Inside The Bunker: Europe's most secure data centre

The Bunker, near Sandwich in Kent, is an unassuming place, as the name implies, it’s what goes on underground that is of interest. However, there are outward signs that this is a slightly unusual place: a barbed-wire topped fence surrounds the premises, on top of a green metal container sits an enormous exhaust pipe. To enter, I’m required to show my passport to security. 

Once through and into the reception area I notice a laminate card that reads ‘DOG IS OUT’ stuck to a door that leads outside within the perimeter fence. This is not an invitation to go petting the creature; it is a strong reminder not to go outside without being escorted by a security guard. To the left of this door is a photo of a large Alsatian, the caption below says: Scrap, A loyal member of Staff 1997-2009.

The Bunker was originally set up during the Cold War as a radar facility to protect British airspace against potential attacks from the Eastern Bloc. Today, rather more prosaically perhaps, it is a data centre. Interestingly, however, the basic idea behind The Bunker has remained largely the same, as Managed Services Director, Paul Lightfoot, who originally worked at the base when it was owned by the forces, tells me.  He says, “If you imagine the air defence network, there were four nodes around the UK passing data around, this was one of those secure nodes, so it could have operators monitoring airspace from here or it could just be passing data around the network which actually makes it very similar to what it is used for today.”