Features

Infinidat's 2024 year in review

By Eric Herzog, Chief Marketing Officer of Infinidat, reflects back on 2024 - a year of awards, cyber storage innovation, and the next-generation InfiniBox family. 2024 will be remembered as the year that Infinidat took enterprise storage to the next level with the launch of the InfiniBox G4 family of next-generation storage solutions for all-flash and hybrid configurations. Not only has the new enterprise storage solution raised the bar for the performance of a high-end storage array, but it also delivers ground-breaking cyber storage resilience capabilities that are game-changing, coupled with the practicality of hybrid multi-cloud support. In 2024, Infinidat also revolutionised enterprise cyber storage protection to reduce ransomware and malware threat windows. Infinidat’s InfiniSafe Automated Cyber Protection (ACP) was introduced as a first-of-its-kind cyber security integration solution, enabling enterprises to seamlessly integrate with their Security Operations Centers (SOC), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) cyber security software applications, and simple syslog functions for less complex environments. With InfiniSafe ACP, a security-related incident or event triggers immediate automated immutable snapshots of data, providing the ability to protect InfiniBox and InfiniBox SSA block-based volumes and/or file systems and ensure near instantaneous cyber recovery, while reducing the threat window. It’s an innovative solution that clearly differentiates Infinidat in the storage space and emphasises the importance of incorporating cyber storage resilience into an overall cyber security strategy. This is just one example of the innovation that Infinidat delivers – and we’ve been getting noticed on multiple fronts. Equipped with an extremely strong value proposition for large enterprises, Infinidat keeps on winning. We have garnered a slew of awards in 2024. The past year has been a time when Infinidat won major industry recognition to set us apart from the competition in the storage industry. Indeed, we are on track to surpass a record number of awards in a 12-month period by the end of 2024. Some of the 35 awards to date include: 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in the Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer” ─ Gartner; the xixth time that Infinidat has been identified as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice; the “Best of Show Award” at 2024 FMS ─ InfiniBox G4 family ─ FMS: The Future of Memory and Storage trade show; and “Best Enterprise Storage Array of the Year” (Gold Medal winner) ─ InfiniBox SSA – TechTarget. What all these accolades and recognitions have done is give Infinidat substantial momentum heading into 2025. As a company, we are well-positioned to enable our enterprise customers and cloud provider/managed service customers to reap the superior benefits of the next generation InfiniBox G4 in the new year. Many enterprises are up for a refresh of their enterprise storage – and the InfiniBox G4 has become the new obvious choice in the enterprise market. The combination of the business value and technical value of the G4 is unparalleled. The year of GenAI 2024 is also the year that Infinidat ventured into generative AI (GenAI), making a move to unlock the business value of GenAI applications. We unveiled our Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) workflow deployment architecture to enable enterprises to fully leverage GenAI. This dramatically improves the accuracy and relevancy of AI models. With Infinidat’s RAG architecture, enterprises utilise Infinidat’s existing InfiniBox and InfiniBox SSA enterprise storage systems as the basis to optimise the output of AI models, without the need to purchase any specialised equipment. Infinidat also provides the flexibility of using RAG in a hybrid multi-cloud environment, with InfuzeOS Cloud Edition, making the storage infrastructure a strategic asset for hereby unlocking the business value of GenAI applications for enterprises. Infinidat will play a critical role in RAG deployments in 2025 and beyond, leveraging data on InfiniBox enterprise storage solutions, which are perfectly suited for retrieval-based AI workloads. Vector databases that are central to obtaining the information to increase the accuracy of GenAI models run extremely well in Infinidat’s storage environment. Our customers can deploy RAG on their existing storage infrastructure, taking advantage of the InfiniBox system’s high performance, industry-leading low latency, and unique Neural Cache technology, enabling delivery of rapid and highly accurate responses for GenAI workloads. Three keys to success across the board for Infinidat To harness this success in 2024 and