Features

TREND Networks improves its VDV II cable verifier range

TREND Networks has announced that the VDV II basic, plus, and pro copper cable verifiers will now be Bluetooth-enabled to support enhanced test reporting with the company’s AnyWARE Cloud app and test management system. The new cloud connected verifiers will enable users to quickly, easily, and accurately create and manage test reports, making them ideal for technicians working in voice, data, and video applications.  “All too often, industry-leading test management capabilities are only available for users of the most complex cable testers,” explains Dan Barrera, Director of Product Innovation, TREND Networks. “However, with the latest update to VDV II, we are bringing advanced reporting benefits to an affordable, entry level wire mapper, a type of tester that the majority of installers or technicians need to have in their bag.”  Dan continues, “By covering users from basic to pro, we are ensuring that all users can experience the same time and cost savings, alongside the dependability and accuracy they expect from TREND Networks.” The new models connect reliably to its AnyWARE Cloud app using Bluetooth, storing the test results on the user’s phone in real time. It is as simple as creating a job folder in the app, connecting the tester to a cable, and then sending the test results. Once these are in the app, users can upload to transfer the results to the online system in seconds. There, the test results can be organised, and professional PDF reports can be exported.   This seamless data transfer also benefits project managers. With access to a wider range of test results from their co-workers in the field, in a single web-based test management system, they can now standardise their workflow and improve efficiency. The app already supports testers from TREND Networks, including PoE Pro, LanTEK III/IV/IV-S cable certifiers, and SignalTEK 10G bandwidth tester.   The latest version also uses AnyWARE EXPLORER, offering project managers a simple navigation user interface, like those used on desktop operating systems. This makes it easier to find the specific job needed, sort results, or build out subfolders to organise results by building, floor, room, rack, or panel.   The new VDV II Series retains all the dependable functionality of previous models, which helps users document proper operation and eliminate guesswork when installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting data, voice, and video cabling.  “Wire mapping and cable verification is commonplace, so we already had a great solution for that in the VDV II series,” says Dan. “However, this game-changing update enables a large proportion of installers and technicians to depend on us to change the way they work for the better, maximising efficiencies, even on the simplest jobs.” 

Colt DCS launches new ESG strategy report

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has published its latest Sustainability Highlight report, covering the period of 2022. Launched as Colt DCS’ highlights report, it focuses on the three strategic areas of decarbonising the business, connecting people, and safeguarding the company’s operations. It has achieved a remarkable 52% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and a 28% reduction in Scope 3 emissions, compared to 2019. These significant reductions highlight the extent of the company’s sustainable practices as a data centre provider. Some of the other key highlights from the sustainability report include: A 30% reduction in emissions across all scopes compared to 2019. Achieved a global Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72. Procured 100% renewable energy in all European data centre sites. Colt DCS has been working diligently to achieve its sustainability targets, as a part of its ongoing commitment to minimise environmental impact, promoting social responsibility and driving positive change within the global data centre industry. The report showcases the company's significant achievements in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) for 2022. It highlights its commitment to reaching net zero by 2045. EcoVadis partnership and a top 1% sustainability rating, it continues to set data centre industry standards in its ESG practices. The report was prepared in conjunction with the Colt Group, which comprises Colt Data Centre Services and Colt Technology Services. Decarbonisation has been a primary focus and one of the key pillars in the ESG strategy. Its sustainability targets have been approved by the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi) in alignment with the latest net zero standard. Colt DCS has successfully reduced its carbon footprint by 30% compared to the 2019 baseline, amounting to an estimated 186,487 tonnes of CO2e. This reduction has been aided by the use of 100% renewable energy across its UK and European data centres, all of which are 100% carrier-neutral sites, engaging suppliers more effectively and implementing innovative cooling technologies. Its strategy goes beyond environmental sustainability and includes a strong focus on social engagement. The company recognises the importance stakeholder engagement across its value chain, including customers, suppliers, local communities and employees, with the aim of making a lasting positive impact in the regions it operates in. It encourages employee engagement and has established partnerships with local charities, forming employee led CSR teams to identify fundraising initiatives and volunteering opportunities. Local communities also serve as contributors of its workforce. The company recognises the importance of effective governance in achieving its goals for inclusion. During the pandemic, it introduced designated wellbeing days, prioritising the mental and physical health of its workforce. The effort saw 78% engagement with its ‘People Matter’ survey, with the results highlighting strengths under diversity & inclusion, customer focus, empowerment, sustainable engagement and well-being & stress. It is also striving to create an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought and representative of the communities it operates in. It is also committing to implementing equitable business practices that enhance the employee experience. In addition to prioritising stakeholder engagement, it delivers exceptional client service across its data centre portfolio. In 2022, the company achieved an impressive global Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72 across all customers in Europe and Asia, which is a testament to its goal of becoming the most trusted and customer-centric operator in the industry. Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO at Colt Data Centre Services, says, "We have made impressive strides towards achieving our sustainability goals and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our employees, customers and shareholders for their unwavering support.” Niclas adds, “Colt DCS has demonstrated remarkable dedication in delivering its sustainable hyperscale strategy while upholding its vision of being the most trusted and customer-centric data centre operator.”

