Insightssuccess the 10 best performing data center solutions providers july 2017

www.insightssuccess.com July 2017

The way of business solutions

Chalk Talk Exigency of Energy EfďŹ ciency of Data Centers

Editorial

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he huge growth in the demand for data storage has transformed traditional Data Centers into Mega Data Centers. With the ever-growing demand of storage space, Data Centers are handling the enormous amount of data every day. However, managing this huge amount of data is proving to be quite a toilsome task. So, organizations such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Digital Realty Trust, Tulip Telecom, Facebook, etc. are depending on their own Mega Data Centers instead of several small ones.

Data Center: Modern Day Factories

The transformation of these several small Data Centers to a Mega Data Center has changed the industry quite a lot.

As per various sources, the demand for storage will increase even further, thanks to more and more usage of cloud and data, by the Information Technology industry followed by Banking, Insurance and the Financial sector.

Once people had the perception that cloud is not a safe place to store data. However, with time and the need for more speed, the attitude has dramatically changed and people have started to use cloud more than ever before, and with the enormous growth of cloud, Data Centers too started to expand.

However, with Data Centers there come few environmental worries. As all of them run round the clock just to fetch data for users, it adds a signiďŹ cant amount of carbon footprint to the environment.

According to a recent analysis Data Center's electricity consumption was just under 300TWh/year in 2012, which is just under 2 percent of the global electricity demands. But with the already polluted environment, adding more and more Green House gases is a bad idea.

So, many of the Data Center service providers are moving to an area which remains cold around the year, that can eventually reduce the energy usage. Other than that, several Data Centers are coming up with different strategies to save electricity, which will ultimately help them to reduce the carbon footprint.

Looking forward, as per various reports global estimates of Data Center demand in 2030 anticipate an increase of three to ten times the current levels, and with such an increment, the projected Data Center electricity demand is expected to be thirteen percent of the total global electricity consumption.

Kaustav Roy

Cover

Story

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DigiPlex The Leader for Innovative and Sustainable Data Centers THOUGHT LEADER

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Editor’s Pick Data Center SecurityControlling Possible Threats

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RT

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Data Talk Data Center Migration – Impacting Businesses with Endless Possibilities

30 08

IoT, Wearable Computing – Where Everything is Addressable

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DP

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Connecting Dark Data with IoT

Chalk Talk Exigency of Energy Efciency of Data Centers

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AiNET

Caml

Delivering Innovative and Secure Data Services

Bringing Efcient Air Filtration into the World of Data Center

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32 08

DataHub

Deltalis

A Refreshingly Different Service Provider

The Secure and Stable Data Center with Innovative Solutions

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42 08

PhoenixNAP

Sybyl Kenya Ltd.

Delivering IT Services That Fulll Diverse Infrastructural Needs of Companies

Delivering ICT Solutions for over 25 Years

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Ariana Lawrence Managing Editor Kaustav Roy Co-Editors David Smith Abhijeet Parade Stephanie Andrews Contributors Saurav, Rajarshi Visualiser David King Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Co-designer Alex Noel Picture Editor Aparna Vanzul Art Editor Vinod Alhat Business Development Manager Mark Harris Steve Smith Marketing Manager Alex Noel Business Development Executive David, Joseph, John, Mary Research Analyst Jennifer Circulation Manager Robert Database Management Steve Technology Consultant Vishal More sales@insightssuccess.com

July, 2017 Corporate Ofď€ ces: Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: Visit www.insightssuccess.com

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Data Center: Turning Data into Information and Information into Insight

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nternet and digital technology has transformed our beloved planet. Devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other have changed the way we live and interact. However, behind the revolution of the internet and digital technology, Data Centers play a huge role. They work round the clock just to fetch important user data within a fraction of a second. According to a recent survey, more than sixty seven percent of the respondents anticipate that at least half of their all IT resources will be in the cloud by the next two years, whereas forty four percent assume that at least three quarters of their data will be on cloud during the same time frame. However, many of the respondents think security is the biggest challenge that migration to the cloud poses. Alongside, Data Centers have already made headlines due to high energy consumption, which has eventually led to the introduction of newer cooling techniques.

In the same enthusiasm, we have shortlisted “The 10 Best Performing Data Center Solutions Providers 2017”, where we are highlighting the companies that are transforming the industry in a positive way.

Our cover story DigiPlex is the Nordic leader for innovative and sustainable Data Centers, specialized in delivering best in class services to its customers by delivering tailored, secure and resilient environments with the highest possible availability. Additionally, all the DigiPlex Data Centers consume electricity only produced from sustainable sources.

