NETWORKS EUROPE The magazine for network and data centre professionals March/April 2023 SEPARATING THE FACT FROM THE FICTION ENERGY USE EFFICIENCY LOOMING LARGE HIGH-PERFORMANCE BONDED INTERNET DEBUNKING THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF WOMEN IN TECH DRIVING TRENDS TOWARD REGULATION STANDARDISATION THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING RESILIENT WAREHOUSES WHAT'S THE OUTLOOK FOR 2023? FTTx AND LAN - THE TRENDS MAKING DATA PROTECTION A PRIORITY IN THIS ISSUE:Trends and Predictions CONTENTS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 02 143038 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 © 2023 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 and Designer: Laura Vallis 05 Foreword 06 News The news desk highlights some of the latest industry stories. 14 What's the outlook for 2023? From AI and robotics to sustainability, the evolution of 5G to network security, Editor of Networks Europe magazine heads into 2023 to discuss what the future might hold for the networks and data centre industry. 22 Revealed: the six trends we’ll see in the data centre sector in 2023 Danel Turk, ABB Solution Portfolio Manager for Data Centres, explains why this year marks a change in direction for many data centres and outlines some of the trends influencing priorities. 26 Data centre outlook for 2023 Ciaran Forde, Data Centre Segment Leader, Eaton, says that much of last year’s outlook for the data centre sector was concerned with balancing the growth in digitalisation with more sustainable practices, but there was no way of knowing about the impact the disruption to the geopolitical landscape would have. 30 Energy use efficiency looms large as data centre industry turns to 2023 Karsten Winther, Vertiv President for EMEA and Giordana Albertazzi, Vertiv COO and President, Americas, look at energy use efficiency as the data centre industry turns to 2023. 34 Aryaka shines light on key channel challenges and opportunities in 2023 Given the global economy and increasing financial and political tensions, Jon Selway, Vice President of Channel Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Aryaka, believes that 2023 is set to be a year for embracing change. 38 FTTx and LAN - the trends for 2023 Andreas Rüsseler, CMO of Reichle & De-Massari researches the technology and market trends in the data centre, FTTx and LAN areas. 42 Three months into 2023, what lies ahead for the IT and data centre sectors? 2022 left us with valuable learnings and investments fundamental to lifting the economy. Rob McKernan, Schneider Electric looks at what lies ahead. 5264 Cybersecurity Data Pooling Data Recovery Bonded Internet Technology Women in Tech www.networkseuropemagazine.com 50 www.networkseuropemagazine.com CONTENTS 03 46 DevSecOps is a ‘business priority’ for 2023 A recent report conducted by Neustar International Security Council (NISC) found that organisations plan to invest in DevSecOps in 2023. The level of urgency for them to do so has grown significantly. Michael Smith, Field CTO, Neustar Security Services looks at why DevSecOps is a ‘business Priority’ for 2023. 50 Seven cybersecurity trends to watch in the upcoming year From new strains of potent malware to major policies that threaten privacy and encryption, NordLocker’s Tomas Smalakys outlines his predictions for what is waiting for cybersecurity in 2023. 52 Making data protection a priority in 2023 Nick King, Head of Solutions at Orange Cyberdefense looks at the lessons learned from 2022 and making data protection a priority in 2023. 56 Why Data Recovery Must Always Start With Backup Dan Middleton, VP UK&I, Veeam, looks at why data recovery must always start with backup. 62 Ensuring resilient warehouses with high-performance bonded internet Nick Sacke, Head of Operations and Pre-Sales at Comms365 looks at the importance of ensuring resilient warehouses with High- Performance Bonded Internet. 64 Separate fact from fiction: debunking the misconceptions of women in tech Kura says it’s crucial we debunk misconceptions and begin having valuable conversations about women in tech. Not only will it encourage diversity and inclusivity but motivating more women to seek careers in STEM will create a better work culture, foster innovation, and improve results. 68 Movers and shakers We take a quick look at some of the industry's movers and shakers, including new appointments, promotions and personnel changes. 