Alibaba Cloud analyses carbon footprint for the Olympic Esports Week

Alibaba Cloud has announced that its AI-driven sustainability solution, Energy Expert, has been trialled to measure and analyse carbon emissions from temporary construction built to host the first Olympic Esports Week, generating data-driven insights on the choice of materials and equipment. The tool has been deployed through its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).The company deployed Energy Expert to measure and analyse the carbon emissions of the event’s temporary construction. A series of metrics including the impact of energy consumption, waste management, signage and decoration were assessed. This software-as-a-service tool was used by the local organising committee to compare the relative impacts of several types of materials and equipment.Energy Expert allows event organisers to identify the sources of the carbon emissions from venue construction and operation, quantify the carbon footprint generated by a venue and visualise a venue’s sustainability performance via an integrated dashboard and online reports.According to the solution, the carbon footprint of temporary construction for the Olympic Esports Week 2023 is estimated at 274 tons CO₂e, after replacing 60% of printed signage with digital alternatives which led to 14 tons CO₂e of CO₂ emission reductions, as well as reusing 50% of carpets after the event that would slash emissions further by 10 tons CO₂e. “We are always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, and we’re pleased to work with Alibaba Cloud to apply cutting-edge technologies to measure carbon emissions so we can continue to make a difference,” says Vincent Pereira, Head of Virtual Sport, IOC Sports Department. “We have been supporting the IOC’s digital transformation of the Olympics since Tokyo 2020, and it has been an honour to be part of this latest, historic milestone for virtual sport. Sustainability is one of the priorities for our sports innovation roadmap. As the sports industry continues to evolve, we’re passionate about providing organisations with timely data, actionable insights and energy-saving recommendations that make positive and tangible impacts,” says Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. The week marks the collaboration between the IOC and Alibaba on digital transformation and is Alibaba’s first large-scale international project to tackle carbon emissions within the esports industry.The esports industry has a growing environmental impact as the sport becomes more mainstream. Industry analysis estimates that in 2022 a single esports team could create as much as 100 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Individual consumption is also growing as 40% of the global population now play video games, according to industry analyst firm, DFC Intelligence, meaning that there’s a significant impact to be addressed.

