Events

Schneider Electric wins in two categories at the DCS Awards 2022

Schneider Electric has won in two categories at the DCS Awards 2022. For the second consecutive year, Schneider Electric secured the DCS Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability and Efficiency’, which recognises its leadership for the creation of the industry’s first comprehensive, novel framework for environmentally sustainable data centres. During the event, Schneider Electric was also awarded ‘Data Centre Power Innovation of the Year’ for its Galaxy VL 3-phase UPS. The UPS offers energy efficiency, resilience, and sustainability, delivering up to 99% efficiency in its ECOnversion mode, without sacrificing load protection. The UPS also includes a pioneering ‘Live Swap’ safety feature, which delivers a touch-safe design throughout the process of adding or replacing power modules while the UPS is online and fully operational. “With growing global concerns surrounding climate change, coupled with the fallout of the international energy crisis, there has never been a more important time for our industry to prioritise sustainable action over words,” says Marc Garner, Vice President, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric UK and Ireland. “As decarbonisation becomes embedded into every facet of the data centre sector, our mission is to be our customer’s partner for sustainability and efficiency, and help the industry accelerate its ambitions to reach net zero. I am extremely proud to accept these awards on behalf of Schneider Electric, which are testament to our ethos for sustainable innovation.” Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability and Efficiency award The last two years have seen unprecedented demand for data centre capacity, propelled by the digital transformation efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased connectivity requirements, and the growth of data centres globally. Analysts predict that data centres represent 1-2% of global electricity consumption and emit the same level of carbon as the airline sector. Given this impact, sustainability has become an ever more prevalent topic and remains a key factor in customer decision-making. At the DCS Awards 2022, Schneider Electric was awarded ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability and Efficiency’ for creation of the industry’s first comprehensive novel framework for environmentally sustainable data centres. Available free to data centre stakeholders globally, the first-of-its-kind framework allows for the detailed tracking and reporting of standardised, measurable sustainability metrics. The framework directly helps owners and operators to address the key challenge of measuring sustainability and proposes five key metrics of environmental impact to measure and benchmark their progress against. They include Energy, GHG emissions, Water, Waste, Land and biodiversity, and provides 23 key metrics for standardised reporting. Further, it identifies the 17 most relevant sustainability frameworks to guide operators in both setting measurable targets and reporting against them.  Created by a team of environmental, social and governance (ESG) experts, sustainability consultants, scientists and solution architects, it helps operators at the Beginning, Advanced or Leading stages of their sustainability journey to reduce their environmental impact. Data Centre Power Innovation of the Year award Schneider Electric was also awarded ‘Data Centre Power Innovation of the Year’ for its Galaxy VL 3-phase UPS, which offers energy efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. The UPS delivers up to 99% efficiency in its ECOnversion mode for a full return on investment via energy savings within two years. Galaxy VL is one of Schneider Electric’s Green Premium products, offering sustainable performance by design. It includes transparent environmental information and makes minimal use of hazardous substances in compliance with regulations such as RoHS and REACH. Like all Schneider Electric Green Premium products, Galaxy VL includes full environmental disclosures, Product Environmental Profiles and Circularity Profiles, providing guidance on responsible end-of-life treatment and other recommendations to promote a circular economy. Further, Galaxy VL offers ultra-reliable, secure power protection in a highly efficient and compact unit which, with a footprint of 0.8m2, occupies half the industry average space for an equivalent rated UPS. Its compact design offers space savings of up to 70% and delivers a lower total cost of ownership compared to traditional VRLA batteries.

