NETWORKS EUROPE The magazine for network and data centre professionals July/August 2022 ADDRESSING THE SKILLS GAP FROM SMART CITIES TO A SMART PLANET SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS WHY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT MUST UNDERGO A TRANSFORMATION COLLECTING DATA TO MANAGE RESOURCES THE TIME FOR BOLD LEADERSHIP IS NOW Underlay Networking – Exploding the Myths The IoT Data Deluge in Industry and Manufacturing Closing Cyber Crime Gaps by Hardening Business’ Endpoints IN THIS ISSUE:Smart Buildings Networks Water Cooling 05 Foreword 06 News The news desk highlights some of the latest industry stories. 20 From Smart Cities to a Smart Planet Alistair Fulton, Semtech Corporation describes how smart cities need to collect data efficiently and cost-effectively to manage resources. 24 Underlay Networking – Exploding the Myths Mark Dulling, Senior Solutions Architect, MLL Telecom explodes some common myths around Underlay Networking. 28 Edge Cloud and 5G Shape Next Gen Networks Jürgen Hatheier, Chief Technology Officer EMEA and APAC, Ciena discovers how edge cloud and 5G shape next gen networks. 30 Getting to Grips with SD-WAN Jay Botelho, Senior Director, Product Management at LiveAction looks at getting to grips with SD-WAN. 34 The IoT Data Deluge in Industry and Manufacturing “Effective data storage management is a critical component of the IoT ecosystem,” says David Keegan, Group CEO of DataQube Global. 36 Powering Sustainable Data Centre Growth Through Chilled Water Cooling Andrea Moscheni, Thermal Management Product Application Manager, Vertiv looks at powering sustainable data centre growth through chilled water cooling. CONTENTS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 02 202836 NETWORKS EUROPE The views expressed in the articles and technical papers are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the publishers. The author and publisher, and its officers and employees, do not accept any liability for any errors that may have occurred, or for any reliance on their contents. All trademarks and brandnames are respected within our publication. However, the publishers accept no responsibility for any inadvertent misuse that may occur. This publication is protected by copyright © 2020 and accordingly must not be reproduced in any medium. All rights reserved. Networks Europe stories, news, know-how? Please submit to editor@networkseuropemagazine.com including high resolution (300dpi+ CMYK) images. Surrey Technology Centre Surrey Research Park 40 Occam Road Guildford, GU2 7YG www.networkseuropemagazine.com Published by: Abacus Communications Limited Publisher: Greg Ward Editor: Laura VallisTraining and Development 4860 SustainabilityColocation Automation Security 40 Scope 3 Emissions: The Time for Bold Leadership is Now Technology offers us a path forward to meet the demands of the current climate challenges. David Craig, Chief Executive Officer, Iceotope asks do we have the leadership to embrace it? 42 With a BEMS, ESG Energy Reduction is as Easy as IoT Matthew Margetts, Smarter Technologies Group Director of Sales and Marketing examines why, with a BEMS, ESG Energy Reduction is as easy as IoT. 46 How the Zero-Standing Privilege Approach Helps to Keep the IT Environment Safe Dirk Schrader, resident CISO (EMEA) and VP of security research at Netwrix examines how the zero-standing privilege approach helps to keep the IT environment safe. 48 Closing Cyber Crime Gaps by Hardening Business’ Endpoints Andrea Babbs, UK General Manager, VIPRE, highlights the importance for IT teams to harden endpoints across the business to effectively manage cyber threats, emphasising the importance of vulnerability and patch management. 52 Location, Location, Location: Why Colocation Data Centres are Connecting with the Edge Amy Young, Sales Director, Custodian Data Centres looks at why colocation data centres are connecting with the edge. 56 Why Engineers Should be Embracing the Move to Automation Mark Coleman, General Manager NetBox, NS1 asks why engineers should be embracing the move to automation. 60 Addressing the IT Skills Gap with Training and Development The skills gap has increased, placing a staggering reliance on upskilling and reskilling the current workforce. Alan Hayward, Sales and Marketing Manager at SEH Technology considers why learning and development must undergo a transformation. 62 Movers and Shakers We take a quick look at some of the industry's movers and shakers, including new appointments, promotions and personnel changes. 40 www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com CONTENTS 03Transact, invest and trade in data centers, digital, metaverse and energy infrastructure Platform is a completely new annual transactional marketplace for investors, buyers and sellers across the digital infrastructure fabric and supporting sustainable energy technologies hosted at the Palais des Congrès Antibes, France, 14-16 September 2022. Register today at www.platformcongress.comWelcome to Networks Europe It's apparently all about being smart. Yes, we have plenty of smart people in this industry and we tip our hat to you all, but now it's about smart buildings and smart cities. Is the next step a smart planet? Being 'smart' is all very well but how do we analyse what it does for us, and what do we do with that information when we get it? In this issue, we look at how and why smart cities need to collect data efficiently and cost-effectively to manage resources. We also explode the myths around underlay networking and discover how edge cloud and 5G are shaping