It is always quite fascinating to know the story of every company that we have listed: AiNET: A Data Center which seeks to reduce the complexity of IT for clients so they can focus on their core business, Camfil: A global leader in air filtration services, providing best-in-class products and services for Data Center facilities, DataHub: It is the up-andcoming end-to-end service provider for ICT services, Deltalis: One of the world’s most secure, stable and innovative data centers, located on the borders of the greater Zurich area in Switzerland, which provides a unique environment for data centers, Sybyl Kenya Ltd: The Kenya based company understands Business Objectives of its clients and provide Solution which fits their IT Road map and budget, phoenixNAP: Incorporating flexibility into each of its service options so that clients can maintain the needed agility to support their business and IT growth, R&M (Reichle & DeMassari AG): With all its high level of product quality and innovative, forward-looking system design, the company ensures that networks are future-proof and investments secure for the long term, NTT Communications: for providing a wide range of innovative global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions, Degree Controls, INC: for providing great airflow and thermal management solutions for the most demanding applications.

Also, while flipping the pages of the magazine, don’t forget to go through, ‘Data Center Security: Controlling Possible Threats’ and ‘Data Center Migration – Impacting Businesses with Endless Possibilities’ from the Editor’s Desk. Connecting Dark Data with IoT, by Adrian Hinrichsen, Marketing & Business Development Director of Datumize and Data Center Trends are Demanding Hardware that is as Flexible as Software, by Ravi Thummarukudy, CEO Mobiveil, Inc, from the Leader’s desk.

Byrne Murphy Chairman & Founder

COVER STORY

The Leader for Innovative and Sustainable Data Centers

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ith just about every aspect of global business becoming digital at its core, the demands for larger, faster and more efficient data storage have never been greater. Like all aspects of business technology, the data center market is evolving in reaction to this demand, with innovative new solutions to address a wide range of challenges, including cost, security, scalability, speed and sustainability.

One company that has emerged to set the standards for the next generation of data center solutions is DigiPlex, a company which has put fresh thinking, innovation and foresight at the core of its strategy.

DigiPlex is the Nordic leader in next-generation, environmentally friendly and extremely cost-effective data center services and solutions. Founded in 2000, the company set out to revolutionise its market by leveraging both the incredible geographic and political advantages of the Nordic region, then overlaying this advantage with bestin-class thinking about how data centers can and should be set up.

Location, Location, Location – Why the Nordics?

“US companies will increasingly host their data in the geography where it makes most business sense.”- Byrne Murphy, Chairman and founder One of the unalienable advantages DigiPlex has over global competitors is its geography. DigiPlex data centers are located across the Nordic region, an area which boasts of its excellent fibre infrastructure, but also one which offers several other key advantages to customers around the world.

The combination of naturally low prices and recent legislation which nearly eliminated all tax on power also makes Nordic electricity very inexpensive. As an example, a US firm deploying 12MW over 10 years will save $100+ million just by placing their data center in the Nordics over an equivalent in the UK. This is just based on the difference in the cost of power.

There are natural advantages as well. Cooling plays a major role in data center upkeep. Many data centers based closer to tech hubs in the US or Asia must fight their own climate to keep their servers running. The cool Nordic climate favours extremely efficient and sustainable operations.

Putting innovation to work “Innovation needs to be a collective state of mind. Embrace it and thrive, or ignore it and, eventually, die” - Byrne Murphy, Chairman and founder The local advantages DigiPlex is positioned to offer are significant, but what truly makes DigiPlex a global leader is its culture of continuous innovation. With the goal of offering the greatest possible level of flexibility and trustworthiness, DigiPlex has consistently worked to introduce more and better high-quality products. The selfimposed pressure to innovate and update is relentless.

DigiPlex understands that once a data center is built, it’s already time to re-evaluate it. In early 2016 a team of experts from DigiPlex set out to make fundamental improvements to the energy efficiency and resilience of their live data center at Ulven in Oslo, which was been operating 17 years without a second of down-time.

The complex improvements involved creating state-of-theart Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) by rebuilding the units in-situ, as well as modifying the chilled water pumps. For performing such an extensive upgrade and maintaining zero down-time, DigiPlex was awarded the “Above and Beyond Award” at the annual DataCloud Europe Awards 2017.

Illustrating how integral cooling can be to delivering value to customers, DigiPlex data centers also feature the company’s own award-winning design for Air-to-Air evaporative cooling systems. Leveraging the advantages of the cool, moist climate, this solution delivers natural, free cooling to the many thousands of heat-generating servers housed in each facility. The design works in concert with nature to save energy, reduce costs and decrease the environmental footprint.

Fresh thinking beyond technology Truly embracing a culture of innovation, also means ensuring it’s applied every corner of the business operations, procurement, design, sales, HR and especially financial growth.