Award win for project underpinning vaccine, cell and gene therapy manufacturing capability

Keysource, in association with CENTIEL, have been named as winners of the Edge Project of the Year at the DCS Awards 2022. The award winners were announced at a gala dinner held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Pauls on 26 May 2022. The teams’ work has been recognised following the completion of an installation of a truly modular, scalable, and highly efficient UPS and electrical infrastructure solution to help underpin growth in a UK Government effort to develop world-class innovative vaccine research and manufacturing capability. Scientists and researchers based in the centre will accelerate the time taken for new treatments to be delivered to patients by developing cutting-edge therapies to treat life-changing diseases. The edge data centre that supports the essential laboratory work, is responsible for ensuring that samples and vaccines remain in optimal condition. The installation is now the first medical facility in the UK to take advantage of Li-ion batteries in combination with CENTEIL’s fourth generation three phase, true modular UPS, CumulusPowerTM which offers industry leading 99.9999999% (nine, nines) availability translating to just milliseconds of downtime per year. Louis McGarry, Sales and Marketing Director, CENTIEL UK explains: “The facility runs off different energy sources from the grid to sustainable power. This means the UPS is called on more often to provide a clean, continuous source of power to support the laboratory environment and ensure optimal conditions. Li-ion batteries offered the perfect solution as they are highly capable of cycling many times over, unlike traditional VRLA batteries, where cycling shortens their design life significantly. Richard Clifford, Head of Solutions at Keysource comments: “At Keysource, we deliver the finest and most efficient facilities, utilising the latest in critical power and cooling technologies. Our solutions support the latest generation of high-performance, high-density computing and have been internationally recognised as examples of best practice. We are proud to support clients that lead the development of new, innovative technologies to bolster the UK’s medical research capability. This project is a perfect example of why investing in critical infrastructure, and its protection is essential to ensure these vital services continue to operate, now and in the future.”

Cyber Tech Symposium 2022 to discuss the cyber skills gap

The University of Gloucestershire’s C11 Cyber Tech Symposium 2022 will enable employers to engage with leading cyber strategists and the next generation of cyber professionals, helping to address the cyber skills gap and growing cyber threat. Industry professionals and academics will provide visitors to the Symposium, which will be held at the University’s C11 Cyber Security and Digital Innovation Centre, with access to key insights and expertise about the protection of our critical national infrastructure from cyber attacks, as well as what needs to be done to bring more people from all backgrounds into this dynamic and growing industry. Keynote speakers will include leading specialists from the National Cyber Security Centre, IBM’s Executive Security Advisor Dr Saritha Arunkumar, and the Director of the Institute of Coding at Bath University, Professor Rachid Hourizi, along with experts from the NHS and Raytheon UK. The Symposium will also provide employers with an opportunity to find out about investing in their own talent pipeline, whether that is through the array of cyber educational offerings from the University, with its apprenticeship opportunities, student work placement programmes, internships, and undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, or from a variety of other regional providers. The C11 Cyber Tech Symposium 2022 will be held at the C11 Cyber and Digital Innovation Centre at Berkeley Green on 7 July between 8.30am and 4.30pm. Registration is free, but places are limited and must be booked in advance. Professor Kamal Bechkoum, Head of the School of Computing and Engineering at the University says: “As the cyber skills gap persists and cyber threats continue to grow in an ever more threatening world, we know that part of the solution lies within our ability to create talent and solutions through collaboration. “Our C11 Cyber Tech Symposium 2022 will bring together key government officials, leading business people and top academics to think, talk, inspire and create solutions along with fresh talent from our student community. “For anyone interested in tackling the cyber skills gap and growing cyber threat, the Symposium will offer a secure and friendly environment to be part of such an important conversation.”

