Macquarie, Netskope partner on network security in Australia

Macquarie Telecom, an Australian provider of data centres, cloud services, cybersecurity, and telecommunications, part of Macquarie Technology Group, has announced a partnership with Netskope to simplify how Australian organisations secure and manage data, cloud, and AI applications. The collaboration combines Netskope’s Security Service Edge (SSE) platform with Macquarie Telecom’s software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN). Together, these form a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework, offering integrated networking and security functions for organisations adopting cloud services and AI. Addressing cybersecurity pressures Australian businesses have faced repeated data breaches in recent years, prompting tighter cybersecurity regulation and greater demands on IT teams. The partnership aims to provide unified security and network management, helping organisations protect users and data across different environments. Netskope’s platform consolidates web, data, cloud, and AI security into a single system, designed to reduce costs and balance protection with performance. It is IRAP-assessed at the PROTECTED level for use within Australian Government departments and critical industries. The combined service also supports compliance with the Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act and the Essential Eight framework. Luke Clifton, Group Executive for Macquarie Telecom, says, “Organisations big and small are under immense pressure to strengthen their cyber defences while keeping operations simple and manageable. "By joining forces with Netskope, we’re giving customers a smarter, more resilient network backed by integrated, enterprise-grade security. They’re getting the best of both worlds.” Tony Burnside, Senior Vice President and Head of APAC at Netskope, adds, “Modern networks need to be both fast and secure, but many organisations are still having to accept trade-offs between performance and security. "Networking and security consolidation is now a cornerstone of the demands of modern business, and through this partnership with Macquarie Telecom, we will help more Australian organisations unlock enhanced levels of data security.” Netskope already works with Macquarie Government, Macquarie Telecom’s sister company, to deliver SASE technology to federal government customers. The new partnership expands that collaboration into the wider business sector. For more from Macquarie Telecom, click here.

Turkish interconnection market projected to double by 2030

According to a new study by DStream Group, commissioned by internet exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX, Istanbul is emerging as a global digital hub and a key interconnection point for data traffic between Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The findings were published to mark the tenth anniversary of DE-CIX Istanbul, Turkey’s largest neutral internet exchange. Over the past decade, the country has moved from a fragmented digital landscape to one of regional integration and growing global importance. Istanbul’s role as a digital hub The study highlights that Turkey has made notable progress in digital infrastructure, with Istanbul at the forefront. A combination of location, an expanding internet exchange market, and rising demand for data services has strengthened the city’s role in regional connectivity. Istanbul’s data centre market is also expanding, supported by demand for cloud services, digital transformation, content delivery, and wider internet penetration. The report forecasts that the city’s interconnection market will exceed 150 networks and carry multi-terabit-per-second traffic by 2030, nearly double today’s levels. Turkey’s position as a land bridge between Europe and Asia offers additional resilience for international connectivity. Nationwide fibre coverage and submarine cable systems landing in the country link directly with more than 20 neighbours, creating alternative routes for data flows. Land-based connections also provide redundancy to European submarine routes, strengthening reliability. Other cities, including Ankara, Izmir, and Van, are also emerging as infrastructure hubs, contributing to a more distributed national network. DE-CIX Istanbul’s role Established in 2015, DE-CIX Istanbul is the country’s first and largest neutral internet exchange, enabling low-latency data exchange between more than 60 networks. The exchange now operates across over ten colocation sites in the city, providing geographic redundancy. According to DE-CIX, 93% of international networks in Istanbul peer through its platform. This has attracted global operators, encouraged development of land-based routes, and most recently supported the launch of an AWS cloud onramp in the city. Bülent Sen, Regional Director of DE-CIX Türkiye, says, “Turkey is no longer just a gateway; it’s becoming a destination for digital investment. We are already seeing massive growth at the exchange. "In early August, the IX surpassed 500 Gbit/s of throughput for the first time, and in September 2025, peak traffic exceeded 533 Gbit/s - up 42% since the start of the year. We expect this trend to continue, driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence, which many businesses now rank as a top investment priority.” Looking to the next decade, DE-CIX predicts that AI and satellite internet will reshape demand for connectivity. Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX, adds, “With a commitment to neutrality, DE-CIX Istanbul is poised to anchor regional data flows and support the digital future of the whole region. "AI and satellite-based internet will significantly reshape the connectivity landscape in the coming decade. Turkey is well-placed to play a major role in this transformation.” The study suggests Turkey should focus on attracting hyperscale cloud providers, increasing CDN deployments, and broadening its interconnection ecosystem. It also recommends regulatory reform, greater infrastructure liberalisation, and stronger public-private partnerships to support the country’s digital economy. For more from DE-CIX, click here.