DigiPlex projects are 100 percent funded by its own equity at launch, and this financial strategy is maintained until there is sufficient cashflow to attract debt on appealing

COVER STORY

terms. The Finance team is constantly comparing structures and securities in the capital markets from Oslo to London to New York and back to Stockholm, in pursuit of truly “valueadded” debt.

In 2015, DigiPlex issued a publicly listed bond for the debt required to construct a new Norwegian data center, and did so before their first brick was even laid. This bond was the first of its type in the data center sector in Europe and, in fact, in the world. The issuance was oversubscribed and it meaningfully lowered the cost of capital. The innovative bonds were are primary contributor to DigiPlex Chairman Byrne Murphy being awarded the 2016 ’Data Industry Achievement Award’ – an award which recognizes one individual who has made a significant contribution to the data center industry.

What global data center customers want: consistency and flexibility “Our data centers have a 17-year track record of 100 percent uptime.” Byrne Murphy, Chairman and founder Data centers have become so essential to a business’ and to government operations that no Board of Directors or government minister wants to risk placing their mission critical data with a young or untested data center operator. DigiPlex has a 17-year track record that conclusively proves it is a truly international leader in the data center space.

DigiPlex centers are managed to comply with the latest International Standards Organization’s requirements on quality (ISO 9001), security (ISO 27001) and environmental management (ISO 14001). The

continued compliance with these standards will ensure that the facilities meet, and often exceed, the level of service demanded by customers.

Because the DigiPlex team manages all aspects of a data center’s life cycle, including financing, building, and operating the data centers, all DigiPlex customers have to do is accept the key and move in.

Being a consistent provider does not mean being inflexible one. Flexibility is one of DigiPlex’ core differentiators.

DigiPlex enables its customers to grow their business as part of an interconnected ecosystem for critical digital operations. DigiPlex’s customers are companies which stretch across the corporate spectrum, from fast growing cloud players to leading financial firms. Considerable time is spent upfront with each customer to understand their strategy, to customize a data center solution which supports their particular business requirements, and to reduce their operating costs.

A business founded on experience and insight With over 25 years’ experience of making and managing propertyanchored investments and businesses in the USA and across Europe, Byrne Murphy, the Chairman and Founder of DigiPlex, started the company in 2000 after recognizing the need for clean, highly efficient data center solutions in Europe.

Throughout his career, Byrne has focused on innovation within the capital-intensive property industry. For the past several decades he has imported new, innovative concepts from the United States into Europe, from outlet centers, to private residence clubs and data centers. As an

entrepreneur always seeking to create an energizing corporate culture that reinforces high performance, Byrne credits his success to what he describes as broadly American attributes of pragmatism, optimism and realism.

There were very few people in the industry 15 or 20 years ago who foresaw demand for data storage becoming this big, this fast. The consequence is that nearly all companies developed a pressing and rising demand for data center solutions.

Predictably, as this escalated, operating costs became a key concern. That is where Byrne saw a compelling opportunity for a sustained competitive advantage by focusing on the Nordic region.

The future of data centers – balancing demand against the need for better solutions “DigiPlex’s sustainability focus is integral to our corporate strategy. We are constantly incorporating green solutions and innovating to bring our PUE down even further.” - Byrne Murphy, Chairman and founder There are a wide range of drivers that are putting data center solutions at the top of global businesses’ list of priorities. The demand for competitive solutions has been on the rise for quite some time, spurred on by familiar macro business drivers such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

However, the global explosion of the most prolific data consumers, smartphones and internet of things (IoT) devices, have accelerated demand faster than many people thought possible. According to IBM,

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Delivering a sustainable, future-fit data center solution is our core mission

In a world with ever-growing energy consumption and data generation, energy efficient data centers have never been more vital. In fact, the world’s data centers now uses more power than the whole of Britain, a level of demand that experts predict will double in every four years.

DigiPlex has positioned itself to address these growing demands, through innovation, location and a laser focus on its customers. However, there is another incredibly pressing issue that will soon become a central feature of all data center considerations: the environment.

Delivering a sustainable, future-fit data center solution “Digitization needs to be a step on the way for the world going green. The data center industry’s current power consumption and emissions are not sustainable for the long term. This is a big issue that cannot be ignored, whether from societal or sustainability standpoint.” - Byrne Murphy, Chairman and founder The data center industry is very solidly in the high growth stage, with robust margins and high-profile customers gobbling up more and more space and power. However, currently there is relatively little attention paid to the carbon footprint of data centers, and similarly little taxation or penalty associated with housing data in inefficient or power-hungry centers. DigiPlex is one of the few providers in the world which can offer incredible long-term insulation against future carbon-cost charges or bad publicity related to ‘dirty data’.

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90 percent of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years.

Today, data centers are responsible for 2% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions. If we consider the macro-drivers mentioned earlier, this is just a sliver of the impact our industry may come to have on our planet in the years to come. Businesses and the data centers that support them will both need to take responsibility for their environmental footprint, and very likely sooner than they think.