Time to register for the smart home trade show, EI Live! 2022

Don’t miss your chance to enhance your presence in the smart home market with a visit to the UK’s only national trade focused smart home event. Registration is open now – visit the site, get the date in your diary and start benefiting from the fastest growing sector in new builds and renovation. Taking place at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre, EI Live! 2022 runs from 14-15 September and offers lucrative opportunities for quality electrical contractors working in the domestic and commercial sectors. EI Live! delivers the opportunity to access this expanding market so that electrical contractors can increase their portfolios and offer customers everything from multi-room music systems and other entertainment experiences, networking products, smart metering and automated control of lighting, HVAC and security. Many of the distributors and manufacturers that operate in this area are looking to expand their customer base, and experienced electrical contractors already have many of the skills and the customer base needed to be successful. Distributors and manufactures offer full and often free training to get companies started or expand your offering if you already operate in this area. The only UK smart home show EI Live! is the UK’s only smart building trade show, offering a vital opportunity to meet with suppliers and find out more about the market. With stands showcasing hundreds of brands and thousands of products, services and innovations, electrical contractors can be sure there is something that will suit their customers and offer a chance to either enter for the first time or increase their footprint in one of the most dynamic markets in UK infrastructure. As well as the main show floor, El Live! will provide a comprehensive series of training seminars in the Learning Zone and other less business orientated experiences, such as the show’s Formula One racing challenge. There are also many launches and special offers that can only been seen at this event. These range from automation products controlling lighting and other building utilities, easy to fit entertainment experiences, networking products and full building automation platforms. Technological advances mean many of these products are easy and straight-forward to fit and deliver serious margin to those companies that get involved. Many electrical contractors have already made the transition to include smart products and show organisers explains that exhibitors are on the look-out for new accounts in particular from the electrical contracting sector. Entry to the show is completely free and access is easy via the venue’s large car park, which is also free for the whole day. In order to take full advantage of this two-day event, visitors have access to dozens of reasonably priced hotels near the site. To register for free and get all the information needed to make a trip to EI Live! visit the show’s dedicated website or call the show team on +44 (0)1634 673163.

Tier III ready data centre solutions shortlisted for four major awards

A range of innovative Tier III Ready data centre design solutions have been shortlisted for four major awards. The team at Cannon Technologies working in conjunction with several OEM manufacturers, including CENTIEL UK, have developed a set of pre-certified solutions ranging from 100kW to 500kW which have now been nominated for the Electrical Review and Data Centre Review Excellence Awards, in the Power Product of the Year, and Data Centre Design and Build Product of the Year categories. In addition, the solutions have also been shortlisted for the Data Centre Solutions (DCS) Awards 2022 for Data Centre Industry Contribution of the Year and Data Centre Power Innovation of the Year. Electrical Review and Data Centre Review Excellence Awards 2021 recognise excellence in innovation and collaboration and outstanding products and projects that embrace the latest in electrical engineering, display forward-thinking design and implementation, and champion the highest environmental, safety and energy efficiency standards. The DCS Awards recognise projects, products, services or corporate or individual excellence in the data centre industry. Cannon Technologies has developed a repeatable modular data centre product design composed of an initial 64.46m2 build supporting 16 IT racks with a capacity of up to 6kW per rack. IT Load cooled using energy efficient direct expansion (DX) chillers and with-in-row (WIRC) air handling units. The 100-kW Granular Modular Data Centre supports an IT load of 93.25 kilowatts (kw) for a data centre design that could fulfil the requirements needed to meet the Tier III standard. Tier III is described as concurrently maintainable and ensures that any component can be taken out of service without affecting production. Cannon Technologies’ Tier III ready design includes Centiel’s true modular UPS CumulusPowerTM and is supported by Centiel’s technical support. Centiel’s Distributed Active Redundant technology is said to offer the highest levels of resilience, is flexible, robust and it has been tried and tested in many scenarios.   Mark Awdas, Engineering Director, Cannon Technologies confirms. “These designs will accelerate data centre clients’ own Tier III certification, reduce the cost, and fast-track their time to market. It’s incredibly exciting to have been nominated for these awards as Tier III ready status provides data centre clients with fact-based evidence that their final build will more easily obtain a Tier Certification by utilising the Cannon MDC range of products.” Louis McGarry, Sales and Marketing Director, CENTIEL UK confirms: “It has taken a significant amount of work and around 12 months in total to complete and gain approval for the 100kW – 250kW from the Uptime Institute, and a further 12 months to secure the 500kW and 1MW designs. The process was intense and involved a joined-up approach with Cannon Technologies and the Uptime Institute to ensure all the rules were adhered to and a consensus of understanding was reached. We are now proud that our collaboration and combined efforts have been recognised in this way.” The UPS is only one element of the whole approved set of Tier III data centre solutions which have been developed. Cannon Technologies has also collaborated with other partners to provide a complete solution that includes generators, switch gear, cooling, and cabling so the entire design can be offered as an approved product. The final Electrical Review and Data Centre Review Excellence Award winners will be announced at an event held at Christ Church, located near Spitalfields Market, London at an event on Thursday, 19th May 2022. The results of the DCS Awards will be announced at a gala dinner at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Pauls on 26 May 2022.

