Jersey’s greatest strength is its global nature. Far from being constrained by its limited size, Islanders have wisely used the transformative power of communications to turn a small island into a leading jurisdiction in the financial services sector.
Today, more than 40% of the Island’s economic activity is generated by the industry and Jersey enjoys a position at the top of international league tables. Jersey’s development from a sleepy holiday destination to a cosmopolitan and thriving global community has been no accident and at all stages has been underpinned by effective, world-class, global communications.
Reliability is not optional
To maintain its position as a leading finance centre, Jersey needs to stay in constant contact with the rest of the world and it can only do this if it is able to rely upon a communications infrastructure that is robust, resilient and most importantly, reliable.
That businesses need resilient global networks makes your choice of communications partner extremely important. As organisations build a global footprint, they need to be confident they are working with the right people and should choose a company that has the expertise and the global reach to design, build and maintain infrastructure that operates around the clock, linking offices located around the world.
Crucially for Jersey, its off-island links are fast, diverse and have ample capacity to carry the terabytes of information that are sent to and from the Island every single day. Routed via France and the UK, these connections keep Jersey in touch with the rest of the world.
International support
Although only a small Island, Jersey has a strong and competitive telecoms sector that includes home grown businesses as well as those that are internationally backed. It is important to have Channel Island roots but also a modern and international presence, which is invaluable for businesses planning for the future.
Jersey itself has recognised the need to widen its own economic support by increasing the variety of industries operating on the Island. Today, it hosts a growing technology industry that requires a similar level of international communications support as the world of finance.
Certain facilities available to Island-based businesses today, offer a dual-data centre that operates directly in support of the Island’s economic ambitions, providing data hosting services to many of the Channel Islands’ top financial and technology firms.
From eCommerce and eGaming providers to hedge funds and private banks, the resilience provided by the dual-data centres is unsurpassed in the islands, not only enabling data storage and backup services but, with PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 accreditations, it gives companies the resources they need to provide a secure environment for real-time transactions and cloud-based networking.
A gateway to the UK and Europe
Looking beyond technology, the many uncertainties created by Brexit have already begun to affect UK businesses as they struggle to plan for a future in which they have no idea about the nation’s likely relationship with the EU. This confusion is playing on the minds of non-UK businesses that had chosen to use the UK as their gateway to Europe.
Many of the world’s largest tech firms, including Microsoft, have warned that they may need to find new locations for their data centre infrastructure because of fears that tariffs between the UK and Europe could severely affect business.
Perfectly positioned just 15 miles or so from France’s northern coast, Jersey is ready to take up the mantle as a data gateway to both the EU and the UK.
Crucially, Jersey has already begun the process of ensuring its laws are compatible with the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Brexit itself should have only minimal, if any, effect on the Island, which has never been a part of the EU but has always worked closely with the EU to ensure its laws provide the platform businesses need to use Jersey as a base from which to access the world’s largest free market.
Island businesses are uniquely placed to speak with both the European and UK enterprise sectors about the equivalence of our data protection laws. The fact is that the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act (Snoopers’ Charter) and the UK Home Secretary’s wish to see back doors inserted into encrypted services, do not and will not apply here because the Island possesses full data sovereignty.
Three islands, one network
As companies consider moving to Jersey, they are able to rely on our tri-island network – the only one linking the Isle of Man with the Channel Islands – to facilitate relocation and to provide ongoing support.
Hundreds of companies already use the network to provide secure communications and data hosting facilities but we are also seeing an increasing number choosing to move their information infrastructures into the cloud.
We are seeing demand for infrastructure as a service products growing, with clients wanting to commission and decommission carrier-class infrastructure at the click of a button, enabling the instant switching on of short-term computing capacity and network components for specific projects or to deal with periods of high demand.
The ability to configure networks on an ongoing basis enables companies to work more efficiently and avoid the challenge of congested networks.
Companies also benefit from reduced costs and enjoy transferring the burden of managing server infrastructure, to Sure’s Service Operations Centre (SOC), which monitors client networks 24/7/365, alerting them to potential problems before they have a chance to cause significant disruption.
Providing protection
This proactive approach to protecting and securing clients’ networks extends beyond the traditional areas in which telecoms companies are expected to operate and reaches as far as the protection of clients’ email systems.
Email is the vehicle through which 95% of cyberattacks are launched and given its continued popularity as the messaging platform of choice for most businesses, it is vital that defences are as strong as possible.
Through our long-term partnership with Mimecast, we have developed a cloud-based email security system that protects businesses whilst also meeting the jurisdiction-specific storage and archiving demands of regulators. Mimecast Offshore is ideal for the financial services industry and through services like Targeted Threat Protection, which employs link re-writing and attachment sandboxing to prevent phishing attacks, it delivers levels of protection that cannot be attained simply by employing firewalls or simple filtering services.With a number of companies active in the Channel Islands’ vibrant telecoms sector, a key requirement is their ability to offer a range of products and services that give businesses based in Jersey the stable platform they need to reach out to the world, supporting the Island in its mission to operate as a stable jurisdiction in an uncertain world.
Graham was born in Jersey and following a career in Aeronautical Engineering with the Royal Navy, returned to the Island working as Senior Company Officer for Reuters in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
He joined Sure in 2004 for the launch of Sure’s Jersey operations and leads the firm’s commercial, operational, sales and revenue strategy in the Island. Sure is part of the Bahrain-based Batelco Group.
