News in Cloud Computing & Data Storage

Datadog partners with AWS to launch in Australia and NZ

Datadog, a monitoring and security platform for cloud applications, has just launched its full range of products and services on the Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Asia-Pacific (Sydney) Region. The launch adds to existing locations in North America, Asia, and Europe. The new local availability zone enables Datadog, its customers, and its partners to store and process data locally, enabling in-region capacity to meet applicable Australian privacy, security, and data storage requirements. This, according to the company, is crucial for an increasing number of organisations - particularly those operating in regulated environments such as government, banking, healthcare, and higher education. “This milestone reinforces Datadog’s commitment to supporting the region’s advanced digital capabilities - especially the Australian government’s ambition to make the country a leading digital economy,” says Yanbing Li, Chief Product Officer at Datadog. “With strong momentum across public and private sectors, our investment enhances trust in Datadog’s unified and cloud-agnostic observability and security platform, and positions us to meet the evolving needs of agencies and enterprises alike.” Rob Thorne, Vice President for Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) at Datadog, adds, "Australian organisations are on track to spend nearly A$26.6 billion [£12.84 billion] on public cloud services alone in 2025. "For organisations in highly regulated industries, it isn’t just the cloud provider that needs to have local data storage capacity, it should be all layers of the tech stack. "This milestone reflects Datadog’s priority to support these investments. It’s the latest step in our expansion down under, and follows the continued addition of headcount to support our more than 1,100 A/NZ customers, as well as the recent appointments of Field CTO for APJ, Yadi Narayana, and Vice President of Commercial Sales for APJ, Adrian Towsey, to our leadership team.” For more from Datadog, click here.

Vawlt 3.2 'supercloud' storage platform launches

Portuguese cloud storage platform Vawlt Technologies has just unveiled Vawlt 3.2, the newest release of its 'supercloud' data storage platform. The update introduces live, "zero-downtime" cloud switching, expands native coverage to three additional European clouds, brings full MinIO-powered private-cloud integration, and delivers engine optimisations that reportedly cut resource consumption while boosting throughput by up to 40× on high-demand workloads. New features in Vawlt 3.2 include: ● Switching clouds with "no downtime" – There's the ability to replace underlying clouds on an active Vawlt volume, with data migrating in the background while applications keep running.● Three new EU clouds – Native support for IONOS Cloud, Scaleway, and Impossible Cloud lets organisations build fully EU-resident or mixed-region Supercloud volumes.● MinIO private-cloud integration – On-prem or partner-hosted MinIO clusters now appear in the Vawlt console alongside public clouds for unified policy and data-plane control.● Performance and efficiency boost – The re-engineered storage engine, according to the company, "slashes CPU/RAM needs and delivers up to 40x faster bulk-data transfers on selected workloads." This release marks a step in Vawlt’s mission to keep data ownership with the organisations that create it. Cloud switching seeks to dissolve vendor lock-in, an expanded roster of EU providers to anchor data inside chosen jurisdictions, and private-cloud onboarding to extend sovereignty to infrastructure businesses already own. As the EU Data Act’s portability requirements come into force on 12 September 2025, Vawlt 3.2 - the company claims - "equips enterprises to meet the letter of the law while granting operational independence to navigate supply-chain risk [and] shifting regulations." Ricardo Mendes, CEO & Co-Founder, Vawlt, comments, “True digital freedom is the ability to be independent of cloud providers — including the right to pick the right cloud, or clouds, at any point in time, without fear of downtime, lock-in, or bill shock. Vawlt 3.2 turns that vision into a push-button reality. Whether you’re preparing for the EU Data Act’s portability rules or safeguarding your business against supply-chain risk, you’re now fully in control of where your data lives and how fast it moves.”