then drive success in 2025, we will continue to do three key things: • Be unwaveringly customer-centric, delivering the best white glove-quality customer experience in the industry• Work hand-in-hand with the channel, empowering partners to increase their business• Excel to spread the word about Infinidat through teamwork, unleashing the power of Infinidat employees to achieve new milestones that propel our company forward. The customers We love it when our customers provide feedback that collectively catapults Infinidat forward to acclaim. We’re so proud that Infinidat was named a 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in the Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer”. This special recognition is indeed the sixth time that Infinidat has been identified as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in either a regional segment or overall distinction for enterprise storage. In 2024, CIO Review named Ryan Walker, CIO of Net3 (an Infinidat customer), one of the Top 10 CIOs of the Year. Walker was honoured for his forward-thinking use of the industry’s most advanced storage technology to transform the data infrastructure of Net3, a leading cloud service provider (CSP) in the US. Net3 has become a prime example of how to run a cloud services business efficiently and economically. The channel CRN named Infinidat as one of 2024's 50 Coolest Software-Defined Storage Vendors. Infinidat was also named as a CRN Storage Vendor 100 for the fifth consecutive year. Plus, CRN awarded us with a 5-Star Rating for the Infinidat Channel Partner Program for the third consecutive year. Approximately 90% of Infinidat’s business comes through the channel. Steve Sullivan, Chief Revenue Officer at Infinidat, was named a 2024 Channel Chief by CRN. James “JT” Lewis was named a 2024 Regional Channel Chief for EMEA and APAC by CRN. In addition, CRN named Lynsy Marshall, Senior Field & Channel Marketing Manager at Infinidat, as a finalist in the “Rising Star of the Year – Vendor/Distributor” category of the 2024 CRN Women of the Year Awards. The team In Q4, Infinidat’s global marketing team was awarded a 2024 OnCon Icon Award, being recognised as one of the Top 50 Marketing Teams in the world. Infinidat’s marketing team has been instrumental in catapulting awareness of the company as an innovator, articulating the business value of Infinidat’s broad portfolio of enterprise storage solutions, educating enterprises about how to secure storage infrastructure against cyber attacks, and how to leverage their storage solutions for AI applications and workloads. As an industry, we have evolved to value inclusive leadership, and it’s worth the effort, spurring a diverse set of news ideas and thought-provoking perspectives. For transparent, inclusive leadership that cultivates a culture of belonging within our organisation and with our channel partners, CRN named me as a 2024 Inclusive Channel Leader. As a byproduct of our accomplishments as a team, I was recently given two prestigious awards for excellence in marketing. I was awarded a 2024 Top 10 Marketer / CMO Award from OnCon Icon as one of the top marketers in the world. I have also been named to HotTopics’ 2024 Global B2B CMO 100 list as one of the most innovative and effective CMOs in the technology sector. Looking ahead to 2025 All things considered, we are poised to enable enterprises to accomplish their goals in 2025, including: • Make AI more accurate with a RAG workflow deployment architecture• Recover nearly instantaneously from ransomware and malware attacks• Sustain 100% availability of the storage infrastructure• Simplify hybrid multi-cloud configurations• Lower total cost of ownership for enterprise storage through storage array consolidation and flexible consumption models• Deliver the most comprehensive enterprise cyber storage solution in the market• Our Infinidat solutions are backed by our SLA-driven, enterprise-proven guarantees: performance, 100% availability, cyber storage resilience, and enhanced data services. Infinidat has shaken up the status quo of the storage industry with the innovation we have brought to market in 2024. This is how we roll. Because of it, I predict that the new year will be the year of mass adoption of the InfiniBox G4. There is a sense of urgency in the channel, and those partners who are proactive will score big. The hard work we did in this past year to launch all the new innovations and ground-breaking capabilities and prepare channel partners will pay off over the next 12 months. Leveraging our momentum, I look forward to Infinidat continuing as, to borrow CRN’s term, one of the 'coolest' software-defined storage vendors in the industry. Infinidat is so cool, it’s 'hot, hot, hot'. For more from Infinidat, click here.

