NETWORKS EUROPE The magazine for network and data centre professionals IN THIS ISSUE: THE FUTURE IS HYPERSCALE HOW TO THRIVE IN TODAY'S CONTENT HEAVY ENVIRONMENT September/October 2020 SD-WAN MASS-MARKET EVOLVEMENT WHAT GOING GREEN MEANS FOR A DATA CENTRE POST COVID DATA CENTRE CHANGES COVID-19 has pushed the data centre market into overdrive Customers of SPs putting pressure on networks The increase in energy efficiency output of data centres01908 282200 enquiries@dunasfern.com www.dunasfern.com LET’S CONNECT! LET’S CONNECT! We now stock Sirocco Blown Fibre Systems Contact us for more information on the solutions we offer Part of the programmewww.networkseuropemagazine.com CONTENTS 03 3046 50 06 News The news desk highlights some of the industry stories. 16 Why NFV is more relevant than ever Don’t believe what you’ve heard, NFV is still on the radar for service providers – and for good reason. 18 The future is hyperscale It is no secret that the past few years have been a period of massive growth for not only the data centre industry but also for technology and IT services in general. 22 Zen and the art of UPS maintenance Zen…that wonderful state of mind, of calmness, stability, and clarity; a mind free of delusions and confusions; a mind at peace! So, what has that got to do with UPS maintenance I hear you ask? 26 How enterprise-grade wireless connectivity is essential for the public transport industry As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, improving connectivity on public transport has moved from an objective to a strategic imperative. 30 How will the data centre market change in a post-COVID world? Almost overnight, COVID-19 shifted entire facets of our lives online, pushing the data centre market into overdrive. 34 What going ‘green‘ means for the data centre industry As climate change turns into a “hot“ topic, vendors and operators are noticing an increase in the energy efficiency output of data centres and in particular, a focus on reducing their environmental impact. 38 Adopt. Adapt. Ciena takes a look at how network operators can thrive in today's content heavy environment. 40 Deploy modern DDI in the data centre to speed up deployment and enhance the customer experience The evolution of physical hardware and software has had a considerable impact on the development of applications. 42 Choosing an extreme temperature connector How picking the right connector first time can make the difference. 46 Why SD-WAN needs to evolve to reach mass-market Today’s communication systems are fundamental to business success and, as a result, customers of both service providers and managed service providers are putting pressure on networks. 50 Movers and shakers We take a quick look at some of the industry's movers and shakers, including new appointments, promotions and personnel changes. www.networkseuropemagazine.com CONTENTS 03 NETWORKS EUROPE 1 Tudor Business Centre, Waterhouse Lane, Kingswood KT20 6EN www.networkseuropemagazine.com Published by: Abacus Communications Limited Publisher: Greg Ward Editor: Laura Vallis Sales Executive: Keith Foster 18 The views expressed in the articles and technical papers are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the publishers. The author and publisher, and its officers and employees, do not accept any liability for any errors that may have occurred, or for any reliance on their contents. All trademarks and brandnames are respected within our publication. However, the publishers accept no responsibility for any inadvertent misuse that may occur. This publication is protected by copyright © 2020 and accordingly must not be reproduced in any medium. All rights reserved. Networks Europe stories, news, know-how? Please submit to editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk including high resolution (300dpi+ CMYK) images.www.networkseuropemagazine.comwww.networkseuropemagazine.com We're in this together! With some form of normality beginning to appear on the horizon, the team at Networks Europe have been giving some serious thought as to what we can do to really help you get your business back on track. We know things have been tough, so for a limited period we are offering highly discounted 'bounceback' marketing packages which we hope will not only save you money, but help get your business back on the road to recovery. Our packages can be tailored to meet individual needs and budgets and offer a potential marketing mix of in-magazine (hyperlinked) advertising, digital marketing via website and/ or email, in-magazine feature articles, online product showcases and advertorials. Simply get in touch to discuss your requirements. Contact: Keith Foster Office: 01366 728488 Mobile: 07970 883870 email: keith@hillviewmedia.com The next issue of Networks Europe will contain features on the following subjects: Nov/Dec Issue Energy Management Smart Buildings Data Erasure / Recycling Wireless NetworkingEditor's Note Over the past few months the impact of Covid-19 has meant we have had to make many changes to our day to day lives. However it's becoming more and more apparent that the adjustments being made are developing into a permanent way of life, rather than of the temporary. Almost overnight, COVID-19 has shifted entire facets of our lives online. While the data centre industry has helped to keep loved ones and business networks connected enabling us to both converse and work remotely, this has pushed the data centre into overdrive. Add in gaming, streaming and not to forget mission- critical