Echelon announces new €3bn Milan data centre site

Echelon, a developer and operator of large-scale data centre infrastructure, has partnered with controlled affiliates of Starwood Capital Group to acquire a 37-acre site with grid power near Milan. Echelon says this investment marks the next step of its expansion into Continental Europe and follows the announcement of a €2 billion (£1.74 billion) joint venture (JV) with Spanish energy company Iberdrola to develop data centres in Spain. Development will begin immediately to create one of Italy’s largest data centre campuses. The site has electrical capacity of 250MVA gross power - 100MVA of which is available immediately through the existing onsite substation. Up to €3 billion (£2.6 billion) will be invested in the development of the LIN10 data centre campus. Industry comments Niall Molloy, CEO of Echelon, says, “Echelon is very pleased to partner with Starwood Capital to enter this new market. LIN10 has in place grid power, scale, and flexibility, which makes it one of the most attractive projects in Europe. "It is ready to build and offers exceptional opportunities for hyperscale operators. We expect to start construction imminently and have the facility operational in 18 to 24 months. Everyone at Echelon is delighted to have secured our first development site in continental Europe.” David Smith, Chief Investment Officer at Echelon, comments, “Entering the Italian market is another significant milestone on Echelon’s growth trajectory, and we are delighted to have made this strategic step. "We have a strong pipeline of exciting opportunities across Europe and expect to add additional markets over the next 24 months to continue to support the growth of our customers.” Maximilian Gentile, Senior Vice President at Starwood Capital, adds, “We believe in the fundamental growth drivers of the Milan data centre market. "Demand for data centre capacity continues to grow exponentially globally and this investment demonstrates Echelon’s commitment to delivering power and scale to help customers meet the requirements of an increasingly AI-driven digital economy.” Echelon currently has seven data centre facilities either operational or in development across Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Spain, with a combined capacity of approximately 1.25GW. The acquisition of LIN10 forms part of the company’s growth plans to develop an additional 1.5GW of capacity across new locations over the next five years. For more from Echelon, click here.

Infinidat expands enterprise storage offerings

Infinidat, a provider of enterprise data storage systems, has announced the expansion of its InfiniBox G4 family of enterprise storage systems with a series of enhancements and a new smaller form-factor model. The InfiniBox SSA G4 F24 all-flash family aims to deliver high-end storage in a reduced footprint, with improved energy efficiency and a lower entry price point for enterprise storage. The evolution of the InfiniBox G4 family is hoped by the company to make high-end enterprise storage more accessible to a broader range of enterprises. Eric Herzog, CMO at Infinidat, says, "We continue to expand and enhance our InfiniBox G4 family, enabling enterprise customers and service providers to store larger quantities of data more efficiently, have easier access to advanced storage capabilities, benefit from flexible capacity management, free up rack space and floorspace, and reduce energy consumption for a greener storage infrastructure at a better power cost-efficiency per terabyte of storage." Key features of the InfiniBox SSA G4 F24 One of the attributes of the new InfiniBox SSA G4 F24 all-flash family is a 31% smaller physical configuration, intending to achieve a more efficient power profile. The entry price point is also 29% lower than the original small form-factor of the InfiniBox SSA G4. The system features a 45% reduction in power per petabyte (PBu), which - the company hopes - should mean less power usage, less use of coolant chemicals, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Infinidat claims the product offers 28% more capacity in the smaller footprint, up to two times better bandwidth performance, and "over 32% better overall performance." The full stack of InfiniSafe software's cyber storage security technology comes at no charge with the InfiniBox G4 system. For more from Infinidat, click here.

