< PreviousSascha Giese Head Geek SolarWinds 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. This industry has kept us connected to one another, working remotely from the safety of our homes and able to access core services during the pandemic post-covid world www.networkseuropemagazine.com 30In recognition of their pivotal role, data centre administrators and operators have been recognised as key workers and the UK government is working with industry associations like techUK to ensure data centres are factored in when key policy decisions are made. But as lockdown restrictions lift and the recession comes into its own, there are several challenges and opportunities data centre professionals need to navigate within a forever-changed industry. There are three key trends we can expect as the data centre market finds its feet in the aftermath of a crisis: How will the data centre market change in a post-COVID world? post-covid world www.networkseuropemagazine.com 31Plugging the skills gap amid a pandemic MCG figures reveal what we all know—the global data centre industry is on a steep upward trajectory, reaching a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% to 15% by 2025. And yet, the sector has been battling with the same pressure point for years: how can the industry cultivate the skills and talent necessary to fulfil growing demand? Data centre pros not only need to have a good grasp of physical infrastructure but also technical programming knowledge and experience with specific tools and platforms. This was all compounded by COVID-19 when large workforces took to remote environments, requiring new processes and systems to be implemented overnight. Hybrid approaches and changed virtualised environments present new challenges, which translate into growing complexity within data centre management. These pros are facing an increasingly uphill battle. In fact, the SolarWinds IT Trends Report 2020: The Universal Language of IT, revealed one-third (39%) of respondents believe tech pros entering the workforce today don’t have the necessary skills to manage modern, distributed IT environments. Leveraging technology solutions with a breadth and depth of cross-functional visibility can help bridge the gap for organisations either working to develop the skillset of their current staff or in the process of hiring specialists to manage these responsibilities. This is particularly so when data centre teams are under increasing pressure to keep the organisations they serve performing optimally despite distributed personnel and a greater attack surface. Data centre professionals also should remember that they expand upon their skillsets every day – the things they learn today will apply tomorrow. DCAs today, for example, are tomorrow’s data analysts and data scientists. IT skills and roles have a significant amount of overlap, and something you currently know or have experienced can always be applied elsewhere. Boosting team productivity while providing the right level of support With data centre admins being considered essential workers, they’ve had to fight to maintain continuity of service while limiting routes for infection. Social distancing, quarantine regulations and ongoing travel restrictions have made supply chains vulnerable. Projects have also been delayed both by limits to the number of workers allowed on site and difficulties in importing the necessary materials. Productivity levels are bound to suffer, leaving many organisations and teams under-staffed and falling behind. The answer isn’t to apply more pressure to teams. Instead, implementing a level of automation can make Hybrid approaches and changed virtualised environments present new challenges, which translate into growing complexity within data centre management post-covid world www.networkseuropemagazine.com 32 1 2a huge difference. Take data analysis for example. With swathes and swathes of data to analyse within the data centre, the task can seem daunting. Companies are fast realising that adopting automation to separate and sort data based on keywords or events seriously expedites data analysis — a more sought after function as businesses attempt to offer personalised services to their customers. Eliminating time-intensive data collection and providing a more holistic view of system behaviour through monitoring tools can enable data centre pros to quickly spot trends and resolve issues. Making business cases when budgets have never been tighter Finally, despite demand skyrocketing post-COVID-19, a report found only 21% of respondents expected an expansion of in-house data centre space over the coming 12 months. This is the lowest percentage recorded in the last ten years during which the average was just under 50%. Flat budgets and shifting internal priorities following the pandemic means new business cases are often off the cards — at least initially. Data centre professionals’ best course of action is to become educators. They’ll need to invest time in continuous education and regular communication with business leadership and demonstrate the tight correlation between IT success and business success. One approach is to assume a trusted advisor role with senior management, arming them both with answers and specific details (such as ROI for an IT purchase or strategy) most important to senior leadership in setting strategy. Identify ways to discuss the basics, like what artificial intelligence and machine learning really are, and then the specific cost-benefit analysis of how the tech can benefit the business and what it means for service integration and service delivery. In doing so, the IT department will earn a seat at the table in agenda-setting, and leadership will feel a