operational connectivity, the demand for bandwidth has surpassed never before seen levels. In this issue we feature articles on how much the data centre has had to change in a post-Covid world. We take a look at why Network Functions Virtualisation is perhaps more relevant today than in recent times. We also consider why UPS maintenance should not be seen as a service 'add-on' and how network operators can thrive in a content-heavy environment. One thing that Covid-19 hasn't changed is of course the sustainability issue. Always a pertinent question. For years, data centres have contemplated their carbon footprint and investigated how to reduce it. As climate change escalates, vendors and operators are noticing an increase in the energy efficiency output of data centres. We take a look at what a green data centre is beginning to look like. Until next time, stay safe, stay well. Laura Vallis Editor Networks Europe FOREWORD www.networkseuropemagazine.com 05 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 05www.networkseuropemagazine.com NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 06 Excel introduces fast and easy RJ45 range Excel, the copper and optical fibre cabling infrastructure provider, has announced the availability of a new range of unscreened RJ45 field terminated plugs, boots and tools with immediate effect. The plugs are compatible with both Category 5e and 6 cables and can be purchased with or without blade style high density transparent strain relief boots. Installation is achieved thanks to the push through design of the plug body, as well as the use of a single tool to terminate the plug, position the boot when used and trim excess wires. Ross McLetchie, Mayflex Sales Director comments, “Whilst not the most significant launch of recent times, the introduction of the FAST range is a useful addition to the Excel offering. We are acutely aware of the pressures our customers face on time, and that time is very clearly money when it comes to installation processes. This introduction follows on from multiple examples of products within our range that save on time but don’t compromise on quality or performance.” Stock is available now with products supplied in plastic free packs of 100 plugs only, or 100 plugs with boots, and tools are available to purchase separately. The FAST range will replace the current ‘standard’ unscreened RJ45 plugs offered by Excel. A short video and data sheets have been produced to demonstrate the speed and ease of use. McLetchie continues, “The fast and easy elements of the design are due to the pass through plug, which allows prepared cores to be pushed through the face of the plug before being crimped and trimmed, compared to the conventional design where core lengths have to be cut to length before entering the plug body. It’s great to see this new product being included in our plastic free packaging series from the start, and I am sure it will become a de facto tool bag and van stock item for anyone terminating cable on site for use in IoT and device connection.” n Heficed, a network infrastructure solutions provider, has introduced a new feature to the IP Address Market – IP Health – which will enable IP holders to cross-check owned addresses with multiple databases and determine if any of them have been blacklisted as malicious. The rollout will act as an additional safeguard to ensure the quality of to-be-leased subnets, as well as aid in strengthening the overall transparency of the IP leasing market. Certain organisations maintain and publish lists of IPs - blacklists - suspected in malicious activity. The reasons for blacklisting an address can range from something as simple as bulk e-mailing or coming across a malicious website, to sophisticated phishing scams and deliberate DDoS attacks. Some IP holders can even be unaware of their IPs having been deemed as hostile. Implementing IP Health will enable clients of the IP Address Market – soon to detach from Heficed to become IPXO – to efficiently monitor the state of owned IPs on a weekly or monthly basis. “IP Health will enable to more thoroughly check a subnet’s reputation before enabling it to enter the IP Address Market”, said Aistis Zenkevicius, Director of R&D at Heficed. “It will be a reassuring factor for all parties involved, as IP holders can be certain they can take away the same quality IPs they’ve brought in in the first place, while we can ensure each client has access to healthy IPs for scaling their business.” Each IP owner will have a dedicated dashboard, showing the results from the previous scans, as well as when the next run is scheduled. The rollout will start out as part of the IP Address Market and will progress onwards to IPXO, where, over time, it will gain more customisable functionalities. According to Vincentas Grinius, CEO at Heficed, the IP Health feature will provide essential feedback, which will strengthen the transparency of the overall IP leasing market. “IP leasing may still be skeptically viewed by some, fixed on the earlier days' mindset, where the concept itself was thought to be more of a grey area. Now, IPs have migrated from being considered a premium to a tradable commodity. Showcasing inner workings related to IP screening and leasing could be the tipping point for the ones still on the edge of the idea in terms of security and transparency." Recently, Heficed introduced the Geolocation feature to the IP Address Market. In the upcoming months, the company plans to roll out a few others, such as TAIP (take away