Future-proofing network infrastructure

In this exclusive article for DCNN, Warren Aw, Chief Commercial Officer at Epsilon Telecommunications, highlights why agile, high-capacity connectivity is the critical ingredient for resilience in an era of relentless digital demand: Colocation, connectivity, and continuity In today’s digital landscape, business IT environments are becoming increasingly sophisticated and, with that, more complex. Whether it’s an enterprise working to stay ahead of increasingly digitally savvy consumers, or a service provider keeping those enterprise services and workloads up and running, network downtime is no longer an option. Downtime is more than just an inconvenience; it’s a major threat to revenue and reputation. For 90% of mid-to-large-sized enterprises, just one hour offline can cost more than $300,000 (ITIC) (£221,000). Despite this, many businesses are still relying on infrastructure that wasn’t built for the scale, speed, or strain of today’s digital demands. Whether the services are mission-critical or not, a bad online experience can make or break customer relationships in an instant. Customers now expect always-on availability for a wide range of services, such as streaming video content, collaborating in the workplace, performing financial transactions, or accessing cloud services. Business continuity was once a contingency plan, but it has now become a competitive advantage. That being said, ensuring continuity is also becoming more difficult due to growing data volumes, AI workloads, rising user expectations, and a more distributed business application ecosystem. This, coupled with real-world constraints like power limitations, infrastructure strain, and inconsistent SLAs, is making it more important than ever for businesses to re-evaluate their network and business continuity strategies to stay resilient, particularly if legacy infrastructure is still in play. Colocation, when combined with agile, high-capacity connectivity, can provide a simpler, smarter way for businesses to keep service access and delivery both online and ahead in a competitive market. Colocation really is more than just racks and servers; it’s an opportunity to future-proof network infrastructure with adaptability, scalability, and reliability at the core. Legacy infrastructure limitations As businesses deploy more data-intensive applications, compact edge computing devices, and AI workloads, rising demands are putting increased strain on legacy infrastructure and on-premises environments. This includes: • Power constraints – Modern applications require newer, high-density equipment, which significantly increases power requirements.• Downtime risks – Legacy infrastructure and single points of failure raise the likelihood of outages, damaging SLAs, revenue, and brand reputation.• Business continuity gaps – Without resilient infrastructure and built-in redundancy, organisations face growing challenges in maintaining always-on availability.• Scalability challenges – On-premises infrastructure can be slow and expensive to scale in response to customer demands or new market opportunities.• High costs – Cooling, power, staffing, and maintenance are stretching budgets and internal team resources.• Inter-provider complexity – Managing connectivity across multiple clouds, partners, and carriers is complex, time-consuming, and prone to performance issues without the right interconnect fabric. These limitations are pushing IT leaders to look for modern, flexible infrastructure strategies that can grow with their business. Colocation for business continuity Colocation is more than just renting space in a data centre; it’s a strategic way to strengthen business continuity while simplifying IT infrastructure. Instead of maintaining costly on-premises facilities, organisations can host critical infrastructure in purpose-built, third-party data centres. This shift not only reduces capital expenditure, but also enables teams to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure. Colocation provides robust power, security, and carrier-neutral connectivity to a global network ecosystem designed to prioritise uptime, resilience, and reach. One of the key advantages of colocation is dual-site access, which allows businesses to distribute their infrastructure across two geographically separate, interconnected facilities. This setup is vital for disaster recovery and redundancy planning. If one site experiences a disruption – whether due to a power failure, natural disaster, or hardware issue – traffic and workloads can seamlessly fail over to the second site, minimising downtime and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery. Colocation also supports business continuity by offering high-speed, low-latency connectivity to clouds, carriers, and partners. On top of this, it offers physical security and environmental controls that exceed most in-house capabilities, as well as power and cooling infrastructure designed for high-density, mission-critical workloads. Beyond continuity, it brings cost-efficiency, operational simplicity, and access to a broader ecosystem of services. Colocation enables enterprises and service providers to focus on delivering value, rather than managing infrastructure. Mitigating risk, maximising uptime With increasingly complex IT environments and 24/7 availability becoming the new norm, having the right infrastructure in place is crucial. Colocation offers a practical, scalable way to support business continuity, reduce risk, and stay flexible in a changing landscape. Epsilon offers colocation services across key hubs in London, Singapore, New York, and South Korea. Each facility provides 99.999% uptime and robust power backup, as well as direct access to our global network fabric of over 500 data centres, clouds, and internet exchanges via our NaaS platform, Infiny. By future-proofing network infrastructure, colocation can maximise uptime, improve customer experiences, and build new competitive advantages that can support long-term business goals. Ultimately, colocation provides the stable foundation that organisations need to safeguard operations in an unpredictable world. Business continuity is no longer a backup plan; it’s a competitive differentiator. For more from Epsilon, click here.