stronger connection to the technology powering the organisation. This will also help address a leading tech pro pain point by helping business leaders more clearly see the benefit of a tightly focused set of priorities for IT, so they can drive greater progress. Final thoughts The last few months saw the data centre market scrambling to fulfil an unprecedented level of demand. COVID-19 has thrust these professionals into the spotlight for the first time in many organisations, and business continuity plans were being tested on a global stage, forcing IT pros to find and fill gaps quickly. But now, as the dust settles on the new normal, data centre professionals must work alongside business leaders to meet longer-term organisational goals as companies emerge from the crisis. To do so, data centre professionals need the right skillsets and competencies within their teams, elevated productivity levels that have them working smarter, not harder, with a seat at the table for discussions around IT strategy. n post-covid world www.networkseuropemagazine.com 33 3going green www.networkseuropemagazine.com 34It is well known that the data centre industry is the driving force behind the world‘s ever-accelerating digitalisation, managing the flow of information that is vital to many of the cloud-based platforms and services we now rely on. These are crucial services that power vital points in our society’s day to day going-ons. However, they do require huge amounts of energy and electricity to run backups, servers, and power cooling infrastructure at optimal levels. 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. As an example, the majority of large data centres out there use enough electricity in a year to power thousands of homes – that’s equivalent to almost 30 billion kilowatt hours – and it has been pointed out that data centres will account for one-fifth of global electrical consumption by 2025. What going ‘green‘ means for the data centre industry For years, talk about data centres revolved around their ecological footprint and in particular, their shortcomings in failing to address the various industry options available in fixing the problem. Alessandro Bruschini Infrastructure Manager Aruba S.p.A going green www.networkseuropemagazine.com 35Hydroelectric plants can be used to harness the power of flowing water to generate energy in a sustainable and cost-efficient way In response, the EU Commission recently applied pressure on data centre providers to take action and reduce their carbon footprints. In their 2020 report – ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future‘ – the EC says that the industry "can and should become climate neutral by 2030," highlighting the need to “become more energy-efficient, reuse waste energy, and use more renewable energy sources." With the data- serving requirements facing data centres only set to rise over the coming years, the onus is on the industry to keep up with this demand, while at the same time finding ways to reduce carbon emissions. Delivering cooling solutions A big proportion of a data centre’s power requirements is cooling. A key component, is in fact, the primary source of energy consumption in most conventional data centres, with up to 40% of electricity usage going towards sustaining and operating a server below 26 degrees celsius. As such, maintaining temperature and humidity conditions at a level that enables IT hardware to operate effectively leaves a significant carbon footprint. However, the importance of cooling isn‘t something that can be ignored. Overheating can impact performance in a negative way, and can permanently damage hardware, making it vital that businesses find the right solution – one that meets their needs while also addressing the sustainability issue. Of course, this is not just about how power is used. Any energy efficiency discussion must also address how power is generated. The challenge here is that going ‘green’ isn’t as easy as it first seems. Energy produced through going green www.networkseuropemagazine.com 36one way to reduce energy consumption is to replace traditional cooling solutions with geothermal systems that make use of the cold water found underground. green initiatives tends to be more expensive than standard energy, which means that sustainable alternatives must consume less energy so that organisations aren’t left out of pocket. The various voltages used in the transmission and distribution of energy are known to result in some efficiency losses, so data centres that focus on optimising their energy consumption have an opportunity to realise significant cost savings – which can be passed on to customers. Hydroelectric plants can be used to harness the power of flowing water to generate energy in a sustainable and cost-efficient way. In addition, one way to reduce energy consumption is to replace traditional cooling solutions with geothermal systems that make use of the cold water found underground. This is what is used to power the entire air-conditioning system for the data rooms across Aruba’s Global Cloud Data Centre campus, making the system extremely energy efficient. The rack cabinets housing the servers are also equipped with an innovative cold air containment system to guarantee maximum energy efficiency and a comfortable working environment. A green efficient deal The natural cooling system provides a clear example of how data centres can drastically cut down the quantity of energy they use, reducing the overall cost and increasing sustainability by making better use of the energy available to them. And there are plenty of innovations happening across the industry that highlight the benefit of natural cooling in reducing the carbon