Solving a Unique Global Multi-Cloud Uplink Challenge: Nexthop Delivers Tailored Dark Fibre Solution for Tape Ark

Tape Ark, a global leader in migrating and preserving tape-based data into multi-cloud environments, has successfully deployed a high-capacity network solution engineered by Nexthop. The partnership addresses Tape Ark’s highly asymmetrical and globally distributed data ingestion needs, dramatically increasing upload performance from its headquarters in Perth.

A Challenge Defined by Extreme Upload Demands

Unlike traditional business traffic where downloads dominate, Tape Ark’s workflows are almost entirely upload-driven — with more than 90% of traffic dedicated to ingesting legacy tape data into major cloud platforms.

This created two major complications:

• Highly asymmetrical data flow, requiring upload-optimised capacity.
  
• Geographic distance from major cloud regions, making Perth a uniquely challenging location for high-scale uploads.

Bandwidth constraints were becoming an operational risk, potentially limiting Tape Ark’s ability to take on global, large-volume migration projects.

Nexthop’s Tailored Network Architecture

Nexthop was the only provider able to meet both the capacity and flexibility requirements. Working closely with Tape Ark, Sales Director Tim Jones designed a bespoke solution that leveraged Nexthop’s strengths in cloud connectivity and dark fibre infrastructure.

The final architecture combined:

• Dedicated Dark Fibre, delivering predictable, high-capacity performance
  
• Strong direct peering to major public clouds (Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud)
  
• Optimisation specifically for asymmetrical, upload-heavy workloads
  

This design turned Tape Ark’s “inverse of a typical enterprise” traffic profile into an advantage — maximising throughput and reliability where it matters most.

Immediate Impact on Operations

The new high-capacity link has removed bandwidth as a constraint entirely, enabling Tape Ark to operate with greater confidence and agility.

“Everything about working with Nexthop was easy — from tailoring the design to rollout and ongoing adjustments. Nothing was ever too hard or ‘not possible.’ This partnership gives us the confidence to accept jobs of any size into Perth, knowing bandwidth is no longer a bottleneck.”
— Jeremy Nottle, Senior Vice President, IT Innovation & Strategy, Tape Ark

The solution:

• Eliminates bandwidth as a limiting factor
  
• Reduces operational risk
  
• Improves reliability across multi-cloud uplinks
  
• Avoids long-term costs by proactively addressing future capacity needs
  

Tim Jones added:

“We recognised that Tape Ark’s requirements were the reverse of a typical enterprise environment. Our combined dark fibre and direct cloud peering approach was purpose-built to meet that — delivering a truly high-capacity, upload-optimised solution.”

A Partnership Built on Engineering Precision and Flexibility

The successful delivery underscores Nexthop’s capability to engineer network solutions for highly specialised, high-volume data environments. For Tape Ark, it marks a major step forward in supporting global-scale tape-to-cloud migration projects — directly from Perth.