NETWORKS EUROPE The magazine for network and data centre professionals NETWORKS EUROPE The magazine for network and data centre professionals THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC BUSINESS CONTINUITY March/April 2020 CABLE MANAGEMENT NETWORKING TRENDS INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY Air filters in data centres offer benefits in different applications The difficulty of data centre cable management is closely related to data centre design Separation between public, data centre and LAN may disappear01908 282200 www.dunasfern.com LET’S CONN ECT! LET’S CONN ECT! • Superior Design • Optimum Efficiency • Greater Flexibility The Ultimate in Cable Management Mighty Mo 20www.networkseuropemagazine.com CONTENTS 03 50 06 News The news desk highlights some of the stories currently catching their attention. 12 The Spine of the Modern Economy The digitisation evolution has significantly transformed societies and the global economy 14 Ensuring Network Continuity Network resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from a disruption of service 16 Keeping the Information Superhighway clear Air filters in data centres offer a host of solid business benefits in a whole range of different applications 18 Cable Management The difficulty - or ease - of data centre cable management is closely related to data centre design 20 Disaster Recovery: in-house vs outsourced Although many organisations have disaster recovery operations in place, data can still be at risk if these systems are not foolproof 22 The Global Pandemic As infection rates of the novel coronavirus increases, we take a look at how Covid-19 is affecting our data centres and what business continuity measures companies are taking to reduce its toll 26 Rethink Possible: Visibility and Network Performance 73% of the C-Suite state that increasing visibility into network and application performance will drive business innovation 28 Cable certifiers: what really matters IDEAL Networks shares its research into the challenges and demands that end users really face 32 What comes first? Security or networks Organisations are increasingly looking at rearchitecting their WANs to align to their changing business requirements 34 Ethernet: a key enabler in today's hyper-connected world One area that people never stop to think about is the underlying technology being used in the Internet infrastructure to give us the high-speed and quality content people care about most 36 Networking Trends As market segments merge, separation between public, data centre and local area networks may all but disappear 38 Movers and Shakers We take a quick look at some of the industry's movers and shakers, including new appointments, promotions and personnel changes www.networkseuropemagazine.com CONTENTS 03 NETWORKS EUROPE 1 Tudor Business Park, Waterhouse Lane, Kingswood KT 20 6EN www.networkseuropemagazine.com Published by: Abacus Communications Limited Publisher: Greg Ward Editor: Laura Vallis Sales Executive: Keith Foster 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.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk including high resolution (300dpi+ CMYK) images. 122232NETWORKS EUROPE reaches a readership of 26,000 network infrastructure professionals throughout Europe, landing on the desks of Data Centre Managers, Facilities Managers, CIOs, CTOs, ICT Directors, Consultants, Network Managers, Integrators and many others in the Data Centre industry. NETWORKS EUROPE features editorial contribution from worldwide industry figureheads, ensuring that it's the world's best publication for information on all aspects of this constantly evolving industry. Our editorial topics going forward are: June Power Distribution The Future of Storage Fibre Optic Cable Standards Modular Data Centres August Enclosures & Racks Converged Infrastructures The Data Centre of Tomorrow Reducing Environmental Impact October Cold Aisle Containment Pre-terminated Cable Systems Test & Measurement DCIM December Energy Management Smart Buildings Data Erasure / Recycling Wireless Networking www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com NETWORKS EUROPE The magazine for network and data centre professionals If you would like to contribute to any of the editorial topics listed above please forward your article and any associated imagery (300dpi press ready) to the editor, Laura Vallis at editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk If you would like to advertise in any of the upcoming issues please contact Keith@hillviewmedia.com Editor's Note As the clocks go forward, most people start to look to new beginnings. It's no surprise that March and April are prime Spring cleaning months, and in the data centre industry it's no different. Keeping our information superhighway clean and fluid is imperative. In this issue we take a look at the health of our air filters and how they can bring benefits to many different applications. Of course, health is at the forefront of all of our minds with the current situation regarding the novel Coronavirus. As a valued member of our Networks Europe family we like you to know that we remain committed to you through this unprecedented situation. We continue to operate at full capacity albeit from different and varied premises. Our mission has always been to support the data centre industry by sharing content and connecting people. With the workplace and community changes that we are all having to embrace right now, our mission feels more important than ever before. We are here to help. Please give us a call and see what we can do to help or just let us know what you are doing. By working together we can help each other through