News

Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH has announced the first stable release of its new, open-source server backup solution. Proxmox Backup Server 1.0 is an enterprise backup software solution to backup and restore virtual machines, containers, and physical hosts.

QinetiQ has been awarded a £2.3 million contract by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to build a relocatable Optical Ground Station (OGS) capable of receiving high-speed data transmissions from space.

Riverbed has announced key updates to its Network Performance Management (NPM) portfolio, delivering greater visibility that is crucial to monitoring productivity and performance, as organisations continue to shift toward hybrid-networks and work-from-anywhere models.

SmartLabs, provider of multi-screen, multi-network solutions for video streaming, has released the latest feature-rich version of its SmartCARE quality monitoring tool, which can help operators and content providers understand audience behaviour and changes in viewing habits alongside verifying technical performance.

Microchip Technology Inc has announced its PIC18 Q84 family — the first PIC18 microcontroller (MCU) family that can be used to transmit and receive data through a Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate (CAN FD) bus. Accompanied by an extensive array of Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that handle a variety of tasks without requiring CPU intervention, Microchip’s PIC18 Q84 family cuts both time and cost when connecting systems to a CAN FD network.

Aruba is a “Day-1 Member” of the European Data Infrastructure project, which was founded with the goal to create the next generation of data platforms using European wide standards for security and privacy regulations.

Downing Ventures has announced a $35 million investment in Ayar Labs, a Deep Tech organisation that is solving semiconductor interconnect (I/O), bandwidth and power bottlenecks by moving data using light, with its TeraPHY monolithic in-package electronic/photonic chiplet-based solution. The result is a vast improvement in bandwidth, bandwidth density, latency and power consumption across a wider distance.

Mission critical systems, such as water purification systems, require secure and reliable data networks to ensure they perform efficiently, effectively and without interruption. At some of Anglian Water’s UK sites, there was automation equipment that was installed over 30 years ago.
Anglian Water wanted to upgrade the data networks for one of their sites and enlisted the help of Westermo. The network connected ten remote pumps back to a main water plant near Kings Lynn using a series of RS485 cables.

Getronics has announced a global rebrand marking the culmination of months of work following its acquisition in July 2020. Getronics delivers end-to-end capabilities designed to build digital experiences that drive exceptional business outcomes.

Five UK technology, networking and safety and security providers have come together to form a new company with ambitious growth plans, having secured a £30m plus forward order book since the Covid-19 emergency began.

Glasgow-based Boston Networks, Wales-based Pinacl and Pinacl GDA, North Shields and Birmingham-based 2020 Vision Systems and London-based PEL Services have united to rebrand as North.

LogicMonitor has announced the general availability of LM Logs, the company’s new cloud-based log intelligence product. With LM Logs, 100 per cent of an organisation’s log data is automatically analysed using machine learning and AIOps algorithms to help IT Operations teams uncover the root causes of alerts and predictively uncover issues before they disrupt business.

XM Cyber, breach and attack simulation (BAS) advanced cyber risk analytics and cloud security posture management, and Ivanti, IT and Security Operations to discover, manage, secure and service from cloud to edge, have announced the integration of Ivanti patch management technology with the XM Cyber BAS platform.

Colt Data Centre Services has announced the appointment of its new Director of Energy and Sustainability, Scott Balloch. This announcement comes as Colt DCS continues to ramp up its commitment to energy efficiency, making sustainability a key strategic driver for its global operations.

GTT Communications, Inc. has announced that Etex has selected GTT’s managed SD-WAN service to connect 80 of its sites across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The GTT SD-WAN solution integrates GTT’s global Tier 1 internet backbone with private and direct cloud connectivity to enhance the performance of business-critical applications.

GRC (Green Revolution Cooling) announces a new partnership contract with Total Data Centre Solutions (TDCS). TDCS will provide, via GRC, data centres throughout Europe and the Nordic region with turnkey data centre immersion cooling to increase energy efficiency and data centre resiliency.

Extreme Networks, Inc., a cloud-driven networking company, has announced a strategic partnership with Deutsche Telekom to launch the next generation of Telekom’s managed net-based LAN service, NBLS 2.0, which is now available to customers.

Ericsson has completed its acquisition of US based Cradlepoint. Ericsson welcomes more than 700 employees and claims it will strengthen the company’s enterprise offering, creating valuable new revenue streams for customers. Cradlepoint will continue to operate under its existing brand.

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has announced the launch of its Inzai 3 hyperscale data centre, its largest facility in Japan. Built to support growing demand in the region, the 27MW hyperscale facility has already achieved over 90% pre-letting.

CNet’s US, LATAM & Canada Technical Manager and 7×24 Exchange International Career Development Mentor, Melissa Chambal now narrates the 8-hour distance learning program material for learners to watch at their own pace.

The Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics (CLIMB) project has been recognised in the annual HPCwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards, presented digitally during the virtual 2020 International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC20) via HPCwire.com.

Derby-based Bloc Digital has signed up to the national SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) business support programme for a major project that will develop digital twinning technology for space applications. The project will be funded by a grant from the £4.8 million SPRINT programme to support the commercial exploitation of space data and technologies.

Colt Data Centre Services announces 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.

Air IT has announced it has acquired London based MSP Netstar. Netstar will now come under the umbrella of the Air IT group.

