< PreviousInfrastructure That Connects the World in MTDCs Panduit has launched its comprehensive EMEA ‘Infrastructure to Support Multi- Tenant Data Centre Solution Guide’, providing a technology solutions playbook for data centre operators and customers when deploying ‘Best-in-Class' servers and communications clusters that need ‘life-critical’ support solutions. Panduit’s wide-ranging guide to MTDC infrastructure deployment is defined through the organisation's global manufacturing and distribution ecosystem which guarantees real-time responses within the EMEA region. Dependable, scalable network connectivity and robust, reliable electrical infrastructure are now mission-critical for modern enterprises. Panduit’s innovative infrastructure solutions enable the high-performance connectivity that global enterprises need. NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 10 Do you have news to share? Do you have a product to promote, a company partnership to announce or a new recruit to introduce? Contact editor@networkseuropemagazine.com Extreme Networks Introduces Industry’s First Outdoor WiFi 6E Access Point Extreme Networks has introduced the Extreme AP5050: the industry’s first outdoor WiFi 6E Outdoor Access Point (AP) optimised for deployment across outdoor venues, convention centres, hospital and university campuses and large stadiums, among others. The AP5050 delivers enhanced wireless experiences, faster speeds and reduced interference and enables large outdoor venues to operate across up to three times as much spectrum as previous generations of WiFi. The AP5050 also helps customers future-proof their networks with infrastructure designed to support next-generation, high bandwidth applications and IoT devices to dramatically improve operations and consumer experiences, while creating a foundation to monetise new mobile services. The AP5050 delivers high-speed wireless connectivity optimised for high-density venue environments as well as bandwidth-intensive applications and devices used by both stadium/venue personnel and fans. WiFi 6E has access to up to 1,200MHz of the spectrum which improves the quality of service (QoS) in dense environments, optimises the performance of new applications and creates better user experiences. Specifically designed for high-density outdoor environments, the AP5050 has three 4x4:4 radios which provide high efficiency, high-performance 802.11ax aggregate data rates up to 10Gpbs. It combines WiFi 6E, advanced security and AI/ML capabilities together in a single solution. Unlike other APs that scan only part-time, the AP5050 features a dedicated tri-frequency sensor that does a full-time scan for rogue devices, significantly minimising the risk of vulnerability and attacks without compromising the performance of the network. The AP5050 also supports the latest WiFi Alliance WPA3 security certification, a stateful DPI firewall for context-based access, Private Pre-Shared Key (PPSK) to secure IoT environments, Extreme Fabric Attach for automated provisioning and a location analytics sensor. Deployment options for the AP5050 include under-seat, pole- mounted or APs with software-selectable antennas, ensuring a seamless mobile experience across the venue. As a universal hardware platform, the AP5050 is available as a global SKU and comes with a dual-persona capability, allowing customers to use the OS of their choice and making it easy to deploy as either a cloud-managed service or on-prem. Coupled with the ExtremeCloud IQ management platform, the AP5050 provides a single pane of glass into network performance, health and security and offers insights and analytics around app usage and efficiency of venue operations. Aaron Amendolia, VP, IT, NFL said, “WiFi 6E is the equivalent of an open field with no one to block your drive. The untapped spectrum will provide an opportunity to roll out new mobile services both in the venue and across the entire campus with enhanced security, reliability and performance. Our fans rely on high-performing, frictionless connectivity as a part of gameday. Removing latency and congestion is key to creating the absolute best fan experience. Whether it’s AR/VR, cashless transactions or streaming on NFL+, WiFi 6E will allow the NFL to build best-in-class digital engagements.” “With the addition of Extreme’s new AP5050 6E units, we’re creating the foundation to offer innovative new mobile services and positioning ourselves to provide exhibitors and visitors with connectivity and speed that they’ve never experienced.” added Ryan Partridge, Chief Information Officer of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. “This is a complete game changer, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is leading the market when it comes to leaning into innovation to drive new and engaging experiences.” “The AP5050 will provide limitless opportunity when it comes to rolling out innovative new mobile services and experiences at large outdoor venues. Extreme understands the requirements of secure, reliable, uninterrupted connectivity in large venues better than anyone in the industry, as evidenced by our relationships with some of the world’s most esteemed professional sports organisations, hospitals, convention centres, universities, and iconic venues like Olympiastadion Berlin, Los Angeles Coliseum and soon, Old Trafford Stadium. The AP5050 also unlocks the potential to push mobile services to the perimeter of the venue to create new monetisation opportunities and a better, more consistent customer experience.” said Dan DeBacker, SVP of Products, Extreme Networks. Neustar Security Services Increases DDoS Attack Mitigation Capacity Neustar Security Services has expanded its distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack mitigation scrubbing capacity to more than 15Tbps across its worldwide network. Neustar is committed to maintaining the largest and best-connected, dedicated DDoS and application security network in the world. The company uses multiple tier 1 providers, along with other providers assisting with higher- performing localised presence, to ingest inbound clean (legitimate) and dirty (attack) traffic and then deploys additional partners to route the clean traffic back to customers using a variety of connections, including virtual connections, physical direct connections, and tunnels. This latest investment to increase global capacity and resilience of its network parallels an expansion into the Middle East with the opening of a new data centre — the company’s 15th global node — in Dubai, which will provide a local security presence and help ensure data sovereignty and low-latency performance for customers across the region. “As the size, volume, velocity and complexity of DDoS attacks continue to increase, these infrastructure investments further reinforce our ability to mitigate multiple large-scale attacks simultaneously,” said James Willett, Senior VP, Operations, at Neustar Security Services. “Today, big terabit-scale attacks are ‘just another day in the SOC’ — we work hard to configure our systems to seamlessly handle attacks through a combination of advanced mitigation technology, automation, and tight integration and coordination with our customers, so our SOC is often just monitoring large attack mitigations, at the ready to make any adjustments necessary to minimise traffic disruption. Our customers trust and rely on us to stay ahead of these growing threats.” “With the continued support of our investors, we have significantly expanded our network capacity and performance across our UltraSecurity suite of cloud-based services over the past several years,” said Carlos Morales, Senior VP, Solutions, at Neustar Security Services. “These investments support our ongoing commitment to continuously improving the resilience of our infrastructure and boosting our capacity to mitigate large-scale DDoS attacks for current and future customers.” NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 11 Decreased Margins and Power Outages Significantly Impacting UK and Irish Data Centres Small data centres in the UK and Ireland have seen their margins significantly impacted as a result of the energy crisis, with some facilities seeing energy bills increase by as much as 50% over the last three years. Detailed in Aggreko’s latest report The Power Struggle – Data Centres, the survey of 253 UK and Irish data centre professionals also revealed the extent to which facilities are experiencing power outages. In addition to the impact on margins, two-thirds (65%) of UK data centres have experienced power outages in the last 18 months, with 60% of Irish facilities facing similar issues. In turn, more than two-thirds of respondents described power continuity as either ‘a concern’ or ‘major concern’ to their business. Despite an announcement of financial support for high energy users in April, confidence in the UK government’s energy strategy remains lukewarm for operators. The survey revealed that only 29% said they were ‘very confident’ in the energy strategy, with Irish data centres having even lower confidence (6%). Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko, said: “It is unsurprising to see that data centres are feeling the pressure. As high energy users, the price increases will no doubt make it harder for smaller facilities to remain competitive and our survey reveals just that. As government strategies mainly focus on heavy industry, such as steel and paper, data centres are taking it upon themselves to seek alternative energy sources, such as decentralised energy solutions.” Among the main drivers for decentralised energy solutions are sustainability and power security according to the report, allowing greater independence from the grid. Being a key advantage for uptime, it is unsurprising to see operators consider such options, however, only 2% of businesses in both markets said they already had a solution in place. Energy as a Service (EaaS) models, or Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) – where operators pay per kWh – are a popular means to procuring on-site power. However, the majority using a form of EaaS had either a one- or two-year fixed energy price agreement in place. According to Aggreko, this could see energy prices significantly impact margins further, as Durie explained: “If data centres are entering one-year EaaS contracts as our data suggests, then they could be met with extortionate fixed energy prices. Those in longer-term contracts could also be at risk of penalties for high demand use during peak periods. These EaaS contracts are too rigid for the current energy climate, and data centres could be looking at even slimmer margins in the years ahead if they continue down this path.” The report outlines alternative options to help alleviate the long-term impact of the current energy crisis. This includes Aggreko’s ‘Hired Energy as a Service’ model, which allows customers to access decentralised energy solutions without being locked into long-term contracts and fixed energy pricing.New Data Centre Cooling Infrastructure for UCD Schneider Electric has worked together with its Elite Partner, Total Power Solutions, to design and deliver a new, high-efficiency cooling system to help reduce the PUE of University College Dublin’s (UCD) main production data centre. UCD’s data centre was originally designed to accommodate high- performance computing (HPC) clusters and provides a platform for research at its university campus. University