Deep beneath the bustling streets of Israel, in fortified underground vaults humming with servers, lies the unseen backbone of the nation’s digital economy. For two decades, MedOne has been the trusted custodian of Israel’s data – from government records and bank transactions to streaming videos and cloud applications. As Israel’s leading data center partner, MedOne’s 20-year journey is a story of technological innovation, resilience, and strategic vision that has helped shape the country’s digital infrastructure. This article explores how MedOne grew from pioneering undersea cables in the 2000s to powering today’s cloud and AI era, all while literally building its facilities like bunkers to protect Israel’s digital future.
A 20-Year Legacy at the Core of Israel’s Digital Growth
Founded in the late 1990s, MedOne set out with an ambitious mission: to pioneer Israel’s international telecommunications infrastructure. In 2000, the company undertook a groundbreaking project to lay the LEV submarine cable system connecting Israel with Europe via Cyprus and Italy, along with a coastal fiber system and a domestic network. By 2001, MedOne was helping expand Israel’s global connectivity through the MedNautilus undersea cable, linking Israel to Greece, Turkey, and Italy – with MedOne’s data centers serving as the cable landing stations. These early investments literally wired Israel to the world, establishing MedOne as a linchpin of the country’s Internet backbone.
As Israel’s tech industry and internet usage boomed, MedOne evolved. By 2014 the company realigned its strategy to focus squarely on carrier-neutral colocation and interconnection services, positioning itself as the go-to data center provider for enterprises and service providers. In 2015, MedOne launched one of Israel’s first local public cloud platforms – a hybrid cloud service built to the highest security and resilience standards. This move made MedOne a home-grown cloud alternative at a time when global cloud regions in-country were still on the horizon. Today, MedOne is widely recognized as Israel’s most trusted provider of data center infrastructure, catering to a who’s-who of clients. Its customer roster spans the world’s largest technology companies, Israeli financial institutions, government ministries, and even defense and security entities. This breadth of trust across sectors did not happen overnight – it was earned through a consistent track record of reliability over the last 20 years. MedOne’s four existing data centers – encompassing over 25,000 square meters of server space – are all located underground in hardened sites designed for maximum protection and uptime. These facilities have operated as the silent backbone for countless digital services that Israelis rely on every day.
Fortress Infrastructure and Cutting-Edge Capabilities
What makes MedOne stand out technologically is the extreme engineering and innovation built into its data centers. Each site is constructed like a high-tech fortress: buried underground, equipped with multi-layer physical security, and built to keep running through crises. MedOne’s facilities boast a unique infrastructure setup that provides an extraordinary level of survivability – they can continue operating independently for 72 consecutive hours in emergency situations such as power grid failures. In practice, this means even if disaster strikes above ground, MedOne’s data halls deep below can keep Israel’s critical IT systems online for at least three days without external support. It’s a bunker mentality that reflects the reality of Israel’s security environment, and it’s one reason government and defense clients feel safe hosting systems there.
Security is a non-negotiable focus. The data centers use strict access controls, 24/7 surveillance, and armed guards, ensuring an uncompromising physical security posture. MedOne offers underground hosting in protected facilities specifically to provide the highest survivability and protection levels – data remains secure even in the most extreme circumstances. This attention to security extends beyond the physical: MedOne supports some of the country’s most sensitive sectors like finance and telecom, where data privacy and cyber defense are paramount. The company’s Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solutions further exemplify this, enabling customers to instantly failover to MedOne’s sites during cyberattacks or outages, thus keeping businesses running through adversity.
MedOne has also continually upgraded its technology to stay ahead of industry trends. A prime example is its readiness for the AI and high-performance computing (HPC) revolution. For over 15 years, MedOne has been at the forefront of delivering HPC environments, achieving 100% uptime SLAs for performance and availability. Its data centers can support extreme-density hardware – up to 200 kW of power per rack – to accommodate today’s power-hungry AI supercomputers and machine learning clusters. Such capacity is virtually unheard of in typical server rooms and requires advanced engineering like liquid cooling and special power distribution. MedOne was early to adopt innovations like direct liquid cooling and immersion cooling to manage these intense workloads efficiently, long before “AI-ready” became a buzzword. In other words, what many data center operators are learning to implement today, MedOne has already been doing for years.