This acquisition has enabled the Air IT group to double its size in just nine months; making significant strides towards its goal of becoming the UK’s largest SME focused cloud managed services provider.

Freezing temperatures in the Nordics region and parts of North America may cause serious issues for data centre construction already delayed by Covid-19, warns temporary temperature control specialists Aggreko.

To help contractors working against the dropping temperatures, Aggreko has a number of local specialists in temperature control who can deploy temporary measures to counter the effects of the cold.

Microchip Technology Inc. announces its AgileSwitch digital programmable gate driver and SP6LI SiC power module kit, a unified system solution to help designers quickly and effectively adopt disruptive Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices – reducing time to market and ensuring confidence in field deployment.

Schneider Electric, has announced a new White Paper #289, “How Microgrids for Data Centres Increase Resilience, Optimise Costs, and Improve Sustainability,” available for immediate download.

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 asks Mike Elms, Managing Director, CENTIEL UK. Good service and maintenance contract will certainly give you peace of mind that your UPS will protect your critical load for years to come. 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. READ MORE…

The Nordac Pro SK 500P frequency inverters from Nord Drivesystems are equipped with an integrated multi-protocol Ethernet interface, a multi-encoder interface for multiple axis operation and a USB interface for voltage-free parameterisation which can provide high levels of connectivity, functionality and modularity.

Some large data centres use enough electricity in a year to power thousands of homes and it has been pointed out that data centres will account for one-fifth of global electrical consumption by 2025. While we can’t avoid the fact that data centre power consumption will continue to be an issue in the future, Aruba.it looks at how vendors and operators are now placing a focus on reducing their environmental impact. READ MORE…

Pulse Secure, a provider of software-defined Secure Access solutions, announces its new partnership with Trainocate to deliver Pulse Secure Authorised Training courses across ASEAN.

Supermicro announces the doubling of GPU capabilities with a new 4U server supporting eight NVIDIA HGX A100 GPUs. The flexible range of solutions powered by NVIDIA GPUs and GPU software from the NVIDIA NGC ecosystem provides the right building blocks for diverse tasks for organisations addressing various verticals — from AI inferencing on developed models to HPC to high-end training.

When designing industrial equipment, the operating temperature of the product is often at the top of the list for design engineers. However, while engineers give a lot of thought to heat in the equipment itself, the performance of the connectors and cables that join different devices is often overlooked. Jonathan Parry, Senior Vice President of Global Operations and European Managing Director at cables and connectors company PEI-Genesis, explains how to choose an extreme temperature connector. READ MORE…

Toshiba announces collaboration with MikroElektronika on a range of five new plug-and-play style Click boards targeting motor control applications, with two targeting brushed DC motor applications, one for brushless DC (BLDC) motors, and the remaining two supporting stepper motor control.

Wherever you look and whatever you use to access the Internet, rich video-centric content is unavoidable. For consumers, this is great news. For network operators, this increased use in demand presents a significant opportunity – albeit with a unique set of challenges. Jamie Jefferies, Vice President and General Manager, EMEA @Ciena takes a look further.

Draka has completed the upgrade of all its Universal Cabling Fibre offering from ‘regular’ G.652.D fibre to a profile meeting all requirements of G.657.A1. Bend-insensitive fibre optic cables are a crucial part of the UK’s shift towards flexible and ultra-reliable fibre connectivity. This fibre upgrade allows Draka to continue to make cables in ever increasing fibre counts with reduced diameters. READ MORE…

Cradlepoint’s 2020 State of the Wireless WAN report confirms that the era of Wireless WAN has firmly arrived and is the critical infrastructure in driving innovation, including playing a role in business recovery from the pandemic. The survey findings demonstrate confidence and excitement for 5G, pointing to increasing adoption in the coming year. READ MORE…

Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) has been championed with varying intensity in the telco industry for the past few years, though many claim the technology has lost its appeal. Bart Salaets, Senior Systems Engineering Director at F5, assesses the latest developments in NFV and why service providers need to stay on the ball. READ MORE…

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 sending 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. READ MORE…

Today’s communication systems are fundamental to business success and, as a result, customers of both service providers (SPs) and managed service providers (MSPs) are putting more and more pressure on networks, demanding ongoing increases in control and flexibility. Sylvain Quartier, VP of Marketing and Product Strategy at Ekinops takes a look at how SD-WAN might need to evolve to keep up. READ MORE…

Cloud specialist UKFast has been confirmed as an approved supplier across all three sections of the Government's Digital Marketplace known as G-Cloud 12, the latest version of the Crown Commercial Service Procurement Framework for Cloud Services. READ MORE...

Microchip Technology Inc. has taken the next step toward realising the full potential of CoaXPress (CXP) on the factory floor with the first single-chip physical-layer interface devices to include features that streamline machine vision system design, maximise transmission speed and simplify deployment in high-volume bottling operations, food inspection, industrial inspection and imaging applications.

