< PreviousThe sector has a long history of creative, independent minds, those using boundary-pushing technologies to develop innovative gaming experiences and immersive stories that capture the imagination and drive community engagement. This level of creativity, however, should not be limited by access to data and application availability, the need for on-demand servers and storage, or the need for superfast, low-latency connectivity. Today, where developers may begin with obsolete software, as their businesses and projects expand, it quickly becomes clear they need to take a quantum Alex Breary, Head of Marketing, Custodian Data Centres From Bedroom to Enterprise How Data Centres are Supporting the Gaming Industry The gaming industry has been in a period of significant transformation for the last decade. In fact, Microsoft’s recent purchase of Activision, Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Nintendo buying Capcom, speaks volumes about the massive upward trajectory of the gaming industry. gaming industry www.networkseuropemagazine.com 50 Enterprise g Industry gaming industry www.networkseuropemagazine.com 51Gaming industry dynamics As software DNA becomes increasingly more complicated and technical, many developers with ambitions to create unique and immersive experiences, quickly understand that they need mission-critical infrastructure to support fluxes in gaming traffic and they need to deliver real-time updates throughout the game lifespan. Whether hosting a platform independently or through a larger company, the infrastructure within the gaming industry needs to be customisable to suit each business need. From bare metal servers in data centres, which offer space for growth, scalability and dark fibre connectivity, to community hosting and dedicated OVH boxes for the more independent communities starting their journey into the world of gaming. leap with the infrastructure that supports their players. Even short periods of downtime can mean loss of player progress, loss of interest and the potential for a huge impact on a game’s player base, and low latency connectivity is fundamentally critical to delivering the best player experience. Underpinning the sector is a complex digital ecosystem, combining data centres, networks, and in some instances, peer-to-peer connected gaming. For most gaming providers, moving to a partner with the technical capabilities to support these components is not only vital for business growth but allows the players to fully immerse themselves into the gameplay without any interruptions. gaming industry www.networkseuropemagazine.com 52An example of how different gaming infrastructures are used and implemented can be seen through the emerging video game, Rust, which is a popular game that has achieved a lot of success and buzz in recent years. Today it boasts a global user base and in January 2022, it achieved ‘Peak Player’ numbers of 154,747. Frankly, Rust is growing at an exponential rate and being that Rust is a game played ‘online’ in its entirety, the requirement for high-quality infrastructure is amplified as, during periods of downtime, the game is completely unplayable. However, since official servers may have limited connectivity, might be insecure or operated from facilities that encounter long periods of downtime, gaming performance can be frequently impacted. Gamers have been known to support community- hosted servers to cut through some of these challenges. These small and intricate communities also allow users to better connect and play with friends, allow for better moderation and cater to a wider range of Rust players through server modification. It's clear that for any gaming platform, low latency network connectivity, security and accessibility are key for keeping players from moving over to competitor software. So, as a developer, a dynamic gaming experience, or consistent gameplay, needs to remain a key priority when exploring data and server options. Emerging tech As the gaming market develops so does the need for additional power and network connectivity. The latest games, which feature VR and AI technology, process an incredible amount of data, which needs to be supported with agile, mission-critical infrastructure. For businesses like Microsoft and Nintendo, data centre partnerships are incredibly important to support end-user demand. Collaborating with suppliers that have scalable facilities for growth, dedicated dark fibre connectivity and a passion for the latest gaming developments, allows application developers to benefit from secure, reliable infrastructure and a technical support team that can deliver a great gaming experience time and time again. Data centres are in fact helping to shape the next generation of games, which will see the industry utilise the processing power of mission-critical facilities, as the hub around which game development and game delivery to end users now orbit. In-house technical expertise is essential, and gaming businesses with the right supply chain partners can lean on the technical expertise of passionate data centre gaming professionals to gain insight into how to offer their players the best possible experience. This removes the technical barriers many developers face and allows gaming developments to reach new levels. Resilient power and uptime are also critical to maintaining seamless gaming experiences across multiple devices, which is why so many big and emerging players are reliant on data centres to provide unrivalled service. Future-proofed support and connectivity Right now, gaming is one of the most fast-paced and innovative global industries that continues to thrive. In 2020 the US video game industry grew about 27% to almost $57 billion in revenue, which, according to NPD Group, surpassed movies and music combined. As game creators continue to evolve their art, they must have the support of a data centre that understands their challenges and has comprehensive solutions to solve gameplay challenges. Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of cloud gaming, Kareem Choudhry, recently said: “We live in a culture of ‘instant’ when it comes to any kind of electronic media.” This certainly applies to gaming. The gaming community is ultimately about passion, so in turn, companies need their suppliers and vendors to understand and speak the language of every game developer. That passion combined with in-house technical expertise, allows fully bespoke services and infrastructure systems of all sizes and scales to be delivered uniquely to the needs of the business. This, for example, could be bare metal servers, or single rack gaming towers and whichever form they take, having the right dynamic service partner can mean that gaming innovators can ensure their facilities are completely built to suit, taking into account gameplay traffic, high spec game upgrades, local connectivity requirements and more. At Custodian, our passion for the gaming industry comes directly from our engineers and employees, with many of our technical teams being avid gamers. Their knowledge and expertise from casual gameplay to the technicalities of public hosting, means we have experienced first-hand the requirements needed for effective and immersive gameplay. Moreover, we understand the importance of built to suit suites, and how data centres can support the needs of the gaming industry. gaming industry www.networkseuropemagazine.com 53Why now is the time to act on the data centre skills gap skills gap www.networkseuropemagazine.com 54The growth in demand for data centres has been hugely beneficial to the digital infrastructure industry. Data centres enable the digital transformation we’ve seen across many organisations – from retailers and telcos to government agencies and educational bodies – improving productivity and streamlining processes. Simply put, the digital future we are all striving for will not be possible without data centres. So why has action to tackle the data centre skills shortage been so slow? The problem seems to jump on and off the news agenda, and we’ve seen some inconsistent government attention to this issue. I’ve come to realise that it’s those of us who work with and alongside the data centre industry who need to take a stand. Bridging the gap The data centre industry has always had to work from a limited pool of talent. Maintaining and operating data centres requires high-level technical skills that are not easy to come by. However, this skills gap has widened to an unsustainable point. Having worked in digital infrastructure for more than thirty years, it’s been troubling to see the problem worsen. The demand for data centres has expanded year on year, as companies increase digitisation, and the sector matures. While this growth is hugely positive for the industry, there’s a real risk we just will not meet demand due to staffing issues. This isn’t just anecdotal. Research from the Uptime Institute found that 50% of IT and data centre managers said they found it difficult to find qualified candidates to fill open positions in 2020, despite the number of engineers needed globally set to rise by approximately 300,000 over the next three years. These recruitment woes have only deepened since 2020. These statistics should be concerning not just for industry leaders, but for anyone looking to digitise processes in the future. Structural issues with the education system play a part. For example, between 2015 – 2020, there was a 40% decrease in the number of UK students studying Computing or ICT qualifications at GCSE or A-Level. We need to be ambitious about addressing these root causes if we are going to start producing as many engineers as we need in the UK. Mike Hook, Executive Director, LMG We often talk about the data centre skills shortage as if it’s an industry- wide problem, but the reality is, that its consequences are far-reaching. skills gap www.networkseuropemagazine.com 55Taking action The UK government has tried to put digital skills on the agenda, with new qualifications launched in the past few years. Solutions have been piecemeal and have failed to tackle the problem, with unfilled vacancies still costing the UK economy £6.3 billion in lost GDP each year. When it comes to data centre skills, the problem isn’t budging, as there’s been a historic lack of interest and investment in this area. I’ve realised that delaying solutions and waiting for government action isn’t the answer. As an industry, we can start so much of the urgent action ourselves. Skill sharing initiatives within the data centre sector have already made an impact. And it’s not just altruistic. By investing time and resources into this problem, we can bring in new talent and secure the future of our organisations, too. The Digital Futures Programme is one of these initiatives. The programme is the first of its kind and aims to give students the knowledge, skills and contacts they need to embark on long-lasting technical careers in the data centre and digital infrastructure industry. The 14–19-year-olds who take part enjoy workshops, projects and challenge days, and the programme also provides a much-needed stepping stone into work experience and apprenticeships. The positive responses we get from students indicate we’re on the right track. Who better to lead these initiatives than industry leaders? We have the knowledge to share with educators on career routes for young people in the data centre sector. By making clear what will make a student more employable, we can help shape the next generation of the workforce. skills gap www.networkseuropemagazine.com 56Reaping the rewards The Digital Futures Programme, launched by UTC Heathrow, has some great partners, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), CBRE and Virtus. These partnerships really strengthen the programme and make the experience even more compelling for students. But some organisations may still need convincing, given the effort that needs to be put in. To those hesitant to share their time and resources, I’d say that you get back what you put in. By helping to close the data skills gap, you’re helping to improve and strengthen the talent pool available. This also boosts retention – protecting your investment in a future candidate’s training and development. It’s about taking a longer-term view of career development. Partnering with education providers allows businesses to build trust with the best candidates early on. When