these difficult times. Stay well, stay safe. Laura Vallis Editor Networks Europe FOREWORD www.networkseuropemagazine.com 05 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 05WorldStream joins DHPA WorldStream, a fast growing Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) hosting provider with more than 15,000 dedicated servers under management for a global customer base, has joined industry association DHPA, Trusted Cloud Experts. WorldStream sees the increasing scale of its own company as well as the need for a hosting industry-wide approach to cybercrime as important arguments for membership of DHPA. The members of DHPA are among the largest, most innovative cloud and hosting providers in the Netherlands. After its founding in 2006, WorldStream has experienced significant growth, especially since 2016 when the company started offering 'unmanaged' dedicated servers with a fixed price for high bandwidth. This proposition proved to be internationally appealing and has resulted in the enormous size of the WorldStream network backbone - with a current bandwidth capacity of more than 10Tbps. According to WorldStream, this scale requires increasing responsibility when it comes to facilitating the fight against cybercrime. WorldStream expects to be able to do more in this respect in conjunction with other companies within the hosting industry. Ruud Alaerds, director of DHPA, on the membership of WorldStream: "WorldStream is a very interesting player in the Dutch and international markets. It is an innovative IaaS-hoster which is growing fast and is very competitive. With bundled hosting solutions and customization regarding dedicated servers, an anti-DDoS service, network solutions, colocation, and their soon to be launched global SDN, this company knows how to distinguish itself internationally and in the Netherlands. "WorldStream joins DHPA because it feels strongly related to the principles set out in the DHPA code of conduct and wants to work together with DHPA. We therefore welcome WorldStream to the DHPA network and look forward to this cooperation". n Agile UPS Solutions showcased at Data Centre World 2020 UPS manufacturer, CENTIEL UK Ltd demonstrated its agility by showing its industry leading, flexible UPS solutions at Data Centre World this year in March 2020 in London. Louis McGarry, sales and marketing director, CENTIEL said: “With real-estate prices at a premium, plus the high costs of power consumption and the cost to maintain oversized UPS systems, the need to constantly right-size appropriate to the load has never been more important. For data centres looking to minimise running costs and maximise returns, an agile approach to system design is key. At DCW we demonstrated how to achieve a flexible approach through the use of true modular UPS systems. McGarry continued: “Our 600 kW CumulusPowerTM UPS frame is populated with our 4th generation, high-availability, high-efficiency, hot swappable 60 kW modules offering 540 N+1 in a single footprint. We also demonstrated one of our most popular frames, which maximises availability, achieving 75kW N+1 within a single footprint of just 0.59 sqm. With up to 320 battery blocks internally, this solution offers a great option for facilities with limited space. An innovative design allows the larger CumulusPowerTM UPS systems to be connected from either high or low level, without the requirement for a separate cable entry enclosure. This enables a more adaptable layout within comms rooms and data centres, accommodating the best use of space and potentially reducing installation costs too. CumulusPower is known for its “9 nines” (99.9999999%) system availability and low total cost of ownership through its Maximum Efficiency Management (MEM) and low losses of energy. CumulusPower has now been installed in data centres and comms rooms in over 60 countries across five continents. More than 50 MW of critical power loads are now protected with CumulusPower in locations across the world including the UK, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic and the Channel Islands. McGarry comments: “CumulusPower is both a scalable and flexible UPS system that combines class leading availability and efficiency that makes it perfect for use in small, medium and large data centres. However, not every application requires a modular UPS so we also showcased PremiumTower, our standalone UPS. With PremiumTower, the fans are located at the top of the UPS rather than the back, maximising the use of space.” n Socionext Introduces Time-Sensitive Network Socionext Inc. has developed a Time-Sensitive Network (TSN) IP for FPGA and ASIC implementation. The IP, which provides true deterministic Ethernet for industrial applications, is compliant with the next-generation Ethernet TSN (communication standard IEEE 802.1 Subset) and its evaluation environment. Socionext has been providing leading-edge, high- speed network SoCs for more than 30 years, and the new TSN IP was designed based on such expertise to deliver superior performance. Features include support for a 2-port daisy chain topology suitable for connecting industrial equipment, 1 Gbps high-speed operation, low latency less than 400 ns, and low jitter less than 0.1 μs. The IP enables a range of industrial applications such as motion controllers, which require faster response control as well as TSN support, and remote I/O, often used in network communications to enable control of secured bandwidth and low latency. TSN also contributes to the realisation of smart factories, as it seamlessly connects and interoperates networks for IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology). Socionext will provide an FPGA evaluation