60 Data Outlook: trade associations are shaping the data pooling drive Gary Roethenbaugh, Head of Data Pooling at Prodinity, explores how trade associations are pivoting to harness the value of the latest data pooling trends for their members in 2023. THE UK'S LEADING INDEPENDENT SHOW FOR PROJECT, PROGRAMME AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, PMO AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT QEII Centre in Westminster, London | 27th April 2023 VISITOR REGISTRATION NOW OPEN With leading exhibiting organisations, and FREE inspiring and high quality presentations to choose from, this unmissable event provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn from leading industry experts. The show attracts exhibitors from across the project management domain. It is a one-stop-shop for the latest developments in portfolio, programme and project management - ideal for practitioners to keep up to date with their profession. Admission to the Project Challenge Spring Show 2023 is FREE for delegates. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER www.project-challenge.com/ PLATINUM SPONSOR GOLD SPONSORS PARTNERSCrystal balls to the ready! Moving into the new year, and particularly when we start to see the Spring ousting the Winter, we look forward with anticipation to not only the year ahead, but also those far beyond. Over the last few months, I have asked some of our regular contributors what they think the future might hold for our industry with regard to the approach to networking, the needs of the industry, energy costs, the significant changes vertical markets are expected to face, the evolution of 5G and cyber security issues. This issue also has articles on the predictions and trends from industry experts. 2022 left us with valuable learnings and investments fundamental to lifting the economy. Rob McKernan, Schneider Electric looks at what lies ahead. Danel Turk of ABB explains why this year marks a change in direction for many data centres. Ciaran Forde of Eaton says that although much of last year’s outlook was concerned with balancing digitalisation with sustainable practices, the unexpected disruption to the geopolitical landscape and severe energy crisis has impacted the industry greatly. Energy efficiency is also on Vertiv’s Karsten Winther and Giordana Albertazzi’s radar. They look at ways to manage consumption and carbon footprint, the trends toward regulation standardisation and the search for generator alternatives. Jon Selway, Aryaka, believes that 2023 is set to be a year for embracing change. His article shines a light on the key channel challenges and opportunities in 2023, while FTTx and LAN and DevSecOps are both priority considerations for Andreas Rüsseler of Reichle & De-Massari and Michael Smith, Neustar Security Services, respectively. NordLocker’s Tomas Smalakys outlines his predictions for what is threatening in the cyber security field. Nick King of Orange Cyberdefense makes data protection a priority in 2023. In other articles, Dan Middleton, VP UK&I, Veeam, looks at why data recovery must always start with backup and Gary Roethenbaugh of Prodinity, explores how trade associations are pivoting to harness the value of the latest data pooling trends for their members. Nick Sacke of Comms365 looks at the importance of ensuring resilient warehouses through the use of high-performance bonded internet and we debunk the misconceptions about women in tech. Kura says it’s crucial we debunk misconceptions and begin having valuable conversations about women in tech. Not only will it encourage diversity and inclusivity but motivating more women to seek careers in STEM will create a better work culture, foster innovation, and improve results. 2023 is also a year of change for me personally. This is my last editor’s note for Networks Europe magazine. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my connections, contributors and, of course, my colleagues without whom this magazine could not be published. I wish you all the very best going forward and hope our paths will cross again sometime soon. Laura Vallis Editor Networks Europe magazine FOREWORD www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com 05Eaton Welcomes Rittal to its Xmodular Partner Program Eaton has announced the addition of Rittal to its xModular partner programme to help advance its innovations within the modular data centre space. The data centre industry requires a variety of technologies and engineering systems that complement each other while meeting the requirements of different applications. Leveraging some of the industry’s best-in-breed technology and service companies, Eaton’s xModular partner programme allows the flexibility to offer multiple designs across multiple applications and geographies to ensure it can meet the specific needs of its customers. Rittal is a global provider of system solutions for industrial enclosures, power distribution, climate control and IT infrastructure, as well as software and services. Rittal strives for data centre standardisation and has created a modular infrastructure platform for establishing data centre OT flexibly, reliably