< PreviousEkinops successfully enters the 10G access market EKINOPS, supplier of advanced networking solutions for service providers and global enterprises, has announced its first major 10Gb/s access win in Europe with a seven-figure contract. Ekinops recently released 10G-capable Ethernet Access Devices (EAD) and routers for the Enterprise Edge connectivity market with the ambition of entering this high-end segment. After undergoing the validation process necessary to gain acceptance from service providers the products collected favourable feedback, which resulted in this major win in the first half of this year. The project, delivered by a European Tier 1 service provider, relies on Ekinops 10G routers to build an entire communication infrastructure for a major national security agency. The Ekinops solutions, installed in various data centres across the country, will manage keys and security policies according to high availability mechanisms while offering protection against attacks. “This project demonstrates that our solutions can successfully answer the demanding challenges of major national government agencies,” said Philippe Moulin, Chief Operating Officer of Access Products and Services at Ekinops. “The key here is our capacity to deliver a high-throughput, completely integrated multi-function access solution. We are proud to have gained the level of trust required by the service provider and the end-user for this very high-profile project.” In combination with Ekinops 10G routers and VPN gateways, Ekinops will supply its customer with a selection of existing solutions designed for small and medium size enterprise branches, all running on the same middleware, OneOS6. Ekinops’ portfolio of software products, running on OneOS6, combines routing, firewall, high-end VPN functionalities, SD-WAN, SBC, WAN Optimisation, together with other VNFs, that can be enabled when needed. This comprehensive offering enables customers to replace managing multiple vendors’ operating systems with a single harmonised management solution, realising cost-savings and simplifying management of resources. “The 10Gb/s access market is a segment with few actors and a high price tag. We have identified this segment as an opportunity for Ekinops to gain market share with Tier 1 service providers as it requires transport and access know-how. Our offering is differentiated with a high performance- over-price ratio which explains why our new 10G routers and Ethernet Access Devices (EAD) are already a success with significant volumes shipped,” added Didier Brédy, CEO, Ekinops. The new 10Gbps product portfolio demonstrates Ekinops’ expertise across the network layers 1, 2 and 3, bridging them together. This unrivalled technical capacity makes Ekinops’ solutions uniquely capable of supporting all required network services, from optical transport to advanced software-defined requirements. n Share your news, contact the editor at: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com NEWS IN BRIEF 10 Opengear, a Digi International company, and provider of solutions that deliver secure, resilient network access and automation to critical IT infrastructure, has announced the launch of the new NetOps Console Servers: the OM1200 and the OM2200. These appliances are the first of their kind, capable of running standard Docker containers, and bringing Smart Out-of-Band and NetOps automation together in a single piece of hardware. As a market leader in Out-of-Band management with 75% of Fortune 100 companies using its solutions, Opengear provides NetOps automation tools to network engineers for everyday management of their infrastructure. Continued innovation is key to meeting the evolving needs of network resilience. The new NetOps Console Servers are claimed to be the only Out-of-Band appliances in the industry to feature both an x86 processor and a secure boot process to protect against configuration and firmware tampering. • The units support standard Docker applications, which means users can deploy their own automation modules, and third-party or Opengear NetOps Modules, on the console server itself. • The embedded TPM 2.0 chip adds a level of physical security to Out- of-Band provisioning that is unique to Opengear appliances, keeping its content protected even in insecure remote facilities. • A large internal flash memory (16GB/64GB in the OM1200/2200) provides enough storage to keep configuration and software files on site, where they are needed. Both the OM1200 and the OM2200 form key elements of Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform, which is managed by the Lighthouse management software, and includes the company’s award-winning Smart OOBTM Console Servers (ACM7000, IM7200, and CM7100 appliances). Opengear has always embraced an open architecture— in fact, that’s where the “Open” in Opengear came from—and all products are Linux based. This continues with the expansion into NetOps, with standard tools such as Ansible, Docker and Python at the core of the new OM appliances. “These innovative NetOps console servers expand the value delivered by the Opengear solution,” said Marcio Saito, chief technology officer, Opengear “Network engineers can now deploy a single appliance at each location which will not only provide them with secure remote access, but also the presence and proximity layer to serve as base for programmability and automation of network management.” “Customers have consistently selected Opengear as the clear market leader in Out-of-Band management” he continued. “Now they can trust us with their NetOps implementation. Our Network Resilience Platform provides NetOps automation and Smart Out-of-Band together in a single solution.” Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform provides secure remote access to critical network devices through a separate management plane. It has the ability to automate NetOps processes, such as securely deploying and provisioning equipment, and to access Remote IP devices at any edge location. All of Opengear’s appliances are designed specifically for Out- of-Band management, and manufactured at Opengear’s facility, allowing the company to maintain a consistent design approach and full control of quality and inventory management “With the Network Resilience Platform, Opengear has moved beyond emergency access. The platform extends management access to the edge of the infrastructure through an always-on management plane that is resilient to disruptions in the production network,” said Saito “We’re enabling engineers to manage, monitor and remediate their critical network devices, while also allowing them to lock down many features in the production network to improve security. Taken together, it is further evidence that Opengear can be seen as synonymous with the term ‘network resilience’.” n Opengear adds NetOps to Out-of-Band Management, with launch of operations manager appliancesAnritsu conducts true PIM analysis over fibre and present RF spectrum derived from IQ data Anritsu Company has introduced the IQ Fibre Master MT2780A multi- port CPRI-based RF and PIM analyser claiming to be the first instrument to perform true PIM analysis over fibre and present RF spectrum results derived from IQ data. The MT2780A reduces test costs and time by providing field engineers, field technicians and third-party contractors with a single instrument to conduct RF interference measurements and PIM troubleshooting on LTE-based systems using CPRI front haul infrastructure. The IQ Fibre Master leverages patented PIM over CPRI and RF over CPRI measurement capabilities that allow tests to be conducted on the ground, significantly reducing tower climbs. Field engineers and technicians can use the MT2780A to scan the uplink RF signals of a remote radio head (RRH) for in-band interference while simultaneously conducting PIM over CPRI measurements. Supporting all Tier 1 LTE base station radio manufacturers, the single instrument solution can determine if KPIs are being affected by interference or PIM. Analysing CPRI IQ data allows users to view a radio’s uplink spectrum for interference troubleshooting. The IQ Fibre Master measures PIM over CPRI with four SFP inputs, providing the ability to compare multiple bands and sectors, as well. Measurements are performed on live cell tower traffic signals, providing a unique method to conduct real-world testing that results in improved accuracy and no system downtime for test. As measurements are derived from baseband IQ data, the IQ Fibre Master can make measurements on any frequency RRH, or combination of frequencies of the RRH, providing a cost- effective solution. The IQ Fibre Master analysis results provide a full PIM diagnosis. It will report the presence of PIM, whether it is internal or external, and the distance to PIM. In addition, the unique and proprietary PIM heatmap quickly displays which transmitter contributes the most PIM. This collective diagnosis data shortens the entire PIM hunting exercise by directing field engineers and technicians to the most probable location and cause of the issues. For on-going monitoring, IQ Fibre Master can be installed at cell sites to conduct long-term PIM over CPRI measurements and provide analytical information. PIM-related problems, such as intermittent PIM occurring on specific days and times or changes in PIM due to base station load during the day, can be measured in this configuration. Reports of the measurements can be generated and used for comparative analysis. The IQ Fibre Master MT2780A also serves as a band-less PIM testing solution that can be a carrier’s first test tool when identifying an interference problem and its location. This helps to determine the most efficient course of action to follow. All LTE bands are supported by IQ Fibre Master MT2780A. Extremely compact and lightweight, it weighs only 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) and measures 185 mm x 133 mm x 55 mm (2.1 in x 7.3 in x 5.2 in), so it fits in the palm of the user’s hand. n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 11 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 11 Opsview announces strategic partnership with multi-cloud experts UKCloud Opsview has announced a new strategic partnership with UKCloud, a leading provider of sovereign and secure multi-cloud solutions to the UK public sector, health and defence sectors. “We’re pleased to on-board UKCloud to the Opsview platform” said Mike Walton, CEO, Opsview. “Through an extensive technical evaluation period with UKCloud, Opsview has demonstrated our deep monitoring capability across their sovereign, secure, hybrid IT estate. We see great synergies in our companies and look forward to extending this partnership further.” UKCloud currently supports and delivers solutions to over 140 customers, using 6000 virtual machines, in UK public, health and defence sectors. IT Monitoring is a key component to ensuring availability and security for these critical sectors. Their previous monitoring solution had been in-situ for over eight years and had been adapted over the years to the point that upgrades were no longer possible and lacked the flexibility needed to monitor their evolving, multi-cloud infrastructure. “With Opsview, we have the flexibility to enable improved monitoring across our varied estate which includes, Openstack, VMWare and Azure” said Karsten Smet, COO, UKCloud. “We are also able to use the power of Opsview to flag and stop issues before they actually impact us, such as identifying increased traffic flow on to