< PreviousA primary area of focus is, of course, around energy consumption and sustainability. As the wider world starts to become more focused on the impact of fossil fuels on the environment, data centres that are willing to trial, test and invest in more novel and new sustainable technologies will see themselves at the forefront of the industry. While many of these initiatives can be expensive vs the current ‘norm’, investing in becoming a sustainably driven data centre operator will deliver long-term positive outcomes, both for customers and for the organisation itself. It is important, however, that as an industry we continue to innovate in this arena if only to minimise environmental impact. A failure to move forward and adopt even basic sustainability measures could see data centres lose business and risk being seen as dated vs the wider industry. It’s an important topic now but is one that isn’t going away. Being aware of it, acting on it and investing early is, therefore, only going to offer a strategic advantage in the future. Collaboration and efficiency are key Another major area of future-proofing the data centre is in creating agile and flexible, mission-critical environments in which to work collaboratively with customers. This is an area growing in importance to meet each customer’s individual needs. The rate of change and evolution in what servers can now do compared to even just a few years ago should highlight how important this area is. Utilising the latest energy-efficient technology is, of course, essential. However, it’s crucial to design and specify environments that can be scalable to meet growing client demands. Having effective cooling, power and monitoring solutions in place can also help minimise downtime and mitigate impacts on end-user services. Furthermore, being able to design your facility to accommodate a broad range of requirements, including the enterprise cloud, managed service, entertainment, or streaming services, is critical. Here, in-house technical expertise is vital and engineering personnel play an important role in designing and structuring the data centre to be as flexible and agile as possible, thus enabling you to plan, somewhat securely, for the future. Today many legacy operators are being left behind and those continuing to offer the same service and solutions as they did five years ago will only see the competition continue to thrive. Prioritising innovation in design offers benefits for end- users and in-house personnel. And a data centre that can accommodate a broad range of offerings ensures it is provisioned for customers from all industries to grow with it. Supply and demand Future planning is another essential aspect and with greater demands placed on today’s supply chains, operators that can plan for growth, or begin to build new capacity are in a strong position. Taking the idea of a data centre being agile further, as the core foundations of many customers’ IT infrastructure and the importance of being forward-thinking cannot be under-estimated, it is pivotal that the technology underpinning the data centre is as future-proofed as the hardware that is being deployed within it. A data centre that is run on end-of-life equipment or legacy systems is not going to be able to truly support its customers and could potentially discourage new customers from becoming tenants. Many end-users will expect their data centre provider to have a firm grasp on emerging technologies and those at the forefront of their industry will expect the infrastructure to be as advanced as they are. This, combined with the ever-growing importance of IT to end-user organisations, means a data centre that is falling behind with its own infrastructure is only likely to lose out to its competitors that are pushing forward. To future-proof a data centre today, it’s not just about working to industry best practices but exceeding these perimeters. n For today’s operators, future-proofing the data centre covers a broad spectrum of requirements. The continued pace of change and scale in the industry means that data centre providers are having to think forward to stay in the race. Rowland Kinch CEO Custodian Data Centres forward-thinking data centre www.networkseuropemagazine.com 40 The thinking data centreforward-thinking data centre www.networkseuropemagazine.com 41 e forward- nking data ntrewww.networkseuropemagazine.com future-proofing the data centre 42 Future-proofing data centre infrastructures are one of the key areas where most IT leaders claim to lack confidence. In a recent report, only 37% of respondents said their facility's infrastructure was strong enough to withstand unforeseen circumstances, with 30% stating the same of their disaster recovery measures. Alan Hayward Sales and Marketing Manager SEH Technology This study demonstrates how rapidly advancing trends and increasing business demands have put pressure on data centres to keep up with the rest of the technology industry and ensure their systems infrastructure is up to scratch. One of the biggest challenges for IT leaders is managing the security of data stored in data centres. Microsoft reported that it fends off more than 7 trillion cyberthreats per day in its data centres. With the continuous rise in threats, including the theft of confidential information, data alteration or data loss, companies need to consider investing in security to avoid unauthorised access and manipulation of their resources. Introducing a multi-layered approach A multi-layered security approach is considered to be the best way to prevent attacks in data centres. This approach means deploying many different levels of security to protect data and intellectual property, working across different protocols and applications. By working together, these security layers provide a better chance to prevent hackers from gaining access