< PreviousIn 2022, organisations will begin to discover the value of viewing their networks holistically and will come to appreciate how their networks are in fact multi-layered. Kubernetes and Docket Containers. When it comes to novel adoption of AI, NLP and IVAs, cloud is the enabler. It allows organisations to take advantage of third-party innovation, layering of APIs, and access to capabilities way beyond the capabilities of on-premises. Those organisations still wavering are set to get left behind. Tim Sherbak, Product Marketing Manager at Quantum offers us his views on storage: Cold storage heats up: As IT budgets lag data growth rates, pressure is building for creative ways to cost-effectively store, manage and extract more value from data. Emerging cold storage architectures and services will blur the lines between cold and warm data, with high-performance access and simpler cost models allowing for more effective storage and use of cold data sets. With emerging architectures and services, cold storage solutions will be deployed within an organisation’s own data centre, colocation facility or hosted IT environment, whereby data can now be maintained within in-house security perimeters to meet data sovereignty and data residency requirements. New erasure coding algorithms optimised specifically for cold storage will enhance data protection and durability for long term retention while reducing storage costs significantly versus multi-copy and cloud- based solutions. Tape becomes cool again: Large enterprises, cloud-scale solution providers, research facilities and government agencies will increasingly turn to online, tape-based solutions for petabyte- and exabyte-scale data stores and active, accessible archives. DNA Storage continues to make strides as a promising area of research, but tape prevails for the next decade due to its technology maturity, continued low-cost leadership, ultra-low power consumption, and long-term durability. Architectures based on RAIL (Redundant Array of Independent Libraries), will hit their stride due to advances in multi-dimensional erasure coding technologies, specifically optimised for tape library characteristics, simultaneously maximising performance, durability and storage efficiency. High-performance recovery of tape-based data will enable organisations to cost-effectively expand the application of AI, deep learning and other complex analyses with simplified staging and recovery of tape-based data sets for model recalibration, re-analysis and data re-use. John Morrison, Senior Vice President EMEA, Extreme Networks gives us his thoughts: Traditionally, most businesses have considered networks to only consist of two separate layers: software and hardware. In 2022, organisations will begin to discover the value of viewing their networks holistically and will come to appreciate how their networks are in fact multi-layered. Networks will only continue to become more intricate and complex, with many more parts now comprising the whole. Companies must reflect on their infrastructure in the same way. They can find ways to combine the power of cloud management with next-generation switches and access points, utilising the likes of AI and ML and deciding whether public cloud, private cloud and/or on-premises solutions best cater to them. These actions are vital for firms to future-proof themselves. Making possible networks that can meet these goals reliably and securely will keep people connected, engaged and productive in the more distributed environment that is shaping our reality. Breaking out of this binary perspective and realising that networking technology is much more powerful and nuanced will be the key to success for firms in 2022 and beyond. data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 20Jason Chester, Director of Global Channel Programs, InfinityQS, provides his thoughts on what we can expect to see from the manufacturing industry over the next 12 months and beyond 2021 was a challenging year with the global chip shortage having a severe impact on manufacturers. Despite this, there is optimism for 2022. Prediction 1 – Pandemic response becomes post-pandemic strategy 2022 will be the year in which businesses of all sizes and across all industries will move from the firefighting era of the pandemic response to an era of operational change and restructuring in the form of a post-pandemic strategy. Prediction 2 – Cloud computing/Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Cloud Computing and SaaS, has been increasing in momentum in adoption. More and more IT professionals are realising the business benefits of Cloud/SaaS over traditional in-house client-server IT architectures. Coupled with advances and maturing of the core technologies it is now becoming a ‘cloud-first’ strategy for most organisations. Supporting remote workers through anytime, anywhere access to critical business processes and information was solved largely through the rapid deployment and migration to cloud-based solutions. As a result, legacy systems are a high priority for digital transformation, in particular with a view to cloud/SaaS-based alternatives. 