and quickly. Adaptable and yet standardised solutions including rack, cooling, power, monitoring and security for any future IT scenario can be implemented - whether single rack or container solutions, enterprise data centres, edge or highly scaled colocation, cloud or hyperscale data centres. Ciarán Forde, Data Centre Market Segment Manager, at Eaton EMEA said, “There are three significant trends; digitalisation, new electrification, and the energy transition to renewables; all of which, in their various ways, are contributing to the need for integrated modular solutions. The digital cloud is growing in both a centralised and decentralised fashion. This requires a new approach to IT and power deployment without compromising resilience, reliability and new sustainability goals. Eaton’s xModular approach tackles this. We’re delighted to welcome Rittal to our strategic partner programme. This partnership will bring the unmatched strengths and capabilities of both companies to uniquely address client requirements.” Uwe Scharf, Business Unit Officer (CBO) at Rittal added, “Energy efficiency is an increasingly business- critical factor for future data centres. Yet, it must not be a conflicting goal with basic prerequisites such as the highest availability and cost-effectiveness. The best chance is for data centres to be designed as a modular overall system with advanced, standardised components. Rittal's experience and technology make a good fit with Eaton's strong portfolio of reliable power infrastructure systems and services. Coupled with our collaborative data centre knowledge and joint approach, I am convinced we will create considerable added value for data centre operators and users.” Semtech Corporation and Sierra Wireless have announced the completion of Semtech’s acquisition of Sierra Wireless in an all-cash transaction representing a total enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. This transaction nearly doubles Semtech’s annual revenue and adds approximately $100 million of high-margin IoT Cloud services recurring revenues. Semtech expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to non-GAAP EPS and to generate $40 million of run rate operational synergies within 12-18 months post-close. “Sierra Wireless brings nearly 30 years of leadership in cellular IoT and a strong and diverse device-to-Cloud IoT solutions portfolio. Combined with Semtech’s LoRa-enabled end nodes, we believe we are very well positioned to deliver a highly- differentiated, end-to-end platform to enable the transformation to a smarter, more sustainable planet,” said Mohan Maheswaran, Semtech’s President and CEO. “Our combined company will have strong expertise in high bandwidth cellular connectivity, ultra-low power LoRa connectivity, IoT software and services, and extensive knowledge of IoT hardware and software channels and vertical markets. We believe that Semtech is uniquely positioned to deliver a strong product portfolio and service model to customers across high growth IoT segments.” Former Sierra Wireless senior leaders join the Semtech leadership team in two newly formed business groups. Tom Mueller joins as Executive VP of the IoT System Products Group, which includes Semtech’s existing LoRa products business. Ross Gray joins as VP of the IoT Connected Services Group. Pravin Desale also joins Semtech as the Senior VP of IoT Engineering, driving product development of new systems and solutions. Semtech Corporation Completes Acquisition of Sierra Wireless www.networkseuropemagazine.com NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 06 Share your news! Send your press releases or announcements to: editor@networkseuropemagazine.comNEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com 07 EfficiencyIT and 8x8 to Deliver Unified Communications Project EfficiencyIT has secured a new contract to deliver a digital transformation project for Motus Commercials, the UK's largest independent commercial vehicle dealer group, and Motus Vehicle Solutions, the group’s specialist body shop, tail-lift and vehicle parts supply business. The project will see EfficiencyIT deploy 8x8’s award-winning Unified Communications platform to transform the customer experience, improve customer service and retention rates, and drive operational and cost efficiencies across both businesses. Further, it will provide Motus with an integrated technology suite that delivers a seamless employee experience, helping to drive workforce collaboration and optimisation, and future-proofing the businesses for the hybrid working environment. Motus Commercials and Motus Vehicle Solutions take pride in their service-first ethos and, after learning that its previous cloud communications platform had reached its end-of-life, it selected EfficiencyIT and 8x8 to unify all call silos across its businesses, while ensuring it had access to 24/7 external support, in-line with growing customer demands. 