Macquarie and CareSuper join forces

Macquarie Cloud Services, an Australian cloud services provider for business and government and part of Macquarie Technology Group, has been appointed by CareSuper to lead a major cloud transformation program, marking a high-profile shift away from VMware Cloud on AWS and towards a more modern Azure environment. The agreement is seeing Macquarie Cloud migrate and recalibrate CareSuper’s VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC) environment – made up of hundreds of applications and petabytes of data – into a Managed Edge Azure Local offering. “Our goal is to optimise every part of our operation so we can deliver long-term value to our members,” states Simon Reiter, Chief Technology Officer at CareSuper. “Cloud decisions must serve that mission – not just today, but five years from now. Macquarie Cloud Services stood out as a partner who could deliver both the technical transformation and the ongoing managed service maturity required.” Macquarie’s Azure-led approach consolidates CareSuper’s Technology estate into a unified platform. The engagement includes migrating workloads from VMware Cloud on AWS into a new Azure landing zone, modernising databases and implementing platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings with the aim to streamline performance and efficiencies for the fund. “We’re seeing a wave of repatriation from AWS,” comments Naran McClung, Head of Azure at Macquarie Cloud Services. “For many organisations, rising costs and architectural limitations have made them re-evaluate. But it’s not just about moving away, it’s about moving forward. That’s where our team adds value.” Macquarie has assumed the risk of the migration project, delivering the transformation with zero upfront cost to CareSuper and full accountability for outcomes. “What we’ve found in partnering with Macquarie Cloud Services is a team of experts who can transform, refactor, migrate, and ensure we get the best operational value from our cloud environment. That the company backs itself by taking on the cost risk of the migration phase is telling of its capabilities and commitment to putting customers first,” continues Simon. Four years as an Azure Expert MSP Macquarie Cloud Services is one of only a handful of partners across Asia Pacific to retain its Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP) status for four consecutive years. “We’ve seen our Azure team and business expand by about 20% every year since we set it up in 2020,” claims Naran. “Becoming an Azure Expert MSP is not a lifetime achievement, it takes incredible dedication, assessments requiring dozens of the team to come together, and – most importantly – an ability to deliver value to customers time and time again.” For more from Macquarie, click here.

Nasuni achieves AWS Energy & Utilities Competency status

Nasuni, a unified file data platform company, has announced that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Energy & Utilities Competency status. This designation recognises that Nasuni has demonstrated expertise in helping customers leverage AWS cloud technology to transform complex systems and accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy and utilities future. To receive the designation, AWS Partners undergo a rigorous technical validation process, including a customer reference audit. The AWS Energy & Utilities Competency provides energy and utilities customers the ability to more easily select skilled partners to help accelerate their digital transformations. "Our strategic collaboration with AWS is redefining how energy companies harness seismic data,” comments Michael Sotnick, SVP of Business & Corporate Development at Nasuni. “Together, we’re removing traditional infrastructure barriers and unlocking faster, smarter subsurface decisions. By integrating Nasuni’s global unified file data platform with the power of AWS solutions including Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon Bedrock, and Amazon Q, we’re helping upstream operators accelerate time to first oil, boost capital efficiency, and prepare for the next era of data-driven exploration." AWS says it is enabling scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support the integration and deployment of these solutions, AWS established the AWS Competency Program to help customers identify AWS Partners with industry experience and expertise. By bringing together Nasuni’s cloud-native file data platform with Amazon S3 and other AWS services, the company claims energy customers could eliminate data silos, reduce interpretation cycle times, and unlock the value of seismic data for AI-driven exploration. For more from Nasuni, click here.