Delta delivers Xubus Node as solution for data centre deployment

For many data centre managers, maintaining storage capacity for data is a continuously moving target. A fine line exists between investment in additional capacity, and leveraging and upgrading existing installations. Data centres can cost anything from tens of millions of dollars upwards, with some of the industry’s behemoths reportedly having spent over a billion dollars on such infrastructure. And readiness to invest doesn’t turn into capacity quickly. Factoring in construction, electrical and plumbing work, plus installation of the hardware and commissioning, it can be anywhere between 15 and 30 months before a data centre is operable. Many choose to outsource their data operations to a market that is projected to see good annual growth over the remainder of this decade. But colocation data centres, despite their efficiency through shared resources, aren’t for everyone, especially for those handling sensitive data. Another challenge is the growing demand in the Internet of Things (IoT) and industry 4.0 markets for providing sub-millisecond latency support at the edge, along with 5G, big data, and artificial intelligence applications. Going modular with data centres Tackling these issues head-on are modular data centres (MDC). Customisable in size and capacity, they can provide a stopgap solution on-site as a new data centre is being built or can operate as a permanent solution in locations where setting up long-term infrastructure is restricted. Installation on-site enables the MDC to be connected securely to the existing IT system while leveraging existing physical security. The Delta Xubus Node is fully designed and optimised, deliverable in five standard solutions from 18-90kW IT load with optional auxiliary systems. The system is built into a customised container module (5635 – 13380 × 3300 × 3200mm) that is designed to be transported, installed, and operated on a client’s site. IT load per rack ranges from 6kW-8.18kW and comes with a battery backup time of five minutes. Depending on the topology, the UPS is implemented using Delta’s DPH Series in an N+1 or 2N approach. Each rack is fitted with a metered power distribution unit (rPDU) or two for a Tier 3 implementation. At Tier 3, the MDC can be serviced anytime without shutting down any system components. In addition, an integrated automatic transfer switch allows a simple installation and use of external diesel generators. In-row cooling is implemented with N+1 redundancy and the Tier 3 topology uses cooling units with Automatic Transfer Switching (ATS). This allows operation of the MDC over the -15°C to +48°C range. The cooling units have an internal monitoring system, which continuously control both temperature and humidity. It detects various types of critical events, for example, congested filters, and triggers an alarm if the parameters reach critical values. A selection of optional components is also available to increase safety, security, and reliability. An access control system and CCTV ensure only authorised staff can access the data centre, while the situation inside the unit is always visible. Aspirating smoke detectors and fibre cable trays are further options, as well as additional hardware configuration. The Data Centre Infrasuite Manager (DCIM) software can be used to monitor the MDC, providing an overview of environmental parameters, the access system, power, and status of the fire suppression equipment. Thanks to its robust steel construction and mineral wool panels, coupled with a refractory cable entry, fire resistance of 60min (EI) in both directions is achieved. Transportation, installation and support with Zwart Delta has successfully deployed the Xubus Node MDC with the support from partner, Zwart Techniek. It supports the transportation, installation, commissioning, and service of Europe’s first Xubus Node, which is also the first containerised data centre built and sold in Europe. Meeting the customer’s financial requirements with a new leasing model, this 70kVA model was delivered to a client based in the Netherlands. Selected to provide data centre support while a permanent data centre is under-construction, the unit was configured and installed in less than nine months, and will provide at least 24 months of service.

Aruba takes the next step towards data centre energy efficiency

Aruba has announced that it is the first Italian company to have received the declaration of conformity of the Data Centres of the Ponte San Pietro technology campus to the European Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency (CoC), following an audit conducted by a third-party verification body, Bureau Veritas. The CoC for data centre energy efficiency was established by the European Commission in response to increasing energy consumption of data centres with the aim of informing and stimulating data centre operators to reduce this consumption in a cost-effective manner, without hampering the mission critical function of data centres. The focus is on how to improve energy demand within the data centre sector by raising awareness and recommending best practices in terms of energy efficiency. The CoC declaration of verification represents a guarantee of compliance with the best practices of the code, developed by the European Joint Research Centre, and is divided into thematic areas, such as utilisation, management and planning, IT, cooling, power, building and monitoring, with the aim of concretely reducing energy consumption. At the same time, it represents a competitive advantage for all customers, as it ensures compliance with one of the main requirements for data centres in the DNSH principle, the criterion that companies are required to observe in order to be eligible for NRP funding. According to this principle, companies that contribute through their economic activities to the protection of the ecosystem must not cause any significant harm to the environment. In addition, this code of conduct contributes to the compliance with the requirements of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact framework, to which Aruba is a signatory, together with other European providers, with the aim of making data centres climate neutral by 2030.