Nationwide migrates IT estate to HPE GreenLake cloud

Hewlett Packard Enterprise today announced that Nationwide Building Society has selected HPE GreenLake cloud for its private cloud deployment, enabling it to accelerate its hybrid cloud journey. With the addition of HPE GreenLake Management Services as a strategic cloud services provider, Nationwide is now using the power of cloud technology to support the evolving needs of its customers. In 2018, Nationwide kick-started an ambitious journey to ensure it was primed for the next generation of digital innovation, with its hybrid cloud strategy being driven by the need for different cloud environments for various types of data and workloads. Leveraging the comprehensive capabilities of HPE GreenLake, Nationwide is creating an agile, scalable, secure, resilient, and efficient technology platform. “In today’s world our customers expect us to deliver an always-on service whilst providing new, innovative features that help them better manage their finances,” says Paul Walsh, Director of Infrastructure & Service Delivery, at Nationwide Building Society. “Nationwide’s hybrid cloud strategy is vital to our ability to compete and means we can continue to meet the needs and expectations of our customers. HPE GreenLake cloud is a core component of our hybrid cloud strategy. With them we’re building a cloud platform that will further improve our resilience and agility, enabling us to provide even better levels of service and deliver new capabilities to our developers faster than ever before.” With HPE GreenLake Management Services, Nationwide’s IT team will automate and orchestrate infrastructure management and deliver infrastructure as code. This enables them to focus on innovation, value-add activities and gain better control over application builds and security. Faster release cycles will accelerate the time to market, providing consistent customer experiences across all digital platforms. At the same time, Nationwide can ensure that sufficient controls are in place to manage risk, protect their customers and meet the demands of regulators, while unlocking the value of cloud technology. Nationwide’s hybrid cloud strategy fully embraces cloud economics, enabling efficient monitoring and management of consumption. HPE GreenLake's consumption-based model prevents overprovisioning and allows Nationwide to only pay for capacity that it is using. This is expected to support Nationwide in reducing its IT cost base by at least 30%. Furthermore, a dedicated service within HPE GreenLake cloud gives the building society a clear overview of their energy consumption and emissions, enabling Nationwide to manage its infrastructure more efficiently and reduce the environmental impact. The impact will be further reduced by upcycling and recycling of decommissioned assets, such as the end-of-use compute and storage infrastructure that GreenLake has replaced. “We are proud to support Nationwide with their cloud vision, providing them with enhanced control and security and the reliability and flexibility for growth,” says Matt Harris, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, UK, Ireland, Middle East and Africa at HPE. “Nationwide’s modernisation journey showcases the effectiveness of HPE GreenLake cloud, with the storied institution transitioning from complex, legacy technology to a modern, future-proofed hybrid cloud operating model, where a one-size-fits all public cloud could never be the only answer." For more from HPE, click here.

CtrlS Datacenters announces direct access to Oracle Cloud

CtrlS Datacenters, Asia’s largest Rated-4 data centre operator and a member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced it will offer its customers direct high-speed connectivity to Oracle’s cloud and AI services through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) FastConnect. Organisations can harness the power of AI and a full suite of over 150 cloud services, including Oracle Autonomous Database, using the Oracle Cloud Mumbai Region and the Oracle Cloud Hyderabad Region to unlock innovation and drive business growth. Through dedicated 2x100G Partner ports, CtrlS Datacenters offers customers both shared and dedicated access to OCI FastConnect. This enables organisations to: • Reduce latency and improve performance: experience faster data transfer, minimising lags and disruptions for optimal application performance• Enhance security: dedicated network paths and robust encryption help ensure secure migration and management of workloads in OCI• Increase agility and scalability: scale cloud resources to support evolving business needs, fostering greater flexibility and adaptability This collaboration with Oracle is designed to empower organisations in key markets, such as Hyderabad and Mumbai, to access OCI services with enhanced speed, security, and reliability. Customers across all CtrlS data centres will be able to get the OCI FastConnect nodes in Hyderabad and Mumbai. With OCI, customers can benefit from best-in-class security, consistent high-performance, simple and predictable pricing, and the tools and expertise needed to bring enterprise workloads to cloud quickly and efficiently. Beyond Mumbai and Hyderabad, enterprise customers of CtrlS Datacenters across all markets (Bangalore, Noida, Lucknow, and Patna) can benefit from OCI FastConnect through their Cloud Connect portfolio. Chennai and Kolkata will follow soon. This solution leverages diverse connectivity options to deliver secure and reliable access to OCI, regardless of physical location. Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder & Chairman, CtrlS Datacenters & Cloud4C, comments, "Our unwavering commitment lies in being a market leader, not just in Rated-4 data centres, but also in building a comprehensive interconnection ecosystem that empowers businesses across India. Partnering with Oracle to provide direct access connectivity options to OCI marks a significant step towards this vision. “It's not just about offering services; it's about equipping organisations with the agility and security they need to thrive in the cloud-driven era. This expansion reinforces our dedication to bridging the gap between ambition and achievement, propelling organisations toward a brighter future." OCI’s extensive network of more than 100 FastConnect global and regional partners offers customers dedicated connectivity to Oracle Cloud regions, providing customers with optimal cloud deployment options anywhere in the world. For more from CtrlS Datacenters, click here.

