22 minute read
Cover story: HPE Ireland’s Enda Cusack discusses digital
Becoming consciously hybrid
Ciarán Galway speaks with Head of Enterprise and Public Sector at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Ireland, Enda Cusack about the challenges of digital transformation and why the public sector should consider platforms that enable the management of data from edge to cloud.
Over the past 10 years, governments all over the world have moved to create and adopt digital strategies to accommodate digital transformation. During the Covid19 pandemic, the importance of this has become evident for the public sector as it accelerated the need for effective government and health services; with a drive towards connected interoperability across the sector.
While bound to legacy platforms with manually intensive operating models that are fixed and inflexible, governments realised that an agile, scalable, and flexible infrastructure is the foundation for digital transformation with public cloud as a key enabler. This paradigm shift was also visible in Ireland when the government issued its Considering Cloud Services policy document in December 2015, advising a “cloud-first approach for all new systems”.
Although the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer suggests in an
advice note from October 2019 that government systems should move to a hybrid-cloud environment, we still see public sector bodies finding themselves entangled in an “unconsciously hybrid” state, Cusack explains.
The problem: being unconsciously hybrid is inefficient, complex, stifles innovation, creates additional cost, and does not enable public sector organisations to capitalise on the value of the data. The solution, he asserts, is “becoming consciously hybrid”.
Consciously hybrid
Becoming consciously hybrid is a recognition of the fact that not all applications and data can migrate to the public cloud, while also understanding that the benefits of a cloud operating model can be realised in a private data centre or in a colocation (colo) facility. This recognition is evident in the Government’s strategy, but there are hurdles when it comes to the actual implementation.
Meanwhile, when implemented successfully, Cusack outlines, the benefits are improved efficiency, reduced energy consumption, and optimised cost. “Public sector bodies should consider adopting an edge-to-cloud platform that will allow them to secure their data and apps wherever they may reside, whether in their own data centre, in a colo facility, or somewhere at the edge.
“It is a strategic imperative for both public sector and enterprise organisations, enabling them to manage their data across those three spheres and unlocking the potential of that data,” he explains.
Challenges of migration
Highlighting recent International Data Corporation (IDC) reports, the HPE Head of Enterprise and Public Sector points to evidence which indicates that “despite the growth of public clouds over the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 70 per cent of applications remain outside the sphere of public cloud”.
“The other reality is that moving to the public cloud does not necessarily provide a better outcome for organisations. Public sector bodies who are trying to execute on a public cloud only strategy now have the additional cost and overhead of running multiple IT environments,” Cusack contends.
As a result of legacy application entanglement, data gravity, security and compliance, unpredictable cost, capacity constraints on technology skillsets, and insufficiently flexible procurement processes, many public sector bodies have struggled to implement their cloud first strategies.
Application entanglement
As Cusack points out, many applications are not built to run in the public cloud. “This means that in some instances, you must separate the data from the application to make it function in the public cloud. That is unwieldy.
“It ought to make sense to only move cloud native applications to the public cloud, while maintaining the rest of those applications, workloads, and data in an on-premises data centre.”
Cost
“It is easy enough to migrate applications and data which are cloud native to the public cloud,” he says, adding: “But it can be costly to move those applications and workloads out into a data centre environment or back into your on-premises infrastructure.”
Security
Simultaneously, there are risks associated with handling sensitive personal data, especially in government, and some classified information demands require a higher level of security than cloud providers can offer. “You will only get that level of security compliance if you have that information on-premises or in a colo facility,” Cusack insists. In line with these concerns, the Government requires public sector 4
organisations “to identify the sensitivity of their data (including the impact of a data breach) and categorise it accordingly” when deciding where data can be stored.
Data gravity
Furthermore, some datasets are so significant in size, such as those within a hospital system where one MRI scan equates to approximately 30GB, that it is vastly time-consuming to move that much data to the public cloud and once it is there, it is hard to move it back out again.
Cloud everywhere
Remarking on the private sector shift from a cloud first to a cloud everywhere model, Cusack indicates that the public sector is following this lead. “In the next decade we are going to be focused on using data everywhere across the entire organisation,” he says, observing: “Customers tell us that they want a simple and automated experience when it comes to their data, so they can focus on the intelligent outcomes that their data will give them.