Organisations such as Greenpeace, with their Click and Clean campaign, are raising urgent awareness of the impact of ‘dirty data’. It’s not out of the question to assume that in the years to come, governments will be pressured to introduce penalties and tariffs on companies and data centers using dirty power, making complacency even more costly.

In addition to a reduced need for power in general, all of DigiPlex’s data centers run on 100% renewable energy, which offers customers an extremely low carbon footprint.

DigiPlex has the advantage of being powered entirely by clean and renewable energy. That doesn’t mean the company takes its responsibility for the environment any less seriously. However data centers draw their power, they produce massive amounts of excess heat. DigiPlex intends to continue leading the industry by recycling this energy back into the system and use it to heat thousands of homes.

This would create a sustainable ecosystem which minimizes overall power usage and best utilizes the world’s resources.

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Company Name

Management

Brief

AiNET www.ai.net

Deepak Jain, Founder and CEO

AiNET is a leading data center solution providing company.

By leveraging data centers, networks and hybrid-cloud technologies, AiNET seeks to reduce the complexity of IT for clients so they can focus on their core business

Camfil www.camfil.co.uk

Joe Gorman, Comfort Air Product Manager of Camfil Americas

Camfil is the global leader in air filtration services, providing best-in-class products and services for data center facilities, around the globe.

DataHub www.data-hub.ch

Peter Gorini, CMO & Founder

Swiss-based DataHub is the up-and-coming end-to-end service provider for ICT services: uncomplicated, flexible and, as an SME, also extremely personal.

Degree Controls www.degreec.com

Jag Sisodia, President & CEO

Degree Controls provides great airflow and thermal management solutions for the most demanding applications.

Deltalis SA www.deltalis.com

Frank Harzheim, CEO

Deltalis is one of the world’s most secure, stable and innovative data centers, located on the borders of the greater Zurich area in Switzerland, which provides a unique environment for data centers.

DigiPlex www.digiplex.com

Byrne Murphy, Chairman & Founder

DigiPlex is the Nordic leader for innovative and sustainable data centers, specialised in delivering best-in-class services to its customers by delivering tailored, secure and resilient environments with the highest possible availability. All DigiPlex data centers consume only electricity produced from sustainable sources

NTT Communications www.us.ntt.com

Tetsuya Shoji, President & CEO

NTT Communications provides a wide range of innovative global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions.

PhoenixNAP www.phoenixnap.com

Ian McClarty, President

PhoenixNAP is a Global IT service provider that offers state-of-the-art data center facilities and caters to the infrastructural needs of every organization with its efficient solutions.

www.rdm.com

Michel Riva, CEO

R&M (Reichle & De-Massari AG) has developed and produced cabling olutions for high-end communication networks since 1964. With its high level of product quality and innovative, forward-looking system design, the company ensures that networks are future-proof and investments secure for the long term.

Sybyl Kenya Ltd. www.sybyl.com www.gestaltgild.com

Anil Kuruvilla, Vice Chairman

Sybyl Kenya Ltd. is a team of people with unique capability of looking at things in different way.Which understand your Business Objectives and provide Solution which will fit your IT Road map and budget.

R&M (Reichle & De-Massari AG)

AiNET: Deepak Jain Founder & CEO

Delivering Innovative and Secure Data Services

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The future of data centers is in the cloud.

The data centers that don’t adapt will get left behind

eepak Jain, CEO and founder of AiNET has a pretty revolutionary idea: that data centers aren’t supposed to be a commodity anymore. For too long, he believes, data center services providers have only delivered three things – pipe, power and ping. The old concept of treating data centers as a commodity product has been hurting the very businesses that it was meant to serve, and has resulted in a decline in the industry. The end-users have been forced to maintain layers of staff to handle hardware and software for years.

He hopes to change that formula, and his company is blazing the trail forward by combining layers of managed services within the data center, consolidating networks and cloud as well as colocation under one vendor. He aims to change the way businesses look at their data center partner.

AiNET’s model allows businesses to offload a number of complex technology tasks and processes, and

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free up the staff and resources to focus on their core business – not their technology. AiNET’s primary focus over their 25 years in business primary focus has always been to reduce the complexity for clients by adding layers of value to the data center services stack.

By providing meaningful layers of data center services, access to private cloud infrastructure and high-speed networks connecting production and disaster recovery sites, AiNET stands alone in the industry. The dedicated team at AiNET unlocks the power of their clients’ IT systems to help them achieve their mission and accelerate their growth. Founded in 1993, AiNET is a leader in the design, construction, operation, and support of internet data centers, fiber optic networks, big data analytics and secure public/hybrid cloud and enterprise clouds. Rather than just a commodity, AiNET treats the entire data center sector as an opportunity to streamline client’s processes and leverage their infrastructure to maximize value for the customer.