Tata unveils AI infrastructure with NVIDIA accelerated computing

Tata Communications today announced a transformative upgrade to its AI cloud infrastructure in India, powered by NVIDIA Hopper GPUs. The company says that the strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in the country’s AI journey, and that it positions Tata Communications as a key player in enabling AI applications across a wide spectrum of industries - including manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and banking and financial services - and equipping them with the computing power needed to handle complex AI workloads. As part of the initiative, Tata Communications will integrate cutting-edge NVIDIA software solutions such as NVIDIA NIM microservices, and the NVIDIA Omniverse and NVIDIA Isaac platforms, into its AI Cloud offerings. These technologies will provide businesses with an extensive suite of tools and services designed for AI-driven simulation, automation and more. At the end of this year, Tata Communications will begin the first phase of its large-scale deployment of Hopper GPUs, establishing itself as one of the largest NVIDIA Hopper GPU cloud-based supercomputers in India. The second phase, planned for 2025, will further expand the infrastructure with Blackwell GPUs. Tata Communications is poised to disrupt the AI landscape with an AI studio, a ground-breaking, all-in-one platform designed to transform how businesses use AI, by offering tools like AI Workbench, Model Garden, Responsible AI and serverless functions. Furthermore, its advanced tools will simplify distributed data management, allowing businesses to efficiently collect and curate data across various enterprise systems and move it to the AI Cloud using Tata Communications' IZO Multi Cloud Connect platform. This approach will ensure cost-effectiveness and scalability for enterprises, while maintaining their existing data structures. Complementing this is Tata Communications' CloudLyte Edge Computing platform, which enables low-latency inferencing, allowing businesses to deploy models at the edge for real-time responses. Together, these innovations empower enterprises to fully harness the power of AI. “AI is expanding the boundaries of innovation and revolutionising business in ways we could never have imagined,” says AS Lakshminarayanan, MD & CEO, Tata Communications. “Therefore, every entity must prioritise AI integration to stay competitive. We are delighted to partner with NVIDIA to build a unique and transformative Cloud Fabric that will empower a generation of Indian innovators and entrepreneurs, fostering a vibrant AI ecosystem and propelling the nation towards a future fuelled by AI.” Providing enterprises with a powerful infrastructure capable of handling complex AI workloads will help drive AI adoption across India. Combining NVIDIA’s AI platform with TATA Communications’ global network, will create a national supercomputing framework, driving innovation and helping elevate India’s role in the global AI player ranks. “Tata Communications’ AI cloud infrastructure, integrating NVIDIA accelerated computing, will support businesses of all sizes - from AI startups to large enterprises - helping drive AI transformation across various sectors of the Indian economy and creating a powerful ecosystem for AI innovation,” adds Jay Puri, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations at NVIDIA. Tata Communications customers will also gain access to the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform on its accelerated infrastructure, which is designed to let users build, customise and run generative and agentic AI applications in production. This includes NVIDIA NIM Agent Blueprints, which provide customisable reference architectures for use cases like digital human technologies or AI virtual assistants for customer service, multimodal PDF extraction workflows for enterprise data retrieval and container security workflows for cyber security. Enterprises can also create their own AI models using the NVIDIA NeMo end-to-end platform for developing custom generative AI, and run efficient AI inference through NVIDIA’s NIM microservices - both part of the NVIDIA AI Enterprise - offering unparalleled flexibility and performance for AI workloads. By integrating NVIDIA technologies, Tata Communications will continue to demonstrate its commitment to building next-generation AI infrastructure and services, positioning the company to lead India’s AI transformation and make AI more accessible across industries. For more from Tata Communications, click here.