Expereo reveals CIO global trends and insights

New research of global CIOs launched from Expereo has revealed that large global enterprises are moving ‘Faster to the Future’ with an increased focus on technology investment to fuel growth through global expansion. The research of over 650 CIOs in global enterprises across Europe, US and APAC shows that half of global CIOs (51%) have secured increased technology budgets specifically to deliver growth and overcome existing challenges. This is positive news for over a third (35%) who claim that their global business ambitions are constrained by legacy connectivity and management systems. It also identifies that organisations may be missing growth opportunities by failing to prioritise regions with some of the world’s fastest growing economies, due to perceived complexity and challenges to market entry. Ben Elms, Chief Revenue Officer at Expereo, comments, “As organisations focus on driving growth through global expansion, there are clearly complexities and challenges to overcome. The business' critical nature of connectivity in today’s world combined with an increasingly complex landscape, from security, regulation, skills and often challenging physical and geo-political infrastructure, mean it’s no easy task. However, it is achievable. Those that find a way to simplify, automate and scale their operations will be in the best position to reap the rewards and growth that this can deliver.” The future is bright According to the research, global CIOs describe their organisations’ attitudes to growth as optimistic (34%) and nearly a third (30%) as ambitious for the next 12 months. Over half (51%) of respondents claim global boards have already increased technology budgets to help drive this. Security (61%), automation and analytics (59%), and 5G (58%) were identified as the top three areas set for increased tech investments globally in the next four months, closely followed by public/hybrid cloud (55%), edge computing and IoT (both 54%), SD-WAN (45%) and SASE (51%). CIOs claim that this investment will drive global growth by ensuring prioritisation of increased innovation (50%), increased automation (47%) and expansion into new markets (45%). More markets, more problems Almost half (46%) of CIOs claimed that establishing and managing connectivity in new markets is the single most critical factor in ensuring successful global expansion, and 42% said that their board views global connectivity as a business asset critical to growth, but there are challenges that need to be overcome. In fact, when asked specifically about the biggest challenge to delivering global growth in new regions, 37% said that effectively establishing connectivity in new regions is one of the major challenges in their role, 37% a major challenge for their organisation and 35% that their organisations’ business ambitions are constrained by legacy connectivity. Additional challenges identified were security environments (35%), skills and resource retention (35%), complicated physical and geopolitical infrastructure (33%), regulation and compliance (32%), and legacy systems and local knowledge (both 31%). Perceived complexity an obstacle to global growth Responses indicated that global enterprises may be failing to prioritise the fastest growing economies due to perceived complexities. When asked about where their organisation saw the biggest opportunity for growth, North America and Europe dominated the top five. North America (37%) took the throne, followed by Western Europe (32%), Eastern Europe (26%), Northern Europe (25%) and South America (25%). Although South America appears in the top five, it also ranks as the most technologically challenging region to do business in regarding the local knowledge of providers (29%), agility (28%), robust connectivity (28%), scalability (27%), and performance visibility (28%). Interestingly, it is also seen as a more challenging security environment than China (27%) compared to China’s 26%. Given that the IMF’s most recent World Economic Outlook Report showed that growth projections in advanced economies was 1.4% for 2024, while emerging and developing markets was 4.2%, it is surprising that neither the Greater China Area or Central and South Asia appear in the top five priority regions for growth. Each includes two of the fastest growing economies in the world - China and India. Perhaps this is due to both appearing consistently in the top five most challenging regions in terms of local technology provider knowledge (25% and 22% respectively), agility (26% and 24%), robust connectivity (25% and 23%), security (26% and 25%) and performance visibility (both 25%). Ben continues, “Realising the growth opportunities that global expansion can deliver will be critical to the world economy in these challenging times. CIOs need to completely focus on supercharging this strategic growth wherever they are doing business in the world, not grappling with unnecessary logistical and connectivity challenges. That’s what Expereo is here for. We simplify and automate this, allowing our customers to get on with business.”

IMServ to highlight net zero ambitions at the Big Zero Show

IMServ has announced that it will be joining the Big Zero Show 2023, as a partner at UK’s net zero conferences. The theme of this year’s sustainability exhibition is net zero, as the partners will shine a spotlight on the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy, from sustainable innovation to insight from figures across the energy industry. During the sustainability forum, IMServ will present its visualisation tool DataVision, which helps businesses to fulfil their energy efficiency potential by helping them analyse their energy use. Justin Vroone, CCO of IMServ, says, "We are pleased to be a partner at the Big Zero Show. Observing such unity among partners that share our values and vision indicates how crucial it is to reach our net zero ambitions. It is a great opportunity to showcase the potential of data and energy efficiency in our transition to a low-carbon economy."   The conference stage will host multiple tech shows and lectures by industry bodies bringing further vision on the UK’s net zero ambitions and the solutions and technologies to meet this ambition.