next-generation networks. In addition, we get to grips with SD-WAN and look at the IoT data deluge in industry and manufacturing. Our sustainability feature looks at powering growth through chilled water cooling and we also consider Scope 3 emissions. We have the technology to meet the demands of the current climate challenges, but do we have the leadership to embrace it? Our section on security looks at the zero-standing privilege approach helping to keep the IT environment safe, and we highlight the importance for IT teams to harden endpoints to manage cyber threats effectively. We also look at colocation data centres and why they are connecting with the edge. We also ask why engineers should be embracing the move to automation. Our final feature in this issue addresses the IT skills gap. We look at why learning and development in this sector must undergo a transformation to ensure the skills gap widens no further. On top of this, we still have all our news items which keep flooding in, and our movers and shakers section which can be found on the magazine's final pages. Our next issue will cover the subjects of hybrid and remote data centres and cooling options. If you would like to contribute a feature article our editorial deadline is 17th September. We look forward to hearing from you. Laura Vallis Editor Networks Europe magazine FOREWORD www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com 05When Han-Modular was released in 1993, it was the first modular industrial connector to run power, signal and data alongside each other in a single connector. HARTING has announced the next development stage of the modular connector; the new Han-Modular Domino range. This new series meets the industry's requirements for saving installation space and weight. By using Han- Modular Domino modules, you can save up to 50% installation space by integrating different transmission types in one module. Just as dominoes have two separate squares, a domino module is made up of two building blocks or ‘cubes’. The Han-Modular mating face is divided in two, resulting in an almost square surface in which even larger contacts can be accommodated. Power, signal, data or compressed air, as well as male and female contacts, can now be combined in one module. This reduces the number of required interfaces per unit and the connection technology becomes smaller and more lightweight, as more modules and module types can now fit into one connector. The new smaller Domino modules require less energy and raw materials to produce and users also benefit from space and weight savings. Modularity is improved by the use of smaller components that can be arranged next to each other in hinged frames. Domino modules are also compatible with existing components of the Han-Modular series. The Domino Effect Do you have news to share? Do you have a product to promote, a company partnership to announce or a new recruit to introduce? Contact editor@networkseuropemagazine.com Flexibility Key to Addressing Rising Colo Energy Costs Deteriorating bottom line costs for colocation data centres (colos) caused by market uncertainty has further underlined the need for facility stakeholders to consider flexible energy models in the future, according to Aggreko. It follows a new report from FTI Consulting showing energy prices in UK data centres rising by over 600% since January 2021. With this figure tracking markedly higher than Germany (270%), France (400%) and the Netherlands (360%), the impact on data centre providers using all-in customer models could be sharp and wide-ranging. Taking this market turbulence into account, Aggreko is encouraging retail colo providers to put steps in place to address what could become a pressing crisis as fixed-price energy contracts expire. Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko, explains: “Though the UK data centre market has previously been able to use these previously-agreed terms to largely guard against rising energy costs, this state of affairs cannot continue forever. “Providers in the colo market working under all-in pricing agreements are especially vulnerable to this encroaching problem, so energy professionals in the sector must ask themselves – how can we guard against this cost? Faced with this question, we anticipate moves toward decentralised energy models to mitigate against the fragility of the national grid, especially as current price hikes are not showing signs of easing.” Energy-related market turbulence identified in FTI Consulting’s report could further supercharge an already-competitive colo marketplace, driven by exponential demand for data centre services. According to Aggreko, current volatility cannot be translated into a race-to-the-bottom cost mentality and the deprioritisation of environmental goals that may ensue. “It cannot be denied that the data centre market is currently in a delicate position, but these pressing concerns should not be met at the cost of long-term sustainability strategies,” Durie concludes. “Instead, stakeholders must look for packages and services that can bridge the energy gap while lowering emissions. Green technologies such as Stage V generators and hybrid battery systems, provided through innovative hire strategies, offer an effective way of achieving both objectives.” BSI Recognises Corero Network Security Corero Network Security has received the BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik) DDoS mitigation service provider qualification. The BSI has recognised the increase in cyber-attacks, both in number and intensity. Cyber breaches