2022 will represent the ‘tipping point’ in cloud adoption with a cloud-first strategy becoming the standard default position for most legacy renovation projects and the major technology consideration in a post-pandemic strategy. Prediction 3 – Tribal knowledge becomes codified In many industries, people build up significant levels of skills, knowledge and experience that pertain to their roles. Most of that tacit knowledge is stored mentally and rarely documented or codified. But what happens when the knowledge is no longer available or on hand to perform those tasks? We expect organisations will begin to move more aggressively towards codifying what is currently highly tacit, tribal knowledge. Not only using solutions such as workflow and business process management but also emerging solutions in areas such as predictive and prescriptive analytics as well as leveraging machine learning and AI techniques. Prediction 4 – Sustainability accelerates digital transformation momentum The driving force behind digital transformation is shifting with sustainability taking centre stage. Organisations across every industry and of all sizes are recognising the responsibility and scrutiny being placed on them by governments, consumers and society at large to become much more environmentally responsible in their business activities. Organisations will increasingly turn to digital solutions to optimise efficiency and productivity and reduce unnecessary environmental impact. Prediction 5 – Industrial automation makes way for information automation Information is rapidly becoming the next battleground in the war on efficiency and productivity. We now have the technology capabilities to capture and analyse data in real-time, using sophisticated algorithms, and present the results in intuitive visualisations, enabling critical decisions to be made to ensure industrial processes are running optimally and to better predict when and where problems are most likely to occur before they impact on efficiency and productivity. Stephen Douglas, Head of 5G Strategy, Spirent Communications delivers his 5G predictions: Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) will grow during 2022 but a new or reframed spectrum is needed sooner rather than later. Operators worldwide face stiff competition to provide 5G coverage in their markets. However, while DSS ensures more subscribers can see that they’re connected to “5G” on their handsets, it can’t deliver data speeds that most consumers Ciaran Ford, Eaton DC believes that there is no return to normal For data and the data centre industry, the pandemic disruption was a major catalyst for accelerated digitalisation. The crisis drove the rapid adoption of these technologies and sped developments that were already underway. However, a decades-long efficiency drive, which held data centres to steady demand levels while processing much more, has run out of headroom. Our economy and society have gone full throttle on data, exactly at the time when we need to put the brakes on energy consumption if we’re to combat climate change. There are no megabits without megawatts, and as we demand and produce more and more data, energy consumption levels will rise. The data centre in a world of power transformation How can the industry achieve contrasting objectives and ramp-up while ramping down? This issue will be the dominant feature of the energy and data centre industry for the next five years. Electrification is sweeping other industrial sectors such as transport, domestic and commercial heating/cooling, and as the demand for electrical energy is set to soar, data centre operators will face tough challenges in accessing scarce, new energy production. We need to ramp up renewable energy production, not only to meet new demand but to also displace current fossil-based production. Energy network operators themselves will be stretched as they are asked to perform the magic trick of increasing supply while simultaneously decommissioning fossil fuel plants. Limited capacity means acute oversight The challenge for data centres will no longer be one of efficiency, but one of sustainability. New metrics and approaches to data centre design and operations will fall under greater scrutiny, as will the energy consumed by the overall telecom infrastructure which has an energy requirement many times that of the data centre industry. We rely on data, data relies on power, and a significant gap between our wants and needs will soon emerge. However, this is the kind of gap that will attract serious investment and innovation. The market opportunity for alignment of data and power Data and power will realign. There is a case for data centres to offer not just frequency response, but also to move into direct flexible supply to the grid. Sector coupling could become one of 2022’s major headlines for the data centre sector. By the end of 2022, we will continue to see the growth of ventures structured to make data centres part of the solution to the renewable transition. data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 21associate with 5G. More operators will recognise that this effort is not enough to compete with non-DSS 5G services. Ultimately, operators will begin undertaking the more onerous and expensive process of reallocating/ re-farming spectrum and expanding their cell site footprint. More operators will deploy standalone 5G core networks — and turn to hyperscalers for help. A few operators began deploying 5G SA networks in 2021, and those numbers will grow. Many operators will be looking to partner with hyperscalers, aiming to host cloud-native 5G core capabilities on cloud providers’ infrastructure. This process began in 2021, as operators began to grapple with just how challenging cloud-native infrastructure presents for traditional operations teams — and how much they can benefit from economies of scale by working with hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft and Amazon. The industry will see significant growth in investment in AI/ML and automation. We see significant growth in AI/ML and automation to enhance network performance and fault management. More operators are investing in active testing and assurance systems to inject synthetic traffic into their networks to emulate real users and services, instead of relying on static, passive probes. They’re seeking to pair these systems with AI/ML algorithms that can make good decisions in real-time for where, when and what to actively test to improve services or isolate faults, without requiring human intervention. We also expect to see early efforts in using AI/ML to enhance security, and in running testing workloads from the public cloud. The first wave of telco edge cloud use cases will hit the market. 