Events

Holistic solutions on show at Data Centre World 2023

CP Automation will be showcasing a range of metering and mitigation devices at Data Centre World 2023, held on 8-9 March at the ExCel London. Visitors to Stand D962 will have the chance to explore how they can maximise the uptime of their data centres by recording and responding to irregular power inputs. Keeping data centres online means combatting irregular power supplies and electrical surges by detecting power issues and correcting them in real time. To see how CP Automation can help attendees achieve this, visitors to the stand will be able to see metering equipment from Janitza and Chauvin Arnoux, alongside SineTamer voltage surge suppression devices and harmonic filters from COMSYS and Revcon. As well experiencing the technology on show, attendees can learn how CP Automation builds unique power quality solutions for customers. The company can install power quality solutions that meet the requirements of individual data centres, to ensure power at the input terminals remains safe, secure, clean and continuous. “Power quality is often thought of at the granular level,” explains John Mitchell, CP Automation’s Global Sales and Marketing Director. “Taking a step back and considering a holistic approach across the entire system can bring data centre operators greater piece of mind. Once the relevant power quality devices are installed in a facility, any issues detected can then be solved by the supporting mitigation equipment - it’s the whole package in terms of ensuring power quality. “Data Centre World is an exciting opportunity to connect with the wider industry,” continues John. “We’re fairly new to this space, but already have some big customers under our belt who are really seeing the benefits of what we have to offer.”

Green data centres for Thailand’s sustainable economic growth

Under the theme ‘Open. Connect. Balance’, Thailand recently hosted ASEAN leaders at the 2022 APEC Summit, and among many current unprecedented challenges discussed, helping the region regain its balance seemed to be a common thread, with the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy set as one of the roadmaps. As one of the fastest growing regions in the world - and one of the most vulnerable to climate change - Southeast Asia is trying to strike a balance between performance and sustainability: prioritising recovery and growth, while keeping the eyes on a consistent sustainable development that will allow the country to thrive for many years to come. Digital transformation, integrated across all aspects of society, has already been identified as one of the key components to driving the country’s overall economic competitiveness, and many already understand that there is only one way to embrace Thailand 4.0 sustainably. Many industries are gradually ‘going green’, including green finance, green transportation powered by EVs and green hotel standards. Now comes the turn for one of the most valuable assets that this revolution will bring - data. Thailand is leading the way, not only by having the region’s most advanced data centre for colocation and cloud services, but also by having one that generates its own renewable energy. SUPERNAP (Thailand), a joint venture between leading Thai companies, is the only Tier IV colocation and cloud data centre in the country to have implemented a solar panel farm. This move contributes to the development of the green digital infrastructure of the region, while also supporting Thailand’s long term sustainable economic development. Every year, the volume and value of data generated and collected by organisations in Thailand grows exponentially, as many recognise its strategic value for business decisions. The more data collected and stored, the more knowledge, opportunities and competitive advantage businesses gain. More data, on the other hand, requires larger spaces and more energy to keep the ecosystem running, which, in most cases, comes from electricity from fossil fuels. If no action is taken, this could not only lead to a problematic increase of greenhouse gas emissions, but to dangerous price fluctuations, as there have been recent electricity price increases influenced by geopolitical challenges and increasing demand. Thai businesses are looking for secure, scalable, resilient, and now sustainable, data centres to fully realise the potential of data while reducing costs. “As a regional digital infrastructure leader, SUPERNAP (Thailand)’s transition to renewable energy was already an urgent priority, and we are now extremely proud to have reinforced our position as Thailand’s most sustainable commercial data centre. Powering operations by solar panel farm will not only help us reduce carbon footprint on behalf of our colocation and cloud clients but will also minimise the impact of energy price fluctuations. While we are not immune to rising electricity costs, solar green energy from the solar panel farm is significantly cheaper than retail rates, which will allow us keep prices as low as possible, an ultimately enable customer's success stories with highly secure, scalable, resilient and now sustainable digital IT infrastructure,” shares Yap Jin Yi, CEO of SUPERNAP (Thailand). SUPERNAP (Thailand) has partnered with WHA Utilities and Power to build its solar panel farm, recognising WHA’s leadership in maximising innovation and technology to create long term sustainable value in the country. Thailand’s economy will leverage emerging digital technologies to solve the most pressing problems and drive growth, whether in finance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing or tourism. Data-driven technology has the potential to shape the future in new and unimaginable ways, but first, businesses and individuals must ensure that there is a future to look forward to. Embracing sustainability is a pressing matter, and change must begin immediately.