8x8’s cloud communications solution will provide Motus with a highly-automated, simplified, and collaborative communications solution that offers a seamless customer engagement and service journey. This is underpinned by the industry’s only financially backed, 99.999% uptime service-level- agreement (SLA) across its integrated cloud Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) and Contact Centre-as-a-Service (CCaaS) platforms. Daniel Fitzjohn, Regional Director for Motus Commercials South West and West Midlands, commented, “The UK transport industry is incredibly demanding so a strong and reliable communication platform is paramount to the success of our customers and us alike. We needed to improve and modernise our existing communication platform and so far, the solution implemented by Efficiency IT / 8X8 is ticking all the boxes. What’s more, as our business develops further, this platform can adapt to our needs, making it a communication tool that we can truly rely on.” “The last few years have seen the commercial vehicle sector undergo tremendous challenges and changes, but the need for strong customer communications and engagement has become more vital than ever,” said Chris Angus, VP of Sales at 8x8. “Together, 8x8 and EfficiencyIT will provide Motus Commercials with the resources they need to empower their employees and provide exceptional customer experiences as they continue their digital transformation journey.” The Datum Group has announced plans to open two new data centre facilities in 2024. The move will see the company expand its service-enhanced colocation offering to meet the growing demand for data centre space and follows Datum’s announcement in 2022 of its acquisition of Teledata, a colocation data centre in Manchester. The two new facilities (FRN2 and MCR2) will be located on the sites of the Datum Group's existing data centres in Farnborough (FRN1) and Manchester (MCR1). They will provide Datum’s clients with even greater choice and flexibility when it comes to choosing a colocation provider. FRN2, link detached to Datum’s flagship Farnborough facility, will provide 600 footprints on the ground floor, with scope to double this capacity on the first floor. All data halls will provide an average power density of 3.5kW/footprint, capability to deliver high density compute of up to 30kW/footprint, and Tier 3+ resilience. MCR2 will be located at the Teledata site in Manchester and will offer up to 25,000sqft of space, 4MVA of power and over 1,000 new server racks in both high and standard density. Datum Group's CEO, Dominic Phillips, said: "Our decision to open two new data centre facilities is a response to the strong demand we are seeing for our services and will allow us to support our clients’ growth by providing enterprise grade colocation through our network of high security data centres. By expanding our footprint across the UK, we will be able to offer an even wider range of services and solutions that can be tailored to individual client needs." Matt Edgley, Director at Teledata, commented: “This expansion will allow us to build on our excellent reputation in Manchester for providing premium colocation services. Our new facilities in Farnborough and Manchester will provide even more businesses with the high-quality data centre services they need to grow and succeed.” The Datum Group acquired Teledata in September 2022. This was Datum’s first regional bolt-on expansion and forms part of the Group’s growth strategy since its acquisition by UBS Asset Management in 2021. The Datum Group Announces New Data Centre Facilities in Farnborough and ManchesterProactive Procurement Necessary to Secure Access to Equipment With data centre construction and commissioning peaking, Aggreko has advised that companies undertake a proactive approach to hire equipment procurement in order to avoid project delays. This advice from Aggreko follows the publication of Turner & Townsend’s Data Centre Cost Index 2022, which indicated that lead times for many pieces of major equipment have been extended by 12 weeks or more. Moreover, with the report listing schedule delays as the most prominent concern among respondents (46%), Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko, highlighted the importance of proactive equipment procurement in this sector, “Amid an ever-growing demand for data, the European data centre market is currently continuing to boom, with new facilities being regularly constructed. However, with each of these requiring access to power and testing equipment during build and commissioning, it is critical that hire equipment is secured ahead of time in order to avoid disruption. “Global