Andy Burnham in at start and finish of Manchester Tech Week

Andy Burnham, Mayor, Greater Manchester Combined Authority has been confirmed to speak at both Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX) and Connected North 2022,  two out of the three major anchor shows making up the inaugural Manchester Tech Week from 25th-29th April. Andy will be centre stage on day one at Connected North, Manchester Central with Tracy Brabin, Metro Mayor, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for a keynote mayoral panel to discuss levelling up, the digital economy, and addressing the digital divide. Andy believes connectivity is a basic human right and is a passionate advocate for Greater Manchester supporting the region’s progress in the start-up space, tackling digital exclusion and using tech to improve public services. He will then give a closing keynote at Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX) show at the end of the week focusing on what’s next on Greater Manchester’s journey as a leading hub for innovation, technology and collaboration. Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham says: “In Greater Manchester we have the fastest growing digital economy in Europe which contributes over £5BN a year to our region. We are also making strides to becoming recognised as a world leading digital city-region and are taking our position as an internationally recognised centre of digital innovation, research and practice. “I’m looking forward to speaking at Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX) Manchester. DTX Manchester showcases the latest technologies and insights from world leading experts and we are proud to host it in Manchester.” Andy will follow a series of compelling afternoon sessions on day two at DTX starting with TechUK and Manchester Metropolitan University sharing a new approach to closing the digital skills gap and addressing the talent tech shortage. Infinity Works and AstraZeneca will be looking at how to build soft skills for hard times and drive change as inclusive leaders. Graham Donoghue, CEO of Sykes Cottages, will be discussing what it takes to be a great leader in tech and level up yourself, your company and your community. James McGough, MD of Imago Techmedia, the organisers behind Manchester Tech Week, comments Andy Burnham’s support was invaluable. “Real progress in digital transformation - whatever that looks like for local authorities, companies or individuals -  is driven by those who use their voice to stimulate debate and change. Andy is that person, an influential advocate for the city, the North as a whole, and a supporter of tech communities who have vital role to play in all our futures.” Dominic Beresford-Webb from Connected North agreed, emphasising the significance of city leaders heading up the digital debate says: “Andy’s passion for digital equality and his participation in the launch of Connected North highlights the importance for the North of the UK to have its own digital economy forum to address crucial regional issues on Levelling Up, inward investment, and tackling the digital divide.” Manchester Tech Week 2022 is the North’s biggest ever digital transformation event which will also feature the launch of Unified Communications EXPO (UCX). Aimed at ‘powering the northern tech revolution’ it will help IT leaders tackle major tech challenges with a focus on network and infrastructure, cloud, cyber, unified communications, data and AI, digital culture, skills and hybrid working. For more information on Manchester Tech Week 2022 and register to attend for free, click here.

Centreon sponsors AWS summits worldwide to introduce Centreon Cloud

Centreon has announced that it is a silver-level sponsor of five AWS summits in its priority markets in Paris, London, Milan, Toronto and New York City. Centreon in action at AWS summits The Centreon platform automatically discovers and monitors cloud Infrastructure within minutes, using zero-configuration alerting, whilst at the same time monitoring on-premises legacy and edge equipment. Doing so, allows Centreon’s solution to provide a unique cloud-to-edge visibility, unmatched in the industry. Centreon will demonstrate its Centreon Cloud and its cloud-to-edge monitoring capabilities at AWS Summit events around the world. IT Operations teams will be able to meet with Centreon experts to discuss the challenges of deploying state-of-art cloud technologies, while still maintaining legacy infrastructure. Attention will also be given to how end-to-end visibility on critical workflow enables business observability. Centreon will exhibit its solution at AWS summits in 2022 in Paris (April 12), London (April 27), Milan (June 21 and 22), Toronto (June 22 and 23) and New York City (July 12 and 13). Julien Mathis, CEO and Co-founder of Centreon says, “Centreon and Amazon Web Services are working together to support Centreon Cloud, our SaaS monitoring platform. Together, Centreon and AWS will bring more value and a better time-to-market for global customers and MSPs with a robust, market-proven, agile and cost-effective monitoring solution.” Centreon is committed to joining the AWS Partner Network (APN) Marc-Antoine Hostier, Centreon Chief Operating Officer says, “Centreon Cloud marks the beginning of a new phase of transformation and growth for Centreon, driven by a cloud-first strategy. Thanks to a unique multi-platform deployment capability, Centreon expects to outgrow the market in France, Europe and beyond, with a growth rate of over 30% per year.” “We expect to continue to expand our international network of partners, and together with AWS, we are very pleased to be able to better serve Centreon's customers and partners, and allow them to lower the cost of access to modern monitoring.” The APN program has allowed Centreon valuable access to the cloud provider and fellow partners in the programme, guaranteeing Centreon’s confidence in porting its software to the cloud.