Your complementary invitation to DataCentres Ireland

Data centres are the most critical of critical environments…as such, the approach, ideas, technology products, services and solutions deployed in creating and maintaining these facilities are at the forefront of the engineering solutions needed when creating any critical facility/environment, where continuity of service is a must. This year’s DataCentres Ireland Conference & Exhibition is the largest in the events history with more speakers, more exhibitors, and more solutions on display. It’s an opportunity not to be missed – Click here and register online now The Conference This year, the conference features over 80 industry leaders and experts in their field discussing both strategic and practical issues affecting the sector and the challenges of the day. Themes addressed include: Power and standby generation Diesel vs gas vs biofuel vs hydrogen Cooling and HVAC solutions Continuity of supply, demand response, microgrids and grid flexibility Decarbonisation and sustainability Recruitment challenges and staff retention Click here to view the full Conference Programme The Exhibition Featuring over 120 exhibitors, the exhibition is your opportunity to see the latest products and services for the sector, whilst giving you the chance to network and discuss your challenges and source solutions that can assist you. Click here to view the complete Exhibitor List and company descriptions New for 2022 - CPD Accredited Workshops In conjunction with some of the exhibitors, the organisers say they are pleased to offer a CPD Accredited programme of workshops, discussing fire damping, security, ark flashover, etc. Attendance to these workshops is like the rest of DataCentres Ireland – free. Click here to view the Workshop Programme Datacentres Ireland is a targeted engineering event and has unique opportunity from which to network and learn… So, invest the time…and benefit from the experience. Click Here and register Online Now

Data Summit signals new hope for data sector

Six-hundred delegates at the biggest ever Data Summit heard how data has the power to unlock a brighter future as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic - but only if it’s used ethically and organisations can improve public trust surrounding it. Data Summit, The Data Lab’s flagship conference which took place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre over 3-4 November, welcomed a diverse range of speakers that included quantum computing professors, nanotechnologists, entrepreneurs, data ethicists, philosophers, musicians and artists. The overarching theme across the two-day event centred on ‘Data: a new hope’, focused on how data and AI can be used to create a better world and society. Data trust and ethics were also strong threads across the various sessions, with several speakers alluding to the need to balance the societal benefits of data sharing, which were particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, with public concerns around privacy and what their data is being used for. The predominantly female line up of keynote speakers on day one of the summit included: Researcher and technology ethicist, Stephanie Hare, whose book Technology is Not Neutral was named by the Financial Times as one of its tech books of the year. She discussed how technological innovation overwhelmingly ignores women, and the embedded bias within AI. Elinor Samuelsson and Sofie Wahlström, Founders of Swedish start-up BrightAct, talked about their trial of a new platform that uses data to combat domestic violence, which costs the EU £185bn annually. NASA’s Chief Science Data Officer, Kevin Murphy, who discussed NASA’s Earth System Observatory and the value of open access data. Science broadcaster, Professor Hannah Fry, who brings numbers and data to life on various TV and radio programmes. She told the audience how data which isn’t collected carefully can have the potential to exclude and discriminate.  Devi Sridhar, a Professor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School and a Personal Chair in Global Public Health, who talked about the use of data during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what problems a lack of trust in data could cause in terms of public health. In his keynote speech, Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, told the audience about the enthusiasm the Scottish Government has for data and its potential to secure a better future for society, but added that it must be used ethically, or it won’t gain public support. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says, “Data is central to the Scottish Government’s vision for our economic future. It is an area where Scotland already excels, where we are ambitious to do better, and which has potential for significant economic opportunities and important social benefits. “Data is absolutely crucial to tackling social and economic challenges, creating jobs and wealth, and to improve people’s health and wellbeing. The talent, innovation and energy on display at an event like Data Summit demonstrates that the data sector here in Scotland is in good health.” Brian Hills, CEO of The Data Lab, says, “The popularity of this year’s Data Summit demonstrates the value that organisations are increasingly placing on AI and data and their desire to maximise its use. “We know that there is a significant amount of untapped potential. While more businesses adopted digital technology during the pandemic and have lots of fantastic data, many still need to understand how to use it, and know they must get it right in terms of the ethics. “I hope that the event has inspired delegates to believe that Scotland can become home to the world’s most impactful data community, nurturing companies that will change the world for the better through a greater understanding of data and its implementation.” Delegates attended the Summit from across Scotland, including a group of students from Stirling High School studying National Five, Higher and Advanced Highers in Computer Science.