board and start-up manual for IP implementation, as well as Linux open source driver software. This allows users to quickly evaluate and develop industrial applications equipped with TSN. Socionext, with its extensive experience in developing devices for industrial applications, will also ensure a seamless transition from FPGA to ASIC, and help customers develop their own custom ASICs for optimum functionalities and performance with the IP. n www.networkseuropemagazine.com NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 06 Share your news, contact the editor at: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.ukNEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 07 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 07 ABB has presented its new MegaFlex solution offering a resilient and compact uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system with a reduced footprint of up to 45 percent. With enterprise demand driving more SaaS (Software as a Service) and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) applications, data centre continuity has never been more critical. The MegaFlex range from ABB is targeting the IEC and UL market, with power ranges of up to 1.5 and 1.6 MW respectively. The MegaFlex solution delivers availability and reliability, with a compact footprint; up to 45 percent smaller for the IEC version compared to models of equal power rating. Despite its small footprint, the UPS also delivers sustainable power technology with reduced energy losses due to high efficiency converters of up to 97.4 percent, adaptable to variable IT load. This supports ABB Electrification’s Mission to Zero for smart cities, a vision for a zero-emission reality for all, and reinforces its commitment to offer safe, smart and sustainable power technologies to the global data center industry. Ciaran Flanagan, Global Head of ABB’s Data Centre Business said: “As larger data centres push power requirements ever higher, demand for scalable and redundant power solutions continues to grow. The vast amount of energy consumed by these data centers means that every percentage point improvement in efficiency brings with it cost savings. More importantly it also supports our sustainability commitments. “MegaFlex DPA has been created in response to increasing power demands and cleverly combines the highest efficiency ratings with the smallest footprint. We are excited to showcase this pioneering new product together with our broader portfolio of electrification and digital solutions for efficient and reliable data center operations.” MegaFlex DPA is designed to work in synergy with ABB’s power infrastructure products to provide a continuous flow of clean power to a data centre and deliver the system-wide resiliency needed for modern data storage solutions that implement distributed, cloud or hybrid approaches. n ABB Launches Innovative UPS solution Colt further expands its IQ Network in London Colt Technology Services has announced it has completed a fibre densification project in and around the city of London, adding 110 kilometres of new fibre in the city in which the company was founded. This project was run alongside the expansions in Eastern Europe, Dublin and Berlin, with the expansion of the Colt IQ Network seeing the organisation continuing its commitment to enabling enterprises’ digital evolutions and in turn transforming the way the world works through the power of connectivity. These expansions have seen a new 7,000 kilometre network connecting more than 10 cities in Eastern Europe with more than 300 kilometres of fibre being installed in the London, Dublin and Berlin metros. Carl Grivner, CEO, Colt Technology Services said: “We know that as the world shifts dramatically towards wireless networks, having fibre in the ground becomes increasingly important. Colt has been investing in our owned, high bandwidth network, the Colt IQ Network, for several years now, because we know it’s our most valuable asset. “The projects we announced last year in Eastern Europe, Dublin and Berlin, customers are now benefiting from these, and the London expansion sees Colt extending its already impressive fibre footprint in the UK capital. This is particularly exciting for us because we were founded in the City of London some 28 years ago, and since then we’ve seen telecoms truly evolve. We’re happy to say that we’ve prepared the connectivity backbone that is truly ready for the next decade.” These metro densification projects will be completed in the first half of this year, however many of the new assets are ready for sale now. n Telia Carrier Launches Advanced SD-WAN Service Telia Carrier has launched its advanced SD-WAN service, an end-to-end networking solution that provides superior visibility, agility and control beyond the traditional WAN perimeter. Based on Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela, Telia Carrier claim it is the only SD-WAN service in the world where enterprises can attach their WAN overlay to the internet backbone network. In 2017, Telia Carrier, via its parent company Telia Company, was the first European service provider to launch SD-WAN. The company is now strengthening its offering to meet the growing demands of global enterprises in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. Enterprises will benefit from Telia Carrier’s unique cloud-scale internet backbone, ranked number 1 in the world (Dyn Research), as the underlay, which complements the resilient overlay it can build on Cisco’s SD-WAN platform. SD-WAN continues to attract global enterprises eager to modernise their infrastructure and accelerate their network transformation. While 60% of enterprises are planning to