“The public sector should also consider adopting an edge-to-cloud platform that enables it to connect, protect, analyse, and act on all of its data, irrespective of whether it sits in the public cloud, a colocated facility, or out on the edge. That is where business is conducted now; on the edge.”
Public sector focus
For government and public sector bodies seeking to adopt a cloud first strategy, Cusack believes that several factors must be taken into consideration. These are: competition; data sovereignty; digital skills; flexible procurement; and sustainability.
Acknowledging the efforts of government to ensure that the tenders it issues are competitive, Cusack insists that the same rigour must be applied to the cloud computing market. In adopting a cloud first policy, he cautions government decision-makers to not
narrow its focus on public cloud vendors, as seen in other countries. An increase in customer choice, therefore, would enable government to ensure greater value for money for taxpayers.
Moving to data sovereignty, HPE Ireland’s Head of Enterprise and Public Sector asserts that the objective of being able to extract value from Irish sovereign data needs more prominence in government. “There is an opportunity for government to derive far greater economic benefits from the data that it generates if it has appropriate policies and processes around data sovereignty,” he says.
At the same time, Cusack stresses the importance of recognising the digital skills gap in the public sector, alongside the challenges of attracting and retaining cloud computing talent. Consequently, the public sector must develop an understanding of modern infrastructure technology that bridges the gap between traditional legacy IT environments and the new cloud environments.
Similarly, he emphasises the need to adopt a procurement engine that delivers an open cloud tender process for cloud solutions that are not just public cloud but deliver an on-premises option to the customer also.
Perhaps most critically, HPE is observing an increased focus on sustainability in public tenders. “The public sector is very focused on sustainability now and it forms a fundamental part of the scoring of many of the tenders that we have seen.
“Companies like HPE must be able to bring innovative solutions to government, like our HPE GreenLake platform, which not only focuses on what customers need but also focuses on how it can be used in a sustainable way, such as buying back legacy assets that can be refurbished and resold as pre-owned solutions, which ultimately allows us to reduce our carbon footprint in the data centre,” Cusack highlights.
HPE GreenLake
As a service (XaaS) solutions, such as the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform, allow customers to enjoy all the
benefits of the public cloud experience in an on-premises model. This enables public sector bodies to execute on their cloud strategy and, critically, provide choice on how and where their workloads and data are managed. According to HPE, this can deliver more than 30 per cent of savings against traditional or legacy operating environments.
Cusack advises that public sector bodies work with private sector companies like HPE to help them develop a cloud strategy that enables them to utilise public cloud, but also to realise the benefits of what an on-premises solution can offer.
Core services and solutions
To support both public and private sector organisations who are considering a cloud first strategy or migrating to cloud, HPE has developed a transformation programme.
Essentially, this facilitates an evaluation of the organisation, identifies maturity gaps, and identifies a cloud roadmap to prepare people, processes, and technology for an holistic cloud transformation.
Cognisant that IT services are at the centre of most cloud transformations, HPE Ireland recently launched its Hybrid Cloud Practice utilising advanced advisory and professional services skillsets to empower customers on the island of Ireland to deliver on their cloud strategies. It is multi-technology disciplined, delivering services around cloud advisory, AI and machine learning services, SAP services, and consumption.
“Through our advisory engagement, we are able to pull together a very clear and robust cloud strategy roadmap, and we can engage with them to deliver on that strategy through our professional services teams located here locally.
“We are very proud of the practice that we have built and its ability to deliver and help customers on their cloud transformation journeys,” he adds.
Conclusion
Altogether, while Cusack acknowledges that public cloud plays a critical part in customers’ overall cloud journeys, he underscores the need to understand and accept that not all applications and data can move to public cloud.
“Ultimately, there is a requirement for applications and workloads to sit in a local data centre or in a colo. A hybrid cloud strategy is a ‘better together’ approach balancing both public and private cloud,” he concludes.
Profile: Enda Cusack
A native of Renmore, Galway, Enda Cusack has worked with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland for 30 years. Having started his career in Digital Equipment Corporation in 1991 as a software engineer supporting Microsoft Technologies, Cusack progressed through Compaq and moved from the technology side into the business sphere where he has managed HPE’s Advisory and Professional Services business for close to 10 years. Most recently, he took over the role of enterprise and public sector lead for HPE in Ireland, north and south.