CMC Networks rolls out platform in Africa and Middle East

CMC Networks, a global Tier 1 service provider, has rolled out its CMC Fusion networking platform across 51 African and 11 Middle Eastern countries. It will enable carriers, service providers and enterprises to provision and manage network services across these regions from anywhere in the world, simplifying business growth across dynamic markets. CMC Fusion is a cloud-based platform that consolidates multiple network services and analytics into a single portal and marketplace, including MPLS, Carrier Ethernet, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), multi-cloud connect, software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN), service monitoring, assurance, security, management, and more. The easy-to-use portal is built on the largest application-aware, AI-enabled and software-defined network (SDN) in Africa. It is aligned with global industry standards to ensure interoperability and provide support with regulatory compliance. “CMC Fusion is transforming what was once a complex, costly and fragmented market into one unified networking ecosystem,” says Marisa Trisolino, CEO at CMC Networks. “The company is developing a platform that is making it easier than ever to do business across Africa and the Middle East.” CMC Fusion enables seamless, consistent performance and application experience for customers connecting across multiple countries and clouds in Africa and the Middle East. It provides a consolidated view of all information and analytics, making it easy for customers to track their orders, tickets, and services. Round-the-clock network monitoring enables fast identification and troubleshooting of any potential problems. Carriers, service providers and enterprises can move with greater agility to connect and capture new growth opportunities across multiple markets. Geoff Dornan, CTO at CMC Networks, adds, “In an increasingly cloud-centric world, CMC Networks is removing the borders and barriers to growth in Africa and the Middle East and innovating to directly address on-the-ground challenges where the company operates. CMC Networks is looking forward to making it even easier for its customers to grow their businesses across these regions.” CMC Cloud is one of the many solutions available through CMC Fusion, delivering high-performance edge computing across Africa. The Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution is designed to bring workloads closer to the end user and improve the performance of applications and services, without the need to invest in physical hardware. CMC Networks has the largest pan-African network servicing 51 out of 54 countries in Africa and 11 countries in the Middle East, plus regional hubs in key interconnect locations across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. For more from CMC Networks, click here.