Cloud Industry Forum appoints new Director and Chairman

The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) has announced that Ian Jeffs, the Infrastructure Solutions Group Country Manager at Lenovo UK & Ireland, has been appointed as Director and Chairman to usher in the next phase of cloud adoption and collaboration in the UK. With his extensive expertise in the technology industry and commitment to driving cloud innovation, Ian is well positioned to work with CIF’s CEO to lead it in its mission to promote best practices and standards within the cloud computing industry. The CIF is an industry body dedicated to driving cloud adoption and supporting organisations in their digital transformation journeys. As Chairman, Ian will spearhead its strategic initiatives, collaborating with industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to shape the future of cloud computing in the UK. Ian re-joined the Lenovo family in 2020 after 12 years and was part of the first team to establish the PC business in the country after its acquisition of ThinkPad from IBM in 2004. With a career spanning 25 years in senior roles in the PC and data centre industry, he has been successful in creating thriving sales, marketing and channel businesses in large technology organisations including Tech Data, Arrow and IBM. David Terrar, CEO, CIF comments, “Ian brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the technology landscape. He has successfully led Lenovo's UK ISG business, demonstrating strong leadership and fostering partnerships to drive growth and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Ian's appointment as Chairman of the CIF is a testament to his reputation and the trust placed in him by the industry.” Under Ian’s guidance, the CIF aims to further its mission of promoting innovation, transparency, trust, accountability, equity, diversity, and inclusion in cloud services, helping its members do a better job. With his strategic vision and extensive industry knowledge, he will play a pivotal role in shaping policies, guidelines, and industry best practices, fostering innovation and advancing cloud adoption. "I am honoured and excited to take on the role of Chairman at the Cloud Industry Forum," says Ian. "Cloud computing is transforming businesses across industries, and it is crucial that we continue to foster collaboration and set industry standards to ensure its secure and efficient adoption. I look forward to working with the CIF and its members to drive innovation, enable digital transformation, take a stand on key issues, and shape the future of cloud technology."

Scality has announced today that Somerville has selected it to scale its data storage services in order to meet growing customer demand.   The solution combines a petabyte-scale stretched RING object storage architecture across three sites in Sydney and Melbourne. It runs on HPE Apollo 4000 data storage servers from Hewlett Packard Enterprise with immutable data protection, utilising Veeam backup software over an S3 API. This solution is delivered through the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform to provide Somerville scalable performance with pay-per-use flexibility.Craig Somerville, CEO and Founder, Somerville IT Services, says, “For every MSP holding data on behalf of customers, and even the CIO of an enterprise organisation whose responsibility is to ensure that they protect the organisation’s data, Scality’s immutability features and resilience features are absolutely critical.”Since the initial deployment, Somerville has increased capacity. Scality’s object storage extends Veeam’s enterprise-grade capabilities and helps manage data with reduced cybersecurity risks and lower costs. Craig says, "We have one engineer who manages the platform day-to-day. He spends more time on improvements and developing the platform than the time the entire team used to spend just keeping the lights on. It’s completely changed the way we manage the data protection practice.” The HPE GreenLake deployment provides cost-savings, flexibility, and less hassle for the Somerville team. Scality continues to see adoption across all sectors including service providers, financial services, government, healthcare, life sciences and more.Wally MacDermid, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Scality says, "We are excited to see what Somerville has accomplished for their clients and their own IT service offerings. They are a trusted source for bringing Australian customers into the modern era with a sovereign solution that keeps data protected. The continued growth rates around the world with both, Veeam and HPE GreenLake, keep us focused on our mission to provide customers with ultimate cyber resiliency and unbreakable data protection.”

Spirent brings the network edge into view with its new solution

Spirent Communications has announced the availability of its new over-the-air (OTA) performance-monitoring solution, designed to bring the network edge into the complete end-to-end test and monitoring landscape. The Spirent Mobile Test Platform (MTP) is a small form factor solution, that provides edge service monitoring and remote management. Supporting this handheld device and four SIMs in one functional box, the platform features a patent-pending management technology that enables unprecedented remote monitoring of the customer experience, whatever the chosen location. It also provides operators with central control of test devices at the edge, including software updates and device hardware reboots. “The ability to effectively test and monitor network performance end-to-end must fully embrace the edge,” says Spirent’s Charles Thompson, VP of Product Management. “Assurance solutions need to keep up with increasingly stringent thresholds to ensure performance and quality of experience at the edge during pre-deployment, verification, and ongoing service management. This is why we have developed the MTP.” The MTP enables systematic performance monitoring and ad hoc testing from the edge of the network that can be consumed and integrated for deeper network analytics at a larger scale and provide unrivalled network visibility and analysis. By combining the existing fixed and mobile network assurance solutions with the OTA capability of MTP, customers can now deploy and assure new 5G services to detect and isolate faults in the network.