July 2017 |

How AiNET stays ahead of the Data Center industry The Founder and CEO of AiNET, Deepak Jain has been at the forefront of the hosting and data center services since 1993. His ability to understand and predict industry shifts has allowed the company to undertake a number of their own IT transformations to meet their customers where the market is taking them. With his rich experience in the field of information technology, the company has smoothly undergone many IT transformations to meet the needs of their customers in response to an ever-changing market. Massive investments in both R&D and infrastructure have helped AiNET to remain at the cutting edge, from complex data services and fiber optic network rings to Exabyte-level cloud solutions.

For AiNET, service delivery is the most important of their customer engagements. With AiNET’s cutting edge cloud technologies, companies can stay ahead of the curve with respect to the data center industry. Businesses are now pushing more applications and processes towards the cloud. AiNET is unique for the way that they take complex data center managed services, high-speed networks and hybrid cloud technologies and unite them under one roof. AiNET is also known for their unique value-added proposition which allows their customers to streamline their IT processes and benefit from exceptional value, transparency and agility.

For Jain, however, the true advantage comes in listening to, and understanding, his clients’ needs. “It all comes down to listening and tending to the clients’ needs, asking them where they need to go, and setting the strategy forward from that point on. If you aren’t listening to your clients, how can you give them the services they need?”

Keeping clients safe The question keeping many CTOs up at night is, “are my company’s data and systems safe?” AiNET recognizes that their clients place great faith in them, entrusting them with the security and integrity of their data. In order to protect their clients, the company has built an impressive portfolio of secure networks and redundant data centers, all built to withstand whatever disasters the world can throw at them.

AiNET specializes in premium colocation services, production and disaster recovery sites, as well as hybrid cloud systems which help organizations with IT transformation. AiNET’s series of data centers are built to offer industry leading redundancy and security.

AiNET’s four data centers are connected by AiNET’s

July 2017 |

privately held 10,000 fiber mile network. The fiber allows for synchronous replication and mirrored sites throughout the network, providing uninterrupted service and exceptional service continuity in the face of emergency events. The redundant, secure network allows the firm to offer an industry leading 100% up-time SLA. “When we enter into a contract with a client, we recognize that it is more than just business,” says Jain.

“Our contracts are a promise to our clients. We promise to keep their systems safe, to keep them running and functioning at the highest levels. And when we make promises, we will do anything to keep them. We do this because we know that, once our clients have peace of mind about their critical technology systems, they can now get back to focusing on what their core business is.

It gives them the freedom to dream bigger, and that means really exciting things begin to happen for them.”

The road ahead AiNET is on an expansionary path, looking to expand into new markets, both geographically, vertically and in regards to product refinement. As the company continues to add world-class cloud and data center services, customers benefit from increased efficiency, transparency and cost-savings while reducing the complexity of their systems.

“The future of data centers is in the cloud,” says Jain.

“It’s the way the industry is going. The data centers that don’t adapt will get left behind. Good thing for us, we’ve seen this trend coming for years and are developing the services and products that clients don’t even know they need yet,” he says.

AiNET is focusing on two separate development routes: increasing the efficiency, receptiveness and the economics of the cloud and leveraging the data center environment to provide more complex and transformational data center services. Just recently, AiNET added their first third-party SOC to their Beltsville, Maryland data center, providing a more advanced level of cyber security coverage within the network. In addition, productized solutions in the cloud storage and VM space are presenting AiNET clients’ with more specialized ways to hybridize and simplify complex IT environments.

“I think a lot of service providers are nervous about the future: about the transition to the cloud, the move to everything As-A-Service, the gigantic requirements for bandwidth, for storage, for compute,” says Jain. “At AiNET, we’re not nervous at all. The future is what we’ve been working towards my entire life.”

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Thought Leader

J. Mark MacDonald Founder / CEO Canada151 Data Centers Inc.

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July 2017 |

o WEARABLE COMPUTING

–WHERE EVERYTHING IS ADDRESSABLE

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t Canada151 Data Centers we try to keep a finger on the pulse of all changes in the IT landscape and we are keen observers and participants in the ongoing debate between cloud, private cloud (and all other variations), and dedicated infrastructure.

From a financial perspective I liken that debate to a comparison of renting a car, from any of the national rental companies, versus buying a car – which comes down to how frequently you need it and whether the daily rental meets your particular needs.

That debate is further clouded by data residency issues (no pun intended), which may dictate against public cloud for sensitive data.

And as we all should know, not all clouds are the same. AWS and Azure is one shape and size; the private and public cloud providers in our data center is another shape and size, with multiple variations in between. IT applications can be generic but many are specialized / customized and don't work on a generic AWS / Azure platform.