2021 saw the first fledgling edge cloud partnerships between operators and cloud providers or other third parties. In 2022, we’ll see these initial test runs get serious business attention and investment. Look for activity around two basic offerings: public cloud-hosted edge services, which will focus on consumer applications like gaming, augmented reality and video content delivery, and private cloud-hosted edge offerings for enterprise and industrial use cases. Expect to see commercial launches of private cloud edge services for security and video surveillance, as well as secure desktop- as-a-service offerings for home-based workers. By mid-2022, expect to see a big push for private 5G networks for stadiums and other high-density venues. Testing over the last 18 months has revealed that the behaviour of 5G radio within these indoor environments actually provides better coverage than anticipated, with a very small footprint. Latency will begin to replace data rates in the battle for the hearts and minds of telco customers. For decades, the race to win the mobile marketplace was all about delivering faster data rates than the competition. As operators begin to expand their focus on the enterprise and industrial sectors, that focus will begin to give way to latency. Expect more operators to demonstrate that their networks can not only deliver latencies as low as required but can deliver those latencies consistently and deterministically enough to support mission-critical industrial applications. Open virtual RAN will go from pilot to production. Open vRAN will move from small-scale pilots to small- and medium-size live deployments. We expect to see early Open vRAN deployments in three key areas: rural regions, indoor, and non-dense urban deployments. All three are viewed as less risky than other types of deployments, either because they will not support mission-critical services, or because they will be able to fall back on the traditional macro network if needed. Momentum will continue building to accelerate some “Beyond 5G” services. Many service providers are searching for opportunities to bring some of those future technologies back within the umbrella of 5G architectures over the next eight years. We expect to see these efforts in two major areas. Firstly, by integrating low-Earth orbiting satellite technology into the 5G system to enhance 5G coverage for specific use cases and specific areas of reach. Secondly, early testing efforts in the use of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and meta-materials, with the goal of creating intelligent reflective surfaces that can direct or even amplify radio signals. These technologies will help operators cover hard-to-reach areas by enabling RF signals to travel longer distances and avoid interference, reduce the required density of radio towers, and potentially reduce energy output and carbon emissions. Jürgen Hatheier, CTO, EMEA & APAC, Ciena, offers us his predictions for 2022 and beyond: On 5G: The next generation of mobile technology has been talked about for the past couple of years, and as we head towards the tipping point of 5G becoming more widely available, consumer appetite is growing. As demand for increased speeds and lower latency grows, this is presenting a major opportunity for the industry and 5G. We are also starting to see a greater adoption of private 5G, driven by enterprises seeking to improve process efficiency, business continuity and agility, operations safety, and sustainability. On an immersive, digital world: We have seen a steady rise in VR and AR gaming experiences. Whether we are experiencing this through a VR headset or through our mobile phone, the digital world is all around us and this is expected to continue to grow in 2022 and beyond. To make all of this possible, I believe we will start to see a greater focus on three key areas of network investment: 1) network automation, 2) edge cloud and 3) 5G. Networks were not constructed to deliver the expectations of a truly immersive experience. I predict we will see a greater focus on evolving the network to deliver the experience we need. On digital inclusion and LEO: Governments will continue to spend money on broadband build-outs not only to connect businesses to the internet but to support remote work, education, healthcare, etc. Additionally, the growing activity with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites like Amazon Kuiper can be a game-changer to accelerate these developments even further. On sustainability and green networking: We are now at the stage where businesses are putting sustainability at the heart of their planning, with mandates, goals and pledges in place. Sustainability will drive and affect purchase and business decisions, as we continue to embrace a more connected and digital future. The digital world is all around us and this is expected to continue to grow in 2022 and beyond. data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 22Cloud predictions by Marc Cohn, Principal Technology Strategist, Spirent Communications. 