can affect any organisation, affecting them not only financially but also damaging reputation and customer trust. To give organisations a better chance of withstanding an attack, BSI recommends that organisations improve their cyber defences by partnering with a service provider with a high level of specialised knowledge. To help organisations make an informed choice, BSI has compiled a list of recognised DDoS mitigation service providers, including Corero Network Security. Qualifying for BSI recognition involved rigorous selection criteria. The audit included a comprehensive technical assessment, where Corero proved its capacity to identify and handle both massive DDOS incursions as well as the smaller, sub- saturation attacks which are becoming an increasingly common threat. A technical review of the DDoS protection solutions was conducted, and all supporting documentation reviewed. Corero’s CEO Lionel Chmilewsky commented on the achievement, “This acknowledgement from BSI comes as a result of our continuous investment into our solutions, R&D, as well as our significant growing presence in the EMEA market and in particular, in Germany. We are extremely proud to be the only on-premise DDoS protection provider to be qualified by such an important organisation. This is a major step towards expanding our success in the DACH region.” www.networkseuropemagazine.com NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 06For the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, smart environmental air quality monitoring technology was deployed across the host city as the Games aimed to become the first to achieve a carbon-neutral legacy. North designed and deployed smart technology at key locations around event venues and across the wider city which precisely measured, monitored and captured data on air quality conditions before, during and after the event. As the official Smart Environments Provider for the Games, North used its low-powered, long-range network and air quality sensor-based managed service to record factors including CO2, temperature, pressure and relative humidity, which will be analysed to calculate an air quality index (AQI). Once the data capture is complete, North will share the insights with the University of Birmingham WM-Air team who are researching the impact of the Games on air quality in the city. Spectators were encouraged to use active travel and public transport, included within spectator tickets to reduce the emissions of air pollutants. With thousands of people visiting the city, the sensors were installed at areas of high footfall including at main traffic routes and motorways, key marathon milestones, public transport stops, and at the entrances and exits of the University of Birmingham campus which was the main Athlete Village. North’s smart technology formed part of wider efforts to create a carbon-neutral legacy for the Games, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Strives for Carbon-Neutral Legacy with sustainability measures woven into every part of its organisation and execution. This comes after Birmingham 2022 set out a comprehensive sustainability pledge in 2020 to deliver the most-sustainable Commonwealth Games yet. Glen Williams, CEO at North, said: “Birmingham 2022 has an exciting and forward-thinking agenda to create an event that will leave both a sporting and sustainability legacy in the city. “Through its smart technology, North is incredibly proud to play an important role in striving towards this goal. We are looking forward to seeing the impact the data collected has on future decision- making in a bid to improve air quality, subsequently aiding the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors. “It is fantastic to see IoT technology deployed at a global event. IoT has the proven ability to change how human beings engage with the environment, while creating healthier, greener and more sustainable communities.” EcoStruxure IT Modernises the Monitoring and Management of Complex, Hybrid IT Infrastructure Schneider Electric has announced the modernisation of its EcoStruxure IT software portfolio for the monitoring and management of sprawling, hybrid IT infrastructure, which has become increasingly complex in the last few years. As IT infrastructure continues to spread, business continuity is dependent on everything from the smallest endpoint to the largest data centre. Therefore, edge deployments are now considered as mission-critical as centralised data centres, and a new capability of software tools is required to maintain the resiliency and security of the infrastructure. Additionally, sustainability is emerging as another significant trend: the energy consumption and carbon footprint of a company’s data centres will need to be measured and managed. Based on internal Schneider Electric projections, by 2040, total data centre energy consumption will be 2,700TWh with 60% coming from distributed sites and 40% from data centres. Legacy DCIM software wasn’t created with all of these concerns in mind, which is why Schneider Electric has invested in EcoStruxure IT. It modernises the monitoring, management, planning and modelling of IT physical infrastructure, with flexible deployment options that include on-prem and cloud-based solutions to support hybrid, distributed IT environments, from a few sites to thousands of sites globally. “There’s been tremendous change since DCIM first emerged as a software category,” said Kevin Brown, SVP of EcoStruxure Solutions, Secure Power, Schneider Electric. “The hybrid IT environment is challenging even the