C4L Awarded up to £6 Million in Lending and £120,000 as a HSBC Business Thinking Regional Winner

March 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Bournemouth, UK – Friday 23rd March, 2012 – Following on from their nomination as a regional finalist for the South and Thought Exchange visit to Dubai, Bournemouth-based internet infrastructure solutions provider, C4L, has been declared a regional winner in the HSBC Business Thinking initiative to find the UK's most innovative and forward-thinking companies. C4L were selected from six regional finalists and will be awarded a prize of up to £6million in lending, plus a financial reward of up to £120,000.

The winners of the Business Thinking initiative were announced at an awards dinner, held at the Bath Assembly Rooms on Wednesday night, following their return from a Thought Exchange visit to Dubai, which is considered one of the world’s most dynamic markets for business growth opportunities.  The winners travelled with four other carefully selected regional finalists, where they were able to meet like-minded business thinkers, enjoy networking opportunities, as well as consider business development. Following their return, finalists were asked to present a refined business case including insights gained on the Thought Exchange, and it was the challenging task of the judging panel to decide which companies should win.

Matt Hawkins, managing director, C4L said "I am truly delighted for C4L to win such an award. This is a huge achievement as the competition was exceptionally high this year, and we're looking forward to the final stage of the initiative. As a company we're always looking to push technology boundaries in order to stay at the forefront of our industry, which the initiative has recognised."

Employing over 50 staff members at its head office in Bournemouth, C4L offers a variety of data centre and connectivity solutions, including: backup and storage, disaster recovery, leased lines, wireless connectivity, virtualisation and telecoms. By implementing a market-focused approach, C4L's customer base has almost doubled over the past two years, and the company has experienced rapid growth.

Gary Burton, HSBC’s Regional Commercial Director for the South West and Wales, said “The winners are a great example of companies in the South West that are looking beyond domestic markets to develop their business, and we urge other companies in the region to consider the opportunities that may lie overseas for them.”

Business Thinking is a multi-million pound initiative from HSBC aimed at supporting growing businesses. The initiative offers UK businesses a share in £108m of funding, with 18 regional winners each eligible for up to £6m. A total of 54 finalists, competing in nine regional heats, have also taken part in Thought Exchange visits to Paris, Dubai, Brazil, New York and Hong Kong.

The final stage of the Business Thinking initiative will see Burts Crisps and C4L join regional winners from across the UK at the prestigious national final to be held later in the year, where the 2012 winner will be announced.

About C4L

C4L is an internet infrastructure solutions provider and deploys a full range of services in over 40 data centres, including colocation, IP transit, interconnects, data backup, data storage, virtualisation, telecoms, disaster recovery and leased lines, to name just a few. These are all provided with C4L's commitment to maximum uptime and customer support; featuring a 24/7 network operations centre (NOC) which is manned by trained professionals with Microsoft and Cisco qualifications.

C4L's industry leading data centre connected network, includes sites such as Bournemouth, Slough, BlueSquare Maidenhead, BlueSquare Milton Keynes, Telehouse Metro, Telehouse North, City Lifeline and InterXion. The company is now in its 11th trading year and with a track record of 100% growth every year its client base includes Government, FTSE 250, financial institutions and many of the UK's network carriers. The business is committed to customer satisfaction and quality of service and has achieved certifications such as ISO9001 & 27001. For more information, visit www.C4L.co.uk.