2022 will see operators embrace Telco Cloud We expect to see major investment among operators in enhancing their cloud capabilities in three key areas. First, they will host more of their own cloud-native network functions in the public cloud, which will produce more and closer partnerships between operators and cloud providers. Second, operators will be looking to roll out new edge cloud services to unleash new applications. And third, they will deploy virtualised network functions in uCPE devices to enhance agility along with security. Expect enterprise security services to migrate from the data centre into the cloud The Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture combines SD-WAN and cloud-based security services, enabling enterprise on-ramps to multi- cloud services in the face of the WFH movement. Just as SASE converges the worlds of networking and security, expect to see the industry following suit, with SD-WAN vendors expanding their portfolios to evolve into security providers. 5G will enable Industry 4.0 in real deployments Mobile edge computing and edge cloud services will move out of the lab and into live deployments. Private 5G networks go live Along the same lines, growth in more powerful and pervasive edge clouds will enable operators to deliver on the potential for private 5G networks in earnest. Telehouse International Corporation of Europe reveals its five top trends it expects to impact the world of IT infrastructure during 2022. Mark Pestridge discusses: Edge data centres will start to spring up nationwide As 5G is deployed more widely, we will see even greater demand for edge data centres and an increase in acquisitions, mergers and the launch of new data centres. Edge computing, delivered from this fast-emerging network will provide the capacity to support smart cities, and a latency of less than one millisecond. Colocation will hold its own against hyperscale Despite challenges from hyperscalers, the colocation market will continue to thrive in 2022. Research shows 99% of UK enterprise IT decision-makers are using colocation, with 40% of enterprise IT infrastructure outsourced. This is set to rise as companies lay the foundations for edge computing and shift IT infrastructure from on-premise to colocation in response to remote and hybrid working models. Connections will be more important than location Rising data volumes and increasing demands for advanced technologies like AI and ML will force businesses to find ways to ingest and process data quicker and do so in a scalable and flexible cloud environment. Greater focus will be data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 23We will see more companies in the new year investing in education-based efforts to encourage the next generation of the workforce to gain critical skills to shape the future cyber workforce placed on the route data takes and the number of connections it has, rather than its geographical home. Building connected ecosystems and low-latency connectivity with network and connectivity partners will be critical to success. Growing data volumes will overwhelm businesses and lead to IT burnout Businesses will continue to focus on unlocking and analysing data to increase agility, inform strategy, launch new services quickly and inform decision making for digital transformation. However, increasing pressure on IT teams will lead to rising levels of burnout across the sector. Growing data volumes will also continue to drive the adoption of edge to deliver a more efficient way of moving and processing large volumes of data in real-time. Sustainability will become non-negotiable Sustainable IT Infrastructure will become a mandatory requirement for most businesses in 2022, driven by pressure from customers, partners and increasing regulation. Reducing environmental footprint is already a top- five challenge and will be the second biggest challenge by 2030 according to Telehouse research. As a result, monitoring of the environmental footprint of IT operations will increase and steps taken to reduce carbon impact, particularly when it comes to infrastructure strategy. Edge computing and colocation are already considered the most sustainable infrastructure models, and as more enterprises adopt hybrid and multi-cloud, adoption of colocation will rise as companies seek to offload sustainability responsibilities and reduce the carbon impact of cloud connectivity by connecting to multiple cloud services through a single, dedicated private connection from a data centre. Brian Murphy, CEO and Founder of ReliaQuest addresses the skills transfer issue. In 2022 the industry will need to make substantial progress in addressing the cybersecurity skills gap as efforts thus far haven’t shown the progress we need to properly address increasing threats – there aren’t enough cyber pros to build secure tech, implement protections or respond to breaches. While it’s great to see the efforts of the private sector prioritise training in cyber skills and making cyber awareness training accessible to everyone, the industry will direct more of its efforts into tackling the broader skills transfer issue. I hope to see more companies in the new year investing in meaningful skills initiatives, such as Microsoft’s work with community colleges and ReliaQuest’s work with 3DE high schoolers. These education-based efforts aim to encourage the next generation of the workforce to gain critical skills to shape the future cyber workforce. data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 24Brian Foster, Chief Product Officer at ReliaQuest believes we will be going back to basics 2022 will be the return to basic cyber hygiene and cyber resilience. While zero-trust and additional security models have an effective impact on preventing future data breaches, it can be argued that these