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 2021: Core and further measures comparison
Published in November 2021, Climate Action Plan 2021 is the Government’s detailed roadmap to achieve a 51 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as per the Programme for Government commitment. With broadly similar core and further measures to its predecessor, Climate Action Plan 2021 is distinct in that it establishes indicative ranges of emissions reductions for each sector of the economy.
ELECTRICITY
➤ Increase reliance on renewables from 30 per cent to 70 per cent adding 12GW of renewable energy capacity;
➤ A coherent support scheme for micro-generation with a price for selling power to the grid;
➤ Open up opportunity for community participation in renewable generation as well as community gain arrangements; and
➤ Streamline the consent system, the connection arrangements, and the funding supports for the new technologies onshore and offshore. ➤ More rapid development of renewable energy capacity, particularly in offshore wind, solar power, and microgeneration. Additional measures include increased electricity storage, zero emissions gas deployment, and hydrogen production.
➤ By 2030, “up to 80 per cent” of electricity will be generated using renewable energy, including 5GW from offshore wind, 8GW from onshore wind, and between 1.5 and 2.5GW from solar PV.
➤ An emissions reduction of between 62 and 82 per cent.
BUILDINGS
➤ Introduce stricter requirements for new buildings and substantial refurbishments;
➤ Design policy to get circa 500,000 existing homes to upgrade to B2 Building Energy Rating (BER) and 400,000 to install heat pumps;
➤ Build a supply chain and a model for aggregation where home retrofits are grouped together to allow this level of activity to be funded and delivered;
➤ Deliver two new district heating systems, and implement a roadmap for delivering District Heating potential; and
➤ Increase attention to energy and carbon ratings in all aspects of managing property assets. ➤ Scaled up delivery of retrofitting as per the National Development Plan 2021-2030, district heating roll-out in cities and enhancement of zero emissions heating in commercial buildings. Further measures include blending of zero emission gas.
➤ Retrofit of 500,000 homes to a B2 Building Energy Rating/cost optimal equivalent or carbon equivalent.
➤ Installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes and between 250,000 and 280,00 in new homes by 2030.
➤ Installation of between 50,000 and 55,000 heat pumps in commercial buildings by 2030.
➤ Achieve of 2.7 TWh of district heating energy demand by 2030.
➤ Cut emissions from public sector buildings in half by 2030.
➤ An emissions reduction of between 44 and 56 per cent.
➤ Accelerate the take up of EV cars and vans so that 100 per cent of all new cars and vans are EVs by 2030. This will enable achieving our target of 950,000 EVs on the road by 2030. This means approximately one-third of all vehicles sold during the decade will be Battery Electric
Vehicle (BEV) or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV);
➤ Make growth less transport intensive through better planning, remote and home-working and modal shift to public transport;
➤ Increase the renewable biofuel content of motor fuels; and
➤ Set targets for the conversion of public transport fleets to zero carbon alternatives. ➤ An acceleration of the electrification of road transport, the use of biofuels, and a shift to active travel and public transport. Further measures include a shift to reduce the total distance (km) of fossil fuelled car journeys by 10 per cent.
➤ From 2023, all new vehicles purchased by the State must be battery electric vehicles (or a viable electric alternative).
➤ Achieve the electrification of 845,000 passenger vehicles by 2030.
➤ Achieve the electrification of 95,000 commercial vans and 3,500
HGVs by 2030.
➤ Achieve a bioethanol blend rate of 10 per cent (E10) and a biodiesel blend rate of 20 per cent (D20) by 2030.
➤ Achieve 1,500 EV buses and expanded electrified rail services by 2030.
➤ An emissions reduction of between 42 and 50 per cent. TRANSPORT
➤ Deliver substantial verifiable greenhouse gas abatement through adoption of a specified range of improvements in farming practice in line with recommendations from Teagasc;
➤ Deliver expansion of forestry planting and soil management to ensure that carbon abatement from land-use is delivered over the period 2021 to 2030 and in the years beyond; and
➤ Support diversification within agriculture and land use to develop sustainable and circular value chains and business models for lower carbon intensity farming, including, organic production, protection and enhancement of biodiversity and water quality, and the production of bio-based products and bioenergy through the Common Agricultural
Policy and implementation of the National Policy Statement on the
Bioeconomy.