IPs), enabling to take out leased IPs onto an external network, and BYOIP (bring your own IPs), allowing to bring and use owned IP resources on Heficed’s infrastructure stack. n Heficed refines IP Address market with new IP health feature Do you have news to share? Contact the editor at: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk Rajant introduces Falcon modular radio platform Rajant Corporation, provider of Kinetic Mesh wireless networks, has built upon its portfolio of connectivity solutions and developed a new, high-performance, expandable BreadCrumb platform, the Falcon. Rajant’s latest platform offers multiple MIMO radios, extremely high throughput, enhanced security performance, and edge computing capabilities for third-party applications and artificial intelligence. Combined with Rajant's patented InstaMesh protocol, the Falcon is capable of bridging Kinetic Mesh wireless networks with other networks such as LTE/5G. The Falcon is part of Rajant's initiative to develop deeply integrated solutions that securely combine data from connected people, vehicles, machines, and sensors, with machine learning. This data combination unlocks the benefits of process optimisation, digital twins, predictive analytics, condition-based maintenance, augmented reality, and virtual reality while improving worker safety. “Rajant’s 2020 perseverance has been a collective effort. The expert legacy staff employed fresh talent to expand our in-house know-how in areas such as artificial intelligence,” says Robert Schena, Rajant’s CEO and Co-founder. nTelia company reaches agreement to sell carrier operation to Polhem Infra Telia Company announces that it has reached an agreement with Polhem Infra for the sale of its international carrier business, Telia Carrier, for a value of SEK 9,450 million on a cash and debt free basis. At the same time, Telia Company enters a long-term strategic partnership with Telia Carrier, securing continuous network solutions to Telia’s customers. Content, services and operator customers of Telia Carrier account for 65 percent of global Internet routes. Its network spans across Europe, North America, and Asia, connecting customers in more than 120 countries, with the Scandinavian footprint being particularly strong through the so-called Scandinavian Ring – the part of Telia Carrier’s network that connects major Baltic and Nordic cities. In connection with the divestment and change of ownership, a strategic, long-term partnership between Telia Carrier and Telia Company has been established, to safeguard the two companies’ unique ability to provision services and to develop new solutions for Telia’s customers. The change of ownership will enable Telia Carrier, with its 530 employees, to drive a level of investment in network development, services and customer care programs that bring benefits to content providers, operators and enterprises beyond that of any competitor. The acquisition is Polhem Infra’s first investment in digital infrastructure. Polhem Infra is jointly owned by the Swedish Pension Funds; First AP Fund, Third AP Fund and Fourth AP Fund. The company’s goal is to lay the best possible foundation for long-term investments in infrastructure to meet society’s long-term needs. The focus is on cooperation and sustainability. Mikael Lundin, CEO, Polhem Infra, said, “As an investor in Nordic infrastructure we will be a stable and long-term owner, committed to the company and its role in the transition towards sustainable and thriving societies globally. We will support the company with a thought-leading board of directors, and we will continue to invest in digital infrastructure, a core investment area for us.” Allison Kirkby, President and CEO of Telia Company, said, ”The divestment of Telia Carrier highlights the value Telia has built in its digital infrastructure - and today we are able to crystallise some of that value. As a consequence, we can now fully concentrate on our Nordic and Baltic footprint, while we at the same time have secured future access for our customers to Telia Carrier's world-leading solutions, through a long- term strategic partnership. ”The majority of the proceeds from the sale will be used to strengthen our balance sheet and thereby provide a solid financial base for Telia Company and our shareholders, enabling both investments in services and networks in our core markets as well as providing a strong foundation for attractive shareholder remuneration. ” At this time, I want to thank the whole Telia Carrier team for building such a strong customer centric business over many years. This transaction is a great testament to the value they have created for their customers and for Telia Company’s owners. I am confident that under the continued leadership of Staffan Göjeryd, Head of Telia Carrier, Polhem Infra will be an excellent owner for Telia Carrier and that it will continue to go from strength to strength under their stewardship.” n NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 07 www.networkseuropemagazine.com 07 Genomics England scales up genomic sequencing with Quantum ActiveScale object storage Quantum Corp. announces that Genomics England has expanded their Quantum ActiveScale object storage solution as part of an integrated environment designed to store, protect, and provide access to hundreds of petabytes of genomic data. The solution enabled the organisation to scale up from sequencing 100,000 genomes to millions while improving data resilience, controlling costs, and avoiding IT complexity. The