architectures have become necessary because cyber hygiene basics have not been implemented properly. Companies are chasing new technologies to try and enhance their cybersecurity posture. However, none of these will have a significant impact if there is not a strong foundation of cyber hygiene for further support. Cyber resilience requires more than just the right products and fundamentals - it calls upon resiliency in terms of people as well. Team resilience during a cyberattack, including fast response and mitigation, must remain a critical focus for organisations. Mattias Fridström, Chief Evangelist at Arelion (previously Telia Carrier), outlines the connectivity trends that will be impacting the data centre in 2022. Data centres, and more specifically cloud service providers, have been creating huge value for enterprises for years, but this has accelerated hugely over the last two years. When the vast majority of office workers had to work from home, the cloud became the saviour for businesses and economies as they tried to stay afloat and keep their businesses operations running smoothly. Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft Azure accounted for more than half of the world’s largest data centres at the start of 2021, according to data from Synergy Research Group. This growth is set to continue and Microsoft, for example, has said it plans to build between 50 and 100 data centres a year going forward. The growth in these data centres across the globe, on which the cloud relies, has made it possible to gain access to services, applications, and content with greater ease than ever before. However, without the right connectivity, these data centres are worthless, and there are key trends emerging that will change the way connectivity is approached. The trend for enormous data centres will continue, but we are seeing new ways to build and locate data centres that are much smaller in scale. Towers of power It has been reported that a number of big tech companies are speaking with cell network providers, wanting to add small data centres or just servers directly to their towers. However, space is limited and most towers are not designed to meet the power demands of substantial servers at their base. But there are benefits if the right space can be found in the right tower, for example, to cache popular content directly at the cell tower. Ultimately, all parties can benefit from this arrangement – operators and cloud providers can improve their user experience at minimum cost, and operators can earn revenue by leasing tower access. Upcycling amplifier site space Amplifier sites offer another opportunity, as they range in size from containerised units to small buildings. Located roughly every 100km in a fibre network, these interconnect spots boost the fibre signals on their journey. Packed with fibres, these sites are perfect for dynamic CDN use cases. Originally fitted out up to 20 years ago, these sites can have lots of unutilised space as long-distance fibres have not been consumed in the way expected. While these sites have space and cooling infrastructure, power may still be a consideration. An amplifier that consumes 700W is very different to a server that sometimes wants 10-15kW or even more. This upcycling of dead space in existing network amplifier buildings can not only create a new revenue stream for owners but also gives data centre operators a rapid installation and direct-to-fibre connection at multiple sites with minimal construction costs, helping them support both operational and sustainability goals. For network operators, there is potentially more value in leasing the space for data centre use than in the traffic itself. Cloud provider connectivity While a direct comparison cannot be made with the global connectivity offered by telecoms operators on fibre networks, pay-per-usage models do exist and some will feel they are the right choice for them. The challenge will be establishing whether the services are competitive between the cloud providers and network operators. Pay-per-usage can also mean unstable costs creating financial risks for customers. Ethernet-based WAN The prevalence of public clouds has also provided great opportunities for some customers to move their owned co-location resources into these new environments. SD-WAN, too, has made it possible to dynamically and rapidly tweak networks to achieve the best performance over the public internet. SD-WAN gave customers impressive new ways to manage their networks and was touted as the future of WAN networking, replacing Ethernet. The reality is that Ethernet still has a place and is enjoying a renaissance. A combination of the two is the future. Ethernet is the most trusted and proven LAN technology, and has continuously reinvented itself over decades. It provides the perfect combination of high-speed connectivity and simplicity for many WAN use-cases, such as business continuity, sensitive data transfers, or those where absolute consistent control over performance is essential. Enterprises are now exercising their desire to retain more direct control over their network connections and regain greater simplicity and transparency. Ethernet, with its near plug-and-play accessibility, is allowing them to do exactly that with their chosen network operator, whilst still building out world- class WAN infrastructure and exploiting the benefits of SD-WAN. Data centre heaven The next few years could be hugely exciting for the smaller data centre as these trends take effect. Getting a data centre off the ground has always been a challenging and expensive project – it’s potentially getting easier than ever before. n data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 