our websites and automating the DDoS protection.” The Opsview and UKCloud partnership will also include Opsview Cloud being delivered using the UKCloud platform for UK customers and key integrations with other service lines provided by UKCloud. n Innodisk supports healthcare industry with capable medical-grade solutions With organisations scrambling to procure the right components, Innodisk recently provided its technical and medical sector expertise for ventilator production in China, Europe and Brazil and doubled-down on its support of innovation in global health. Solutions to unique challenges: data security, endurance, ESD protection, and more, Innodisk is proud to deliver solutions used in innovative and life- saving healthcare applications such as mechanical ventilators, ultrasound systems, medical all-in-one and panel PCs, nurses’ stations, and MRI machines. These medical applications put considerable demands on components that must be addressed in full by any products and solutions – making a focus on personal data security, reliability, stability, and longevity an absolute must. Industry Prowess and Technical Aptitude Innodisk’s flash storage solutions deliver unwavering stability and exceptional endurance with SLC and iSLC storage solutions – combined with excellent security guaranteed by AES-256 encryption and TCG Opal- compliance. Further, Innodisk’s DRAM modules meet all performance and form factors requirements while also guaranteeing longevity with full legacy support for SDRAM, DDR1, and DDR2 DRAM – alongside the cutting-edge DDR3 and DDR4 series. Lastly, Innodisk’s embedded peripherals – for example, RAID cards, isolated serial cards, and USB 3.0 modules – come with features such as wide temperature design, electrostatic discharge protection (air 15 kV, contact 8 kV) and high potential isolation design (2.5 kV). Innodisk also provides extensive customisation to meet special requirements, for example by designing components that can withstand the extreme electromagnetic interference in medical imaging equipment. nMayflex, the cabling infrastructure, networking and electronic security solutions distributor, is now actively distributing the Hikvision product portfolio, following the initial announcement of the new partnership, back in December 2019. The team of security specialists at Mayflex will place a particular focus on the IP solutions available. Hikvision is a world leading provider of security products and solutions. Featuring an extensive and highly skilled R&D workforce, Hikvision manufactures a full suite of comprehensive products and solutions for a broad range of vertical markets. Their UK and Ireland operations are based out of Stockley Park near Heathrow with regional sales offices and training academies also based in Glasgow, Manchester and Doncaster. Ross McLetchie, Mayflex Sales Director comments, “The business has been extensively preparing for this launch. Staff have received the necessary training, to enable the teams to continue to provide the sales and technical support on product choice and system design, that our customers have become accustomed to.” Gary Harmer, Hikvision Sales Director UK & Ireland commented, “As part of the Sonepar group of companies, with an established customer base installing and working with Converged IP Solutions, Mayflex provides Hikvision with access to many markets and new customers. We can support installers venturing into the security market, with our training academy which offers free courses that provide the necessary skills to successfully install and commission Hikvision security solutions.” Tom Filce, Head of Security Sales at Mayflex comments, “The sales team is fired up and ready to go to market with this new addition to our already strong security product portfolio. I am looking forward to supporting our existing customers and onboarding a whole host of new clients from our security and infrastructure customer base. I am excited to see the new opportunities that the Hikvision range will provide us with.” n Mayflex distributes Hikvision security solutions NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 12 Cellular internet connectivity for remote assets with the robust Anybus Wireless Bolt IoT HMS Networks has announced the release of Anybus Wireless Bolt IoT which enables reliable cellular-based internet connectivity for assets in the field, using the new LTE- based networks NB-IoT and CAT-M1. Companies are increasingly looking to connect remotely located assets for remote monitoring and control over the internet. However, many times there is no local infrastructure available to connect such assets to the internet in a traditional way. The Anybus Wireless Bolt IoT by HMS Networks targets this situation, providing reliable cellular-based internet connectivity over NB-IoT and CAT-M1 for remote assets that are otherwise hard to reach and connect. n DigiCert named 2020 Global Company of the Year in TLS Certificate Market Frost & Sullivan has recognised DigiCert with the 2020 Global Company of the Year Award, based on its recent analysis of the global transport layer security (TLS) certificate market. DigiCert has exhibited strong market leadership in its growth, supporting the adoption of new standards and continually innovating with the industry’s best, most modern public key infrastructure (PKI) technology. In addition to the strength in the TLS/SSL market, the company is also focused on new security technologies, such as protecting devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) and developing implementations of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). "Leveraging its superior technology, customising it to regional markets and building a best-in-class customer support system, DigiCert has captured the