implementation supports Genomics England’s commitment to sequence the genomes of intensive care patients with COVID-19 and other people with the virus, and is an example of Quantum’s leadership in storing and managing unstructured data. Genomics England was established in 2013 by the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care to support the 100,000 Genomes Project, a groundbreaking effort to sequence whole genomes from a vast number of patients with rare diseases and common cancers. In 2018, the project was significantly expanded: The new goal was to sequence up to five million genomes over five years. Unfortunately, the existing network-attached storage (NAS) system used for genomic data was not up to the task. The NAS, which held 21 PB of data, had reached its node-scaling limit. Genomics England needed something more scalable than existing NAS solutions — an infrastructure that could grow to hundreds of petabytes. A new solution also had to facilitate simple, flexible access to data by more than 3,000 researchers around the world. To explore new storage solutions, Genomics England consulted with Nephos Technologies, an independent UK-based data services organisation, to design and implement a new storage solution. After evaluating several possibilities, the Nephos team designed a multi- faceted solution that incorporates a high-performance parallel file system from WekaIO, Mellanox high-speed networking, and Quantum ActiveScale object storage. The solution creates a two-tier architecture that combines flash storage plus an object storage system, which serves as a long-term data lake repository. The two storage tiers, each of which can be scaled independently, present as a single hybrid storage environment. As a result, researchers have the flexibility to query data in a highly randomised fashion. Within a few years of deploying the new storage environment, Genomics England needed to expand again. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 presented new, urgent challenges for the global medical-scientific community, and Genomics England was in a prime position to help better understand who is susceptible to the virus. The organisation committed to sequencing the genomes of up to 20,000 intensive care patients with COVID-19 plus up to 15,000 people with the virus who are experiencing only mild symptoms. Around the same time that Genomics England was ramping up participation in COVID-19 research, the ActiveScale solution platform was acquired by Quantum. A Quantum team facilitated a smooth transition for Genomics England, which then expanded the object-storage environment from 40 PB to more than 100 PB. Genomics England takes advantage of the geo-distributed capability of ActiveScale, an added strength of Quantum’s RAID replacement technology that spreads data and parity across multiple nodes in the storage grid. With ActiveScale object storage, the organisation distributes data across three data centers, for full data protection against a major disaster such as site-loss. Data can continue to be accessed for reading and writing at the remaining sites and withstand additional hardware failures offering 19x9s data durability. n Axiomtek introduces 4K-Ready Intel Atom-based Pico-ITX Board for industrial IoT applications – PICO317 Axiomtek, a manufacturer of industrial products, announces the PICO317, its new fanless Pico-ITX SBC powered by the onboard quad-core Intel Atom x5-E3940 processor (code name: Apollo Lake). This tiny 2.5-inch embedded board can withstand a wide operating temperature range of -40°C to +70°C (-40°F to +158°F) for use in harsh and space-constrained environments. It comes with dual-display capability through 4K-ready HDMI and 18/24- bit single/dual channel LVDS. Combined with a rugged design and high- speed processing, the PICO317 is suitable for a variety of industrial IoT applications, including industrial automation, transportation, retail and more. Responding to the surging demand for imaging processing, the powerful PICO317 has Intel integrated Gfx graphic engine which optimises the graphics performance and brings captivating visual experiences. This low-power industrial motherboard has a full-size PCI Express Mini Card slot supporting mSATA for wireless and storage. It has three USB 3.0 ports to connect with industrial cameras for machine vision applications. "The PICO317 is a feature-rich, flexible and customisable pico-ITX form factor motherboard that is a great choice for many IIoT applications. Its fanless and ultra-compact design allows easy installation in environments and more flexible product designs. The varieties of I/O connectors are offered to deliver true customer value for fewer integration hassles,” said Kevin Lin, a product manager of the Motherboard Division at Axiomtek. The feature-rich PICO317 supports one DDR3L-1867 SO-DIMM slot with up to 8 GB of system memory. It is equipped with one Gigabit Ethernet port with Intel i211AT which supports Wake-on-LAN and PXE Boot ROM. Other I/O interfaces include two RS-232 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, three USB 3.0 ports, one HD Codec audio and one SATA-600 slot. This stunning Pico-ITX board also has SMBus that is compatible with I2C for smart battery support. To meet the industrial needs, it has a 5VDC input with AT auto power-on function. Moreover, the PICO317 has a watchdog timer and offers hardware monitoring functions to detect CPU/system temperature and voltage to ensure reliable operation. n www.networkseuropemagazine.com 08 NEWS