The UK’s largest project data hackathon is set to return

Project:Hack is the UK’s largest project data hackathon, founded by Projecting Success and delivered by the Project Data Analytics Community in collaboration with the Association for Project Management (APM), HS2, Gleeds, KBR and other key sponsors. Taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Football Stadium on 28-29 November, this event aims to bring together project and data professionals alongside students to push new boundaries, develop innovative solutions and transform how projects are delivered. Projecting Success wants to inspire and build a positive data culture within organisations to help them understand the potential data has to significantly improve their projecting by optimising how decisions are made. Through the Hackathon, they are able to subject people and data to new ideas and ways of thinking. It inspires people to know they can turn their ideas into working models over the course of just a couple of days. The Hackathon has now been delivered 16 times with over 1,600 attendees and £11,000 in charity donations. For this event, the community are donating their ticket sales to the Wildlife Trust in support of the natural environment. Projects have a substantial impact on the environment, and this donation aims to help protect the habitat of wildlife across the country. With environmental change a core focus of the hack, the Wildlife Trust is a no brainer. Martin Paver, CEO and Founder of Projecting Success, says: “Sponsoring the hackathons position organisations as forward thinking and innovative. We are driven to make our projects safer, more productive, environmentally friendly and less expensive, especially within the current financial climate. “We have built an ambitious vision alongside the Project Data Analytics Task force on how we bring data to the forefront to support these key objectives. A fundamental part of that vision is to convert innovation into tools and practices, making them easily accessible and deployable. Sponsorship enables the hackathons to continuously provide an accelerated platform to fulfil this vision collaboratively, connecting people and organisations. “Although there are many cross-sector digital initiatives driving change, at a macro level there is a lack of ambition to truly transform how projects are managed and delivered. We aspire to change this by showing the art of the possible with data and building real solutions to real project challenges.” As a warm-up to the Hackathon, Projecting Success are hosting a ‘meet-up’ session on 3 November. This session will provide a brief on the visions for 2025, its roadmap and how the hack plays into it. Within the session you will hear from key figures across the task force as they share their journey with project data analytics and how you can make tangible steps to transform the profession.

OADC wins Best Data Centre award at Global Carrier Awards 2022

Open Access Data Centres (OADC) won the Best Data Centre/Edge Service Innovation award at the Global Carrier Awards 2022 for its OADC EDGE offering, underpinning Africa’s digital transformation. OADC EDGE combines pan-African digital infrastructure - a network of inter-connected, open access, core and edge data centres - in a core-to-edge architecture which is extending data storage, processing and content delivery to point of consumption at the network edge, supporting improved application performance and enabling critical data to be processed locally. OADC CEO, Dr Ayotunde Coker, comments: “For a company which secured its initial funding less than a year ago to win such an award is testament to the impact our innovative OADC EDGE offering is having in transforming the data centre market in Africa. No other data centre service provider offers a similar value proposition to the continent.” Ayotunde continues: “Our converged open digital infrastructure enables OADC clients to quickly and easily connect across Africa - either via its established pan-African open hyperscale network infrastructure or using other operators’ networks.” OADC’s core-to-edge architecture supports: • Broadband operators, ISPs, ‘eyeball networks’ and MNOs, cost-effectively extending network reach • The cloud community, migrating content closer to the network edge • The enterprise market, implementing disaster recovery to third-party sites, processing large data sets close to their point of consumption and rolling out new applications for market differentiation • Consumers - benefiting from expedited deployment of life-enhancing social, educational, well-being and entertainment services

Digital Transformation Week Global (1-2 December)