Data centre operators must be making preparations now if the data centres of tomorrow are to keep up with the massive demands of customers. When it comes to future proofing services for the next generation of customers, Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO, Colt DCS tells us that hyperscale is the answer. READ MORE…

The resilience of data centres across Europe is at risk as the industry looks towards a permanent renewable energy infrastructure, according to a major new report launched by Aggreko, giving the insight of 700 data centre consultants from across seven countries. READ MORE…

The evolution of physical hardware and software has had a considerable impact on the development of applications. There is no doubt that the hybrid landscape is complex and unlikely to get simpler. Mark Fieldhouse, General Manager, EMEA at NS1 takes a look at how organisations should consider resilience across multiple deployment surfaces, whether data centre, public or private cloud and how to adapt to multiple application delivery parameters. READ MORE…

Copper and optical fibre cabling infrastructure provider, Excel, has announced a new range of unscreened RJ45 field terminated plugs, boots and tools with immediate effect. READ MORE…

The new feature will allow screening owned IPs through multiple blacklist databases, enabling IP holders to more accurately evaluate the state of subnets before leasing them via the IP Address Market. READ MORE...

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 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. Mark Page, Strategic Account Director, Public Sector at Cradlepoint takes a look at how the high-capacity and ultra-low latency of 5G will play a critical role in enabling a new vision of the future. READ MORE…

TE Connectivity (TE) is launching the D-2970 Dynamic Series compact wire-to-board PCB connector with field-installable, time-saving push-in clamp termination.

The new 5mm pitch PCB connector operates at up to 20 amps and 400 volts at a typical ambient application temperature of 55°C without further derating.

Supermicro Computer has announced two new systems designed for artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning applications that fully leverage the third-generation NVIDIA HGX technology with the new NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs as well as full support for the new NVIDIA A100 GPUs across the company’s broad portfolio of 1U, 2U, 4U and 10U GPU servers. NVIDIA A100 is the first elastic, multi-instance GPU that unifies training, inference, HPC, and analytics. READ MORE…

Super Micro Computer, Inc. has announced that the Center for Scientific Computing (CSC) has chosen Supermicro’s 4U 8 GPU A+ server with PCI-E Gen 4 and 200Gb/s networking (AS -4124GS-TNR) as the foundation for their next generation of High-Performance Computing (HPC) servers. CSC is an initiative of the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, and Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.

STULZ, provider of energy efficient temperature and humidity management technology for mission critical data centre applications, has announced the availability of its CyberWall cooling solution.

Designed for operators of large, colocation and hyperscale data centres, it comprises a range of precision air conditioning units specifically developed for facilities with separate aisles.

The 451 Research report includes insights from a survey of over 800 data centre service providers around the globe, capturing the impact efficiency and sustainability have on the cloud and service provider business, as well as addressing gaps in resources and technology adoption, and risks of not enacting sustainability strategies.

IP House, alongside IP Office, CXS and Cloud Systems, launches a new cloud solution to support businesses to transition to new ways of working, enabling organisations to overcome technology challenges with remote working via scalable cloud solutions

Siemon has announced that its innovative technology has been installed throughout Accenture’s new 4,500 sqm head office complex in the iconic Gare Maritime in Brussels, Belgium. Accenture is a global professional services firm, providing strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations to clients in more than 120 countries. As part of its defined corporate social responsibility strategy, Accenture only works with partners that share the same focus on sustainable and socially responsible business ethics.

Schneider Electric has announced the expansion of its partnerships with leading technology companies to address the convergence of IT and OT.

Bringing together system integrators with IT solution providers to build integrated industrial edge computing solutions, the expanded partnerships have resulted in the immediate release of three programs including: new reference designs, co-developed with AVEVA, and integrating solutions from Lenovo and Stratus; a learning path for system integrators; and a collaborative online community for learning and sharing opportunities within Schneider Electric Exchange.

Glide Group was able to support the NHS by providing…

LogicMonitor has announced it has achieved Cisco Compatible status for its Cisco SD-WAN integration. This certification validates that LogicMonitor’s innovative cloud-based platform has been fully vetted by Cisco and establishes LogicMonitor as a Cisco preferred monitoring partner for organisations deploying and managing sophisticated networks.

Heficed, provider of network infrastructure solutions, has announced they are bringing the IP Address Market to the Equinix platform. By enabling the integration of more technology stacks, Heficed will present new scaling opportunities for Equinix clients, in turn bringing the concept of IP leasing one step closer to being recognised as the new industry standard.

Q Associates, independent UK data centre infrastructure and data management services provider, has announced the acquisition of Apex Group, the Bracknell-based cloud and network services specialist. The combined company will employ around 80 staff, with turnover in the region of £35M.
In addition to specialist networking capabilities encompassing LAN, WAN and WiFi technologies, Apex Group brings a range of cloud migration and integration services with significant expertise around Microsoft Azure Cloud, Modern Workplace, Business Applications and Data Analytics.

Siemens Mobility Limited has been awarded a contract by Transport for West Midlands to provide connected mobility infrastructure and software services for the Midlands Future Mobility (MFM) project.

The MFM programme is set to develop an environment that will play a crucial role in shaping the future transport sector and accelerating technological advancement in the Midlands, the region which is at the heart of much of the automotive innovation in the UK.

Schneider Electric has introduced the Easy UPS 3L, the newest part of the Easy UPS 3-phase Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) range, extending the medium range to 500 and 600 kVA (400V) for external batteries. Available in all regions that support 400V except China and Japan, the Easy UPS 3L simplifies and streamlines configuration and service, delivering high availability and predictability to medium and large commercial buildings, data centres, and light industrial UPS applications.