business of 89% of the Fortune 500 companies and the world’s most recognised brands," said Swetha Krishnamoorthi, Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Further, DigiCert has successfully integrated the technology strengths of the former Symantec TLS and PKI business to provide an unequalled product portfolio and scalability for partners and customers. DigiCert's certificates and management tools support a wide range of enterprise needs and use cases, ranging from standard TLS to compliance-specific use cases such as Google AMP and EU-trusted qualified certificates for natural persons, legal entities or web authentication (QWACs). The company also supports cloud-based code signing, remote document signing, a host of IoT device authentication and encryption scenarios, large enterprise secure remote access, secure email and much more." DigiCert CertCentral TLS Manager enables organisations to issue, discover, renew and revoke certificates in an automated manner. CertCentral features an intuitive UI and is built on APIs for easy certificate management at any scale. DigiCert’s modern and growing DigiCert ONE platform, which also includes DigiCert Enterprise PKI Manager and DigiCert IoT Device Manager, enables management of all types of certificate deployments, such as cloud, on premises, in-country and hybrid environments. DigiCert has upgraded its infrastructure to support large installations, regionally-focused deployments and high-volume, rapid certificate enrollments for the world’s largest web platform companies. The company’s product development process allows it to roll out changes and product updates more quickly than competitors. This strategy has helped the company create the industry’s first PQC toolkit, which enables companies to create hybrid certificates for testing in their systems. "With its multi-pronged approach to innovation, DigiCert has developed a hyper-converged, agile infrastructure that promises reliability, scalability, resiliency and shorter response time for its customers," noted Swetha. "Its emphasis on user experience and a customer-first approach to product development will ensure its continued domination of the digital certificate market in the long term." Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organisation that demonstrates excellence in growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognises a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration. nInfovista hits new milestone for DSS testing for 5G deployment as operator adoption accelerates Infovista has announced it has shipped its thousandth upgrade for its TEMS Investigation platform to allow operators to test Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). This innovative technology lets operators take advantage of existing 4G infrastructure to deliver initial 5G capabilities, without compromising the performance of existing customers. DSS was made available as part of 3GPP Release 15 in April 2019 and is now supported by leading infrastructure providers including Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and ZTE through a software upgrade. With DSS, operators can allocate portions of the 4G LTE spectrum that they are already using to 5G NR allowing users to coexist in the same frequency band/ channel at the same time. Last month, the first wave of handsets with new Qualcomm X55 5G modem and Exynos 990 chipsets supporting DSS arrived in the market – further fuelling interest from operators. “DSS offers a simple way for mobile service providers to bring new 5G users on board gradually to match their adoption models—while continuing to support legacy 4G customers,” says Jose Duarte, CEO for Infovista. “In the past, when operators wanted to upgrade to a new technology, they would have to do Spectrum Re-farming, moving old users off a part of the spectrum and reserving the block for new users—even if they were limited in number. DSS instead offers an easier transition but there is still a need for testing to ensure the process is seamless.” Infovista is offering its DSS testing capability as a ‘free upgrade on request’ to all TEMS Investigation 21.0 customers and according to Duarte, “The pace of adoption is rapid and roughly 70% of the 176 5G companies we currently work with worldwide, are now evaluating DSS within their networks,” he says. An analysis of the TEMS upgrades highlights a broad geographic spread of DSS testing underway across 56 countries led by the US, Germany, UK, and the UAE region. As the first network performance specialist to demonstrate a DSS testing solution back at MWC America 2019, Infovista has continued development to ensure compatibility with all infrastructure vendor solutions. “This is a key point as most operators have a mix of manufacturers across their infrastructure and having unified testing, planning and optimisation tools is a significant benefit in simplifying 5G deployment,” says Duarte. The Infovista TEMS Portfolio supports all the major smartphones that have DSS compatibility, and this feature will extend to the upcoming 7.4 release of Infovista Planet radio planning and optimisation solutions scheduled for launch during the middle of 2020. n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 13 Schneider Electric launches monitoring and dispatch services to manage distributed IT Schneider Electric has announced the launch of Monitoring and Dispatch Services, enabling IT solution providers and end users to optimise resources, improve efficiency, and help prevent downtime by leveraging Schneider Electric to manage the operations of distributed IT infrastructure. By simplifying the management of edge computing sites, the new services are designed to make life easier for IT staff, ensure coverage and can provide significant