College Dublin is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities with faculties of medicine, engineering and major sciences, as well as a broad range of humanities and other professional departments. As part of a new strategic development plan, the IT services department made the decision to revise and revitalise its data centre cooling architecture to make the facility more energy and space efficient, as well as more resilient and scalable. Total Power Solutions, experts in power and cooling infrastructure design and installation, worked with Schneider Electric to secure the contract with a bid to replace the existing data centre cooling system with a Uniflair InRow Direct Expansion (DX) solution. Schneider Electric’s InRow DX cooling technology offers many benefits including a modular design, more predictable cooling, and variable speed fans which help to reduce energy consumption. The new solution at UCD is based on 10 independent InRow DX cooling units, which are rightsized to the server load to optimise efficiency. The system is scalable to enable UCD’s IT Services Group to add further HPC clusters and accommodate future innovations in technology. This includes the introduction of increasingly powerful central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). The InRow DX cooling units work in conjunction with UCD’s existing EcoStruxure Row Data Center system, formerly a Hot Aisle Containment Solution (HACS), and provides a highly efficient, close-coupled design that is suited to high-density loads. Each InRow DX unit draws air directly from the hot aisle, taking advantage of higher heat transfer efficiency and discharges room-temperature air directly in front of the cooling load, which significantly reduces the need for humidification. NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 12 Share your news! Send your press releases or announcements to: editor@networkseuropemagazine.com Panduit has introduced the SmartZone Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) family to the EMEA region, delivering simple to install and use, highly efficient and reliable power with the capability to integrate into Panduit’s SmartZone DCIM software and provide intelligent systems and environmental alerts, consistent power protection and backup for critical computer ITE. The SmartZone UPS family offers excellent electrical performance, intelligent battery management and a long lifespan (with lithium-ion units offering 97% efficiency). Compliant with ENERGY STAR 2.0, EMC, and safety standards, the SmartZone UPS meets the continually growing power demands of the data centre, enterprise and Edge IT equipment. The rack-mounted SmartZone UPS family focuses on high reliability, power density, efficiency and secure manageability. This UPS range offers models with various power ratings, configurations and battery types to meet application-specific needs, and includes 1-3kVA, 5-10kVA and 10/15/20kVA online double conversion units, equipped with powerful and maintenance-free batteries. All SmartZone UPS units offer a 79mm (3.5in) touch screen colour display. The screen auto detects the UPS mounting orientation and auto-rotates to support horizontal in-rack installation or vertical tower installation. Developed for critical computer environments, such as data centres and Edge, Panduit’s SmartZone UPS offer an integrated solution with UPS connectivity with multiple external battery packs (EBP) and an external Maintenance Bypass Switch (MBS). For larger systems, the UPS can be configured as 3-Phase In/3-Phase Out high-density UPS, or as 3-Phase In/Single-Phase Out high-density UPS. Digital signal processor controlled, the units offer superior reliability, high power efficiency, constant self-protection and self-diagnostics to provide maximum system availability. The battery charging current is user selectable allowing the battery charging parameters to be optimised for utilisation and battery life. Furthermore, the system offers innovative three-stage charging to extend service life and guarantee fast charging. The UPS can be manually configured to operate in either normal or ECO mode. Normal mode (online double conversion) is the default mode for the UPS unit and operates as a stable pure sine wave AC output and charges the battery. When in normal mode and the load is not critical, the UPS can be set to ECO mode to increase the efficiency of the power supplied. As an intelligent UPS solution, the SmartZone UPS can be integrated into common control and monitoring systems, such as the cloud-based DCIM application SmartZone Cloud. This web-based application can manage, monitor and control energy consumption, environmental data, security components, connectivity and IT resources. For secure infrastructure monitoring, the SmartZone Cloud application collects and processes real-time data from the integrated systems and sends timely alerts to prevent potential failures. This allows risks to be efficiently minimised and costly system failures to be prevented. Panduit Launches SmartZone Intelligent UPS FamilyCogent PoPs Proximity Data Centres Proximity has announced it is now a strategic point of presence (PoPs) for Cogent Communications, one of the world’s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Connecting to recently deployed high capacity dark fibre at Proximity’s Nottingham and Chester Gates edge sites, Cogent will now leverage its presence at these strategic UK locations to increase network resilience and provide customers and service providers with access to high speed low latency connectivity solutions in the Midlands and North West. “Cogent’s direct presence at Proximity’s edge colocation sites in the Midlands and North West helps ensure we can deliver low latency