supply chain challenges continue to stretch far and wide, and delays in sourcing even a single piece of equipment can have knock-on effects for the next stage of the build. As anyone working in this sector can attest, missing stringent deadlines can incur huge costs, so procuring equipment in advance will be key to keeping on schedule.” In order to meet this demand, Aggreko has continued to bolster its European fleet, including a recent $5 million investment in loadbanks, bringing the total to approximately 600 units. Moreover, 2022 saw the company launch its new One Europe business strategy, appointing Nicolas Protais, MD Europe, to oversee the restructure and help companies decarbonise through the energy transition. Within the data centre sector, the company also opened new depots in Stockholm and Tananger in order to provide local support to the Nordics. The facilities stock solutions for contingency power, temperature control and loadbank testing, and are also responsible for testing and repair. Durie concluded, “There is a direct correlation between the distance from the depot to the site and equipment lead times. By being situated locally, we’re able to hit the road in a matter of minutes and get vital equipment to our customers as and when they need it. “The opening of our Tananger and Stockholm depots are just the tip of the iceberg in our efforts to support the European data centre market, and we look forward to continuing this in 2023.” Excel Networking Solutions was the first cabling vendor in the world to remove single- use plastic from the majority of its product range. It has announced the launch of two new tools which will help customers measure and promote their sustainability savings when they use Excel products. Based upon Excel’s 2021 performance, they estimate that at least a staggering 18 million single-use plastic bags are removed from the supply chain each year, which equates to 45 tonnes of plastic. Tracey Calcutt, Marketing Manager at Excel Networking commented, “As a business we are acutely aware of the damage that plastic has on the environment, and we were determined to lead the way in our industry to remove as much ‘single- use plastic’ from the supply chain. The environment and sustainability are core focus areas for our business, and this is just one of the initiatives that we have undertaken as part of this.” Calcutt continued, “We understand that our customers also have sustainability targets and goals to reach, so allowing them to easily understand how much plastic they have saved or could save by choosing Excel is a benefit to them. To this end we have created two tools available in English, French and Spanish. Firstly, a ‘Plastic-Free Packaging Calculator’ where they can add in the quantities of each product being used and instantly get an overview of the potential savings in Kgs they can make.” Calcutt concluded, “The second tool is to provide Excel partners that buy directly from Mayflex, with a certificate to show how much plastic they have saved in any given year. Partners complete a simple request form, and a certificate is then produced for them including their company logo. This is perfect to include on their websites, or in any sustainability documentation that they need to create.” Excel Launches a Plastic-Free Certificate Generator www.networkseuropemagazine.com 08 NEWS IN BRIEF Share your news! Send your press releases or announcements to: editor@networkseuropemagazine.comCentiel has announced the launch of its first single phase modular UPS as part of its successful CumulusPower range. Following a need for single phase critical loads to have the same high quality, high availability power protection that is already enjoyed by three phase critical loads, Centiel sought to add a single phase input and output option with the launch of the CumulusPower 11 UPS. The three phase modular UPS has enjoyed the benefits of no single points of failure and the high levels of power availability provided by Decentralised Parallel Architecture (DPA) since 2006 and the even greater benefits of Centiel’s CumulusPower and its Distributed Active-Redundant Architecture (DARA) since 2015. However single phase modular UPS have only had the option of Centralised Parallel Architecture (CPA) with the inherent disadvantages of single points of failure and lower availability. The CumulusPower 11 is scalable from 10kW to 30kW in a single cabinet to provide up to 20kW N+1 or 30kW capacity. A range of CumulusPower 11 cabinet types are available that include integral batteries and rack independent housings for incorporation into existing 19in racks. When asked about the difference the single phase CumulusPower Centiel Launches Single Phase Modular UPS 11 will make to single phase power protection, Louis McGarry, Centiel