium on behalf of EXA Infrastructure

Acquisition of a small datacenter location in The Netherlands on behalf of EXA Infrastructure