Pictured: Stuart Gibson (left) with Stu Lowndes (both of Netplan)

A Coventry business success story is continuing to expand its super computer company after landing a series of high-profile contracts.

Netplan Internet Solutions, based at the Cobalt Centre at the Middlemarch Business Park in the city, provides an on-site data centre for clients to host websites that is fully compliant to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

That has led to contracts to host sites for blue-chip companies such as Thomas Cook and AXA Travel Insurance.

The company is now expanding its offer to include cloud hosting with a Virtual Data Centre product, which allows businesses to do away with many on-site servers and have them based securely in the 'cloud' for a smaller cost.

As part of its expansion, Netplan has purchased space at Telehouse West in London - one of the world's largest and most secure data centres.

That means it can offer even greater capacity to clients to host websites or to store company files and programmes on the cloud.

Stuart Gibson started the company from his Earlsdon bedroom in 1999 and said he was excited by the growth of the business.

"We have worked to offer a fast, secure solution for clients and that has paid off," he said. "The fact that we now work for high profile names such as Thomas Cook, AXA, KLM, BT and OKI highlights the strong reputation we have in this field.

"Traditionally, we have been a website host. That means we have provided the physical hardware from which companies base their website.

"That is an area of the business that is still expanding but the future for us is in the cloud.

"Many companies have heard people talking about the cloud but many myths do remain about it. 

"Ultimately, it will offer companies the chance to store everything they need safely and securely and be able to access it anywhere. The days of having physical servers sitting within an office are numbered but, understandably for some, that is quite a big barrier to overcome.

"We have racks of computer space both here and now in London at Telehouse West because, while we call it the cloud, data has to be physically stored.

"It has to be done safely, securely and Telehouse West is known to be just about the safest place there is and here in Coventry we have invested heavily to keep machines running even if there is a power-cut because you cannot take any chances."