services to our customers in the region, including major streaming companies, service providers, and enterprise organisations,” said Vincent Teissier, CMO, Cogent Communications. John Hall, MD - Colocation, Proximity, said: “We are pleased to be helping Cogent increase their regional footprint in the UK. Their decision to choose Proximity Data Centres is a further example of how our edge sites are acting as strategic regional communications hubs for leading network and service providers.” Nokia Provides Data Centre Switching Platforms Nokia has announced it is providing its 7220 IXR data centre hardware platforms running SR Linux to DCspine, a subsidiary of Eurofiber Cloud Infra providing digital infrastructure and interconnection services across data centres in Europe. This solution will expand DCspine’s interconnection and cloud services, increase network scalability and enhance network operations through automation. DCspine will implement the 7220 IXR and SR Linux as part of its interconnection platform that provides connectivity between a growing number of 80+ data centres in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. To support the implementation, DCspine and Nokia have developed a custom network agent for easy integration into the existing network environment by leveraging the open, consumable nature of SR Linux and its NetOps Development Kit (NDK). The model-driven architecture and open interfaces of SR Linux will also enable DCspine to automate service provisioning, gain deeper network visibility for service monitoring, and enable faster delivery of interconnection and cloud services to its customers. NEWS IN BRIEF www.networkseuropemagazine.com 13 Reichle & De-Massari AG – Headquarters Binzstrasse 32, 8620 Wetzikon, Switzerland Connectivity infrastructures for data centers Total reliability from R&MSmart hands: Meeting the growing demand for advanced remote data centre support services Simon Smith Head of Service Delivery Telehouse Europe REMOTE DATA CENTRES www.networkseuropemagazine.com 14While customers are still demanding basic levels of support with equipment receipt, installation, securing network cables and essential troubleshooting, they also increasingly find themselves in need of more complex and advanced IT support. For data centre operators, the new customer needs are presenting a unique opportunity to elevate their remote management solutions into smart hands services. Adapting to the changing circumstances Driven by the strict social distancing measures and travel embargoes at the time of the pandemic, many organisations were forced to shift their working models toward a remote set-up and limit the number of visits to their data centre. As the importance of reliable data centre infrastructure grew, a greater need arose among customers to hand over Traditionally, remote data centre services were focused on providing basic levels of support such as unboxing customers’ IT equipment to then position it on the racks. Over recent years and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, customers’ technical requirements and expectations from their data centre partner have significantly evolved, and as such, so should the remote services. REMOTE DATA CENTRES www.networkseuropemagazine.com 15their co-located IT equipment management, maintenance, software configuration and fault investigations to their provider. It is not uncommon for today’s enterprises to be located a significant distance from their data centre partner. Businesses are continuously expanding, with many enterprises opening new global offices, making frequent travels to and from the data centre - rather inefficient both in terms of cost, and time. The widespread adoption of remote working models is also naturally increasing the need for smart hands support from their data centre partners. It would however be unfair to attribute the increase in the demand for smart hands support just to the pandemic alone. Even before 2019, enterprises saw the value in cloud computing, modernising their IT environments and adopting hybrid approaches. It was Gartner that predicted that by 2020, 90% of organisations will adopt hybrid infrastructure management capabilities. Now, the tech research firm forecasts that 51% of IT spending on applications and infrastructure software, business process services and systems infrastructure will shift to the cloud by 2025. It is clear that the demand for hybrid solutions will only continue to grow among businesses as they transform their IT environments to remain competitive. On average, two-fifths of enterprise IT infrastructure is outsourced in colocation, but that is expected to rise further to 46% in five years’ time, as evidenced in the recent research by Telehouse. The requirement for a smart hands approach is also exacerbated by the ongoing tech skills and labour shortages which are predicted to grow to 4.3 million workers and an unrealised output of $449.70 billion globally by 2030. While the world is facing a tech industry talent crisis, businesses can take advantage of the highly skilled remote hands engineers and security specialists in their data centres to provide proactive and reactive service support. As customers are adapting to changing circumstances, they see greater value in beyond-basic remote support. To them, leveraging professional smart hands services, both reactive and proactive, from their trusted data centre provider is a great step towards productivity, efficiency, and general peace of mind. From proactive to reactive support services Data centre customers are now seeking enhanced technical support that offers both proactive and reactive services from the outset of the relationship. For providers, that means fostering transparent communication