savings over the lifecycle of the infrastructure. Services include remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and on-site, next-business- day remediation, including replacement parts. “Schneider Electric continues to find new and innovative ways to simplify operating at the edge while increasing uptime, meeting the key challenges of multiple remote sites and limited IT staff,” said Kevin Brown, Senior Vice President EcoStruxure, Energy Management Business, Schneider Electric. “With our global footprint and domain expertise in IT infrastructure, we are providing more options to enable our partners and end users to do what they do best and make it easier for an open ecosystem to effectively function.” IT solution providers can add Monitoring and Dispatch Services to their service offering to quickly and cost- effectively expand their portfolio and value to customers. Digital transformation requires edge computing and comes with new challenges Digital transformation depends on edge computing, which places IT infrastructure across distributed networks. Industry analysts agree that as a result, shrinking IT staffs are challenged to manage the complexity. In a recent report from IDC, analysts comment “edge IT presents organisations with new challenges related to areas such as deployment, integration, network management, security, and cost management.” More than 60 percent of end user organisations want outside help in managing their edge deployments, according to IDC. In answer to those challenges, Monitoring and Dispatch Services are powered by analytics from the EcoStruxure IT data lake. This data, along with Schneider Electric’s deep domain expertise, allows the Connected Services Hub and customers to glean insightful, data- driven recommendations to maintain system uptime and shift from being reactive to proactive in maintaining distributed IT infrastructure. This approach combines 24/7 expert remote monitoring and troubleshooting by Schneider Electric’s engineers with next-business-day, on-site support, including replacement parts, when necessary. Moreover, by employing a proactive approach to service, end users can save up to 40 percent over the lifecycle management of their distributed IT. n Jose Duarte, CEO for Infovista. STULZ Group acquires STULZ TI STULZ, specialist for mission critical air conditioning, has announced that it now owns the entire shareholding of STULZ Technology Integration (STULZ TI), the data centre design and build specialist. As a wholly owned subsidiary, STULZ TI has been extensively restructured to respond efficiently to the needs of the market. This has ensured full integration into the STULZ Group, which provides direct access to a wide range of state-of-the-art cooling products, solutions and resources. STULZ TI provides data centre related services and technology solutions on a global scale – ranging from small containerised solutions to vast, high power density installations suitable for high performance computing applications. The company has gained an international reputation for its ability to design, build and maintain these facilities, successfully completing installations in more than 20 countries. STULZ TI was created in 2016 when STULZ entered into a joint venture and purchased a majority shareholding in Technology Space Integration (TSI). By acquiring the remaining shareholding, STULZ Group will now be able to take STULZ TI to the next stage of its development, with the closer integration of the two organisations. ndesigning for efficiency www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com 14 When deploying IT infrastructure to support an enterprise organisation, there are several factors to consider. All of the decisions are based on the specific needs of the business; its type, the customers it services and the applications it needs to support. For many, the first decision however, is whether to own or outsource? Do the needs of the business require predominantly commercial applications, which can be delivered via the cloud? Or does the organisation depend so crucially on local IT assets for performance, data sovereignty or application speed, that it is more preferable to keep their resources on premise? As always, cost, mission criticality and performance are the ultimate factors determining the decision, but if it is decided that control of its own IT assets is essential, then an organisation’s task will become focused on designing and building a data centre tailored to meet these demands. In most cases this leaves one final question. How does one deploy the most resilient, secure and operationally efficient data centre solution, in the most cost-effective way? Nick Ewing Managing Director, EfficiencyITDesigning data centres for efficiency www.networkseuropemagazine.com 15 designing for efficiency www.networkseuropemagazine.com 15 Determining the value of your assets Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is the cost of an IT installation over its working life, including the cost of acquiring and deploying all critical infrastructure components including Power, UPS, IT and Cooling. Whereas Operating Expenditure (OpEx) is the cost of running, maintaining and servicing the plant throughout its life. Taking a longer-term and strategic view may be more advisable for an organisation who is looking to extract the maximum value possible from their IT assets. Some businesses may opt to turn them into an investment. However, this means that the organisation may also need to adjust their calculations and speculate at the outset in order to accumulate a better return during operations. For many enterprise organisations, building a strong case for investing in new and efficient technologies at the design and specification stages can yield