Beyond raw compute power, MedOne’s cloud services portfolio shows its innovative streak. The company offers a full stack of cloud models – IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS – through its MedOne Cloud platform, giving Israeli organizations scalable cloud resources with local data residency. Years before global hyperscalers opened local regions, MedOne was partnering with global firms to bring cloud capabilities to Israel. Notably, it teamed up with Dimension Data/NTT to deliver enterprise-grade public and hybrid cloud services to thousands of customers worldwide. In 2020, MedOne even worked with Microsoft to establish an Azure cloud presence in Israel, ahead of Azure’s full data center region launch. And when Amazon Web Services wanted to enable dedicated connections for Israeli customers, it chose MedOne’s Haifa facility as the first AWS Direct Connect location in Israel, allowing local companies to hook directly into the AWS global network. These partnerships underscore MedOne’s role as a bridge between Israel and the global cloud ecosystem.
Key Technological Highlights of MedOne Data Centers:
- Underground “Bunker” Architecture: All main facilities are deep underground, providing natural protection against physical threats. This design ensures continuity even under extreme conditions like war or earthquakes.
- Resilience and Redundancy: Every critical system is fully backed up in real-time. The data centers are built to Tier III standards or higher, with redundant power, cooling, and network links for uninterrupted service.
- Emergency Power Autonomy: Equipped with substantial generator and fuel reserves, MedOne’s sites can run independently for 72 hours without external power – a crucial capability for national infrastructure resilience.
- Carrier-Neutral Hub: MedOne’s sites sit at the heart of Israel’s internet connectivity, offering direct access to all major telecom carriers, submarine cable landing stations, and global internet exchange points. This makes MedOne a central interconnection hub for data traffic between the Middle East and Europe, minimizing latency and boosting network performance for clients.
- Cloud and Hyperscaler Integration: The facilities host on-ramps to major cloud providers and support hybrid cloud deployments. MedOne’s own cloud services and partnerships provide versatile options from private racks to public cloud bursting.
- High-Density & AI-Ready Design: With advanced cooling (direct liquid and immersion) and power infrastructure, MedOne can support extremely high density racks (up to 200kW) needed for AI training clusters and HPC. This future-proofs the data centers for emerging tech workloads.
- Sustainability Initiatives: MedOne is aligning with global green standards – the company has pledged to substantially increase its use of renewable energy by 2025 to power its operations. It is also implementing energy-efficient cooling and recycling programs as part of a broader ESG vision.
The Backbone of Israel’s Digital Infrastructure
Over 20 years, MedOne has grown into more than just a vendor – it is now part of Israel’s critical national infrastructure. Its data centers host a significant share of the country’s internet exchange fabric, cloud availability zones, and disaster recovery sites for essential services. For instance, key government systems and ministries rely on MedOne’s facilities to keep their data and applications secure yet accessible. Leading banks and financial institutions, which demand strict compliance and uptime, colocate their core IT systems in MedOne’s hardened vaults for peace of mind. Telecom operators plug into MedOne’s carrier-neutral meet-me rooms to interconnect networks, exchange internet traffic, and tap into undersea cable capacity. In effect, MedOne’s campuses have become the nerve centers through which much of Israel’s data flows.
This role was highlighted during recent crises. Even amid conflicts that tested Israel’s resilience, MedOne’s continuity planning ensured that vital digital services never went dark. Business continuity in the new facility is structured such that every system is fully backed up in real-time to enable operations even under extreme conditions. Such capabilities are not theoretical – they are regularly audited and have been called upon during rocket attacks and grid outages. MedOne’s ongoing support to keep Israel connected even in the most extreme circumstances is a point of pride and a strategic necessity.
MedOne also plays an enabling role in Israel’s technology ecosystem and digital economy. By providing world-class infrastructure on local soil, it lowers the barrier to entry for Israeli startups and IT innovators. Entrepreneurs can easily spin up servers or rent secure racks at MedOne instead of investing in their own data centers, accelerating time-to-market. The company even tailors its cloud and IaaS offerings to support startups with scalable, cost-effective resources, catalyzing growth in the tech sector. The ripple effect is evident – Israel’s rise as the “Startup Nation” has been underpinned by reliable connectivity and cloud access, to which MedOne has contributed significantly.
Concrete examples abound. When global content providers and CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) enter Israel, they often partner with MedOne to leverage its infrastructure. In 2024, a European firm teamed up with MedOne to launch advanced video streaming CDN services in Israel, combining software innovation with MedOne’s cloud and connectivity capabilities. This collaboration is bringing faster, higher-quality video delivery to millions of Israeli consumers – from streaming platforms to large-scale live broadcasts – all served from MedOne’s data centers. MedOne’s leadership emphasizes that the low-latency, high-bandwidth distribution made possible by its network will improve content delivery nationwide. It’s a vivid example of how MedOne’s platform supports innovation across industries, whether in media, healthcare, finance, or defense.