25The biggest trends for 2022 data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 26Alan Hayward Sales and Marketing Manager SEH Technology One of the biggest drivers to date has been the Covid-19 pandemic, as it created a set of unprecedented challenges for the technology sector. With companies working remotely, the need for rapid access to information was a huge hurdle that data centres had to overcome. In fact, a recent report from Statista stated that the total amount of data created, captured, copied and consumed reached 79 zettabytes in 2021. The pandemic highlighted that managing the availability and quality of online services during the pandemic was no simple task. With that in mind, industry experts are now considering what future data centres will look like and the trends that they need to keep in mind when moving through 2022. Rise of sustainability The first is sustainability, which has been somewhat of a buzzword in the technology sector for a number of years. Moving forward, the vast majority of UK executives and managers believe that green technology will be one of their company’s highest concerns, or will become a leading priority in the next five years. There are a number of factors that are motivating businesses to become more environmentally friendly, mainly in relation to the increasing importance that customers place on sustainability. Many consumers are now considering this when choosing brands to spend money with and are even happy to pay a premium for sustainable products or services. This links to the impact data centres are placing on the environment, specifically in terms of water usage, energy consumption and carbon emissions. It’s no secret that data centres are energy-intensive and are estimated to account for 2% of the world’s energy consumption. As a result, data centres need to consider transitioning to a net-zero model, and fast. This involves investing in renewable resources and waste heat recycling in an effort to power and cool servers in a greener way in the future. Introducing automation Automation is another aspect of the data centre industry that has accelerated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. To limit the contact of staff onsite, many data centres shifted to remote capabilities for monitoring and routine services. However, data centre managers are now claiming that staffing issues will continue to be an issue in 2022, meaning their needs for automation will only continue to increase. Furthermore, the staggering growth in data and the speed at which businesses operate means that manual monitoring, troubleshooting and problem-solving can often be too slow, putting organisations at risk. This has resulted in the introduction of data centre automation, to ensure routine workflows and processes are managed and executed without human administration. Looking ahead, data centre automation will significantly increase agility and operational efficiency, reducing the time required for the IT team to perform routine tasks. It also means that services in high demand can be delivered in a repeatable manner, allowing for improved flexibility and scalability. Private Cloud adoption In 2022, the industry can also expect to see more organisations transitioning away from in-house operations and embracing the Cloud. However, when they do this, businesses need to understand that their data must remain as secure as possible. Because of this, they are likely to embrace private Clouds rather than public for better peace of mind. After all, the exchange of information outside of the company’s usual network can create a significant threat of data leakage. Additionally, private Cloud infrastructures are built based on each business's individual needs, ensuring it has sufficient resources to manage all applications and data required in the long term. Ultimately, private Clouds deliver similar advantages to public Clouds, such as scalability, but with the added benefits of flexibility, security and control through a singular architecture, making it an attractive option for organisations. Looking to the future The past 18-months has seen the majority of employees working from home across the globe. This has caused the demand for data centre capacity to reach an all-time high, resulting in the sector finding new ways to adapt to the drastic change in market conditions. Moreover, data centres need to keep up to date with the latest trends, including sustainability, automation and private Cloud adoption to make sure they can continue meeting organisational needs in the coming years. n The data centre services market has been growing at an exponential rate, with many predicting that the market will be valued at $105.6 billion by 2026. The main drivers of growth are the digitisation of existing processes, the growing number of industrial sectors using digital technologies and the rise of SMEs adopting new technologies. What’s more, the development of data-generating solutions such as IoT and machine learning has played a key role in increasing the demand. data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 27It’s a new year with new challenges for data centre operators. Here, Dave Sterlace, Head of Technology for ABB Global Data Center Solutions looks at the top five themes that are emerging for European data centres looking to expand and grow in 2022. Dave Sterlace Head of Technology for ABB Global Data Center Solutions Demand for data in Europe is voracious. By 2025, there will be an estimated 715 million internet users on the continent and an estimated 83% of Europeans accessing it via a mobile internet connection. To keep pace with this growing appetite for data, data centre