Schneider Electric has become a Partner of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons), a non-profit professional association for the digital infrastructure industry. As a Partner Member, Schneider Electric will provide iMasons with access to resources in support of iMasons’ educational, networking and industry-supporting donation programs.

Manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies, Riello UPS has expanded its super-efficient NextEnergy (NXE) series with a new and improved 500 kVA model. The much-anticipated NXE 500 incorporates the latest transformerless technologies to deliver TÜV-certified operational efficiency up to 97% in online UPS mode, while its pioneering Efficiency Control System minimises wasted energy even at partial loads. READ MORE…

Ivanti, which automates IT and Security Operations to discover, manage, secure and service from cloud to edge has announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire MobileIron, provider of mobile-centric unified endpoint management solutions, and Pulse Secure, provider of secure access and mobile security solutions.

Nearly half (48%) of senior IT decision-makers globally say that more than quarter of the outages their organisations have suffered over the past two years have been caused by changes to the network infrastructure, according to a recent survey of 500 global IT decision makers commissioned by Opengear, a Digi International company. READ MORE….

NextGen has committed to a two-year technical development plan with CNet Training. The company has committed to upskill and professionally certify their teams across their entire company with CNet Training. The training and development contract provides NextGen with access to technical education programs from The Global Digital Infrastructure Education Framework for all team members to work towards ambitious companywide objectives.

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of the APC Easy Rack PDU range, providing an easy-to-install, easy-to-use and customisable power distribution unit for connected loads. From network closets and edge computing environments, to small and medium data centres, APC Easy Rack PDUs provide a resilient power continuity solution for end-users.

Microchip Technology Inc. has announced its newly-expanded portfolio of Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) vertical arrays – the MDA3KP Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS), a 3kW diode family of more than 25 products with different screening levels, polarities and qualification standards.

Mayflex, distributor of converged IP Solutions, has been awarded the ‘Distinguished Partner Award for 2019’ from Edgecore Networks. Mayflex were one of a few worldwide partners that were recognised by Edgecore Networks for their excellent performance, innovation and quality throughout 2019.

Emtelle and Incab have joined forces to establish Emcab. With specialties in the manufacture of ducted, buried and blown fibre cables, blown fibre microducts, plus HDPE and PVC ducts between both industry giants, Emtelle’s and Incab’s combined knowledge and expertise offers a well-rounded high-quality fibre optic cable offering to customers worldwide. READ MORE…

LEM has introduced the DVC 1000 series of voltage sensors for insulated nominal voltage measurements in rail traction and industrial applications. Designed to measure a nominal voltage of 1000 VRMS, the DVC 1000 series uses an isolating amplifier, providing very high levels of isolation with a safety insulation voltage of 4.2 kV. READ MORE…

Kao Data, specialist developer and operator of advanced data centres for high performance computing, cloud, AI and enterprise, has become a Foundation Partner of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons). Additionally Paul Finch, Interim CEO and COO, Kao Data, has joined the iMasons Advisory Council, contributing his insight and experience into data centre cooling, energy efficiency and sustainability, which have become an increasingly important focus in the sector over the last decade.

Hughes Electronics has launched an advanced fibre optic and DC power cabling concept for cellular networks.

Designed specifically to handle the rigours of the cellular telephone industry, OptiMod is a robust yet agile system of interconnecting fibre and DC power passive transmission media, delivering high-performance connections for hybrid, separate (DC and fibre) or mixed cabling layout requirements in the harshest environments that cellular telecoms has to offer.

Ekinops, supplier of optical transport equipment and router solutions, has announced that TurkNet, Turkish gigabit internet service provider (ISP), has chosen Ekinops’ FlexRate optical transport solutions to significantly upgrade its core network, which provides businesses and individuals with uncapped high-speed broadband services across the country’s key cities.

ExtraHop, cloud-native network detection and response company, has announced a partnership with CrowdStrike, in cloud-delivered endpoint protection provider. The partnership includes the powerful integration between ExtraHop Reveal(x) and CrowdStrike Falcon, marrying best-of-breed cloud-native detection and response capabilities to provide protection from the network to the endpoint.

Distributor Exertis Hammer has announced an EMEA-wide distribution agreement with leading big data storage supplier to data-intensive, global organisations, DDN.
The vendor designs, develops, deploys, and optimises systems, software and storage solutions that enable enterprises, service providers, universities, and government agencies to generate more value and accelerate time to insight from their data, on premise and in the cloud.

Emtelle, manufacturer of pre-connectorised, blown fibre cabling and ducted network solutions, has announced its two-year contract extension for the supply of microduct and fibre cable solutions to UK ultrafast broadband provider, Gigaclear. Running until the end of 2022, this contract extension is anticipated to be worth £10 million over the next two years.

Anritsu Company has expanded its W1 (1.0 mm) component line with the introduction of bias tees, DC block, and semi-rigid cables that operate to 110 GHz and provide broadband frequency scalability in high-frequency device characterisation and optical networking applications. The addition of the new W1 components provides Anritsu with the broadest millimeter wave (mmWave), coaxial component portfolio in the market, and they can be integrated in test systems, so engineers have greater confidence in their emerging high-speed designs.