implement SD-WAN services by 2023, more than 80% are planning to use a hybrid WAN combining MPLS/Ethernet and the internet, according to Gartner Group. Telia Carrier’s SD-WAN service offers enterprises that need to balance their dependency on MPLS with internet connectivity. This latest offering highlights continued collaboration with Cisco. Last month, Telia Carrier launched a 400 gigabit Ethernet (GbE)-ready network that is based on Cisco’s cloud-scale NCS 5500 routing platform. The network powers Telia Carrier’s global backbone network, which reaches more than 120 countries. nIndustry Luminaries Join the NEDAS 2020 Advisory Council Grassroots association, NEDAS, located at the intersection of wireline and wireless with a goal of improving communications infrastructure to the edge for buildings, municipalities, public safety and enterprise, has announced its 2020 Advisory Council. The Advisory Council comprises 16 industry luminaries that guide, shape and advise NEDAS as it aims to facilitate a ubiquitously connected world through education and collaboration. The Council identifies topics of interest and optimises NEDAS’s yearly events to maximise networking, education and growth potential for participating individuals and companies. The NEDAS 2020 Advisory Council is: Aubrey Blosser, Senior Program Manager, Cloud Supply Chain at Microsoft; Laurie Caruso, Founder and CEO of Safe-Fi Technologies; Michael Cassell, CTO and Co-Owner of Communications Electronic; Carrie Charles, President of Broadstaff; Douglas Fishman, Director of DAS Design and Implementation for SQUAN; Ezra Hug, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Boingo Wireless and the founder of NEDAS; Nicole Miller, Senior Managing Director for Savills; Andy Penley, VP of Wireless Solutions at ZenFi Networks; Nicholas Stello, SVP of Information Technology for Vornado Realty Trust; Steven Strickland, Executive Director of Eastern U.S. Sales for ExteNet; Gary Terrill, Engineer Manager, Enterprise Network at Freddie Mac; Laurie Turck, Director of Business Development for Advantage Engineers; Ari Zoldan, Chairman of Quantum Media Group and Chair of the Media and Development committee for The Zahn Center for Innovation at City College. The Council is led by NEDAS co-chairs Ilissa Miller, CEO of iMiller Public Relations, Co-Founder of the Independent Data Centre Alliance and Steve Yapsuga, Director of Sales for the Eastern U.S. at Comba Telecom. NEDAS also recently welcomed Lou Traiforos as its new Vice President of Business Development. “We are honoured to welcome new additions to the NEDAS Advisory Council for 2020, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to work with such a calibre of executives, all of whom helped shaped NEDAS into the source of progress and innovation that it is regarded as today,” comments Ilissa Miller, President of NEDAS. Miller continues: “Advisory Council members are integral to the continued success of NEDAS, and each and every participant plays a pivotal role in ensuring that we can facilitate the connectivity of tomorrow by promoting collaboration across the communications ecosystem today.” “Bringing a vast array of insightful and vital knowledge to the table, this group will underscore and enhance NEDAS’s value for members, as well as optimise its focus on and delivery of healthy debate, productive conversation and networking at the intersection of wireless and wireline,” states Steve Yapsuga. “By supporting and guiding the association’s programs and events, each member of this year’s Advisory Council will drive innovation and collective success across the world of communications.” n Microlease, Livingston and Electro Rent Europe finalise rebrand Microlease, along with the Livingston brand and Electro Rent in Europe, have completed the consolidation of their European operations. The three companies will operate within the global Electro Rent Corporation as Electro Rent. This gives customers access to a global inventory worth more than $1.2bn. With over 300 quality brands all available from one source, including major brands like Anritsu, EXFO, Fluke, Keithley, Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz, Tektronix, Viavi and more, this is now the largest test equipment inventory in Europe. By drawing on expertise from across the Electro Rent Corporation, their team of highly experienced engineers, finance, and asset management specialists will support a diverse range of customers with their toughest technical and financial test and measurement demands. With ongoing investment into new integrated business systems, a state-of-the-art Customer Portal and new multi-featured website, Electro Rent offers customers everything they need to keep pace with the rapid rate of technological change and innovation in the modern world. “At Electro Rent, we will be able to deliver brand-independent solutions and unparalleled availability with rapid delivery of a vast range of equipment, anywhere in the world”, said Peter Collingwood, Chief Executive, Europe. “Combined with a wide variety of procurement options, flexible finance options and world-class asset optimisation solutions, we’re ideally placed to help customers get maximum value from test-related investments.” Since the start of the integration of its business, Electro Rent has continued to invest heavily in emerging and growing technologies, including $10m in 5G in 2019 alone. The move to one single brand will also benefit the employees and partners of all three companies by boosting global investment and creating new opportunities for collaboration. Electro Rent’s global leadership in test and technology solutions and services was recognised recently by Frost & Sullivan with the Company of the Year Award for 2019 Global Asset Management and Optimisation in Test Equipment. The award recognises their innovative approach in the sector and the resulting value they create for their customers. “At Electro Rent, we aim to power innovation.” continued Collingwood, “Our Smarter Solutions for Testing and Technology take the uncertainty out of testing programs by ensuring the best equipment and finance options are employed at all times - freeing engineers to concentrate on what they do best. We are excited to share these benefits of the global Electro Rent Corporation with all our customers, old and new.” n Share your news: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com 08Global network infrastructure specialist, Siemon, has announced that its world-class structured cabling technology has been installed at Rich Products’ new 15-acre UK production facility in Andover, Hampshire. In order to support the company’s ambitious growth plans, Siemon’s 10 Gigabit Ethernet copper and fibre cabling solutions are future proofing Rich Products’ state-of-the-art bakery, while enabling a fully automated production process and intelligent building services. Rich Products Corporation is one of the leading manufacturers of sweet bakery products and non-dairy toppings and fillings for the foodservice, in-store bakery and retail markets. It is the largest privately owned frozen food company in the US and employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. The multimillion pound investment at Andover consolidates Rich Products’ production sites in Fareham, Portchester and Hartlebury, in addition to all other business support functions, under a single roof. To increase production capacity, the production floor is equipped with the latest automation technologies that support the complete production process from dough-making, mixing, depositing, baking to finishing and packaging. n Siemon supports Rich Products Corporation in future proofing its new food production facility Aqua Comms Expands its Submarine System Network Presence at 1025Connect AM Property Holding Corp. the owner and operator of 1025Connect, a 200,000 square-foot technology centre and colocation facility located in Westbury, New York has announced the expansion of Aqua Comms, the operator of subsea fibre-optic networks interconnecting the United States and Europe, within its facility to meet growing demand. The availability of Aqua Comms subsea connectivity solutions provides 1025Connect customer’s access to the North Atlantic Loop, a resilient dual-path network across the Atlantic. 1025Connect is a premier colocation interconnection facility on Long Island with more than 15 carriers and service providers available in the building, now including Aqua Comms’ North Atlantic Loop dual-path transAtlantic subsea cable system, along with Altice/Lightpath, CenturyLink, Crown Castle, DE-CIX Internet Exchange, Epsilon, OCG, RCN and Verizon. Situated at one of the most eastern points of the United States, 1025Connect delivers direct access to multiple submarine cable systems connecting North America, Europe and Latin America, with the ability to bypass Manhattan fiber routes for greater network redundancy and diversity. “Aqua Comms expansion within 1025Connect is a boon for operators and businesses on Long Island who are looking for cost-effective, resilient and reliable infrastructure for their global communication requirements,” comments John Danko, Director of Business Development for 1025Connect. “Along with a number of other subsea cable systems, terrestrial networks and the world’s leading Internet exchange, having Aqua Comms now directly available at 1025Connect’s colocation facility, customers gain more control and access than ever before, offering a truly viable option for domestic and international companies seeking affordable and manageable connectivity solutions.” “Our new location at 1025Connect reaffirms Aqua Comms’ commitment to the North Atlantic Loop,” adds Nigel Bayliff, CEO of Aqua Comms. “Our expanded capabilities within 1025Connect enables our customers the unique opportunity to take advantage of industry disruptive zero monthly cross connect fees as well as the opportunity to avoid Manhattan for access to our diverse transAtlantic capacity.” n Two new software options have been announced by Anritsu Corporation for its Universal Wireless Test Set MT8870A to measure RF characteristics of 3GPP-compliant LTE-V2X (PC5) devices. The LTE-V2X Tx Measurement MX887068A and LTE-V2X Waveforms MV887068A offer the industry's fastest, fully automatic, non-signaling based LTE-V2X TRx tests. Customers already using the MT8870A can extend its functionality simply by installing the software, with no need to invest in new equipment. With four TRX measurement modules installed in the MT8870A, four DUTs (devices under test) can be connected and measured simultaneously. Different wireless systems can also be measured in parallel, cutting measurement time and the space taken up by test equipment. The new software expands the capabilities of the Universal Wireless Test Set MT8870A, which is designed for mass-production tests of multi-standard wireless systems. In addition to LTE-V2X and IEEE 802.11p(DSRC) for automotive solutions, the test set also supports the latest 5G sub-6 GHz, LTE, NB-IoT, Cat-M, WLAN and Bluetooth standards. Anritsu developed the MT8870A solution to increase the mass- production efficiency of V2X devices and chipsets and help to accelerate the launch of commercial C-V2X services. n Anritsu Upgrades MT8870A NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 09 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 09Next >