tangible benefits to the bottom line over the long run. Design and build considerations When deciding to build a data centre on one’s own premises, the first consideration is the real estate that an organisation possesses. Does it have sufficient space on site for its IT needs? Is the space available in a single hall or room, or are there multiple locations across which equipment may be deployed? Is it wise to keep all IT yielding tangible benefits for Enterprise ITdesigning for efficiency www.networkseuropemagazine.com 16 assets in the one place or can they be efficiently dispersed throughout one’s campus? The answers to these will naturally be informed by the structure of the organisation. For example, a research organisation needing access to High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters to process large volumes of complex, algorithmic data calculations will likely require high-density racks, large volumes of storage and a heavy cooling requirement that would not be needed for more general-purpose servers. Isolating such resources within their own space, alongside the specialist support infrastructure they require might be more cost-effective from the points of view of acquisition and operation. Choice of cooling solution Power and cooling account for much of the operating costs of a data centre. However, Life Sciences in particular, are continually evolving and so do its technology requirements. For HPC clusters to keep up with the demands of new GPU-based systems, the owner may, for example, choose to deploy a form of liquid cooling in order to drive efficiency and lower OpEx. Liquid cooling has fast made a comeback as a way of maintaining optimal operating temperatures with far lower power consumption than air-cooled systems. Whether using fully immersed methods or direct-to-chip options, liquid cooling can reduce operating costs by up to 14%. There is, of course, a penalty to pay in terms of costs to acquire and install such features. However, for HPC racks, the pay back over time is significant. For general purpose data centres, the choice of cooling system may be affected by the constraints of one’s existing facility. It may be cost-effective to make use of an existing raised floor if available, or if there is sufficient head room Power and cooling account for much of the operating costs of a data centre. However, Life Sciences in particular, are continually evolving and so do its technology requirements.designing for efficiency www.networkseuropemagazine.com 17 in the server room to have such a floor installed. Similarly, hot or cold aisle containment systems, which improve the efficiency of air-cooled installations, should always be considered if there is sufficient space for them. Power and management systems The power requirements, especially the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) will be determined by several factors including the criticality of the systems under load, the quality of the existing power supply and of course, the cost. Today, data centre operators may examine the trade-off between traditional UPS systems based on Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid (VRLA) batteries, and Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) powered models. The latter offers numerous advantages, including a much smaller footprint, longer lifetimes that incur lower service and operating costs, and greater power densities. What’s also important is to ensure the user right-sizes the UPS system. This may also mean they need to spend more in the initial stages by choosing a modular UPS, but the payback will result in long term dividends, allowing them to save larger costs in terms of energy usage. Underpinning all of the efforts to optimise the efficiency of a data centre, whatever type of hardware assets are deployed, is the Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) system. Or more recently, next-generation DCIM systems that offer increased visibility, with remote monitoring and management capabilities via Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the IoT technology now built into all data centre hardware assets including racks, UPS, IT and cooling systems as standard, there has never been more insight available into the operating status of a facility. These new systems also provide the user with the ability to manage an entire portfolio of data centre assets inside a single-console, viewing all of the critical systems and components from anywhere, at any time. Newer systems can alert the user to maintenance schedules and leverage Machine Learning to identify performance issues before they become problematic, increasing resiliency. Moreover, they have the ability to collect performance data for analysis and facilitate continuous operational improvements so that efficiency can be maximised and operating costs lowered. According to Andy Lawrence of the Uptime Institute, “The average power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio for a data centre in 2020 is 1.58, only marginally better than seven years ago.” However, the metric remains an important aspect of IT operations today, as any improvement in PUE and thereby energy efficiency will have a positive impact on OpEx. For many Enterprise IT operators, a trade-off has to be made regarding mission criticality, as the more infrastructure an organisation deploys to increase the resiliency of its IT systems, the more impact there will be on energy usage. DCIM, however, remains an essential component of all data centre operations today. Conclusion As with any business, the adage that "what gets measured gets managed" applies particularly to data centre operations. The drive for greater efficiency is motivated by many factors including environmental concerns, running