Emtelle has acquired 16,000sqm of land located adjacent to its manufacturing plant in Erfurt, Germany.

The news follows the manufacturer’s recent investment in its production capabilities with the purchase of two new extrusion lines at the Erfurt manufacturing facility. This latest investment from Emtelle allows for further options of increased manufacturing capacity, increased stock capabilities whilst expanding product testing and customer training facilities.

Rigado’s Open Edge Framework leverages Cradlepoint connectivity and edge containers to deliver a flexible IoT solution that enables companies to get back to the workplace safely.

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has announced the appointment of Hiroshige Sugihara as Vice President, Head of Asia-Pacific. This announcement comes as Colt DCS continues its commitment to hyperscale builds and expansion within the region; including the scheduled completion of Tokyo’s Inzai 3 data centre later this year.

Ardmac, the international construction specialist headquartered in Dublin, has announced that it has taken a significant equity investment in Cental, a leading and fast-growth provider of advanced modular infrastructure to the data centre, utilities and telecoms industries.

With this latest strategic investment by Ardmac, the business is now set for further growth and is projecting to double its workforce to 140 people over the next 24 months.

CityFibre, the UK’s third national digital infrastructure platform, has announced a three-year recruitment and training programme to provide up to 10,000 people with jobs upgrading the UK’s digital infrastructure to full fibre – the best available technology enabling the fastest and most dependable digital connectivity and broadband services.

Camfil is thrilled to announce its win at the ‘Grand Indoor Climate Prize’ in Sweden for its advanced premium HEPA filtration for cleanrooms. Megalam EnerGuard is the first revolutionary change in HEPA filtration for cleanrooms in decades. The filter has three times longer life span than other HEPA filters with membrane media and can generate energy savings of 30-50% compared to traditional fibreglass filters in the industry.

Anritsu Corporation has released an FEC symbol capture function and Bathtub test capability for its 116-Gbit/s PAM4 Error Detector (ED) MU196040B, offering more functionality for developers of 400-GbE and 800-GbE devices.

Ampleon has announced two additions to its 9th generation line-up of high-performance 50V Si LDMOS high-efficiency RF power transistors. Designed for use in ultra-high-power RF power amplifiers, capable of delivering hundreds of kilowatts, the BLF978P and the BLF974P are highly efficient and have high gain characteristics.

Airedale International has launched the latest generation of the award-winning Artus range, developing a new dual-function version of its hybrid fan coil unit now with a four-pipe integrated heating and cooling option for commercial and residential spaces.

STULZ, specialist for mission critical air conditioning, has announced that it now owns the entire shareholding of STULZ Technology Integration (STULZ TI), the data centre design and build specialist.
As a wholly owned subsidiary, STULZ TI went through an extensive restructuring programme in order to respond even more efficiently to the needs of the market. This has ensured full integration into the STULZ Group, which provides direct access to a wide range of state-of-the-art cooling products, solutions and resources.

Nucleus Research has published a case study showing Conga, formerly Apttus, digital transformation for commercial operations, delivered 141 percent return on investment (ROI) for its customer Extreme Networks, with payback in 9.6 months. The case study found that Conga’s Apttus CPQ solution reduced the time it took Extreme Networks to generate a quote from three days to 20 minutes while also reducing the time to provide a quote estimate from four hours to 10 minutes. Additionally, overall employee productivity increased by 15 percent with Apttus CPQ’s automated quote generation and features capable of managing multi-tiered pricing channels.

The resilience of data centres across Europe is at risk as the industry looks towards a permanent renewable energy infrastructure, according to a major new report launched by global temporary power and temperature solutions company, Aggreko.
The report – Mission Critical – provides unique insight of 700 data centre consultants across the Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the UK and Ireland, following a survey conducted by independent agency Censuswide on behalf of Aggreko.

Data centre operators and providers should consider the benefit of critical equipment hire, following multiple reports of disruption and delays of infrastructure projects and to the lead times of vital equipment.

According to the Institute for Supply Management, 57% of companies have noted longer lead times for tier one China-sourced components, with average lead times more than doubling compared to the end of 2019. With supply chain issues being reported across the global data centre market, Aggreko is reminding data centre providers and operators to consider rental solutions to ensure infrastructure projects or cooling requirements are not impacted during this crucial time. READ MORE…

Cradlepoint has announced its rapid expansion into Europe with senior hires, investment in new teams and new product offerings.

Evert Suur, previously Head of Channels for Northern Europe at Forescout, has joined Cradlepoint as Area Director for Northern Europe. He brings to the role 25+ years of experience in the IT and networking industries and will be responsible for driving forward Cradlepoint’s ‘go-to-market’ strategy in the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordics.

Lorenzo Ruggiero also joins the company, as Area Director for Southern Europe. Based in Milan, Lorenzo will lead customer satisfaction initiatives, partner relationships and revenue growth across Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. Lorenzo joins from Vodafone and previously worked at French software company, Infovista, where he was in charge of leading the enterprise market proposition.

Trinity Data Centres Ltd (Trinity DC) has acquired the Optimum Data Centres business (ODC) and is the new multi-tenant data centre operator for the former ODC site in Hayes, now named Trinity London.

