< Previousfuture is hyperscale www.networkseuropemagazine.com 20 From a facility design perspective, scalability of infrastructure is key to meeting the incredible demands posed by enterprise data needs. This means data centre facilities need to be able to rapidly increase capacity for customers, whilst also ensuring they are operating at peak efficiency at all times. The key to achieving this is through hyperscale facilities. As connectivity demands continue to grow, hyperscale facilities are able to scale up and down in line with customer demands. We are already seeing an increase in demand for hyperscale data centre facilities with new builds in the 100MW+ range appearing around the globe, a trend that we expect will continue growing in the coming years. Management and operations must be up to task The past few months have shown us that despite the disruption brought on by COVID-19, the demand for connectivity has not slowed down. In fact, it is only accelerating further as more employees continue to work from home and businesses focus on cloud migration as a part of their backup plans in case of another wave of shutdowns. On-demand programming and streaming TV consumption jumping by almost a third has also further driven up connectivity demands. In the coming months and years, we expect that these demands will only grow bigger and operators will be faced with the challenging task of ensuring their facilities are equipped with the correct management and security protocols to meet these demands in a safe and effective way. The sheer physical and virtual size of a hyperscale data centre means staffing and management expertise is crucial for ensuring the facility functions properly. Increased staffing and enhanced management systems will need to be in place to proactively anticipate and diagnose infrastructure and network issues to avoid damaging downtime. Depending on how the pandemic situation evolves, operators must also keep their on-site staff safe and protected through the correct social distancing protocols. The past few months have shown us that despite the disruption brought on by COVID-19, the demand for connectivity has not slowed down. In fact, it is only accelerating further ... We live in a world where cyberattacks are to be expected. For customers, this means thinking beyond their own firewalls. Security will be an even bigger priority We live in a world where cyberattacks are to be expected. For customers, this means thinking beyond their own firewalls. Naturally, customers do expect that their data centre providers can guarantee the most secure environment for their business-critical data. For that reason, operators of tomorrow’s large-scale data centres must employ sensors and AI to support staff in monitoring the vast and complex infrastructure. With the increased visibility afforded by sensors, AI can monitor an entire data centre for anomalies 24/7, this includes physical and virtual infrastructure. If a sensor detects that an area of infrastructure may be at risk of breach, an alert will be sent to the operator. This gives staff valuable time to investigate the alert before any security failure can occur. If there is an issue, it can then be solved proactively minimising disruption or downtime. Every connection point is a potential backdoor for hackers, so data centre providers must ensure security does not fall by the wayside to the sheer volume of connected devices on customer networks. Leveraging automation and AI-powered solutions can be key in helping ensure data centres of the future are prepared for any security challenges. future is hyperscale 21 Ensuring environmental responsibility Climate change is one of the most important challenges faced by the world today. As a power-intensive industry, the data centre sector does hold a significant responsibility in continually looking to develop more environmentally- friendly practices. Environmental responsibility requires us to rethink the way we design and operate data centre facilities. All the while, we must strike a synergy between sustainability and business goals if companies are to keep up with capacity demands and remain competitive. The continued expansion of the industry presents operators with a real opportunity to boost sustainability goals through new builds. This way data centre firms can address sustainability and efficiency from the very beginning, incorporating efficiency measures from the planning and design stages, right the way through to construction and operation. We must strive for absolute efficiency across all areas of our facility lifecycles and it is much easier to do so with new facilities rather than by retrofitting older data centres. We are living through times of incredible growth and remarkable disruption. Data centre operators must be making preparations now if the data centres of tomorrow are to keep up with the massive demands of customers. So, when it comes to future proofing services for the next generation of customers, hyperscale is the answer. n ADIABATIC AND FREE COOLING SOLUTIONS FOR DATA CENTRES Proven Low Carbon Solution | Trusted UK Manufacturer EcoCooling FRESH AIR COOLING CloudCooler by EcoCooling systems are used by some of the world’s most efficient data centres including Hydro66, CGG, BT and the H2020 funded Boden Type One DC. Visit our website for more details SAVE UP TO 90% ON YOUR COOLING COSTS www.ecocooling.co.uk sales@ecocooling.co.uk 01284 810 586 We must strive for absolute efficiency across all areas of our facility lifecycles and it is much easier to do so with new facilities rather than by retrofitting older data centres.In his own words, Robert Pirsig’s book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, “should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either.” The same could be said for this article! Parallel You may well be wondering then, why I chose these as my opening lines? Well, apart from feeling the need to write an article entitled: Zen and the Art of UPS Maintenance for some time, there is an odd parallel between Pirsig’s work and UPS maintenance. On Pirsig’s journey, one character doesn’t maintain his new, expensive motorbike. By contrast, the narrator pays attention to detail and adjusts and fixes small issues to ensure that, as his own beloved motorbike ages, it always continues to perform well. This similar attention to detail can also relate to UPS maintenance. The rational analysis of an experienced engineer to maintain and fix small issues before they become significant problems is essential. It’s part and parcel of keeping your UPS in tip-top condition. However, often