Kao Data's Academy to promote data centre careers

Kao Data, a developer and operator of data centres, has re-launched its online learning programme, the Kao Academy, aimed at inspiring primary school pupils to explore careers in the data centre and technology sectors. The initiative, designed for Upper Key Stage 2 (ages 9–11), provides curriculum-based lesson plans explaining what data centres are, their role in modern life, and the types of jobs that will be needed in the future. The resources also include games, puzzles, and a 'Data Super Hero' competition, targeted at pupils in areas where Kao Data operates, including Harlow, Slough, and Stockport. Addressing the skills shortage The relaunch comes as the data centre industry faces a significant talent gap. According to the Uptime Institute, staffing needs are already nearing 2.3 million roles worldwide, with shortages in engineering, operations, and IT infrastructure expected to increase further by 2030. By linking STEM education to real-world applications through creative resources and classroom activities, Kao Data aims to encourage early interest in technology careers, particularly among underrepresented groups. The programme has been developed with education specialists and social impact agency Hark London, which will also run in-school activity days in Slough featuring 'Data Centre Superheroes' teaching pupils about digital infrastructure. Local and industry support Chris Vince, MP for Harlow, says, “This new educational initiative from Kao Data is hugely welcomed in Harlow to help both teachers and children understand what data centres do and the range of high-quality tech jobs that will be available in the future. "By helping teachers deliver these vital lessons, we ensure the next generation is ready to thrive in tomorrow’s tech-driven world.” Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport, adds, “We must equip the next generation with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven economy. Initiatives like the Kao Academy play a vital role in this effort, introducing children to the world of data centres and the critical role technology plays in our lives.” Lizzy McDowell, Director of Marketing at Kao Data, says, “Our newly re-launched Kao Academy will help children connect STEM subjects to the data centre industry, sparking interest at a formative age and encouraging underrepresented groups to see a place for themselves in the tech industry. "For the UK to remain competitive in the growing AI and digital economy, it is our collective responsibility to develop initiatives that bridge education and industry early.” For more from Kao Data, click here.

Ramboll report outlines roadmap to sustainable data centres

A new report published by Ramboll, an architecture, engineering, and consultancy company, at Climate Week NYC sets out a strategic framework for reducing the environmental impact of data centres and achieving net zero carbon. The report, Developing sustainable data centres: A strategic roadmap to achieve net zero carbon and reduce environmental impact, provides guidance across the full value chain, with recommendations for owners, developers, operators, and consultants. It addresses key sustainability challenges including embodied and operational carbon, biodiversity, circularity, energy, and water use. Tackling operational and embodied carbon Data centres accounted for around 1.5% of global electricity consumption last year, a figure projected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to double by 2030. Given this demand, operational carbon is the largest component of emissions. The report states that net zero operational carbon is achievable through measures such as optimised energy efficiency, renewable energy procurement, energy reuse and export, and demand response. Embodied carbon, associated with construction materials, can be reduced by using low-carbon steel and concrete, sourcing locally, and reusing materials from decommissioned buildings. Ed Ansett, Ramboll’s Global Director of Technology and Innovation, says, “The construction of data centres powered by the rise of artificial intelligence is booming across the globe, driving unprecedented demand for electricity and significantly contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions, increased water consumption, waste production, habitat destruction, and resource depletion. "These challenges can be managed and mitigated if data centres are built with climate, biodiversity, and circularity impacts in mind from the very start.” Biodiversity, circularity, and water use The report highlights the importance of integrating biodiversity into site planning, recommending ecological surveys to identify protected species and habitats at an early stage. It also calls for the involvement of landscape architects to help reduce ecological impacts. For circularity, Ramboll proposes a benchmark of 100% reuse, reusability, or recyclability of materials, with no output to landfill or incineration. Water consumption, a major concern in regions with limited supply, can be reduced by achieving water neutrality. Strategies include avoiding water-based cooling, maximising cycles of concentration, and making use of alternative sources such as rainwater. Ed continues, “There are economic benefits for data centre owners if they focus on circular practices. For instance, the sole physical byproduct of data centre energy consumption is heat, which has historically been unused and released to atmosphere. Data centres are in an excellent position to export what would otherwise be wasted energy.” For more from Ramboll, click here.