Digital Transformation Conference Global arrives at the Olympia London, UK, on 1-2 December 2022.The event consists of top-level content and thought leadership discussions exploring the Digital Transformation ecosystem. Register to hear from leading digital experts and discover key strategies for making your digital efforts a success. Discover the critical technologies and approaches needed to make better, more informed business decisions, improve operational efficiency, improve customer engagement and retention and drive your organisation’s digital culture. There will be live and on-demand sessions from over 40 speakers sharing their unparalleled industry knowledge and real-life experiences in the forms of solo presentations, expert panel discussions and in-depth fireside chats. Attend the event to learn about the following topics: Digital Workforces and the Future of Work Robotic Process Automation  Digital Twin Supply Chain Management  Process & Model Transformation Cloud Transformation Network & Infrastructure Co-located events - this unmissable conference is co-located with Edge Computing Expo, as well as TechEx Events exploring IoT, AI, Cyber Security, Blockchain and 5G, all under one roof. Book your ticket now HERE.

DataCentres Ireland - bigger and better than ever

Offering more choice, more ideas and more solutions, DataCentres Ireland (16-17 November, Dublin) brings the data centre sector together. The event DataCentres Ireland is one of the few events worldwide which is entirely focussed on the infrastructural needs, issues and solutions of data centres and other critical environments. Funded through the exhibition, DataCentres Ireland is free to attend and features a multi-streamed conference programme integrated into the internationally supported exhibition, giving attendees the widest choice of ideas and solutions from which to create or maintain safe, secure, effective and efficient data centres and critical environments. The exhibition With over two months until the doors open, this year’s exhibition features the largest gathering of suppliers and solution providers in the 12 years that DataCentres Ireland has been held. Already over 100 exhibiting companies have confirmed their participation at DataCentres Ireland, giving attendees access to the latest products, services and solutions that can assist them in achieving their goals. See the full list of exhibitors, here. The conference To facilitate and further the discussion and the dissemination of new ideas and information we are delighted to announce the introduction of a third conference stream into DataCentres Ireland. The Conference Programme will be announced shortly and features over 70 industry leaders and experts from across the data centre sector. The conference programme also benefits from the active involvement of local and international associations including: Host In Ireland, Demand Response Association of Ireland (DRAI), iMasons, Technology Ireland, Open Ireland Network, The DCA - Data Centre Alliance, the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Association (SDIA), Cloud Infrastructure Ireland, amongst others. Register for the event, here. Click here if you want to know more about exhibiting. www.datacentres-ireland.com