UAE-IX now powered by DE-CIX

DE-CIX, an Internet Exchange (IX) operator, and partner Datamena, Du’s carrier neutral data centre and connectivity platform based in the UAE and serving the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, today announced the upgrade of the UAE-IX to offer 400 GE access. Connected customer capacity on the exchange has soared over the last year, growing two terabits, or 30%, in twelve months. The UAE-IX is the largest IX in the Middle East, based on both connected networks and peak traffic, and is now the only IX in the region to offer 400 GE access. Established in 2012 and operated by DE-CIX on behalf of partner Datamena, the IX today has over six terabits of connected capacity and connects close to 110 internet service providers (ISPs), carriers, cloud, content, and application providers, and global enterprises. It also provides enterprise-grade interconnection services, such as a Cloud Exchange, cloud routing, and application connectivity like the Microsoft Azure Peering Service (MAPS). “The UAE-IX today stands as a global internet hub, bringing together the network operators, content, applications, and cloud services to serve the entire GCC region with resilient and low latency connectivity,” claims Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX. “This upgrade further reinforces the importance of the UAE-IX, now ready to serve the rising demand for everything digital. The excellent collaboration with our partner Datamena has enabled the UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX to shine as the most important aggregation point for network interconnection in the Middle East. I look forward to a bright future working together for the next decade of digital development.” Karim Benkirane, Chief Commercial Officer, Du, comments, "We are proud to partner with DE-CIX in leading digital growth in the Middle East with the upgrade of the UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX to 400 GE access. It is our vision to foster a seamlessly interconnected landscape where businesses and consumers alike can benefit from unparalleled internet exchange capabilities, heightened performance, and robust security. This milestone aligns with our commitment to maintaining the UAE-IX as a pioneer in interconnection and marks a transformative leap for regional digital ecosystems." DE-CIX has been active in the Middle East for over a decade, and now operates IXs in multiple countries in the region: Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, and Turkey. The UAE-IX in Dubai is operated under the DE-CIX as a Service (DaaS) model. The DaaS program includes a set of services – such as installation, maintenance, provisioning, and marketing and sales support – designed for carriers, data centre operators, or other third parties to create their own IX and interconnection platform operated by DE-CIX. For more from DE-CIX, click here.

AMD processors now power Nokia cloud infrastructure

AMD, an American multinational semiconductor company specialising in computer processors and graphics cards, has announced that Nokia has included 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors to power the Nokia Cloud Platform. “Telecom operators are looking for infrastructure solutions that combine performance, scalability, and power efficiency to manage the growing complexity and scale of 5G networks,” says Dan McNamara, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Server Business, AMD. “Working together with Nokia, we’re using the leadership performance and energy efficiency of the 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors to help our customers build and operate high-performance and efficient networks.” “This expanded collaboration between Nokia and AMD brings a multitude of benefits and underscores Nokia's commitment to innovation through diverse chip partnerships in 5G network infrastructure. The new 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors offer high performance and impressive energy efficiency, enabling Nokia to meet the demanding needs of its 5G customers while contributing to the industry's sustainability goals,” adds Kal De, Senior Vice President, Product and Engineering, Cloud and Network Services, Nokia. The processors will be deployed within Nokia Cloud Platform, a component that supports containerised workloads foundational to 5G core, edge, and enterprise applications. By integrating the AMD EPYC 9005 Series processors into Nokia Cloud Platform, Nokia hopes to deliver good performance per watt and meet growing data demands whilst minimising environmental impact. For more from AMD, click here.

Hitachi Vantara launches Virtual Storage Platform 360

Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, today announced the launch of Virtual Storage Platform 360 (VSP 360), a unified management software solution designed to help customers simplify data infrastructure management operations, improve decision-making, and the delivery of data services. With support for block, file, object, and software-defined storage, VSP 360 consolidates multiple management tools and aims to enable IT teams, including those with limited storage expertise, to more efficiently control hybrid cloud deployments, gain AIOps predictive insights, and simplify data lifecycle governance. Organisations today are struggling to manage sprawling data environments spread across disparate storage systems, fragmented data silos, and complex application workloads, all while grappling with overextended IT teams and rising demands for compliance and AI readiness. A recent survey showed AI has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of data storage that businesses require, with the amount of data expected to increase 122% by 2026. The survey also revealed that many IT leaders are being forced to implement AI before their data infrastructure is ready to handle it, with many embarking on a journey of experimentation, hoping to find additional ways to recover some of the cost of their investments. VSP 360 seeks to address these obstacles by integrating data management tools across enterprise storage to monitor key performance indicators, including storage capacity utilisation and overall system health, helping to deliver optimal performance and efficient resource management. It intends to improve end-to-end visibility, leveraging AIOps observability to break down data silos, as well as streamlining the deployment of VSP One data services. “VSP 360 represents a bold step forward in unifying the way enterprises manage their data,” says Octavian Tanase, Chief Product Officer, Hitachi Vantara. “It’s not just a new management tool—it’s a strategic approach to modern data infrastructure that gives IT teams complete command over their data, wherever it resides. With built-in AI and automation and by making it available via SaaS, Private, or via your mobile phone, we're empowering our customers to make faster, smarter decisions and eliminate the traditional silos that slow innovation.” “VSP 360 gives our customers the unified visibility and control they’ve been asking for,” claims Dan Pittet, Senior Solutions Architect, Stoneworks Technologies. “The ability to manage block, file, object, and software-defined storage from a single AI-driven platform helps streamline operations and reduce complexity across hybrid environments. It’s especially valuable for IT teams with limited resources who need to respond quickly to evolving data demands without compromising performance or governance.” "VSP 360 hits the mark for what modern enterprises need," states Ashish Nadkarni, Group Vice President and General Manager, Worldwide Infrastructure Research, IDC. "It goes beyond monitoring to deliver true intelligence across the storage lifecycle. The solution's robust data resiliency helps businesses maintain continuous operations and protect their critical assets, even in the face of unexpected disruptions. By integrating advanced analytics, automation, and policy enforcement, Hitachi Vantara is giving customers the agility and resilience needed to thrive in a data-driven economy.” For more from Hitachi, click here.