Next up in the evolution is the IoT – internet of things – wearable computing – where everything is addressable – and including very time sensitive apps. In a nutshell, cloud is / can be relatively slow; and for any applications employing vast amounts of data (Netflix, Film and TV Production Industry etc) and speed, latency matters; therefore location matters (as well as direct connectivity). This demand is / will be huge. As one pundit exclaimed: what happens when all of our refrigerators order milk at the same time!

As a relative newcomer to the industry with a background in finance, I would also perceive a huge knowledge and understanding gap between IT and the rest of most companies. IT can appear to the un-initiated to be the world's largest, most complicated and expensive black box. I would perceive that this may be a significant contributor to calls for complete IT outsourcing or at least cost reduction.

As a solution provider to end clients, this overall confusion can create significant impediments to adoption of best practices – including what should be simple but is not: back-up and disaster recovery. Over the past 25 years (most of the history of the internet), I have served on the Board of numerous companies, public and private, small and large; I can count on one hand the number of board room discussions concerning back-up and DR, or risk mitigation of any type regarding critical data loss.

July 2017 |

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The happy news is that from my perspective, the options available to most companies of all sizes has never been better. Connectivity, processing and storage costs will continue to drop. There is no one set solution for companies but current and future technology is such that demands of all types can be met. Big public cloud, small public cloud, private cloud, dedicated, on premise, off premise, etc., high speed, big connectivity can all be accessed and utilized to minimize IT costs. But all solutions must be business based, working from the business need to the IT solution. And all IT solutions should be benchmarked to minimize cost.

Lastly, all solutions must be based on rock solid and highly secure and redundant power, connectivity and cooling infrastructure. Grids will go down, not if but when. Mechanical devices, generators, UPS, HVAC will cease to function, not if but when (if maintained properly and replaced appropriately, very rarely). Loss of data is another when, not if. The problem is that it happens infrequently, so consequences are difďŹ cult to understand and inertia sets in. People didn't stop smoking when presented with proof that it would kill them in 50 years – the consequence was too far off and hence of low practical probability.

Data loss and outages have low frequency but are hugely impactful; Again, not if but when. Regret is huge – ever lost your laptop, without having a backup?

These events, while infrequent but catastrophic, can be mitigated by best businesses practices which means frequent backup to a highly redundant infrastructure. But risk mitigation culture starts at the top.

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July 2017 |

Editor’s Pick

DATA CENTER SECURITY: T

he rise in cyber-crimes is one of the main causes of Data center outages. As per the recent survey conducted by industry insiders, cyber-crime caused 22 percent data center outages in 2015 opposed to 2 percent outages in 2010. Adding to all these, now most of the data centers are re-evaluating their security policies after the recent WannaCry ransomware attack.

Data center outages cause companies to loss revenue in many ways. However, the costliest loss is service interruption and loss of IT productivity. So, the organizations are now realizing that traditional security is no longer secure enough to secure any data center. A recent study has found that 83 percent of traffic travels east/west within the data center, which stays undetected by the perimeter security. In this environment, when an attacker infiltrates the perimeter firewall, then can jump across the system with ease, extract information and compromise valuable data. Additionally, data centers can fail due to trespassers or a terrorist attack or by natural calamities.

So, how can one secure a data center in the best way possible from any kind of cyber threat? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered, with the points below.

As the first step, one should Map the Data Center and flag the hackers within the virtual and physical infrastructure.

The CSOs and CIOs with a system map of their systems can react to any suspicious activity and take steps to stop data breaches. Being able to visualize different traffic patterns within a network helps to understand threats, that eventually elevates the level of security.

Understanding and measurement of traffic flow within the data center boundary are very important. In the case of any interruption in traffic across east/west vs north/south, protected vs unprotected one can get to know about a threat.

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Additionally, vulnerable zones and unprotected traffic need to be monitored for a better result.

Firewall rules need to be defined and implemented as per requirements. Additionally, one should allow traffic only after thorough verification and selectively allow communication to ensure maximum protection. The key is to identify, what;s legal and secured and what can be blocked to enhance security.

One needs to Build a Team with executives who understand how traffic flows within the premises and can access & secure information, take necessary measures to secure important assets along with the implementation of roadblocks for the attackers.

Security must move as fast as a data center’s technology adoption and integration.

Security Strategy Should Change Alongside the Technology and it should not be treated as an add-on option. Additionally, businesses also should ensure that their virus protection, signatures other protection features are up to date for better protection.

Businesses should Identify and Place Controls over highvalue assets, which will help to reduce risk. However, older security solutions are completely blind to new threats, new security companies have produced latest solutions that protect data in the virtual world.