Feature - Overcoming the DCI deluge

Tim Doiron, VP Solution Marketing, Infinera, looks at the ways of overcoming the DCI deluge in the era of artificial intelligence and machine learning. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, deluge is defined as “an overwhelming amount.” In recent discussions with communication service providers and internet content providers (ICPs), data centre interconnect (DCI) traffic growth is running hot at 50% or more per annum. Any traffic that doubles in less than two years surely qualifies as a deluge, so yes, DCI traffic is a deluge. But is DCI’s accelerated growth driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)? The short answer is yes, some of it is – but we are still in the early days of AI/ML, and in particular, generative AI. AI/ML’s contribution to DCI traffic will increase with time. With more applications, more people taking advantage of AI/ML capabilities (think about medical imaging analysis for disease detection), and generative AI creating new images and videos (consider collaboration with artists or marketing/branding), the north-south traffic to/from data centres will continue to grow. And we know that data centres don’t exist in a vacuum. They need connectivity with other data centres – data centres that are increasingly modular and distributed to reduce their impact on local real estate and power grids and to be closer to end users for latency-sensitive applications. One estimate from several years ago holds that 9% of all data centre traffic is east-west – meaning DCI or connectivity to other data centres. Even if this percentage is high for today’s data centres, with more data centres coming online and more AI/ML traffic to/from data centres, Al/ML will help DCI sustain its hot growth rate for years to come. So, how do we address increasing data centre modularity and distribution while also supporting the DCI deluge that is already here and will be sustained in part by accelerating AI/ML utilisation? The answer is threefold: speed up, spread out, and stack it. Speed up with terabit waves Today’s 800G embedded optical engines are moving into the terabit era with the development of 1.2+ Tb/s engines that can transmit 1.2 Tb/s wavelengths hundreds of kilometres and 800G waves up to 3,000 kilometres. Data centre operators that lease fibre can utilise embedded optical engines with high spectral efficiency to maximise data transmission over a single fibre pair and thus avoid the incremental costs associated with leasing incremental fibres. While 400G ZR coherent pluggables are increasingly common in metro DCI applications, 800G coherent pluggables are under development for delivery in early 2025. This latest generation of coherent pluggables based upon 3-nm digital signal processor technology expands capacity-reach significantly with the ability to deliver 800G wavelengths up to 2,000 kilometres. With such capabilities in small QSFP-DD or OSFP packages, IP over DWDM (IPoDWDM) will continue to be realised in some DCI applications, with pluggables deployed directly into routers and switches. Spread out with Super C With advancements in optical line system components like amplifiers and wavelength-selective switches, we can now cost-effectively increase the optical fibre transmission spectrum from 4.8 THz to 6.1 THz to create Super C transmission. With Super C we can realise 27% incremental spectrum enabling up to 50 Tb/s transmission capacity per band. A similar approach can be applied to creating a Super L transmission band. Super C and Super L transmission are cost-effective ways to squeeze more out of existing fibre and to keep up with DCI capacity demands. Spread out with Super C-band spectrum evolution Super C expansion also benefits coherent pluggables in DCI deployments by reclaiming any reduction in total fibre capacity due to the lower spectral efficiency of pluggables. Combining coherent pluggables with Super C enables network operators to leverage the smaller space and power utilisation benefits of pluggables without sacrificing total fibre transmission capacity. Stack it with compact modularity Today’s next-generation compact modular optical platforms support mix-and-match optical line system functionality and embedded and pluggable optical engines. Network operators can start with a single 1RU, 2RU, or 3RU chassis and stack them as needed, matching cost to capacity while minimising complexity. By supporting both line system and optical engine functionality in a common platform, network operators can cost-effectively support small, medium, and large DCI capacity requirements while minimising the amount of equipment required versus dedicated per-function alternatives. As capacity demand grows, additional pluggables, sleds, and chassis can be easily added – all managed as a single network entity for operational simplicity. Stack it with a compact modular platform Bringing it all together While modest today, AI/ML-related DCI traffic will continue to grow – and help buoy an already hot DCI market. To accommodate the rapid connectivity growth between data centres, we will need to continue to innovate with pluggable and embedded optical engines that deliver more capacity with less power and a smaller footprint; with more transmission spectrum on the fibre; and with modular, stackable optical platforms. Commercially available generative AI applications like ChatGPT launched less than two years ago. We are literally just getting started. Hold on tight and grab an optical transmission partner that’s laser focused on what’s next. For more from Infinera, click here.