As a key part of the acquisition, Trinity DC has taken on all of the ODC staff to ensure a seamless transition for clients, partners and suppliers.

Trinity DC is providing significant investment to Trinity London through a multi-stage refurbishment plan in order to facilitate additional clients.

Bringing together system integrators with IT solution providers to build integrated industrial edge computing solutions, the expanded partnerships have resulted in the immediate release of three programs including: new reference designs, co-developed with AVEVA, and integrating solutions from Lenovo and Stratus; a learning path for system integrators; and a collaborative online community for learning and sharing opportunities within Schneider Electric Exchange. The industrial edge programs from Schneider Electric empower system integrators to expand their value to the end user, enabling their customers’ industrial digital transformations.

Kao Data has announced a dedicated ‘Built-to-Suit’ service for the hyperscale community in the UK. The service enables Kao Data to fund, design, build and operate Open Compute Project (OCP-Ready) data centre capacity, for organisations dependent on scalable, resilient, digital infrastructure. As part of the service, Kao Data’s leadership team will oversee all developments, enabling clients to benefit from the guidance, insight and expertise of award-winning industry professionals who are well positioned to manage the challenges of industrial scale data centre construction projects.

NetMotion, a provider of security solutions for the world’s growing mobile and remote workforce, has announced the public availability of its new security platform, unifying its mobile-focused VPN products with a powerful new software defined perimeter (SDP) solution, also known as zero trust network access (ZTNA).

Distributor Exertis Hammer, and market leader in application networking, A10, have extended their distribution agreement to service resellers in the Nordics.

A10, a vendor which enables intelligent automation with deep machine learning to ensure business-critical applications are protected, reliable and always available, has existing distribution partnerships with both Exertis and Exertis Hammer; and now, Exertis Hammer will add value to its security, innovation and automation solutions for new and existing Nordics customers.

Draka, a brand of Prysmian Group, is pleased to announce the arrival of a comprehensive new technology guide: ‘Bend-Insensitive Fibres: a key component of future-proof networks.

DigiCert, provider of TLS/SSL, IoT and PKI solutions, has named Jason Sabin the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Sabin has been serving as Chief Information Officer at DigiCert since 2017 and has held a number of other executive roles at the company, including Chief Security Officer and head of research and development.

“Jason’s background and passion are in engineering, and he’s proven in numerous roles at DigiCert that he’s both a great manager and a great technical leader,” said DigiCert CEO John Merrill. “Jason is the right leader to advance DigiCert’s technology vision.”

HMS Networks has announced the release of Anybus Wireless Bolt IoT which enables reliable cellular-based internet connectivity for assets in the field, using the new LTE-based networks NB-IoT and CAT-M1.

Companies are increasingly looking to connect remotely located assets for remote monitoring and control over the internet. However, many times there is no local infrastructure available to connect such assets to the internet in a traditional way. The Anybus Wireless Bolt IoT by HMS Networks targets this situation, providing reliable cellular-based internet connectivity over NB-IoT and CAT-M1 for remote assets that are otherwise hard to reach and connect.

Proximity Data Centres Limited has secured major new funding from ICG-Longbow, the real estate division of Intermediate Capital Group PLC.

This new funding commitment will support Proximity in its strategic £80m rollout of regional edge data centres and will enable Proximity to continue its expansion to offer national capability to help customers keep pace with increasing data requirements driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Internet of Things.

Anritsu and EMITE have announced their latest combined solution for testing the latest IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard. The new Anritsu Wireless Connectivity Test Set MT8862A has been successfully integrated in combination to the EMITE E600 Reverberation Chamber to test OTA TRP/TIS performance of IEEE 802.11ax devices in a repeatable environment. With built-in communications protocols and optimised performance for WLAN testing, the MT8862A + EMITE reverberation chamber can characterise with high reliability the performance of the latest devices in the market.

The new integration has been able to successfully measure total radiated power (TRP) and total isotropic sensitivity (TIS) OTA performance for IEEE 802.11ax devices. Being able to test the latest WLAN standards keep EMITE and Anritsu at the edge of technology for helping customers and service providers deliver their WLAN solutions to the market with total confidence in the performance.

VIRTUS Data Centres, part of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Group, has announced the opening of its LONDON6 and LONDON10 data centres.

LONDON6, on the VIRTUS Stockley Park campus, and LONDON10, VIRTUS’ third data centre on the Slough Trading Estate, are both planned to open in early Q2 2020. These new facilities will provide 23MW over more than 10,000sqm of technical space. They are being built to Uptime Tier III standard and will further expand some of the most advanced campuses in the UK. The data centres will enable customers to future-proof their expansion options for flexible colocation on sites that have the scale to deliver medium to longer term capacity.

Frost & Sullivan has recognised DigiCert with the 2020 Global Company of the Year Award, based on its recent analysis of the global transport layer security (TLS) certificate market.

DigiCert has exhibited strong market leadership in its growth, supporting the adoption of new standards and continually innovating with the industry’s best, most modern public key infrastructure (PKI) technology. In addition to the strength in the TLS/SSL market, the company is also focused on new security technologies, such as protecting devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) and developing implementations of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). By developing these technologies and helping define standards to address new security use cases, the company is strengthening its leadership position within internet security.