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Possible Threats Access Restriction also needs to be imposed. Every business should thoroughly check a person’s background before giving the access to a prized possession. Access to the main site and the loading bay must be limited, additionally, two-factor authentications and fortified interiors with security guards and roving patrols would help to safeguard the employees and the data center.

Installing Surveillance Cameras around the data center, alongside removing signs which may provide clues to its function helps to locate an intruder. A buffer zone between the data center and all the entry points will limit unlawful trespassing to a great extent. Additionally, the data center needs to be far away from the main road and it should not have any windows other than administrative purposes for better security.

A data center should Check Test Back-Up Systems regularly as prescribed by the manufacturer. It should also ensure to make a list and of Do’s and Don’ts in the event of an attack. Recovery plans and security plans also need to be checked thoroughly.

Data centers are always a Soft Target for The Terrorists, as an attack on them can disrupt and damage major business and communication infrastructure. So, security needs to be taken seriously and to do that proactive steps should be taken to limit the impact of a terrorist attack.

Trained Security Guards needs to be posted inside a data center and they should be well trained. Security officers must undergo strict site-specific training to monitor surveillance footage. Depending on the size of data center and the number of security cameras multiple security officers may be required on duty. Security officers dedicated to inspecting surveillance footage helps when it comes to securing a data center.

Disaster Recovery is very much important, that must be in place. If the data center stops functioning after an attack or natural calamity, it must have a way to restore operations as soon as possible. To be ready for a disaster and to evaluate the disaster recovery plan, it’s necessary to train staffs well and experience simulated disasters.

To avoid these obstacles, one needs a fair bit of knowledge of new security systems, solid plans, and comprehensive visibility. The more work a data center can do up front in the above-mentioned areas the better the chances of success with lesser outages.

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Camfil: Joe Gorman Comfort Air Product Manager of Camfil Americas

Bringing Efficient Air Filtration into the World of Data Centers

S Reducing Energy Consumption while Protecting Your Indoor environment is the foundations in which Camfil was built on

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ince the inception of the Internet in 1960’s, our world has been revolving through data centers.

The ever-rising demand of the society for prompt and rapid information has led to the continual growth of data centers, further boosted by cloud backup, audio/video streams, and social networking services. The need for centralized facilities for enhanced service providers like Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and others are well-known to all. But with over 3 million data centers in the United States itself, there is an exponential requirement for an air-conditioned environment, free from air contaminants. There is a prevalent concern amongst environmental experts about the quality of air emitted and the volume of energy expended inside these data centers. With the enormous amount of energy consumed by these facilities, data centers have become a rich source of outdoor and indoor pollution. Camfil, a global leader in the air filtration industry, provides air filters to various noteworthy data center facilities to

help them maintain their flow of information.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Camfil is globally recognized for its Clean air solutions that benefit human health, increases productivity and reduces energy consumption. For over 50 years, Camfil has strived to provide its vast customer base with the best-inclass air filtration products and services. Camfil is the world’s largest developer and manufacturer of air filters and other relevant products, with over 26 manufacturing plants, 6 R&D sites, 65 international sales offices and 3800 employees at its disposal. Data Centers consume 2% of all the electricity used in the United States, within which, 32% of that is used by air-conditioning systems, making air filters a major player in reducing energy costs. Camfil’s innovative solutions, specifically designed for data centers, have helped reduce energy expenses up to 40% in many cases.

This reduction cannot be seen through traditional air filtration products.

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Providing Solutions to Data Centers That Guarantees Performance To manage the pressure-drop and maintain optimum fan efficiency, it is imperative to evaluate the choice of filters being used in a data center facility. Camfil Hi-Flo and Opakfil filters are certified by Eurovent and ISO-16890 to ensure its optimum energy efficiency and guaranteed performance level. Camfil uses a proprietary blend of fine fibers that wields a mechanical particle captured principle which does not require any electrostatic charge, thereby extending the longevity and lowering the average pressure drop of the filter. This means that the air filters can last longer, reducing operational downtime as well as reducing energy consumption. Though, data centers consume an astronomical amount of energy, Camfil has documented a significant energy saving by as much as six figures annually. In addition to the filters used in HVAC systems, Camfil Air Purifiers and Air Cleaners provide clean air services to data center areas that require a higher level of cleanliness. It is used to supplement HVAC systems, that lack the clean air performance to maintain the integrity of data centers.