UK’s Sales and Marketing Director said: “It’s a bit like needing the speed of a motorbike to get you somewhere but only being able to buy a pushbike. Single phase critical loads previously could only receive the highest levels of availability by expensive alterations to the site electrical infrastructure. Now, Centiel’s new single phase modular CumulusPower 11 UPS can be installed into 19in cabinets or into discrete UPS cabinets. The single phase modular CumulusPower 11 is a game changer for the power protection of single phase critical loads.” Netskope's New Dublin Data Centre Netskope has announced an extension of its NewEdge network with the opening of a new data centre in Dublin, Ireland. Serving millions of enterprise users around the world, and with full-compute data centres in more than 60 regions worldwide, NewEdge is the world’s largest, and highest-performing security private cloud. NewEdge powers the real-time, inline security services of the Netskope SASE platform allowing security to be deployed at the edge where and when it’s needed. Placing data-centric security as close to the user as possible is a key requirement of a SASE-ready architecture, and the delivery of world-class Security Service Edge (SSE) and software defined networking (SD-WAN) capabilities. As well as improving the experience for Netskope’s local customers, the new data centre in Dublin is a strategic investment for the company - given Ireland’s unique position in the data landscape - with access to the EU market and close proximity to trans-atlantic internet cables. With companies increasingly demanding choice over where and how their data is processed, having a presence in Ireland gives Netskope’s NewEdge network a strong, competitive advantage. Netskope customer Adam Hoffmann, IT Infrastructure Manager at Mercury Engineering, based in Dublin commented, "We chose Netskope over a year ago to secure both web and cloud applications for our pan-European workforce. They were very clear about the intentions and timelines for the addition of local infrastructure in Ireland and now they have delivered on that promise. Netskope was already improving the experience of our teams, and when the local Dublin data centre came on line, it immediately added even further to that improvement for our 1,000+ employees based in Ireland." Brian Murray, who leads Netskope’s business in Ireland said, “Its geographical and political location is making Ireland a key strategic jurisdiction for the tech industry and with the opening of this data centre in Dublin, Netskope is well placed to deliver the best-in-class SASE solution for new and existing customers in the region. Robust SASE solutions backed by local data centres are important for all organisations that require clear oversight over their data, wherever it goes, in order to meet stringent data policies both inside and outside the EU.” To support the new data centre, Netskope is actively recruiting in Ireland for both Irish and flexible pan-European roles in engineering, sales, marketing and HR, with the aim of doubling its headcount in the country over the coming year. The new centre coincides with the expansion of Netskope’s Irish customer base, which already includes major customers in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and retail sectors. RtBrick Supports a Hardened Open Switch from Edgecore RtBrick has announced it has added support for the CSR440 switch from Edgecore. RtBrick’s software enables the Edgecore CSR440 to act as a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG), or the router that delivers internet services at the edge of a telco network. The Edgecore CSR440 delivers 800Gbps of throughput in a single rack unit. It is also hardened, so it can be deployed close to the network edge in environments that are not temperature controlled, allowing subscriber services to be terminated closer to distributed compute and storage infrastructure. Additionally, it can be used as a cost-effective way of deploying a BNG for smaller communities. “Combined with RtBrick’s routing software, Edgecore‘s open-networking platforms provide much greater flexibility than conventional routing systems,” said Heimdall Siao, President of Edgecore. “By integrating RtBrick’s software with the CSR440 - 800G Cell Site Router platform, RtBrick has shown that telco routing functions such as the Broadband Network Gateway can now be deployed using disaggregated platforms in carrier-grade environments.” The Edgecore CSR440 uses the latest Broadcom Qumran2A chipsets, which deliver high levels of performance from cost-effective hardware. Using RtBrick’s software, the CSR440 can operate as a standalone BNG and support thousands of subscribers on a single switch. NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 09Next >