a service contract is seen as an ‘add on’…. but the value of looking after equipment properly far outweighs the cost of the contract. As an example, one of many I could eulogise about, one of our engineers was recently called to a large company. At 2am the emergency fire services attended site as smoke was billowing from the bottom of a UPS…not a good sign! And not one of our supplied units I might add. Simple investigation, involving following your nose to the area of the most pungent smoky smell, soon revealed that one of the internal capacitors had failed. For those of us who have experienced 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? Zen and the art of UPS maintenance UPS maintenance www.networkseuropemagazine.com 22 Mike Elms Managing Director CENTIEL UKZen and the art of maintenance UPS maintenance www.networkseuropemagazine.com 23UPS Service and Maintenance • Battery Replacements • Impedance Testing • Emergency Call-out • Capacitor Replacements • Fan Replacements • Preventative Maintenance .co.uk 24these before it was the usual “burst” scenario. Looking back at the service record, what do we find? Lo and behold, the regular bi-annual service reports clearly stated that the capacitors were many years past the manufacturer’s recommended replacement date and should have been replaced. Fortunately, the load was not lost, and the onsite facility manager had reacted swiftly, transferred the load to external bypass and isolated and made safe the UPS unit. But what potentially could have been the consequences of loss of power to the critical load which could so easily have been avoided? In simple economic terms, the downtime for the organisation could so easily run into thousands or millions of pounds. The fact is that proper maintenance of UPS equipment offers more than just that Zen-like peace of mind. The challenge is that viewed in isolation, good service contracts may appear expensive. But keep the bigger picture in mind! Rather than viewing a service contract as an expense, perhaps it’s time to turn this concept on its head and see it as adding value. After all, look at how much poor maintenance could cost? Diligence When selecting a service company, some quick and easy diligence will pay dividends. Datacentre, or facilities managers need to ensure the people carrying out the maintenance contract are appropriate and skilled, plus follow the recommendations provided. UPS engineers are highly specialised, so do seek out the experts. After all you wouldn’t just get any old Joe Bloggs down the road to maintain your prized motorcycle, would you? Another perception is that the UPS installation may initially be aggressively priced to secure the business but the bolted-on maintenance contract is disproportionately expensive. Often as not, the maintenance pricing is not sought until after the UPS has actually been procured and installed. One way to keep control of costs is to ensure the supply and installation contract includes maintenance. Stipulate service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure quotes are like-for-like and comparable. For example, two maintenance visits per year, 24/7 technical help line, four-hour response and be sure you know if call-outs and spares are included or additional. Also consider if there are additional services that are of benefit? Everyone who knows me is aware that my biggest bugbear is battery sizing but also correctly maintaining them. One unserviceable battery block can render the entire UPS system inoperable for its intended purpose. Therefore, I wholly endorse regular impedance testing and an annual loadbank test. Even better would be a battery monitoring system. Not one that simply monitors but one that actually automatically controls the charging across each individual block. As soon as they are installed batteries start to degrade. While impedance testing offers a forward visible trend of the degradation of batteries, it’s not live monitoring. Investing in a battery monitoring system (BMS) can provide live monitoring in addition to battery conditioning, by equalising the charging voltage. In this way, with a large battery installation, a good BMS can prolong the life of the batteries for an extra three to five years. Warranty Warranty should also be considered as part of the initial supply and installation contract as warranties vary, and this could impact your maintenance contract. A fairly standard, two-year warranty should include work undertaken and parts providing manufacturers’ recommendations are followed. In this way, you could receive a fully comprehensive maintenance contract for the price of a standard one for the first two years. Visibility of the warranty terms upfront will the total cost of ownership (TCO) to be compared between quotes and there are no surprises later. Also do your diligence on the maintenance company itself: how many engineers do they have? What’s their support like? Can they provide a reference? It may even be possible to visit a site which they look after to get customer feedback. Peace of mind I’m not entirely sure about all this Zen and enlightenment stuff, but a good service and maintenance contract will certainly give you peace of mind that your UPS will protect your critical load for years to come. n UPS maintenance www.networkseuropemagazine.com 25enterprise-grade wireless connectivity www.networkseuropemagazine.com 26Mark Page Strategic Account Director Public Sector Cradlepoint Dealing with disruption, social distancing, and getting essential workers safely from A to B are all new imperatives to which public transport operators have turned to technology in order to meet. In Israel, for example, real-time traffic management systems have been integrated into a Mobility-as-a-Service model to produce an on-demand transit routing algorithm that calculated the most efficient journey for each passenger and routed buses accordingly. While the system was implemented to deal with the current crisis, it could be here to stay and according to officials, may save the public $25 million a year. Telemetry data, real-time surveillance footage, advanced payment systems, GPS for route status apps, and rider Wi-Fi represent just a handful of the myriad technologies that will be key to launching and running similar initiatives around the world. All of the above are manifestations of the connected vehicle revolution, itself the result of the greater As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, improving connectivity on public transport has moved from an objective to a strategic imperative. How enterprise- grade wireless connectivity