Paving the way for efficient high-density AI at 400G & 800G

AI workloads are reshaping the data centre. As back-end traffic scales and racks densify, the interconnect choices you make today will determine the performance, efficiency, and scalability of tomorrow’s AI infrastructure. In this fast, focused 30-minute live tech talk, Siemon’s experts will share a practical, cabling-led view to help you plan smarter and deploy faster. Drawing on field experience and expectations from large-scale AI deployments, the session will give you clear context and actionable guidance before your next design, upgrade, or AI back-end project begins. Discover: • AI market overview & nomenclature: A clear look at scale-up vs scale-out networks and where each fit in AI planning. • Reference designs & deployment sizes: Common GPU pod approaches (including air-cooled and liquid-to-chip) and what they mean for density and footprint. • AI network connection points: Critical interconnect considerations for high-performance AI back-end networks. • AI network cabling considerations: What to evaluate when selecting cables for demanding 400G/800G workloads. • Cabling options that improve efficiency: Real-world examples of how architecture choices affect deployment efficiency, including a 1024-GPU comparison. Walk away with: • A clear understanding of high-density interconnect options. • Insight into proven deployment strategies and the trade-offs that matter. • Confidence to make informed decisions that scale with AI workloads. Speaker: Ryan Harris, Director, Systems Engineering (High-Speed Interconnect), SiemonDate: Thursday, 2 October 2025Time: 2:00–2:30 PM BST | 3:00–3:30 PM CET This is the must-see tech talk for anyone planning, designing, or deploying high-density AI data centres. Don’t miss your chance to get the insight that can accelerate your next project and keep your infrastructure ready for the demands ahead. Register now via this link to secure your spot. For more from Siemon, click here.

STL showcases multi-core fibre at Connected Britain

STL, an optical and digital systems company, has demonstrated its Unitube Single Jacket Indoor Optical Fibre Cable with four-core multi-core fibre (MCF) at Connected Britain 2025. The technology places four cores within the same cladding diameter as standard single-mode fibre, maintaining a coating size of 250/200 micrometres. STL is among the first companies to show real-world deployments of MCF technology, with use cases spanning underground and duct networks. Building on this work, the new cable has been designed specifically for indoor environments such as data centres, campus networks, and commercial buildings. Fire safety and performance features The cable is certified under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) EuroClass Cca-s2, d1, a1 standard, providing a high level of fire resistance for critical infrastructure. STL has also developed optical distribution units and connectivity solutions to complement the product, aiming to simplify integration into existing network architectures. Key features of the indoor cable include: • Enhanced security — support for quantum key distribution (QKD) to enable tamper-evident encryption• Future-ready bandwidth — four times the throughput of legacy fibres, supporting applications such as AI, 5G, and quantum technologies• Compact design — higher fibre counts within a smaller footprint, with examples including 864 fibres scaled to 3,456 using MCF• Scalability — a single deployment providing higher backbone capacity for long-term use Dr Badri Gomatam, CTO at STL, comments, “Through continuous innovation and global partnerships, STL is accelerating the adoption of advanced optical technologies. "Our Unitube Single Jacket Indoor Optical Fibre Cable with MCF is engineered to meet the growing demands of high-capacity, secure, and future-ready networks. "With our ongoing global standardisation efforts and real-world deployments, we are proud to lead the evolution of optical infrastructure that powers next-generation applications.”

Securitas partners with Rohde & Schwarz on DC security

Securitas, a global security services provider, has announced a partnership with Rohde & Schwarz to integrate millimetre wave people-screening technology into its data centre security offering. The collaboration is aimed at strengthening protection against insider threats, data theft, and sabotage as demand for always-on digital infrastructure increases. Millimetre wave screening for critical environments At the core of the partnership is the use of Rohde & Schwarz’s Quick Personnel Security Scanners (QPS), which employ millimetre wave technology and artificial intelligence to detect potential threats. Already in use by government agencies and high-security organisations, the scanners provide non-contact, safe, and accurate screening while supporting real-time decision-making by on-site security officers. According to Securitas, the QPS improves operational flow by reducing the need for manual screening, enabling more efficient staffing models and allowing remote monitoring. The system also provides insights into alarm rates and throughput, supporting both regulatory compliance and continuity of operations. Milton Plet, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Clients Data Center Group at Securitas, says, “This is a perfect demonstration of how technology augments - rather than replaces - human expertise. "Our officers are still at the core of the solution, only better supported by real-time information to make even better decisions in order to protect our clients’ assets.” Expanding security options for data centres Andreas Haegele, Vice President of Microwave Imaging at Rohde & Schwarz, adds, “The strategic partnership with Securitas enables us to introduce our security scanners, formerly exclusive to governments, now also to data centres, where adaptability, consistency, and precision are key. "Together we are delivering a customised, future-proof solution that adapts to both clients’ needs and the threat landscape.” Nelson Barreto, Senior Vice President, Global Clients at Securitas Technology, argues, “By combining electronic security expertise along with our global protective services and reach, we’re delivering a smarter, more adaptive approach to securing data centres, no matter where they’re located.” Securitas has more than 90 years of experience in protective services. By adding advanced millimetre wave screening to its multi-layered security framework, the company says it aims to enhance both resilience and efficiency in data centre operations. For more from Securitas, click here.