IN BRIEF Schneider Electric, StorMagic and Hewlett Packard Enterprise launch collaborative ‘Edge in a Box’ solution Schneider Electric announces the launch of ‘Edge in a Box’ in collaboration with Alliance Partners StorMagic and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Available immediately across the globe, the joint solution utilises Schneider Electric’s 6U Wall Mount EcoStruxure Micro Data Center, StorMagic SvSAN software and HPE ProLiant Servers, to deliver simplified, pre-integrated and cost- effective IT systems specifically designed for edge computing environments. The solution meets the compute requirements of any small or space constrained site. It can be wall-mounted to save space and offers complete customisation through a global network of channel partners. From supermarket chains, high-street pharmacies and service stations, to universities, hospitals, and research labs, ‘Edge in a Box’ meets the requirement for resilient power, ultra low-latency connectivity and secure, on- premise servers and data storage at the edge. Comprising StorMagic SvSAN software, two HPE ProLiant servers, a choice of VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V or Linux KVM hypervisor, alongside APC Smart-UPS with Lithium-ion models, APC power distribution unit (PDU) and HPE Aruba networking, the system is optimised to run edge applications and offers industry-leading uptime. Together with EcoStruxure Micro Data Centers and HPE ProLiant servers, StorMagic ‘Edge in a Box’ delivers a combination of cost, performance and lightweight, high-availability edge compute for organisations of any size – from one to thousands of sites. “Customers with edge sites are experiencing a number of unique challenges, including budget constraints, lack of space and limited, or non-existent IT support,” said David Terry, Vice President, IT Channels, Schneider Electric, Europe. “The 6U EcoStruxure Micro Data Center is the smallest, secure and lightweight data centre solution in the market, helping organisations to quickly modernise their IT infrastructure, while reducing the costs associated with deployment, servicing and maintenance.” “IT teams must be able to quickly deliver what the business needs - simplicity, low-cost and 100 percent uptime to ensure confidence that business-critical applications are always running,” said Bruce Kornfeld, Chief Marketing and Product Officer, StorMagic. “By combining StorMagic SvSAN with APC by Schneider Electric infrastructure and HPE servers, customers can work with their integration partner of choice to customise, build and deploy ‘Edge in a Box’ solutions that meet their budget and space requirements.” “At HPE, we are committed to enabling our partners with the technologies and resources to accelerate time-to-market for their products. Through the HPE Technology Partner Program, our partners can efficiently validate their innovative solutions with a range of our storage, networking, and compute offerings. This portfolio includes HPE ProLiant servers, which are high- performing, secure and versatile, and can power various workloads and increase outcomes,” said David Stone, Vice President, Worldwide Ecosystem Sales Leader. “By integrating HPE ProLiant servers with advanced technologies from Schneider Electric, we are able to power the edge in the box solution. Together we are making it easier for customers to deploy and manage edge computing solutions and enable them to focus on unlocking new value and creating new experiences from edge-driven data.” The joint system can include Schneider Electric’s next generation data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) platform EcoStruxure IT as an option. With real-time data analytics and predictive servicing capabilities, EcoStruxure IT remote monitoring enables customers to work with Managed Service Providers (MSPs), IT Solution Providers and Value Added Resellers (VARs) to increase uptime and reduce the cost of on-site maintenance. EcoStruxure IT offers a free 30-day trial for end-users and partners. Its Public API provides complete integration with third-party management platforms, increasing resilience across multiple edge locations, without the need for local IT support. Customers can also leverage EcoStruxure AssetAdvisor and Schneider Electric’s expert service bureau, for 24/7 remote monitoring and troubleshooting support. n09 NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 09 Share your news. Contact the editor at: editor.networks@abacus-comms.co.uk Colt Data Centre Services achieves 100% pre-letting of its Frankfurt West hyperscale facility Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has announced that its hyperscale data centre in West Frankfurt has secured customer commitments for 25.2MW of IT power, bringing the site to full capacity. This pre-letting comes sixteen months prior to operational commencement of the Frankfurt West facility and marks one of the largest in the European data centre market to date, further testament to Colt DCS’ dedicated expertise in the Hyperscale Data Centre market. Frankfurt West is one of many hyperscale facilities to join the list of Colt DCS’ hyperscale data centres currently in development around the world, which include a 100MW facility in Mumbai, India as well as a 40MW facility in Osaka, Japan. The multiple locations of hyperscale facilities Colt DCS operates globally means that the provider is very well-equipped to take customers to market quicker in their locations of choice, across Europe and Asia allowing them