costs, government regulations and indeed the need to reduce operating expenses. As always, the Total Cost of Ownership, driven ever lower via a greater investment in efficient technologies during the design stage, will inevitably impact positively on an organisation’s financial bottom line, whilst ensuring their critical IT performs resiliently and exactly as expected. That, of course, is as compelling a business case for efficiency, as any. n ... the more infrastructure an organisation deploys to increase the resiliency of its IT systems, the more impact there will be on energy usage.Data centres have evolved from a few servers sitting in the closet of an office building to dedicated facilities. But data centres today are not just larger, more power-hungry commercial facilities, they are part of the fabric of our digital lives. Data centres manage critical data for global communications, financial transactions, government services, business operations and entertainment, with technologies such as 5G and the Internet of Things pushing data centre demands to new levels of complexity. As IT loads become more dispersed and fluid, the facilities that power them will have to be much more adaptable. From a size and criticality perspective, modern data centres have much more in common with industrial facilities – power plants and oil refineries, for instance – than they do with the office buildings where they were born. Given this fact, it seems natural that industrial-grade automation systems should be used to monitor and manage data centres. Data centre sustainability through digitalisation by Ciaran Flanagan Global Head ABB’s Data Center Business datacentre sustainability www.networkseuropemagazine.com 18Data Centre Automation Industrial automation systems are robust systems that can scale from small to extremely large and from simple to extremely complex. They are designed to talk to all kinds of equipment using many different protocols and are used in continuous operation over long periods, even while being upgraded. Furthermore, industrial systems are cyber-secure, needing to comply with the rigorous standards set in the various industrial environments in which they operate. This shift to industrial-grade automation is critical for data centre companies trying to meet aggressive sustainability targets. Indeed, you can’t truly optimise the efficiency of your data centre without a holistic view of the system. Data Centre Automation (DCA) enables inefficient power and water usage to be identified and automates reporting to track progress and compliance. Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, stands as a clear example of how digital data centre operations are directly linked to improvements in sustainability. With the demand for a new, sophisticated data centre with more space and more configurable flexibility, the school’s data centre was relocated to a new campus facility and out of a server room into a dedicated space. In line with the mandate that all new campus buildings must be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, a Data Centre Automation solution which provides reporting on energy use, was implemented to help the campus achieve its sustainable operation objectives. By being able to analyse cooling data, they determined in the first few months of operation that the data centre could reduce overall air conditioning demand by adding containment walls to its server rows and nearly a decade after moving into the new facility, have credited the DCA solution with helping to reduce the facility’s energy usage by more than 53 percent. In addition to supporting improvements in energy efficiency, Data Centre Automation can also be used to manage the integration of cleaner energy into a facilities operations, a solution which has been adopted by one of the world‘s largest telecommunications network equipment suppliers, Ericsson, for its Global Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre in Rosersberg, Sweden. The vast data centre spans over 20,000 sqm but all three of the site’s control subsystems – the BMS, smart power management system (PMS) and energy management system (EMS) – can be monitored and controlled from one room. Digital solutions enabled Ericsson to automate and control operations not only across hardware and software systems but also across power, cooling and energy management systems. This enabled them to integrate the data centre with the nearby city of Rosersberg to conserve resources, recycling the heat thrown off from the data centre to provide heat and hot water to local residents. In return, they obtain cold water back from the city to help cool the centre’s servers. Efficient management of these thermal transfers through Data Centre Automation is critical and has resulted in a 40 percent reduction in energy usage alongside reductions in operational and capital spending. Every Watt Counts As data centres continue to grow in size and number, owners and customers have a major incentive to manage their energy use wisely. It is estimated that energy accounts for up to 40 percent of the total cost of ownership of a data centre. If centres do not employ digital solutions to become more efficient and innovative, their growth could be constrained by overloaded national power grids. It seems therefore that every watt counts, not only for the sustainable operations of their facility but for their ability to continue operating. n As the demands for efficiency and capacity increase for data centres, Ciaran Flanagan from ABB discusses the role digital solutions have to play in ensuring their sustainable future. – digital data centre operations are directly linked to improvements in sustainability – datacentre sustainability www.networkseuropemagazine.com 19Next >