➤ Embed energy efficiency, replacement of fossil fuels, careful management of materials and waste, and carbon abatement across all enterprises and public service bodies;
➤ Mobilise clusters regionally and sectorally to become centres of excellence for the adoption of low carbon technologies; and
➤ Plan for the delivery of quality employment and enterprise in the new areas of opportunity being opened up. ➤ Increased uptake of greenhouse gas efficient farming practices, reduced fertilise use, increased use of clover and multispecies sward improved animal breeding, reduced crude protein diets, earlier finishing of animals, and increased organics. A research programme to implement new technologies and feed additives.
➤ Increased biomethane production.
➤ An emissions reduction of between 22 and 30 per cent. AGRICULTURE
➤ More rapid uptake of carbon neutral heating in industry, enabling the electrification of high-temperature heating, phasing out high-global warming potential (GWP) fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), and launching a Climate Toolkit 4 Business to help businesses adapt.
Additional measures include blending of zero-emission gas, reducing carbon in construction materials, and utilising carbon capture and storage (CCS) in hard-to-abate sectors.
➤ Deploy alternative fuels and waste recovery to meet 80 per cent of energy needs for cement production by 2030.
➤ Achieve an 80 per cent emissions reduction of high-GWP F-gases by 2030.
➤ Reduce emissions from non-metallic mineral products.
➤ Reduce emissions from non-ferrous metals manufacturing.
➤ Deploy CCS in two cement/lime plants achieve around 1.5 MtCO2 eq savings. INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE
➤ An emissions reduction of between 29 and 41 per cent.
North/south trade grows as east/west trade shrinks
The latest goods, exports and imports figures released by the Central Statistics Office show significant growth in north/south trade in Ireland during the first eight months of 2021, with trade between the Republic and Britain decreasing in the same period.
Imports from the North into the Republic totalled €2.5 billion during the first eight months of 2021, a figure that represents a 61 per cent increase on the same timeframe in 2020. In overall terms, this represents an import trading increase of €947 million when compared with the first eight months of 2020.
This significant increase in imports from the North is complemented by an also significant increase in exports to the North, where a 47 per cent increase was recorded. An increase totalling €707 million means that the total of goods imported from the North to the Republic from January to August 2021 was valued at €2.2 billion.
The most significant sector in terms of both exports to and imports from the North was food and live animals, with the export side enjoying a €210 million annual increase and imports increasing by €213 million. The most significant increases in terms of growth rate, again in both imports and exports, were recorded in the chemical and related products sector. Exports to the North in this sector grew by €178 million, or 66 per cent, while imports from the North totalled €536 million, an increase of €377 million, or 237 per cent. These increases have, of course, happened in the shadow of the UK-EU Brexit agreement and the Protocol, which has also seen exports from the Republic to Britain decrease by €77 million when compared to 2020. This decrease brought the level of exports beneath €1 billion to €978 million, a fall of 7 per cent. Goods exports to Britain did, however, grow in the first eight months of 2021, a 21 per cent increase of €1.6 billion meaning that this statistic totalled €9.2 billion.
Imports from Britain decreased by 21 per cent, falling by €257 million to again come under the €1 billion mark to €945 million. The largest decreases were in the imports of food and live animals, chemicals and related products and machinery and equipment. Imports from Great Britain were 13 per cent of the value of total imports in August 2021. The value of goods imports from Britain was €7.3 billion, a decrease of €3.2 billion (30 per cent).
The EU accounted for the majority of total good exports (37 per cent) and total goods imports (28 per cent), although both total exports to and good imports from the EU suffered decreases.
COP26: The Glasgow Climate Pact
Alok Sharma MP, President of the 26th United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) hosts the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
While many will celebrate the inclusion of tackling coal and fossil fuels for the first time in a COP final decision, others have pointed to the stark reality that COP26 did little to change the trajectory of expected global warming of 2.4ºC by 2030.
Current national plans to cut emissions, if implemented, fall short of ambitions to limit global warming to “well below 2ºC, ideally 1.5ºC, since pre-industrial times”. Despite a heightened awareness of the need to address climate change globally, only one of the world’s major emitters, India, produced new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) at the conference, with the emphasis for enhanced national ambitions seemingly pushed out for several years.