most sophisticated CIO organisation with maintaining the resiliency, security and sustainability of their IT systems. We call this trend DCIM 3.0. Schneider Electric is investing in and evolving EcoStruxure IT to provide more capability, flexibility and deployment options than ever before for enterprises and colocation facilities everywhere in the world.” “The IT infrastructure landscape is undergoing significant transformation as it evolves from individual data centres to distributed, hybrid IT, and it demands more than what we think of as ‘traditional DCIM’ to ensure it is resilient, secure and sustainable,” said Industry Consultant, David Cappuccio. “EcoStruxure IT is helping to simplify the complexity of sprawling IT architecture and modernise it for both current and future needs.” NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com 07Keele University Chooses Vertiv for Data Centre Power Protection Vertiv has been selected by Keele University in Staffordshire, UK, to supply an energy-efficient, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system and battery back up. The new solutions replace the ageing equipment in its data centres, and Vertiv expects it will play an important role in the University’s institution-wide decarbonisation strategy. With this new agreement, Vertiv will replace the University’s ageing UPS with a new scalable, efficient and space-saving solution. Vertiv will also provide a modular battery solution to help keep power supplies stable during outages and out-of-spec power input, allowing efficient management of the renewable energy produced on-site. Over the last six years, Keele University has invested more than £1.2 million to reduce its carbon emissions and has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Besides hosting the first UK trial of hydrogen blending within a gas network and testing new smart energy technologies, the University is now producing its own renewable energy on-site, thanks to solar and wind farms that feed power into a campus mini-grid. From a power distribution perspective, the campus operates like a small town. Keele University’s need was to minimise losses as energy is transferred from the grid to the UPS and onto the IT load, and to benefit from a new generation of batteries. As part of a plan to modernise the University’s two data centres, the team at Keele will leverage the Vertiv Liebert APM UPS with a 400 kVA capacity in an N+1 configuration. The new UPS provides a reliable, double-conversion power topology that uses an innovative transformer-free design, resulting in energy efficiencies of 96% that can be enhanced to 99% using ECO Mode operation. Importantly, the new UPS delivers more capacity in a smaller footprint, and each of the new units utilises a modular and scalable configuration with ancillary cabinets designed to save space and cost over previous configurations. Vertiv will also replace a bank of ageing, open-air lead-acid batteries with modern, rack-based, self- contained battery cabinets. The new battery modules may be added or replaced with no interruption or risk to the connected equipment when the UPS is not operating on the battery. Each battery module has monitoring and controls that isolate it in the event of a battery failure. The battery strings are connected in parallel to provide backup time and/or redundancy. Proximity Opens Bristol Edge Colocation Data Centre Proximity has announced the opening of its latest facility. Strategically located, Proximity Edge 9 will serve users in and around Bristol as well as throughout the South West and Wales. Built on a 3.4-acre site with easy access to Bristol and the M5/M4 motorways, Proximity Edge 9 has excellent power, cooling and security features. The 90,000sqft facility is built to tier 3 standards, has 4MW of IT capacity including 1MW of ‘White Space’ immediately available, and the potential to expand to 20MW. It is ideally positioned to support one of the UK’s largest regional edge markets - including a rapidly growing technology sector - with best-in-class colocation services and excellent low latency connectivity solutions. Multiple tier 1 connectivity providers are On Net including dark fibres with fully diverse links. “Our new Bristol site is strategic to ensuring we continue to provide fit-for-purpose edge colocation facilities close to major conurbations and population areas,” said John Hall, Managing Director, Colocation at Proximity Data Centres. “Edge 9 is at the heart of one of the UK’s largest and most vibrant regions and ensures we remain on track to meeting our ultimate goal of serving 95% of the population outside of the London metro region.” Bristol is the latest data centre on Proximity’s expanding network of interconnected regional edge data centres which currently covers the North, North West, Midlands, Thames Valley, South West and South Wales. A total of 20 sites will be available nationwide within the next 12 to 18 months, reaching 95% of the UK population. These high-capacity, scalable and extremely resilient tier 3 facilities enable enterprise businesses, CDNs, cloud and immersive technology providers to maximise competitive advantage through reduced latency and data transit costs, enhanced operational efficiency and more responsive customer service. Full on-site support, transition and onboarding is provided, along with server migration services and a straightforward contract with a single set of SLAs covering one or multiple sites. ISO 9001 Quality, 14001 Environmental and 27001 Security compliant, all Proximity’s data centre grid electricity