Fastmail opens Amsterdam data centre for EU email users

Fastmail has launched a data centre in Amsterdam, giving customers in Europe the option to keep the primary copy of their email data within the EU.

The new hosting location will be available from August for new and existing European customers. Existing customers with a European billing address will be moved automatically, while new customers in Europe will be able to choose the location when they sign up.

The rollout comes as organisations face growing scrutiny over where their data is stored and which jurisdiction governs the services they use. For companies operating under GDPR and other regional rules, local hosting can reduce the compliance work associated with cross-border data transfers.

Customer data hosted in Europe will still be replicated to the US for resiliency. Fastmail expects the structure of the system to change over time as its European operation develops.

Data control

The Amsterdam site will operate alongside Fastmail's existing US infrastructure. The shorter distance between users and servers should also improve response times for customers in Europe.

"Organisations shouldn't have to choose between privacy, performance and compliance," said Bron Gondwana, chief executive officer of Fastmail.

"Giving customers the option to keep the primary copy of their data stored in the same jurisdiction simplifies their compliance needs," Gondwana said.

Fastmail is seeking to distinguish itself from larger email providers through its approach to infrastructure. It owns and operates its own hardware rather than renting computing resources from third-party cloud providers.

According to Fastmail, that model gives it direct oversight of data handling and server operations. It also allows the company to make specific commitments about where customer data resides without depending on external providers.

Own hardware

The same approach is being used in Amsterdam, with Fastmail engineers involved across the stack, from the physical servers to the software framework used to run the service.

"Nobody ever complained about their email being too fast," Gondwana said.

"Fastmail's infrastructure is designed to perform exceptionally well regardless of location, but bringing our services closer to European customers means we can offer an even faster experience," he said.

Fastmail also used the launch to underline its position as an independent email provider outside the advertising-led technology groups that dominate much of the consumer communications market. It said customers are increasingly looking for more control over their communications data and the systems that manage it.

Founded in Melbourne in 1999, Fastmail serves hundreds of thousands of customers and has offices in Melbourne and Philadelphia. Support staff are also based in Australia, India and Philadelphia.

Gondwana said the company's infrastructure strategy has been central to its business for decades. "I love getting my hands dirty helping to set up servers," he said.

"Fastmail buys and runs our own hardware. From the specific disk models through to our own JavaScript framework, every part of the Fastmail infrastructure is optimised to make your life easier. It's a core part of how we've approached privacy, reliability and performance for more than 25 years," Gondwana said.