Scotland’s data sector is “inspirational", says Tim Campbell MBE

Leading figures from across Scotland’s data science and AI community joined The Data Lab at the country’s biggest data and AI recruitment event, Data Talent 2022, in Glasgow on the 15th March. More than 250 students and graduates got the chance to connect and discuss career options with representatives from more than 20 of Scotland’s leading employers that are currently actively recruiting for roles in AI and data science, including large public and private organisations such as Public Health Scotland, NatWest, Accenture, and ScotRail, as well as other data and AI specialists. Delegates also had the chance to participate in employer-led workshops to find out more about what a career in data entails delivered by Royal London, NHS National Services Scotland, PHS, ForthPoint, MBN Solutions, and The Data Lab, as well as having access to an on-site photographer to create new headshots for LinkedIn, aimed at helping to increase their employability. Delegates also heard from a distinguished line-up of keynote speakers, who shared compelling thoughts about the future of the industry and the need to share data and best practice to help Scotland achieve its ambitions. Speaking during his closing address to delegates, Tim Campbell MBE, winner of 2005’s The Apprentice, shared an inspirational talk applauding Scotland’s ambitious data and AI strategy and encouraging students and graduates to embrace the opportunity the skills and data revolution is offering to the next generation of talent entering the workplace. Other speakers included Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science of Scotland Jamie Hepburn, who discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by the AI and data revolution; and Manira Ahmad, Chief Officer of Public Health Scotland, who discussed how data sharing is crucial to helping improve health inequality across Scotland, using real-life examples to bring it to life. Tim Campbell MBE, says: “The world of data is a hugely exciting part of our economy – and one that is only growing and getting bigger every year. What Scotland is doing in terms of AI and data is inspirational and all the graduates and students in this room should feel incredibly valued and fortunate as there is such a need for these types of skills in the UK right now. There are a lot of events that inspire hope, but it’s rare to see one like Data Talent joining hope and opportunity at the same time.” Brian Hills, Interim CEO, The Data Lab, comments: “This year’s Data Talent was a fantastic showcase of the breadth and depth of Scotland’s data and AI community. Combining stellar speakers – from both the public and private sectors – with workshops and the chance to get up close to potential employers to find out more what a career in data science and AI looks like, is a win win for both employers and potential employees. “I’d like to thank everyone involved in running the event for helping to make it a special return to Glasgow after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. As Scotland’s largest talent and recruitment event in data and AI, it is incredibility reassuring to see such a rich pipeline of talent coming through and helping Scotland to cement its place as a world leader in these innovative industries.”