is sourced from 100% renewable providers. www.networkseuropemagazine.com 08 NEWS IN BRIEF Share your news! Send your press releases or announcements to: editor@networkseuropemagazine.comEaton will expand its collaboration with Microsoft to accelerate applications of its EnergyAware uninterruptible power system (UPS) technology in key segments worldwide. The expansion is part of a new strategic framework agreement between Eaton and Microsoft designed to address major industry developments including digital transformation, sustainability and the energy transition. A key element is the inclusion of Eaton’s proprietary EnergyAware UPS technology in Microsoft projects. The primary function of a UPS is to provide backup power protection for mission-critical applications and facilities and to protect them from grid outages or power quality issues. Through close collaboration over several years, Eaton and Microsoft have added digital capabilities to the UPS, which allows it to be used as a distributed energy resource (DER) to support grids with high levels of variable renewable energy generation. This will allow for a new generation of ‘grid-interactive’ data centres, including those operated by Microsoft, to support grid operators with the provision of critical flexibility services. Selling flexibility into the grid is an opportunity for data centres to monetise underutilised assets, for example by providing energy storage and supplying the fast frequency response services that grid operators will increasingly need as renewable capacity increases and the grid loses the inertia associated with fossil fuel generation. Explaining its significance, Craig McDonnell, Senior Vice-president and General Manager of the Energy Transition and Digital division at Eaton, said: “A grid-interactive UPS helps decarbonise energy at grid level which means that its sustainability benefit extends beyond the data centre. This changes the game in terms of energy management within the data centre’s overall environmental impact profile.” “A grid-interactive data centre is one where its extensive electrical system functions not only protect customer IT data and applications but also provide valuable electrical services back to the transmission system operator and the grid. These auxiliary services will be increasingly critical to help grids cope with high levels of variable renewable energy,” said Sean James, Director of Datacenter Research, Microsoft. Eaton to Expand Microsoft Collaboration with On-Grid Interactive UPS Technology Neustar Security Services Expands Network with Dubai Data Centre Neustar Security Services has announced it is launching a new regional DDoS mitigation and application security data centre in Dubai. With this expansion in the Middle East, Neustar Security Services meets a burgeoning demand for a local security presence that can ensure data sovereignty and low latency performance for customers in the region. The new Dubai node also underscores the company’s commitment to continuously invest in its Ultra Secure infrastructure, ensuring that Neustar Security Services maintains the largest and best-connected distributed denial of service (DDoS) and application security network in the world. “As a thriving financial and commercial hub, Dubai is home to many new and expanded businesses which have contributed to heightened demand for local security that can ensure data remains safely within the region,” said Carlos Morales, Senior VP, solutions, at Neustar Security Services. “By deploying this new state-of-the-art data centre, Neustar Security Services will provide low latency access to cutting- edge solutions and features that address a host of risks in today’s complex and ever-evolving threat environment.” The Dubai node further reinforces Neustar Security Services’ DDoS scrubbing capacity, currently at 12+ Tbps worldwide. The new data centre will provide clients throughout the Middle East local end-to-end protection against the most common attacks that threaten web-based services and infrastructure including OWASP top 10 threats, volumetric DDoS, and application-level DDoS attacks. “Our new Dubai node is just the latest in a series of significant investments in scaling our global cloud capacity and capability. We look forward to continuing to demonstrate our commitment to customers and partners around the world in delivering the industry’s premier cloud security service,” added Colin Doherty, CEO of Neustar Security Services. Elisa Polystar Acquires Cardinality Ltd Elisa Polystar has acquired Cardinality Ltd, a UK-based supplier of cloud-native data management (DataOps), service assurance and customer experience analytics for communications service providers (CSPs) globally. By combining with Cardinality, Elisa Polystar will have stronger data management, AI-driven analytics and automation portfolio with comprehensive data ingestion and cloud-native capabilities enabling simultaneous top- and bottom-line improvements for network operators. With this transaction, Elisa Polystar is taking further steps on its journey to make self-driving networks happen. The acquisition is consistent with Elisa Corporation’s strategy to grow digital services internationally and accelerate the development of its telecom software business under Elisa Polystar. The agreement was signed and, subject to local regulatory approval, the closing is expected during the third quarter of 2022, with ownership transferring from the current operational management and Maven Capital Partners. NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 09Next >