Nasuni integrates Microsoft 365 Copilot

Nasuni, an enterprise data platform for hybrid cloud environments, has announced its latest advancement in data intelligence by further integrating with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Through the Microsoft Graph Connector, Nasuni managed data is now fully accessible and operational with Microsoft Search and Microsoft 365 Copilot, significantly expanding data access for Microsoft's AI services.  AI requires AI-ready infrastructure, and today's legacy data storage infrastructure creates a challenge for forward-thinking enterprises. Legacy hardware-based storage generates silos of data, making it impossible to run AI and analytics against. Organisations, which can have billions of files and petabytes of data, need to break down these silos and consolidate their data into the cloud. The power to unlock this data is incredible, which is why the Nasuni File Data Platform enables this through data consolidation, protection and accessibility for anyone and anything (including AI).  The Graph Connector enables organisations to leverage Nasuni’s managed data repositories to harness the full potential of Microsoft 365 Copilot, aligning AI-powered experiences with specific business needs and workflows. Organisations can use the Graph Connector to leverage Nasuni data with Microsoft 365 semantic index to unlock AI-powered search, enhanced compliance, and advanced analytics through a unified interface.  Key benefits of this integration include:  · Unlocking greater value from data: Customers can now maximise the value of their Nasuni-managed data by making it accessible for personalised experiences via Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Search, enriching user interactions with relevant content.  · AI-powered search and insights: The Graph Connector enables Nasuni-managed files to be indexed into Microsoft's semantic index, which forms a key part of the Microsoft 365 AI infrastructure. This semantic index is utilised by Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Search to provide contextually relevant answers and insights across Microsoft 365 applications.  · A unified data interface: Customers benefit from single-pane-of-glass access to their Microsoft 365 data (including SharePoint and OneDrive) and Nasuni. This unified view allows for efficient searching and interaction with documents across the entire unstructured file stack, inclusive of Nasuni-managed data.  "By enabling Microsoft 365 Copilot through the use of the Microsoft Graph Connector, we're empowering our customers to get even more value out of their Nasuni-managed data," says Jim Liddle, Chief Innovation Officer of Data Intelligence and AI at Nasuni. "This solution integration will make it frictionless to use Microsoft 365 Copilot with Nasuni data in context with Microsoft 365 stored data sets, allowing for more informed decision-making and improved efficiency in our customers' day-to-day operations."  For more from Nasuni, click here.

VIAVI introduces VAMOS automation platform

VIAVI Solutions has introduced the VIAVI Automation Management and Orchestration System (VAMOS), an intelligent automation platform that incorporates AI/ML capabilities to enable wireless and cloud service providers, network equipment manufacturers and their ecosystems to reduce operational expenses and accelerate time-to-market. The complexity of network architectures continues to increase, as operators and equipment manufacturers investigate the next generation of technology, migrate to the cloud, and leverage AI and ML. Continuous Testing (CT) becomes ever more prevalent to provide a unifying perspective on real-world performance. However, labs are confronting the dual challenges of more tests and limited headcount. Automation has become a crucial way for them to manage the complexity, scheduling and manpower demands of CT, allowing technicians to efficiently power through hundreds of test cases, and to focus on higher-order analysis and problem solving. VIAVI has developed VAMOS as part of its NITRO Wireless portfolio to automate test campaigns and their execution in one centralised cloud-based, Lab-as-a-Service platform. Built-in AI and ML capabilities enable test optimisation and faster response times. VAMOS’s customisable workspaces and configurations streamline the testing process across organisations and lab locations. Shared tool testbeds and individual sandboxes accommodate multiple test needs while the platform’s robust analytics and reporting help maximise test resource utilisation and boost test accuracy. “As VIAVI works with leading labs around the globe to integrate wireless, cloud and AI, the need for automation and orchestration has never been clearer,” says Ian Langley, Senior Vice President, Wireless Business Unit, VIAVI. “In initial implementations at major labs, VAMOS has already demonstrated significant reductions in cost per test-hour and increases in hardware utilisation.” In addition to providing a standalone solution to schedule and run test campaigns based on VIAVI’s NITRO Wireless portfolio, VAMOS can be integrated with a third-party automation framework, allowing it to interact with a wider range of products and existing test environments. Connection is available via both software and hardware. VAMOS will be integrated into the VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) for the lab’s on-demand, cloud-based testing. VALOR is designed to manage and support 5G and Open RAN deployments that would benefit from access to tools and expert staff with a minimal ramp-up time. The project is funded by the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. For more from VIAVI Solutions, click here.