operators need to use their resources in the smartest way, to ensure growth in the sector is sustainable for their customers and the planet. This sets the scene for the overall megatrend for 2022 which is sustainability – we need to build greener data centres and reduce energy waste. Within this overall theme, we have identified five key trends that we expect to see unfold this year: The switch to sustainable power Hot on the heels of the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow last year, sustainability and ambitions to keep global warming under 2°C will be top of the agenda for data centre operators in 2022. One way we will see data centres do this is by supporting the shift to more renewable power generation, such as by switching to a UPS with Frequency Regulation Functionality (FRF). This technology allows the UPS to interact with the grid and provide balancing services from unused reserves of power. The way FRF works is simple. Normally, energy flows from the grid to the load and the battery, to keep it charged. If there is a grid issue (for example if the grid is under pressure to deliver more electricity during a peak period), energy for the load is taken from the data centre’s UPS battery. This support can also go the other way. If there is an increase in grid frequency and the grid operator needs to offload some power, it can be discharged to the UPS battery banks. As well as helping to regulate the local power grid, adding FRF to UPS installations helps balance the books as grid operators offer financial compensation for frequency balancing services. In 2022, we also expect to see more Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) providing alternate power for data centres, as well as the rollout of pilots for the use of fuel cells which will further reduce CO2 emissions compared to traditional diesel gensets. Move to MV As facilities continue to grow in terms of their size, we will see an increase in demand for incoming Medium Voltage (MV) power. There are a lot of advantages to incoming MV power, such as higher reliability and fewer losses. MV equipment is energy efficient too – last year, we saw an MV UPS solution come to market offering 98% efficiency, which would have been unheard of a few years ago. While some data centre operators may not be as familiar with MV gear, there are many safety offerings available to mitigate risk such as arc resistant switchgear and arc limiting technology, which will become more standard in larger data centres in 2022 and beyond. More modular solutions With the race to create more capacity to cope with exponential demand, 2022 will see more data centre operators favouring offsite manufacturing with the use of modular and prefabricated building models over traditional ‘stick built’ approaches. Using modular, scalable equipment and prefabricated and pre designed solutions, such as eHouses and skids, reduces build completion time by as much as 50% compared to traditionally built data centres. Modular electrification solutions are flexible and scalable, and incorporate standard blocks of power which can be repeated to allow for future expansion. While the designs are standardised to a point, every site has different requirements so variables such as utility voltage, the total size of the data centre, and the optimal design for cooling based on the local climate, are all incorporated into the final prefabricated product. Modular solutions often have built-in digital capabilities such as energy and asset management functions which can help data centres measure and manage their energy consumption as they grow too. 5 data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 28Top trends for data centres The skills gap It’s well documented that the industry is facing a skills gap, in terms of access to specialist contractors and trades, and the growing shortage of skilled workers will ultimately have a major impact on the sector’s ability to build new capacity. As well as a shortage of specialist subcontractors and trades, there is also increasing difficulty in recruiting and retaining data centre staff, which will further add challenges to the industry this year. As a result, we are likely to see more interest in remote support services in 2022, as these provide fast support and troubleshooting via immersive augmented reality and other digital platforms, giving data centre operators access to the advanced technical expertise they don’t have inhouse. Downtime prevention With the latest research showing that outages now cost operators’ customers on average $740,000, 2022 will see a shift in data centre operations towards avoiding unplanned downtime using the latest technologies such as digitalisation and preventative maintenance as well as more lean topologies which champion efficiency and utilisation. Data centre outages are getting more expensive and more disruptive too – such as the outage which brought down Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram in October 2021 and caused a multimillion loss in total revenue and a drop in the company’s shares. This is one trend data centres will want to see less of this year and why reliability is set to jump up the priorities list. In summary, the trends we’ve identified for 2022 show that data centre operators need to shift their focus to concentrate on sustainable, robust and reliable growth. There are clever technological solutions available that can provide answers to some of the challenges the industry will be facing but ultimately, some aspects such as the skills gap will need longer-term solutions which require a broader industry approach. n data centre trends of tomorrow www.networkseuropemagazine.com 29Next >