to the data centre’s network than just a single security solution. This may include internet protection, email and file security or virus and malware protection. Dongle servers are also a popular choice amongst multi-layered security approaches in data centres. It easily allows users to access and share USB dongle devices securely via the network while minimising the risk of data breaches and attacks on the license protected software. Dongle servers add a protective layer, focusing specifically on securing the network where attacks could happen, thus making the defence as strong as possible and protecting its high-value software. Authorising device access It's useful to think of a dongle server as a virtual cable extension via the network, with maximum network availability through two network connections. This in turn allows terminals to meet the required authentication requirements and ensure the specialist software can run on them. It also encrypts a point-to-point connection between the user and the dongle server, meaning the potential for unauthorised access to the software is removed. Dongle servers also allow users to dynamically assign which user is authorised to access each dongle and control which computer has access to the software. Streamlining processes The plug and play principle of the dongle server also makes installation simple, with initial operation and configuration easily completed via the Web Control Center. Data centres can easily streamline processes by making efficient use of resources and employee time. Employees can request access to the software as soon as a license becomes available, and once the software has been used by that individual, it will be securely relocated to the next in line. Maximising security It is recommended that data centres also use a lockable case to securely and centrally store the dongle server, keeping it safe from theft, wear and tear, and damage. This also eliminates the problem of users physically sharing dongles, which may result in a loss at some point, such as sourcing replacement dongles, lost revenues and wasted time. To build the most effective defences, IT leaders within data centres need to consider how it leverages people and processes. With this in mind, it should also look to improve its detection capabilities so that it can respond promptly to suspicious or improper events with the correct protocols. It is also imperative that businesses improve their employee’s cybersecurity awareness and conduct regular training sessions throughout the year to keep employees aware of the potential damages. Training programmes will create a strong culture of cybersecurity that can go a long way toward minimising data privacy threats. With the clear danger to data centres, it’s essential that a secure method of IT security is implemented—not only for protecting their software but their reputation too. A single solution is no longer sufficient. Data centres should consider a multi-layered approach to security, as it can provide the protection needed against increasingly sophisticated security threats. As part of this approach, a dongle server is recommended to protect the data centre’s software from piracy and misuse. nfuture-proofing the data centre www.networkseuropemagazine.com 43 Future-proofing data centres with dongle serversBilly Durie Global Sector Head for Data Centres Aggreko National commitments to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 have led many European data centre operators to re-evaluate the environmental impact of both the day-to- day operations and construction of their facilities. However, amid a growing market, it is critical to partner with a supplier that can keep pace with these goals. Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko, discusses how operators can ensure they rise to the data centre sustainability challenge. It’s no secret that our demand for data is increasing. A 2020 report from the International Telecommunication Union indicates that the percentage of internet users worldwide has grown from just 16% in 2005 to 52.6% in 2019. This dependence is perhaps most visible in Northern Europe, where the penetration rate for internet users sits at a staggering 96%. While internet usage has continued to rise year on year, the introduction of remote working policies due to the pandemic has no doubt fuelled this further. Ensuring sustainable growth for Europe’s data centre market sustainable growth www.networkseuropemagazine.com 44able ope’s market sustainable growth www.networkseuropemagazine.com 45However, this growth in demand appears to be at odds with one of the prominent issues facing the planet right now. In an effort to reduce the effects of global warming, a number of nations have committed to achieving net-zero carbons emissions by 2050, calling on all industries – IT included – to play their part in reducing their fossil fuel consumption. This has largely been recognised by operators across Europe, with many looking to curb their energy consumption through a number of innovative means, such as implementing natural cooling systems and district heating networks. Embodied Emissions Beyond the realm of day-to-day energy usage, operators are also beginning to take steps towards greener data centre construction. Perhaps one of the most important reasons for this is the concept of embodied emissions, which comprises all of the CO2 emitted during a build until a site comes into its intended use. This includes the harvest, processing, manufacture, transport and installation of materials. Beyond the realm of day- to-day energy usage, operators are beginning to take steps towards greener data centre construction. sustainable growth www.networkseuropemagazine.com 46The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors estimates that 35% of the average office development’s lifecycle carbon