Pulsant, the UK's edge infrastructure provider, is championing Scottish business growth by enhancing access to its edge compute infrastructure that connects The Crichton Trust's 85-acre campus to the Pulsant South Gyle data centre.
The infrastructure investment will ensure all local users and campus-based businesses can access Pulsant's platformEDGE network free of charge, opening up the host of productivity benefits, solutions, and remote working capabilities that edge compute can deliver.
By connecting users directly to Pulsant's South Gyle data centre, the agreement will deliver edge infrastructure to the 126 businesses across the Trust site, including the academic institutions, The Crichton Trust itself, the Ladyfield wellbeing sustainable homes project, and The Crichton Quarter Smart Energy project.
Furthermore, it will encourage businesses across the South of Scotland to connect to high-performance compute capability and benefit from access to the onsite S5GC Hub to develop and test new products and services, helping them to trial new revenue streams at no additional cost.
It will also enable an innovation partner ecosystem at The Crichton Estate to power future digital projects, underpinning the services and technical expertise of the broader campus community, including academia, ISPs, and satellite broadband providers.
The commercial partnership supports the SOSE Digital Strategy to improve connectivity and access to regional digital transformation opportunities. Access to the latest technology can remove the barriers to opportunities and unlock the potential of local businesses, driving significant advances in sectors from agritech and healthcare to textiles and tourism.
Gwilym Gibbons, CEO of The Crichton Trust, says: "The Crichton is a home for NetZero innovation, business, and academia in which we seek to connect people, place and the past to shape the future. This agreement will provide over growing 120 rural businesses with the online access required to improve their competitive position in the wider economy and grow and scale."
"Connectivity removes the issue of location as a barrier to business success and that's key to the mission here at The Crichton as we work to discover and develop new inspiring inclusive ways to live, work, learn, play and relax."
Mark Wheeler, CEO of Fibairo, says: "Connection is a utility, one that is critical for access to wider market opportunities. The lack of connectivity in rural areas needs to be addressed if the region is to grow. This partnership provides real potential to showcase the art of the possible to rural business across Scotland, delivering access to the value-added services they need to benefit and gain from next-generation technology."
"It's a huge challenge, but a great opportunity as well and one that can help the South of Scotland compete on a more level technology playing field."
Wendy Shearer, Director of Smart Cities and Ecosystems at Pulsant, says: "Pulsant is committed to supporting the growth of regional businesses across the UK. Connecting rural companies into digital infrastructure allows them to tap into new markets, develop innovative products, streamline their business and scale globally."
"There is much talk of Levelling Up and Innovation zones, but sometimes the small and simple initiatives like this can make a difference locally."
"Pulsant is proud to invest in this critical connection and to work alongside Fibairo and The Crichton Trust to connect businesses across the South of Scotland to the opportunities available from edge technology," says Shearer.