Event to process role of data centres in oilfield digitisation

Stellium Data Centres is holding the virtual event on Wednesday, 13 April to highlight to oil and gas businesses how data centres can support data demands at drill sites and onshore. The event will be streamed online from the firm’s state-of-the-art tier 3 data centre in Newcastle, which also hosts the Newcastle Internet Exchange (NCL-IX). The event is being held in partnership with global infrastructure and connectivity provider, BSO and the London Internet Exchange (LINX), one of Europe’s largest internet exchange points.  Attendees to the afternoon event, which is titled ‘Utilising future networks and sustainable colocation to drive digital transformation for the energy sector’, will hear first-hand the innovations being created by Stellium, BSO and LINX. Industry leaders will also deliver presentations exploring the goals and challenges facing the energy sector in relation to managing data between international teams, smart working, innovation and meeting green expectations. An increase in the number of internet connected devices and sensors being used in the oilfield has led to a surge in the volume of data being generated. In turn, this is driving demand for high-performance data storage and processing. Data centres and ultra-low latency networks, like that offered by BSO, can enable the real-time processing of such data to generate insights that can be shared globally and ultimately improve operational efficiencies. Stellium Data Centers, BSO and LINX are working in partnership to provide a digital solution that can securely and efficiently manage, store, and transfer large volumes of data for customers. In addition, access is also facilitated to the UK’s newest submarine data cables from Aquacomms and Altibox / NO-UK, connecting NCL-IX to North America and Nordic countries respectively with the lowest latency available. Greig Scott, Stellium, says, “Having worked within the data centre and telecommunications industry and being based in Aberdeen for over 15 years, I have seen the challenges faced by energy services companies in co-locating, connecting and sharing data across hard-to-reach global destinations. The requirement for the immediate availability of key data operationally, data transfer locally and internationally, and big data analysis presents significant challenges for the energy sector. The resources, tools, and services of the Stellium, LINX and BSO partnership address these concerns. “At Stellium, we offer the availability of high-quality, on net sustainable data centre capability and networking. Stellium’s proximity to the UK energy sector and the rich connectivity options available there enable this. “In this event we will endeavour to explain a new joined up approach for the sector where attendees will have an opportunity to engage directly with industry peers facing the same issues and see first-hand the new innovations being created during this time of digital and green transformation.”

Mobilise will showcase digital offering at Mobile World Congress 2022

Mobilise will be showcasing its extensive expertise in digital telco propositions at the 2022 edition of Mobile World Congress (MWC). Taking place on February 28, 2022 to March 3, 2022 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain and will play host to many of the world’s mobile operators, device manufacturers and technology experts. With a theme of “discover connectivity unleashed” for 2022, this year’s MWC will centre around the digital technologies shaping the telecommunication industry, including the Internet of Everything, advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and the implementation of 5G. There’s never been a more pertinent time to discuss such topics; 5G networks will cover one-third of the world’s population by 2025, while investment in AI is set to top £170 billion by the same year. Right now, 40 billion devices are connected to the internet. But where there is opportunity, there are challenges. Despite the burgeoning growth of our digital world, many telco operators are still facing difficulties when embarking on their digital transformations. Pressures to deliver enhanced customer service with a greater degree of personalisation mean more is being demanded from telcos than ever before. Both traditional players and new digital native entrants must address this shift in requirements if they’re to claim their stake in an increasingly digital world. Mobilise, which specialises in providing digital solutions to the telecoms industry, has developed several services that address these challenges. Its white-labelled platform, HERO, is a fully customisable platform that equips telecom companies with an opportunity to create a highly unique user experience. Packed with features that allow telcos to create truly digital-first brands, the modular architecture of HERO allows operators to implement self-care, payment, e-commerce and several other features quickly and with minimal cost. One feature of HERO is eSIM-as-a-service, which facilitates in-app eSIM activation for consumers without the need for a physical SIM card, or even a QR code, to activate new subscriptions. “Telecoms customer expectations are changing — users, more than ever, are looking for personalised, simple, intuitive experience that allows them to manage their subscriptions entirely through digital channels,” says Hamish White, founder and CEO of Mobilise. “Widespread adoption of digital services such as eSIM is inevitable. Already, we’re seeing telco customer expectations rise and demand a more digital service, with consumers seeking faster services that are better catered to their needs. “Megatrends such as AI and the adoption of 5G will pave the way for a digital future. However, without the correct infrastructure in place to help operators really get to know and meet the demands of their customers, the ability to offer these technologies is almost meaningless. At MWC 2022, we hope to advise players from across the telco industry on how to build a digital-first strategy that allows them to connect with their audience and get digitalisation right.”