around IT equipment installation REMOTE DATA CENTRES www.networkseuropemagazine.com 16and understanding the unique design and technical requirements of the customers at the start to match the level of remote service required in the future. Optimising design solutions for customers is an important proactive smart hands service in terms of security and power protection. Data centre providers must act as trusted advisors on whether the customer, for example, needs to house their IT equipment in a dedicated or shared facility, and what security measures are needed at the points of access. With the ongoing shortages of various materials, data centre partners can also offer a helping hand to customers in sourcing equipment and installing it in the racks on their behalf. Data centre operators can offer expert facility planners to work with customers to define their colocation, power and connectivity needs and find solutions that meet their budget and privacy requirements. As the cost of energy is skyrocketing, power efficiency is incredibly high on the agendas of customers who are worried about their enormous energy bills. As such, they expect their data centre partners to ensure optimised rack space and power usage, reducing their operating costs and also helping them meet their sustainability targets. For data centre providers, that means utilising their data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) solutions to the maximum, as the technology is able to analyse key data on uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), automatic transfer switches, IT loads, external temperatures, internal environmental conditions, and so much more, to intelligently monitor and optimise power and cooling requirements. To achieve excellence in smart hands services, proactive support must go hand in hand with swift reactive support to minimise possible downtime and ensure business continuity. This includes checking the alarm status of equipment and providing fault investigation, performing system troubleshooting and repairing the problem on a 24/7 basis. While remote data centre engineers are investigating incidents, they must keep the customer informed every step of the way. Speed of response together with transparent communication are crucial elements data centres must develop to form the highest levels of smart customer support service. Easing future IT headaches Data centre operators are only too well aware that their customers are facing increased challenges presented by global current affairs, and it’s quite possible this will persist for some years to come, yet the race to gain a competitive edge in the market continues with pace as we see growth in edge computing, IoT and 5G, and customers employing new technologies to support their growth. This will only increase demand for data centre growth and a need for enhanced smart hands support from data centre providers. As the demand for smart hands services increases, data centre providers need to recognise and weave together the multiple core management systems and technologies that will allow them to monitor, measure and optimise the wellbeing of their facilities and the health of their customers’ IT equipment. In today’s era of skills shortages and remote working models, it is the data centres' experienced engineers and smart hands support services that can be the antidote for our customer’s sleepless nights. From lessening the burden on already stretched internal IT departments to boosting systems efficiencies and preventing downtime, smart hands services bring a multitude of operational and financial benefits to customers. Offering highly committed and comprehensive support is often also a key differentiator for data centre providers. The ability to adapt and evolve data centre service support models to meet demanding customer requirements, for example customers who are looking to embrace technology to achieve business growth, and need a data centre service partner with capabilities to provide 24/7 support within agreed SLAs at an affordable, predictable, monthly ‘no surprises’ basis; will be an area for continued growth within our industry sector. On average, two-fifths of enterprise IT infrastructure is outsourced in colocation, but that is expected to rise further to 46% in five years’ time. REMOTE DATA CENTRES www.networkseuropemagazine.com 17HYBRID DATA CENTRES www.networkseuropemagazine.com 18 The IT infrastructure that can support remote working with secure access to data has meant enterprises have had to adopt a hybrid approach that mixes on-prem data centre services, with cloud solutions. Indeed, according to a recent report from Mordor Intelligence, the hybrid cloud market will see a growth of over 20% by 2027. The IT environments that businesses are building today must be flexible and able to change and react as markets evolve and customer demand advances. A hybrid data centre strategy is a vital component of digital transformation, which has continued at pace. For enterprises, driving innovation and creating a digital ecosystem ready to support technologies such as edge computing, automation, and the rapidly expanding use of AI across many commercial channels, is critical. As a result, a hybrid approach to data and network management becomes essential. Here, colocation service providers must deliver the levels of integration, interoperability and agility that their clients demand. Mahomed Hussein Technical Operations Director Custodian Data Centres All businesses have seen seismic shifts in how they organise their workforces and processes, and mainly, how they manage the massive amounts of data they have flowing into their company on a daily basis. HYBRID DATA CENTRES www.networkseuropemagazine.com 19Next >