Juniper revolutionises data centre assurance

Juniper Networks has announced several new and unique enhancements to its data centre assurance capabilities, driving exceptional user experiences through increased network visibility, analysis and automation. The Juniper data centre networking solution now incorporates new cloud-hosted services that leverage AI for networking to deliver enhanced insights into application behaviours, both traditional and emerging AI workloads, for ongoing optimisation and rapid troubleshooting. In addition, Juniper has added new capabilities for analysing and validating data centre operations plus even richer telemetry data which, alongside other data centre assurance capabilities, help to reduce deployment times by up to 85% and cut OPEX costs by up to 90% in some instances. Juniper’s data centre networking solution consists of QFX Series Switches, EX Series Switches, PTX Series Routers, ACX Series Routers and high performance SRX Series Firewalls managed via Juniper Apstra data centre assurance software and the Marvis Virtual Network Assistant (VNA). As a key part of the Juniper AI-Native Networking Platform, the solution leverages the right data to deliver the right real-time responses for highly reliable data centre networking. This enables unique capabilities, such as multivendor intent-based networking and switch management, proactive AIOps and a GenAI conversational interface for knowledgebase queries. From traditional data centres to new data centres for AI training, inference and storage clusters, Juniper combines exceptional performance with best-in-class flexibility and operational simplicity, plus switch management, proactive AIOps and a GenAI conversational interface for knowledgebase queries.   To simplify data centre operations and maximise network performance even further, Juniper has added new and unique software enhancements, which include: New AI-Native cloud services that improve application visibility and assurance to optimise performance and lower mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR) Juniper is launching two new data centre cloud services, Service Awareness and Impact Analysis, to complement the Marvis VNA for Data Center AI-Native cloud service announced earlier this year. Service Awareness leverages AIOps to add application and service data to the Juniper network knowledge graph, enabling greater application-to-network visibility. Service Awareness increases the understanding of where apps and services attach, how they communicate across the network, and what resources they consume, providing direct insights and supporting additional assurance capabilities such as Impact Analysis.  Impact Analysis builds on Service Awareness to enable faster troubleshooting and issue resolution and improved application assurance. AI/ML maps identified issues to impacts, providing a clear picture of which issues are responsible for applicationimpacts and which are unrelated. State comparison between different times improves identification and resolution of transient issues. Service Awareness and Impact Analysis are now available in the Juniper Apstra Premium license tier at no extra charge. Marvis VNA for Data Center, the initial application in the Juniper Apstra Cloud Services suite, continues to be available in all three Juniper Apstra license tiers (Standard, Advanced, Premium) at no extra charge.  All three data centre cloud services are built on Juniper’s microservices cloud architecture, which maximises scale, resiliency and performance. Continued investment in intent-based networking improves the operator experience and further optimises application performance​. The latest release of Juniper Apstra (version 5.0), which is a seamless upgrade for current users, builds on this leadership by adding over 100 new features focused on simplifying data centre operations even further. For more from Juniper, click here.

Vertiv launches cloud-based fleet management

As AI workloads pivot to the network edge, the need for enhanced visibility at these remote data centre sites has become increasingly apparent. Recognising this, Vertiv has introduced Vertiv Environet Connect, a cloud-connected and web-based fleet management and monitoring solution. It features a device-agnostic interface that can handle diverse data centre infrastructure equipment across multiple locations, regardless of the manufacturer. Environet Connect is now available in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and in North America. Environet Connect speeds the deployment of remote Vertiv equipment and improves its health and efficiency through mass provisioning and firmware updates of network management cards. The system's monitoring capability enhances the oversight of critical infrastructure and provides customisable and configurable alarm notifications. Monitoring covers UPS systems, rack power distribution units (PDUs), generators, and thermal units. "Edge deployments are growing rapidly and may soon be driven by real-world AI applications such as large language models, predictive analytics, and autonomous vehicles. Although these applications currently operate in data centres, they may quickly shift to the edge to reduce latency and avoid processing bottlenecks," says Wesley Lim, vice president of software and digital solutions for Vertiv. "Implementing a secure, user-friendly and web-accessible monitoring solution like Environet Connect would enhance operational visibility and maximise uptime for remote environments." Environet Connect is accessible to direct customers and channel-managed service provider (MSP) partners. It accommodates all user types and is designed for multi-tenancy, simplifying the process for partners and customers. Vertiv offers a series of services to enhance the Environet Connect user experience, with software training, customer help desk and asset management. The services include tiered levels, encompassing technical support, firmware updates, device provisioning and remote monitoring. Vertiv recently announced its end-to-end portfolio for High-Performance Compute (HPC) and AI deployments, Vertiv 360AI. The solutions include power, cooling, enclosures, end-to-end lifecycle services and digitised management. Vertiv Environet Connect allows a common interface for the solutions within the AI ecosystem. For more from Vertiv, click here.