scale as they grow. Colt DCS’ Frankfurt West facility is set to complete in Q4 2021. Customers will have access to a scalable infrastructure to support their business growth in a cost-effective, highly resilient, efficient and secure manner. The Frankfurt West data centre will provide a significant power capacity of 25.2 MW, spanning across 14 data halls, each capable of delivering up to 1.8MW IT power. The large capacity and strategic location of the facility means Colt DCS is able to offer its customers access to the largest international carriers that pass through the region. Frankfurt, often lauded as one of Europe’s “Big Four” interconnection hubs alongside London, Amsterdam and Paris, is one of the region’s premier connectivity centres, second only to London as the continent’s most important data hub. Quy Nguyen, VP Global Accounts & Solutions at Colt DCS said, “The customer commitments that we have just secured at our Frankfurt West facility is further proof that the demand for hyperscale services is showing no signs of slowing down.” “We are excited to meet these rising demands by showcasing our continued commitment to growing our hyperscale offering globally and developing tailored solutions to meet our customers’ needs. As our footing in the hyperscale market continues to expand, we look forward to cementing our position as a key player to watch within the hyperscale data centre industry for years to come.” n Ancala Partners sells Dutch fibre network platform, Fore Freedom Ancala Partners LLP (‘Ancala’), the independent infrastructure investment manager, on behalf of its managed funds announces the sale of its majority interest in Fore Freedom for an undisclosed sum to funds managed by H.R.L. Morrison & Co. Fore Freedom is an independent developer, owner and operator of fibre networks across the Netherlands. Ancala acquired a majority interest in Fore Freedom and its related entities in September 2018 and through a buy-and- build strategy has helped transform the business into a fibre network developer, owner and operator in over 80 business parks across the Netherlands. Fore Freedom provides essential broadband connectivity to businesses via high-speed, reliable, open access fibre networks in commercial and industrial areas. The company also has its own network operator and internet service provider through its subsidiary, XXLNet. Since the acquisition in September 2018, Ancala has worked closely with Fore Freedom’s experienced management team to create a standalone business focused on the development and growth in the business fibre market in the Netherlands. This included implementing a new organisational and reporting structure, strengthening the sales and marketing team, executing a redefined sales strategy and product offering, as well as providing capital to fund accretive fibre deployments. “We are delighted to have supported Fore Freedom’s accelerated development into a leading independent fibre network provider in the Dutch market.” Spence Clunie, Managing Partner, Ancala Partners LLP said. “We thank the Fore Freedom management team for their contribution and wish them continued success.” Edwin de Raadt, Managing Director, Fore Freedom commented: “We have enjoyed working with Ancala Partners over the past two years. The access to capital and operational experience they have provided has allowed us to transform Fore Freedom into the Netherlands’ leading independent developer, owner and operator of fibre networks to business customers.” n BlackBerry AtHoc expands EU data centres to comply with data residency mandates BlackBerry Limited announces it is now providing dedicated EU instances of its BlackBerry AtHoc service, a networked crisis communication solution. BlackBerry AtHoc will enable customers to comply with EU data protection regulations and prepare for the upcoming Public Warning directives by localising personal data in additional data centres located in the Netherlands and France, as well as the existing one in the UK. BlackBerry AtHoc, has already been chosen by the German Development Agency, because of its security compliance, native language support and ease of use. It empowers organisations to achieve situational awareness to keep their people safe in emergencies, providing two-way communication across the entire organisation to virtually any device. “Empowering our customers with the most secure communication platform for increasing resiliency and communicating swiftly is critical in a crisis,” said Adam Enterkin, Senior Vice President EMEA at BlackBerry. “It is also vital that we are able to adhere to new and existing EU data residency requirements per the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). With BlackBerry AtHoc’s new EU based data centres we are able to scale our infrastructure to better support our customers’ needs over a secure and reliable network.” In anticipation of a more connected future, the EU has introduced a new Directive on the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC). Under the new Directive, all EU member states must establish a public warning system to protect citizens by 2022. The system will send alerts to all citizens and visitors’ mobile phones in a specific area in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other major contingencies in the area. BlackBerry AtHoc allows organisations to safely and securely communicate with their workforce and other organisations through any device, from mobile apps to sirens or desktops to building systems such as fire panels. nNext >