TE Connectivity (TE), connectivity and sensors, and Komax, automated wire processing, have partnered on the production of harnesses on the Komax Omega 740/750 automatic harness machines. The machines incorporate TE`s ENTRELEC SNK series of pluggable terminal blocks in their design.

“With the joined expertise TE Connectivity and Komax, users can achieve up to 90% mounting time saving thanks to the serialised plug that takes advantage of Komax’s modular concept and plug and play function of TE`s SNK terminal blocks,” said Eylem Kolukisa, TE product manager. “The Komax Omega’s speed of installation is thanks to TE’s SNK 2-in-1 PI-Spring technology and pluggable function.”

Komax has developed the Omega 740 and Omega 750 fully automated block loader machines for wire harness production requiring housing insertion. The highly flexible system enables operator-independent production with double-sided block loading in the highest quality and different complexity without the need for interim storage of individual wires. It is the economical answer to ongoing miniaturisation and increasingly smaller batches. The Omega series makes it possible to manufacture a range of different wire harnesses while simultaneously reducing production time significantly.

The ongoing global health crisis is putting enormous strains on healthcare providers around the world, and has sent the demand for medical-grade equipment skyrocketing. With organisations scrambling to procure the right components, Innodisk recently provided its technical and medical sector expertise for ventilator production in China, Europe and Brazil, and doubled-down on its support of innovation in global health.

Opengear, a Digi International company, and provider of solutions that deliver secure, resilient network access and automation to critical IT infrastructure, has announced the launch of the new NetOps Console Servers: the OM1200 and the OM2200. These appliances are the first of their kind, capable of running standard Docker containers, and bringing Smart Out-of-Band and NetOps automation together in a single piece of hardware.

The new NetOps Console Servers are claimed to be the only Out-of-Band appliances in the industry to feature both an x86 processor and a secure boot process to protect against configuration and firmware tampering.

R&M is starting a new series of blogs covering several cabling-related topics. As the role of networks changes due to the increased use of mobile devices, 5G, WiFi 6, Edge computing and new application, the role of structured cabling is also changing. Making smart, future-proof decisions has become more complicated than ever. R&M would like to share its long-standing experience and know-how and offer advice and support to anyone facing such decisions, or simply looking for information around a certain subject. The first series of blogs will cover the following topics: chemical resistance, last mile cabling deployment methods, rodent protection, cable shrinking behaviour.

Schneider Electric has announced that it has released a public API (application programming interface) for cloud-based software EcoStruxure IT Expert. The first public API for EcoStruxure IT Expert, it enables IT solution providers and end users to seamlessly integrate a power and critical infrastructure monitoring platform into any preferred management system.
With the introduction of EcoStruxure IT Expert API, Schneider Electric is helping to simplify management at the edge for IT solution providers and end users who are managing distributed IT infrastructure. EcoStruxure IT Expert API builds on the success of EcoStruxure IT Expert, the industry’s first hosted monitoring platform, which is vendor-agnostic and powered by artificial intelligence.

Iceotope cooling technologies has announced in conjunction with partners Schneider Electric and Avnet, it is to deploy its chassis-level immersion liquid cooling technology at EcoDataCenter’s new colocation facility in Falun, Sweden. Once installed, EcoDataCenter, the world’s first climate positive data center, will become the first colocation service provider to offer chassis-level immersion cooling technology for customer’s hosted IT loads.

Developed by Iceotope, the chassis-level immersion cooling solution will enable 46kW per rack, with the core technology capable of scaling to future-proof power densities of 100kW plus. Liquid cooling can improve chip and hard drive reliability by providing a lower stable operating temperature, as well as increasing the available white space by eliminating the requirement for hot aisle/ cold aisle layouts. Importantly, the cooling arrangement enables high-grade heat to be captured for reuse in a local renewable energy scheme.

Opsview, provider of unified insight into dynamic IT operations, has announced a new strategic partnership with UKCloud, a leading provider of sovereign and secure multi-cloud solutions to the UK public sector, health and defence sectors.
“We’re pleased to on-board UKCloud to the Opsview platform” said Mike Walton, CEO, Opsview. “Through an extensive technical evaluation period with UKCloud, Opsview has demonstrated our deep monitoring capability across their sovereign, secure, hybrid IT estate. We see great synergies in our companies and look forward to extending this partnership further in the coming months.

Schneider Electric has partnered with EcoDataCenter to build an ultra-low-carbon-footprint data centre at the heart of their HPC colocation in Falun, Sweden. With the goal of being one of the most sustainable data centres in the Nordics, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Building Operation, Galaxy VX UPS with lithium-Ion, and MasterPact MTZ are just some of the solutions ensuring the colocation facility stays on-mission for climate positivity. Additionally, Schneider’s Connected Services Hub provides remote monitoring and 24/7 access to EcoDataCenter’s critical facility.

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of Monitoring and Dispatch Services, enabling IT solution providers and end users to optimise resources, improve efficiency, and help prevent downtime by leveraging Schneider Electric to manage the operations of distributed IT infrastructure. By simplifying the management of edge computing sites, the new services are designed to make life easier for IT staff, ensure coverage at any unmanned sites and can provide significant savings over the lifecycle of the infrastructure. Services include remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and on-site, next-business-day remediation, including replacement parts.