it comes to careers in IT, often students with potential, lose momentum by not having the right training or choosing the wrong subjects at school. Getting more students engaged with the prospect of STEM careers from a young age is critical. Perhaps there is no such thing as a truly selfless act. It may sound vain, but by sharing your expertise with the wider community, you shine a positive light on yourself and your company. The data centre industry as a whole gets an image boost, making the sector feel more inclusive to students who perhaps wouldn’t have considered a career in the sector otherwise. That’s why I believe so strongly in a business-led approach to this issue. Between us, we’ve got enough experience and knowledge to tackle the data centre skills shortage. By supporting programmes such as Digital Futures, the data centre industry can work together to secure our digital future. Securing the future of our industry With data-heavy innovations such as smart cities gaining pace, the demand for data centres in the UK will only grow. According to BusinessWire, the UK data centre market will grow by almost 36% by 2025. If we want this growth to be sustainable, industry leaders need to get to work mentoring the next generation of data centre engineers and managers. Given the benefits to the health of the data centre industry, as well as the wider society, it’s time we prioritise closing the data centre skills gap. If we achieve that, the sky will be the limit for data centre innovation. skills gap www.networkseuropemagazine.com 57Four trending factors driving global industrial ethernet market expansion With the rising necessity for establishing strong and efficient communication infrastructures within an enterprise, the global industrial ethernet industry is slated to witness notable expansion in the forthcoming years. industrial ethernet www.networkseuropemagazine.com 58Enterprises are increasingly focusing on establishing industrial ethernet infrastructure for optimising process and output and gaining a competitive advantage. Moreover, there have been initiatives by several developing countries, including India, China and Brazil, among others, to promote digitalisation and automation across all industrial verticals. Citing an instance, under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives, the Indian Government is eyeing bringing funds to and upgrading commercial and industrial infrastructure in the region. Owing to this, in 2020, the technology giant, Google, had reportedly announced investing around $10 billion in the ‘Digital India initiative’ in the next five to ten years. Such scenarios are predicted to encourage industrial ethernet switch manufacturers to expand their businesses to APAC. Driven by the aforementioned factors, the global industrial ethernet market is poised to exceed $120 billion by 2027. Below are some trending factors likely to boost industrial ethernet business expansion globally. Increasing demand across aerospace and defence applications The growing requirement for dedicated network infrastructure to establish secured and reliable communication in aerospace and defence sectors fosters the demand for ethernet solutions and services. Ethernet technologies, including industrial ethernet switches, are made for rugged environments and sustain impacts and erratic temperatures, that complement their applicability in these sectors. Owing to this, the aerospace and defence applications segment is forecast to be $4 billion by 2027. Deployment of communication interface for a robust connection The communication interface of industrial ethernet is designed to maintain an uninterrupted connection between ethernet/IP controllers and other devices on the network. These systems use high-speed ethernet ports for viewing and analysing communication and module-diagnostic information and maintaining effective network connections between devices. Growing numbers of Ethernet infrastructure installations in industrial settings is likely to increase demand for communication interfaces to support various network topology applications, including remote I/O, gateways, operator terminals, and sensors and transmitters. As a result, the industrial ethernet market share from the communication interface hardware segment is expected to grow at over 20% CAGR up to 2027. High preference for Modus TCP/IP protocols Modbus TCP/IP protocol is a set of layered protocols, which plays an important role in reliable data connection between machines within the ethernet network infrastructure in industrial enterprises. Modbus uses Internet Protocol (IP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for the transfer of data between compatible devices. Soaring expenditure by private companies on the advancement of ethernet architecture to minimise downtime would influence the adoption of Modus protocols. As a result, the industrial ethernet market share from Modbus TCP/IP protocol is anticipated to witness around 15% CAGR through 2027. Introduction of advanced ethernet technologies in Europe Europe's industrial ethernet market is projected to hold around a 25% share of the global industry by 2027. There is a growing emphasis by leading technology companies, such as Robert Bosch GmbH, ABB Ltd, and Siemens AG on launching advanced platforms to upgrade Ethernet connectivity in Europe. For example, in August 2020, Westermo Network Technologies introduced the WeOS operating system- based advanced industrial ethernet platform. This launch allowed Westermo to render advanced platforms compatible with IoT and big data applications to its industrial customers. Moreover, an increasing number of initiatives by government, as well as private organisations to develop high-speed networking technologies, are likely to augment the industrial ethernet business landscape. In summary, the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0, along with growing efforts by private and public entities to deploy reliable, cost-effective and high-speed Ethernet services across industrial verticals would positively influence the global industrial ethernet forecast. Naman Shrivastava Global Market Insights bal t n industrial ethernet www.networkseuropemagazine.com 59Next >