footprint. According to a survey published by The Green Grid, a non-profit consortium working to improve data centre energy efficiency, nearly 50% of US-based data centres are now using natural cooling to save energy and costs, with another 25% considering doing so in the near future. And this doesn’t just apply to areas with extreme weather conditions, as illustrated by consulting company Capgemini. It recently opened a data centre in Swindon in the UK that has used natural cooling to reduce running costs by 80% and cut carbon emissions in half. But, despite progress being made, the industry can’t afford to stand still. The progression of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly solutions requires an ongoing industry-wide effort from vendors and operators alike. Although big strides have been made in demonstrating that energy-efficient solutions and practices can be implemented effectively, there needs to be a concerted effort in tackling this on a global scale. This is where industry initiatives such as The Green Grid and the ‘European Code of Conduct’ for data centres, along with other industry standards and certifications for energy efficient operations, are so important. Although we can’t avoid the fact that data centre power consumption will continue to be an issue in the future, we can invest in new ways to achieve maximum energy efficiency on a wide-industry scale, all while reducing costs and protecting the environment. n going green www.networkseuropemagazine.com 37It’s not uncommon for individuals to have several paid subscriptions for online video streaming and traditional TV services, as well as countless social media accounts. In fact, in Q4 2019, 6.03 million UK homes subscribed to two or more Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) services. On top of that, there’s free content available through news websites and video services like YouTube, TikTok and more. Wherever you look and whatever you use to access the Internet, rich video-centric content is unavoidable. For consumers, this is great news, as it’s likely they will always find something to watch. For network operators, this increased use in demand presents a significant opportunity – albeit with a unique set of challenges. To benefit, operators need to not only add capacity, but also improve the network performance and agility leveraging new software intelligence to create a network that can adapt to and cope with ever-changing user demands. Jamie Jefferies Vice President and General Manager, EMEA Ciena Adopt. Adapt. How network operators can thrive in today’s content heavy environment Adopt. Adapt. Overcome. While it’s obviously great for network operators that they experience more demand than ever before, it’s also important to understand their challenges and how to overcome them. For the most part, the Internet is still dominated by legacy IP architecture, which limits network flexibility and ultimately impacts how devices communicate with different applications. This is inefficient as platforms are forced to waste capacity with outdated processes and protocols, making it exponentially more challenging when network operators need to adapt to more cost- effectively handle surging demands. In a nutshell, how the Internet has traditionally routed traffic is no longer optimal. Network operators are now looking to circumvent these legacy challenges by adopting the latest adopt, adapt, overcome www.networkseuropemagazine.com 38technologies and adapting them to best modernise their networks. To achieve this, adaptive network principles and processes are being deployed to support new applications while benefiting from cloud-like scale, disaggregated functionality and intelligent automation. One huge benefit of modernising legacy network infrastructure is that it allows network operators to shift their traditional focus from hardware to software, thus allowing bandwidth to be reconfigured rapidly when and where needed. Software-based virtualisation of network functions and connectivity services allows for improved scaling and flexibility. In addition, network operators can better control costs and accelerate innovation using software-driven networking solutions. Another important consideration for network operators in the content age, is being able to support content-driven, bandwidth-heavy applications. Much of this is enabled via networks that can support millions of users at once, both humans and machines. A centralised and virtual software-defined layer can better handle exponential growth in end-user devices. AI and machine learning-based capabilities can use information provided by applications and streaming telemetry, allowing the network to continually self-diagnose, self-optimise, and self-heal – essential to managing bandwidth effectively. Network operators ultimately want to create better services and solutions while controlling their operational costs. This is particularly important with the current and future demand for rich content experiences. By deploying a highly adaptive network infrastructure that is aligned with their changing strategic objectives, they can successfully overcome bandwidth, capacity and performance challenges. Ultimately, legacy IP-based networks were built around speeds, feeds and manual processes providing the same type of service and capacity for decades. Overly complex, proprietary, and monolithic hardware-based infrastructures are no longer adequate for the new age of adaptive, agile, and on-demand network services. To thrive in this environment, an adaptive network should be considered when upgrading key infrastructure or deploying new, more content-rich experiences. n adopt, adapt, overcome www.networkseuropemagazine.com 39Next >