is essential for the public transport industry enterprise-grade wireless connectivity www.networkseuropemagazine.com 27data capacity and high-speed connectivity of 4G LTE. But fast connectivity and high bandwidth alone do not necessarily guarantee that networks will be inherently reliable. This is especially true for large-scale mass transit systems, where complexity and interoperability (i.e. with urban planning/smart city technology) must be considered. As a result, public transport operators are faced with a number of specific connectivity challenges. Challenge #1 – Bandwidth The bandwidth requirements of on-board technology vary from device to device – now-essential capacity sensors (which check passenger numbers are within social distancing limits), for example, will transfer much smaller data packets than streaming video from on-board surveillance cameras. Diversity in the requirements of individual devices is one thing, but the biggest challenge here is establishing and maintaining connectivity with each and every one across a fleet of potentially thousands of vehicles. This not only makes it difficult to accommodate existing devices and applications, but to continue adding more as needs arise and evolve. To overcome issues of bandwidth, public transport operators must first ensure that in-vehicle routers are up to the task. Enterprise-grade wireless routers running on Gigabit-Class LTE are ideal for maximising bandwidth due to two core characteristics. For one, these routers will contain operator-agnostic dual modems which connect to two network carriers simultaneously. This not only helps prevent congestion on the network by splitting data traffic across multiple channels, but also ensures at least one pathway to the network is consistently available. Secondly, in-vehicle routers must also be able to handle the bandwidth requirements of a vast array of devices simultaneously, especially when it comes to the increasing popularity of on-board passenger WiFi. With the dual-band, Diversity in the requirements of individual devices is one thing, but the biggest challenge here is establishing and maintaining connectivity with each and every one across a fleet of potentially thousands of vehicles. enterprise-grade wireless connectivity www.networkseuropemagazine.com 28dual-concurrent capabilities of Wi-Fi 5, routers can support up to 100 clients simultaneously by splitting traffic across 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz channels. This grants passengers reliable access to the high-speed connectivity of Gigabit-Class LTE, while also providing public transport operators with a flexible and sustainable solution to issues of on-board bandwidth. Challenge #2 – Consistency Frequent connection drop-offs make real-time data impossible, which can spell disaster for applications such as GPS data for Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems and passenger apps, streamed video surveillance footage, and Traffic Signal Priority (TSP) systems. In vehicles, where a router is almost always moving, that signal is ever-changing and potentially dropping out of coverage range. Those dropouts or “dead spots” can become very problematic if mission-critical applications begin suffering interruptions. To identify areas of both challenging and excellent connectivity, public transport operators can use intelligent network management platforms to determine cellular health. These platforms combine GPS data with information relating to signal strength and carrier availability to identify problem areas and respond by changing routes or working with their carrier to develop improvements. Data by itself, however, can only go so far. The true value of deploying such a solution is transforming insights and analytics into visual dashboards, enabling public transport operators to intuitively explore their data over a responsive map. By filtering by date, or other data criteria such as device, vehicle or location, specific issues can be easily identified and rectified, effectively eliminating the risk of network consistency problems along the route. Challenge #3 – Management and Security With many vehicles not only constantly on the move, but also spread across wide geographies, it’s simply not feasible for IT and fleet management to always visit vehicles in-person to manage connection problems, configuration changes, security updates, and other issues. This creates two major problems: first, connectivity failures result in widespread disruption to passengers, drivers, fleet managers and transport operators alike; second, and perhaps more concerning, is the fact that this limits the capacity for IT teams to resolve potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and to ensure that data flowing to and from vehicles is continuously in line with data privacy regulations. The solution lies in using the power of the cloud to remotely manage wireless edge networks, effectively granting public transport operators full visibility over the entire network. Cloud-based management tools make it easy to understand and apply licenses, identify and push out software updates, deploy new devices with zero-touch simplicity, and configure security policies to instantly protect against cybersecurity threats. Moreover, with a single-pane- of-glass overview of every device in every vehicle, IT staff can make changes to entire fleets simultaneously, all at the touch of a button. The role of enterprise-grade connectivity in the future of public transport The COVID-19 pandemic is a watershed moment in technology, with social distancing, contact tracing and environment-monitoring systems just some of the elements that will accelerate the development of smart cities. Executing upon these aspirations requires ubiquitous, enterprise-grade wireless WAN connectivity, making it imperative for public transport operators today to consider how to reach the next step in transport technologies carefully. Amongst its many features, the high-capacity and ultra-low latency of 5G will play a critical role in enabling this vision of the future. Whether organisations are ready or not, 5G is coming. IoT system integrators in the public transportation sector therefore have a tremendous opportunity today to get on the pathway to 5G and get fully prepared for the massive changes it will bring. Operators running enterprise-grade wireless WAN networks with open, interoperable and convergent capabilities that combine front-, intermediate-haul and backhaul are already well on their way – are you? n enterprise-grade wireless connectivity www.networkseuropemagazine.com 29Next >