Nokia partners with atNorth to support cloud services in Finland

atNorth, a Nordic colocation, high-performance computing and AI service provider, has announced plans to support Nokia’s cloud infrastructure with a multi megawatt deployment at its FIN02 site in Finland (pictured above). The contract spans over 12 years and includes potential extensions totalling over 10MW. Nokia, one of the world’s leading telecommunications and networking technology companies, is headquartered in Finland and has long utilised Finnish data centres, leveraging the country’s cool climate and renewable energy sources to ensure the sustainability of its workloads. In fact, the business was ranked as the most sustainable telecoms and communications company in the world earlier this year. Nokia and atNorth have built a long-standing relationship through atNorth’s use of Nokia data centre switches that power its HPCaaS offering, which currently runs from its data centres in Iceland and Sweden. Well versed in the evolving data centre landscape, Nokia was looking for a data centre partner that could accommodate its high-density infrastructure needs without compromising its environmental credentials. The business required capacity suitable for high-density workloads of more than 130kw per rack, available at speed and with the potential for future scalability. Located in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, atNorth’s newest data centre, FIN02, runs on renewable energy and features robust power and liquid cooling capabilities. Built for scalability, its modular design supports high-performance workloads. A collaboration with Kesko Corporation enables waste heat recycling to heat a nearby store, further lowering its carbon footprint. “atNorth was able to meet our complex technical requirements at speed without compromising on our sustainability goals,” says Marika Mentula, Vice President for Network Infrastructure North Europe at Nokia. “By helping support our cloud infrastructure at atNorth’s FIN02 data center, we can deliver high-performance infrastructure that supports our most demanding applications.” Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, CEO of atNorth, adds, “As the data centre industry continues to grow at record speed, it’s clear that businesses are increasingly seeking the full package - sustainable, secure, infrastructure that can scale rapidly. Our longstanding partnership with Nokia, rooted in the hardware demands of our HPCaaS offering and built on a shared commitment to sustainability, is a testament to that. It adds to a growing list of globally recognized companies that trust atNorth with their mission-critical data and rely on us to deliver best-in-class service.” The news follows atNorth’s recent announcement of its heat reuse partnership with retail giant, Kesko Corporation at its FIN02 data centre in Finland. The business has two other metro sites near Helsinki, and a fourth ‘mega’ site - which is currently in development in Kouvola - is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. For more from atNorth, click here.