Siemon has announced that it has joined the HDBaseT Alliance as an Adopter member. The HDBaseT Alliance is a cross-industry group tasked with promoting and advancing the HDBaseT AV application.

Established in 2010, HDBaseT is a reliable, proven application for the transmission of ultra-high definition 4K video and audio along with 100 Mb/s Ethernet, USB 2.0, bidirectional control signals and 100 Watts of power over balanced twisted-pair cable and RJ45 network connectivity. The HDBaseT Alliance is active in educating the market on the benefits of the technology through dedicated content, webinars, participation in conferences and tradeshows, and more.

Infovista has announced it has shipped its thousandth upgrade for its TEMS Investigation platform to allow operators to test Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). This innovative technology lets operators take advantage of existing 4G infrastructure to deliver initial 5G capabilities, without compromising the performance of existing customers.

DSS was made available as part of 3GPP Release 15 in April 2019 and is now supported by leading infrastructure providers including Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and ZTE through a software upgrade. With DSS, operators can allocate portions of the 4G LTE spectrum that they are already using to 5G NR allowing users to coexist in the same frequency band/channel at the same time. Last month, the first wave of handsets with new Qualcomm X55 5G modem and Exynos 990 chipsets supporting DSS arrived in the market – further fuelling interest from operators.

The Covid-19 crisis has been the largest industry disruptor since the internet was born in the 90s. Across the world, businesses have shifted to a remote working model, and this seismic cultural and technological shift has put IT teams under more strain than ever.

Luckily, IT pros are up to the challenge. In their roles, they manage crises and plan for contingencies every day. Leon Adato, Head Geek, SolarWinds takes a look at how these IT teams stay ahead, whether the business is rooted in e-commerce, government, finance, or health care and whether it’s large or small.

In its efforts to provide increased security against unauthorised access and improved monitoring and control, the technical services department of the St. Joseph-Stift hospital in Dresden is relying on the proven technology of the BMS manufacturer PcVue and the door and window specialist GEZE.

In the 2019 major hospital rating of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurt general newspaper, FAZ), the St. Joseph-Stift in Dresden came top six in the category »150 to under 300 beds: the patients surveyed were not only above average satisfied with the medical and nursing care, but the hospital also received top marks for the organisation of procedures and service. In order that the nursing and medical staff can concentrate fully on the patients, the hospital operator also regularly invests in the technical infrastructure. The new comprehensive control technology solution from PcVue and GEZE is an example.

HMS Networks has announced a new compact IntesisTM Modbus RTU to KNX gateway that enables easy and fast integration of Modbus RTU slaves to KNX.

Fully configurable using the standard ETS tool, it targets small-scale room control applications with up to 100 data points.

EKINOPS, supplier of advanced networking solutions for service providers and global enterprises, has announced its first major 10Gb/s access win in Europe with a seven-figure contract.

Ekinops recently released 10G-capable Ethernet Access Devices (EAD) and routers for the Enterprise Edge connectivity market with the ambition of entering this high-end segment. After undergoing the validation process necessary to gain acceptance from service providers the products collected favourable feedback, which resulted in this major win in the first half of this year.

Anritsu Company has introduced the IQ Fibre Master MT2780A multi-port CPRI-based RF and PIM analyser claiming to be the first instrument to perform true PIM analysis over fibre and present RF spectrum results derived from IQ data. The MT2780A reduces test costs and time by providing field engineers, field technicians and third-party contractors with a single instrument to conduct RF interference measurements and PIM troubleshooting on LTE-based systems using CPRI front haul infrastructure.

The IQ Fibre Master leverages patented PIM over CPRI and RF over CPRI measurement capabilities that allow tests to be conducted on the ground, significantly reducing tower climbs. Field engineers and technicians can use the MT2780A to scan the uplink RF signals of a remote radio head (RRH) for in-band interference while simultaneously conducting PIM over CPRI measurements. Supporting all Tier 1 LTE base station radio manufacturers, the single instrument solution can determine if KPIs are being affected by interference or PIM.

Analysing CPRI IQ data allows users to view a radio’s uplink spectrum for interference troubleshooting. The IQ Fibre Master measures PIM over CPRI with four SFP inputs, providing the ability to compare multiple bands and sectors, as well. Measurements are performed on live cell tower traffic signals, providing a unique method to conduct real-world testing that results in improved accuracy and no system downtime for test. As measurements are derived from baseband IQ data, the IQ Fibre Master can make measurements on any frequency RRH, or combination of frequencies of the RRH, providing a cost-effective solution.

Mayflex, the cabling infrastructure, networking and electronic security solutions distributor, is now actively distributing the Hikvision product portfolio, following the initial announcement of the new partnership, back in December 2019. The team of security specialists at Mayflex will place a particular focus on the IP solutions available.

Kao Data has announced a dedicated ‘Built-to-Suit’ service for the hyperscale community in the UK. The service enables Kao Data to fund, design, build and operate Open Compute Project (OCP-Ready) data centre capacity, for organisations dependent on scalable, resilient, digital infrastructure. As part of the service, Kao Data’s leadership team will oversee all developments, enabling clients to benefit from the guidance, insight and expertise of award-winning industry professionals who are well positioned to manage the challenges of industrial scale data centre construction projects.