has been emitted before it even comes to use. While it is true that this figure is lower where data centres are concerned due to their high energy consumption during operation, the environmental impact of producing such a large building should not be understated. For instance, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2021 report ‘Decarbonising Construction: Building a New Net Zero Industry’, indicates that the production of cement – a key material in data centre construction – accounts for 8% of global emissions alone. Challenges With this in mind, it is clear that a greener approach to data centre construction will be necessary to fall in line with net-zero targets. This is a goal that many operators are making efforts to embrace, though it is not without its own challenges. For data centres in urban settings such as colocation sites, local emissions are a concern. On the other hand, remote sites in regions such as the Nordics may find establishing a grid connection and managing humidity levels difficult. Even after the main structure is completed, larger builds can often be without a mainline connection for a number of weeks or months. This means that generators must be used to power the project in the meantime and that temperature control systems must remain on-site in order to prevent equipment from becoming damaged by the elements. The use of these systems for extended periods of time can be a leading cause of carbon emissions during the construction phase, so care must be taken to source sustainable technology to support the build. Compounding this concern further is tightening legislation on emissions that EU member states must now adhere to. Stage V emissions standards, for example, require stationary engines to make use of diesel particulate filters in the after-treatment system. Moreover, the Medium Combustion Plant Directive aims to control emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust into the air for any equipment with a rated thermal input between 1 and 50MWt. Possible Solutions Considering these challenges, it is clear that there will not be a one-size-fits-all solution to the decarbonisation of Europe’s data centre construction industry. Only by adopting a flexible approach will IT infrastructure be able to become truly green. Load on demand systems may prove one solution, replacing a singular generator system with numerous smaller generators that scale up or down according to demand, allowing only the energy necessary to be used. Moreover, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) should be considered as a drop-in fuel, facilitating a reduction in local emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Stage V generators may also be a sensible approach, limiting carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter to provide efficient power for use in ultralow emissions zones. Perhaps the most crucial consideration is right-sizing – opting for equipment that does not exceed the needs of the site. Many hired solutions are often operated at less than 30% load, leading to inefficient fuel consumption which is both bad for the environment and running costs. Ideally, generators should be operated at 80% load or above – this can be achieved by using flywheel technology or battery hybrid technology to help cope with startup currents. Larger packages can also incorporate batteries in spinning reserve, allowing generator runtime to be reduced for savings on fuel and local emissions. With this in mind, it is crucial that data centre operators recommend that their contractors partner with suppliers with the flexibility and means required to support their sustainability goals. Aggreko, for instance, has recently launched its landmark Greener Upgrades initiative in order to help provide contractors with the means to build sustainably. This approach also affords operators absolute peace of mind that any interim solutions deployed will not fall foul of legislation. In order for data centre construction to keep pace with the green developments of day-to- day operation, partnering with a dependable supplier will be key to alleviating the challenges that data centres face during the construction phase. With the support of initiatives such as Greener Upgrades, contractors can help play their part in enabling the growth of truly green IT infrastructure. n sustainable growth www.networkseuropemagazine.com 47green recovery www.networkseuropemagazine.com 48 Prepare for a green recovery by transitioning to smartUpgrading our existing power networks is crucial to ensure a future that is powered by renewable energy. Smart, digital grids better integrate renewable energy sources and enable consumers to manage their energy more effectively, reducing costs and emissions. To date, delivering efficient, reliable energy distribution via the grid has proved challenging. However, the pressure is on for the industry to deliver on the expectation of governments and consumers towards developing green, clean, renewable power solutions. Smart grids can help to achieve this. The question for utilities providers remains: How can they juggle the need to adapt the grid to meet end- user needs, improve service quality and reliability, and contribute to the UK's net-zero by 2050 target? The energy sector is increasingly under pressure to deliver solutions as the UK bears down on its 2050 net-zero emissions target. Centrally managed, fossil-fuel-dominated energy generation is gradually on its way out, and the future is green. Since 1970, fossil fuel dependence in the UK has dropped by nearly 20%. A seismic but essential shift is being made towards a decarbonised, decentralised and digitised energy model. The utilities industry needs to keep pace. David Hall VP Power Systems Schneider Electric green recovery www.networkseuropemagazine.com 49 r a overy tioning gridsNext >