Juniper and Google Cloud enhance branch deployments

Juniper Networks has announced its collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate new enterprise campus and branch deployments and optimise user experiences. With just a few clicks in the Google Cloud Marketplace, customers can subscribe to Google’s Cloud WAN solution alongside Juniper Mist wired, wireless, NAC, firewalls and secure SD-WAN solutions. Unveiled at Google Cloud Next 25, the solution is designed to simply, securely and reliably connect users to critical applications and AI workloads whether on the internet, across clouds or within data centres. “At Google Cloud, we’re committed to providing our customers with the most advanced and innovative networking solutions. Our expanded collaboration with Juniper Networks and the integration of its AI-native networking capabilities with Google’s Cloud WAN represent a significant step forward,” says Muninder Singh Sambi, VP/GM, Networking, Google Cloud. “By combining the power of Google Cloud’s global infrastructure with Juniper’s expertise in AI for networking, we’re empowering enterprises to build more agile, secure and automated networks that can meet the demands of today’s dynamic business environment.” AIOps key to GenAI application growth As the cloud expands and GenAI applications grow, reliable connectivity, enhanced application performance and low latency are paramount. Businesses are turning to cloud-based network services to meet these demands. However, many face challenges with operational complexity, high costs, security gaps and inconsistent application performance. Assuring the best user experience through AI-native operations (AIOps) is essential to overcoming these challenges and maximising efficiency.  Powered by Juniper’s Mist AI-Native Networking platform, Google’s Cloud WAN, a new solution from Google Cloud, delivers a fully managed, reliable and secure enterprise backbone for branch transformation. Mist is purpose-built to leverage AIOps for optimised campus and branch experiences, assuring that connections are reliable, measurable and secure for every device, user, application and asset. “Mist has become synonymous with AI and cloud-native operations that optimise user experiences while minimising operator costs,” says Sujai Hajela, EVP, Campus and Branch, Juniper Networks. “Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform is a perfect complement to Google’s Cloud WAN solution, enabling enterprises to overcome campus and branch management complexity and optimise application performance through low latency connectivity, self-driving automation and proactive insights.” Google’s Cloud WAN delivers high-performance connections for campus and branch The campus and branch services on Google’s Cloud WAN driven by Mist provide a single, secure and high-performance connection point for all branch traffic. A variety of wired, wireless, NAC and WAN services can be hosted on Google Cloud Platform, enabling businesses to eliminate on-premises hardware, dramatically simplifying branch operations and reducing operational costs. By natively integrating Juniper and other strategic partners with Google Cloud, Google’s Cloud WAN solution enhances agility, enabling rapid deployment of new branches and services, while improving security through consistent policies and cloud-delivered threat protection. 

Raxio lands $100m to expand sub-Saharan African data centres

Raxio Group has signed an agreement for $100 million in financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to accelerate Raxio’s expansion of data centres to power key technologies like AI, cloud computing and digital financial services – critical enablers of African economic growth and digital inclusion. The debt funding from IFC will help Raxio double its deployment of high-quality colocation data centres within three years, addressing growing demand in underserved markets across the continent. The company is developing a Sub-Saharan African regional data centre platform in countries including Ethiopia, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Angola. Raxio is committed to bridging Africa’s digital divide by introducing Tier III-certified, carrier-neutral, and secure data services to markets that have been overlooked by other providers. With a focus on high-growth areas, the company is tapping into regions with significant economic potential to unlock new opportunities across the continent. “Raxio’s business model shows how digital infrastructure can empower businesses, governments and communities to thrive in the digital economy,” says Sarvesh Suri, IFC Regional Industry Director, Infrastructure and Natural Resources in Africa. “This partnership between Raxio and IFC is set to strengthen Africa’s digital ecosystem and catalyse further investments and regional integration, building a more inclusive and sustainable future.” “This funding from IFC is a powerful endorsement of Raxio’s vision and operational excellence,” says Robert Skjødt, CEO of Raxio Group. “It will allow us to bring critical infrastructure to the regions that need it most and attract further investment as we continue to grow. Together with our other partners, we’re building the foundation for Africa’s digital future and setting new benchmarks for sustainability.” Raxio’s facilities are designed for 24/7 reliability, ensuring uninterrupted service even during maintenance or unforeseen disruptions. The company integrates renewable energy solutions to minimise its environmental footprint and uses innovative energy-efficient equipment to reduce electricity and water consumption for cooling in several of its countries of operation. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Raxio’s Kinshasa facility is poised to meet growing demand for data services in one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing urban centres. In Côte d’Ivoire, Raxio is establishing a digital hub to serve Francophone West Africa, connecting regional markets and facilitating cross-border trade. These efforts are empowering local businesses and integrating them into the global digital economy.