Under the guidelines of the Paris Agreement, nations are only required to set new NDCs every five years. An original roadmap set out a vision that this would occur in 2025, with the focus at that time being on actions beyond 2030. However, estimations are that current NDCs will be inadequate to limit global warming to the required level, with a 2.4ºC rise predicted by 2030 on the current trajectory. While calls for fresh NDCs to be produced in Glasgow were largely ignored, some progress was achieved in ensuring that NDCs have been put on the agenda for COP27 in Egypt and COP28 in 2023.
Importantly, there now appears to be a greater unison between leading nations on what the global temperature rise limiting target should be. Some nations had argued that an aim of 1.5ºC would be a rewrite of the Paris Agreement’s actual commitment. At COP26, however, nations such as the US and the UK emphasised that the “well below 2ºC” target must be sought”, an ambition largely agreed by participating nations.
Credit: UK Government.
Coal
Coal took centre stage as both the biggest achievement and potentially biggest disappointment of COP26. The Glasgow Climate Pact looked set to include a historic pledge by all nations to phase out coal-fired generation but opposition from some of the world’s largest users forced a retreat in ambition, with the final text including a pledge to ‘phase down’ use. The International Energy Agency estimates that some 40 per cent of the world’s existing coal-fired power plants will need to be closed by 2030 if global warming is to be limited to 1.5ºC but to date, fossil fuel-producing companies and heavy consumers of oil and coal have been successful in keeping the phasing out of fossil fuels off the COP agenda. While not as ambitious as most would have hoped, the inclusion of a phase down commitment still represents significant progress.
Climate reparation
Much like the issue of revised national targets, also pushed on to COP27 was a mechanism to help fund nations to deal with loss or damage associated with climate change. It has long been argued that unpreventable or unmanageable climate events, such as hurricanes and flooding have a direct effect on the resources of developing countries, forcing them to spend budgets on repairing damage rather than proactively mitigating climate change. Richer nations have, for a long time, sought to oppose a financing mechanism which could be viewed as a compensation or reparation scheme, recognising the potential costs associated with legal liability for climate damage.
COP25 produced some progress on the issue, including the establishment the Santiago Network, a reporting and database system, however no funding mechanism was discussed at COP26.
Climate finance
Pre-COP26, a lot had been made of a failure by richer countries to honour a pledge to aid poorer countries to cut emissions through public and private financing. In 2009, it was agreed that $100 billion would be raised annually, however in 2019, the most recent data available, only $80 billion had been allocated. Richer countries reacted to anger from developing countries at COP26 by pledging to increase finance to ensure $500 billion will be available for the next five years.
Crucially, the Glasgow Climate Pact has introduced a shift to where that finance will be directed. The text agreed to double the proportion of climate finance going to adapation. The agreement falls short of the UN recommendation for an even split, recognising current topheavy investment in emissions-cutting projects because of their viability to return a profit. However, the move is seen as progress for those poorer countries who face extreme weather and struggle to obtain investment.
The success of the Glasgow Climate Pact will rest on whether nations are prepared to transmit their pledges at COP26 into legally binding ambitions nationally. The Glasgow Pact is not legally binding, meaning that domestic responsibility will play a huge role in limiting global warming to acceptable levels. Outside of the inclusion of fossilfuels as an issue which needs addressed at COP27, it appears that next year’s pledges expected by nations, could be a defining moment in the climate crises.
Key pledges
Coal and fossil fuel: To “accelerate efforts towards” phasing down “unabated coal power” and to bring about an end to “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies.
Loss and damage: Beginning of a “dialogue” on funding a new organisation to support countries affected by climate change. Climate finance: Increase in climate finance for poorer nations to at least meet the previously set out $100 billion target per year, through to 2025. Rich nations will double their support for adaptation measures to help developing countries. Carbon markets: The rules will create a market for units representing emissions reductions that countries can trade, under so-called Article 6. Trees: Over 100 nations pledged to end deforestation by 2030. Methane: Large methane emitters including Russia, China and India did not join in pledging to a scheme to cut 30 per cent of methane emissions by 2030.