Even the world’s hyperscale cloud companies, which traditionally build their own facilities, have intersected with MedOne. Microsoft’s first foray into Israeli cloud services leveraged MedOne’s data center expertise in 2020, and AWS’s first local network node came via MedOne’s Haifa site. Now that AWS, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle have all announced or launched Israeli cloud regions by 2023, the cloud landscape is evolving – yet MedOne remains deeply interwoven. It provides the physical interconnects, backup sites, and hybrid solutions that tie these public clouds to local enterprise infrastructure. For many companies, MedOne is the bridge between their private systems and the global cloud, offering direct fiber links and colocation adjacent to cloud on-ramps. This intermediary role is crucial for performance and compliance, and MedOne has capitalized on it by hosting cloud access points and even bidding for government cloud projects. In short, if data is the new oil, MedOne built some of the first refineries in Israel and continues to refine how data is stored, secured, and delivered across the country.
Staying Ahead: Expansion and the Road to the Future
What does the future hold for MedOne? In a word: growth. The demand for data capacity in Israel shows no signs of slowing – the country’s data center market is projected to expand at roughly 11% annually through 2027, fueled by surging cloud adoption, 5G networks, and the data-hungry nature of AI and IoT applications. To stay ahead of the curve, MedOne has embarked on its largest expansion to date. The company is currently developing seven additional data center facilities across Israel, adding over 85,000 square meters and 90 megawatts of capacity in the coming few years. This includes a brand-new campus north of Tel Aviv in Kfar Yona with two massive underground data centers totaling 30,000 square meters, slated to open in 2026 and 2027. MedOne is investing more than 1 billion shekels (about $270 million) in that project alone – a strong sign of confidence in Israel’s digital growth.
These new facilities are being built to the same exacting standards that MedOne is known for, with some upgrades reflecting lessons learned. Every system in the upcoming data centers will have real-time mirrored backups, and the designs are informed by the local threat landscape to ensure continuity even if civil infrastructure is compromised. MedOne is effectively future-proofing its infrastructure against both today’s threats and tomorrow’s scale. The expansion also extends MedOne’s geographic reach: sites under development include locations in the north, central Israel, and even the Negev in the south. A wider spread of data centers means better redundancy and the ability to serve customers with regional preferences, whether for latency or regulatory reasons. It also positions MedOne to support emerging edge computing needs as 5G-driven services require data centers closer to end-users.
Moreover, MedOne’s forward-looking approach isn’t just about concrete and cables – it’s about continual innovation. The company is investing in talent and new technologies to maintain its edge. Whether it’s experimenting with greener power solutions, enhancing its cloud software platform, or offering managed services on top of colocation, MedOne aims to deliver a best-in-class experience. Its long-term partnerships and access to global expertise provide the capital and strategic vision to explore cutting-edge trends like AI-as-a-service, cybersecurity operations centers, and smart city infrastructure. In essence, MedOne is gearing up to be not just a passive landlord of server space, but an active enabler of Israel’s digital ambitions – from smart healthcare to autonomous vehicles – over the next decade.
Conclusion
In the span of twenty years, MedOne has grown from an aspirational telecom start-up into the bedrock of Israel’s digital infrastructure. Its journey mirrors Israel’s own high-tech evolution: laying the groundwork with connectivity in the early 2000s, building secure and scalable platforms through the 2010s, and now entering an era of cloud and AI-driven growth. Through it all, MedOne’s subterranean data centers have quietly kept the country’s bytes flowing – shielded from threats, yet open for business. This unique mix of security and openness, local focus and global partnership, makes MedOne an indispensable player in Israel’s tech landscape.
As Israeli companies and government agencies look to the future – harnessing artificial intelligence or ensuring national resilience – MedOne remains a trusted partner at every step. Its 20-year legacy offers a reassuring precedent that the digital foundations of Israel are in capable hands. With new state-of-the-art facilities on the way, MedOne is doubling down on that legacy. In a world where data is mission-critical, MedOne has spent two decades proving itself as Israel’s digital guardian, and it shows no intention of slowing down. The next time you stream a video, execute a bank transfer, or deploy a cloud app in Israel, chances are MedOne’s invisible might is part of making it happen – reliably, securely, and at scale. Israel’s digital future will continue to run through MedOne’s fortified halls, deep underground yet powering innovation high above.