The National Cyber Awards return to London this September

Now in its fourth year, and following the huge success of its 2021 event, The National Cyber Awards is returning to London on 26th September 2022. Based near Olympia, the Novotel London West will again be the venue for this prestigious and independent event which will recognise individuals, teams and organisations for their achievements within the cyber and digital sectors.  This year the ceremony and black-tie dinner will be sponsored jointly by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CiiSec), National Crime Agency (NCA), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Systal Security Solutions and Palo Alto Networks.  Angela McLean, Commissioner of the City of London Police and NPCC Lead on Cyber Crime, says “The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) is delighted for a fourth year to be a headline sponsor for these awards that recognise not just the best talent and products in the industry, but also the unsung cyber heroes and those seeking to help others in every sector.” Simon Turner, Regional Vice President, WEUR at Palo Alto Networks says: "The National Cyber Awards are a wonderful way to celebrate and reward those in the cyber security industry who work tirelessly to keep us safe online. Palo Alto Networks is proud to be sponsoring the awards and recognise organisations and individuals who secure our digital way of life; the winners are an inspiration to everyone across the sector.” Mike Loginov, Executive Vice President, Systal Security Solutions says, “Systal Security Solutions is committed to the online safety, security and resilience of our customers, stakeholders and employees. “With 100% customer retention over the 13 years, Systal delivers exceptional service and a flexible approach to protecting our customers against those that would do them harm. Today, with offices in 39 countries and a global team almost 2000 strong and growing, our innovative and integrated approach across IT/OT/IoT and physical security covers the entire digital ecosystem.  “As a sector employer of choice and proud sponsor of The National Cyber Awards 2022, we are excited to celebrate the organisations and talented individuals leading innovation, helping to reduce cyber crime, and protecting citizens online.” Rachael Shattock, Event Director, International Cyber Expo adds, “The Nineteen Group and International Cyber Expo are pleased to support The National Cyber Awards 2022. Cyber crime has fast become one of the most important, and indeed dynamic areas of the security industry, and these awards are a fantastic way to recognise the most exceptional innovations, inspiring organisations and leading stars within the cyber security industry.” With the cyber threat landscape ever changing, it’s important to recognise the work that goes into keeping us safe. The National Cyber Awards were designed to allow employees of organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre to be nominated in-house and receive national recognition where appropriate. The Awards remain totally independent, free to enter and sponsors ensure that every finalist receives a free ticket to the black-tie ceremony and dinner. This allows anyone to enter without any financial constraint or obligations. Two new awards have been announced this year: The MoD Cyber Award 2022 Christine Maxwell, Director of Cyber Defence and Risk for the Ministry of Defence, comments: “The National Cyber Awards recognise the outstanding contributions of many teams and individuals who protect us across numerous sectors. With cyber related warfare becoming an increasingly important part of the United Kingdom’s Government and defence cyber strategies, I am delighted that a special award for Ministry of Defence military and civilian staff will be presented at this year’s awards.” The NCA Cyber Award 2022 Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency, says: “The National Cyber Awards allow us to recognise the exceptional work undertaken every day to tackle cyber crime and increase the UK’s resilience against this threat. “Post-pandemic, the world is even more dependent on a secure and reliable cyber-space. At the same time, the cyber crime threat is increasing, with more sophisticated and high-profile attacks against the UK’s critical national infrastructure, businesses and people. “The NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) leads the UK’s incident response to high-end cyber criminality, working closely with regional police forces, government agencies and international law enforcement partners. This collaborative response is key to bringing cyber criminals to justice and protecting our national security.” By popular demand, the organisers will again host the International Cyber Book Fair in the afternoon at the Novotel London West preceding the awards. This is free for budding and established authors to promote and undertake book signings for their cyber-related books The organisers are grateful to The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park who will be presenting an interactive exhibition of historic wartime computers and decoders for guests. www.thenationalcyberawards.com www.internationalcyberexpo.com

Altnets wins the Hustle Awards’ Top Performing Team of the year

Altnets has been awarded Top Performing Team at the prestigious Hustle Awards. Organised annually by Startups Magazine, the Hustle Awards celebrate the best in business innovation and achievement amongst start-ups from across the UK. Altnets were shortlisted from a record number of entries and went on to win the top prize at the awards evening in London. Altnets was launched in late 2020 by Co-Founders Paul Britnell and Sam Bangle to support the needs of the UK telecoms market as the nation upgrades to full fibre broadband networks. The company partners with manufacturers from across the world to support independent internet service providers with all their supply chain requirements, offering all the build materials they need for network infrastructure, from fibre cables, ducts and nodes to access chambers. The Altnets team assists the company’s customers through their entire telecoms build journey and are at the heart of the business, providing outstanding service from beginning to end. Between February 2021 and April 2022, the team’s success led to an incredible 700% growth in Altnets’ turnover, 100% client retention and successful on-boarding of over 80% of the total client base. The Hustle Awards are judged by professionals at the forefront of their industries, chosen for their knowledge, experience and integrity. This ensures winners are picked on the merit of their entries and nothing else.  Sam Bangle, Co-Founder and Director of Altnets, comments: “We are thrilled to see our hard-working team recognised at the Hustle Awards. Being a young company, we have experienced exponential growth over the past 18 months, despite many challenges within the supply chain industry, and that is 100% down to our talented team. “The team’s top-notch knowledge of the telecoms industry and strong relationships with our manufacturing partners means they can fully support customers through the whole procurement process; save them time and money; and solve any problems arising in the supply chain.” The judges’ comments on Altnets’ entry reflects the strength of the team’s performance over the past year: “This is a company that lives by its values. Not only is there clear evidence of Altnets’ strong customer retention and business growth, its entry also demonstrated the challenges that the company faced in achieving this success. “All the while it continued to go the extra mile to deliver great service to its clients. The judges loved the humanity of this entry.” A spokesperson from Startups Magazine says: “Winning a Hustle Award is an extraordinary achievement and it’s one the team is marking with the publication of the first edition of the winners’ guide. The talent and innovation found in the award submissions seriously impressed the judges and we believe it is important to champion these triumphs long after the event is over.”