Catering to the Current Data Center Solution Industry It is no secret that a growing number of industry platforms are shifting their focus towards Data Center solutions provided by companies that once solely focused on other areas such as Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals. It is clearly evident that this segment is fast becoming the center stage for industry professionals and companies to showcase their expertise, products, and services. The growth of the Data Center industry has given Camfil further scope to offer products that reduce energy consumption and provides a healthy indoor environment. The Swedish company always had a nucleus focus on manufacturing filter products with extended life, without compromising on the indoor air quality. They offer constant education of standards such as ISO-16890 that especially delves on PM1 (Particulate Matter @ 1-micron diameter). In addition to that, Camfil also provides inspection services to data centers to ensure that the filtration system is operating in an effective manner. Their CamField Mobile Lab, in-situ testing, and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis software helps determine the best performance results for a data center facility. Camfil's products bring forward the positive contribution in reducing energy, wastage and carbon footprint emission, while comparing with any offering from a competitor.

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The Man Behind the Data Center Products Joe Gorman, Comfort Air Product Manager of Camfil Americas, is the visionary behind the products supplied to data center facilities. Prior to his present position, he worked at Camfil as a Research and Development engineer for 8-long years. It was Joe Gorman’s invaluable skills and expertise which led him to design and launch products such as FastFrame, Hi-Flo ES and Durafil ES2 in America. He boasts a highlyqualified educational background, that includes a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He followed that up by obtaining a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

Staying Unique yet Relevant For many years now, Camfil has been at the forefront of providing accurate and best-in-class filters for usage in all data center facilities. They invest massively in R&D and product development to ensure each of their product suffices the requirement for a safe working environment.

They follow the requisite indoor air quality guidelines, i.e., EN-16798 to protect People, Patients, and Products from harmful particles and gas emissions. Camfil has employed people in all respective corners to serve the soaring demands of the Data Center facilities. This includes Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and Food & Beverage industries, who have very strict requirements for their provision of air controlled environments.

Another unique service provided by Camfil is its routine inspection and certification services to data centers through ISO-29462. With this field-monitoring service in place, Camfil ensures that the indoor conditions are ideal and energy consumption is kept to a minimum.

The Future Innovation One of Comfil’s latest innovations is the ISA Check II product, that allows accurate corrosivity measurement of air in real-time. This tool is of immense significance as it protects valuable electronic equipment and other objects from corrosion caused by airborne acidic gases. It measures and registers the changes over time in Electrical Resistance (ER) of a thin metal track applied on an insulating substrate. It then measures the loss of metal thickness, that provides a direct correlation to corrosivity. Through this, the filter selection can be analyzed in-depth and the costs associated with the same can be determined.

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DataHub: Peter Gorini CMO & Founder

A Refreshingly Different Service Provider

T End-to-end service.

Refreshingly different

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he demand for the data center providers is growing exceptionally over the years.

Data center organizations often need to implement the state of the art hardware to process, store and manipulate data.

Many times, various companies build their own data center, but it consumes time and resources. So, when organizations want to use their resources in a different way and when they don’t want to invest in a data center, then they are depended on data center service providers, which is far more cost effective and easier to use rather than setting up a personal data center. With innovative and groundbreaking data center solutions, enters Switzerland-based DataHub, an up-and-coming end-to-end service provider for ICT services, which are uncomplicated, flexible and, as an SME, also extremely personal. The Swiss company provides unique endto-end services related to data centers, connectivity and the cloud to service providers and business customers, with

a small but experienced team of 15 professionals. Established in Winterthur and Biel their service is based on the company’s own data centers which will be fully operational by the end of 2017. The data centers are further complimented by the company’s 2,600 kilometers long fiber optic network for better service.

Providing Unique and Capable Services and Solutions DataHub Data Center Cloud and DataHub UCC Cloud are the best solutions and services provided by the company. With the Data Center Cloud Services, the company designs, creates and operates its client specific cloud platform, which lets the client concentrate on their core businesses.

As analog telephony will be a thing of past in Switzerland, an alternative, called Unified Communication & Collaboration (UCC) is soon going to take over. UCC has a lot more reach

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beyond the old school conventional telephony and provides voice communications, and, presence management, instant messaging, video and telephone conferences. Due to the flexible UCC cloud services offered by the company, their clients don’t need to invest in expensive communication platforms. With the help of DataHub, UCC cloud clients can integrate different mobile terminal devices of their employees securely into their network.

The Dynamic Founder Peter Gorini, CMO & Founder leads the DataHub team to achieve their goals and targets. He knows the IT industry very well, and as the Chief Marketing Officer, he works endlessly to consulting and developing specially tailored customer solutions and helping the company in making its presence felt with a twist. A few years ago, he took a chance to establish the company’s first data center in Switzerland and developed right after its network, and then went ahead to establish another data center in Biel.

DataHub’s Contribution in the Data Center Industry The data center industry is booming in the main cities of Europe which include London, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam. However, Switzerland lacks international customers mostly due to the small internet exchange and higher pricing. So, DataHub is offering value for money and a wider range of services with data exchange rate of up to 100Gbps. For better customer satisfaction, the data centers are accessible to its clients round the clock via biometric access control.

Serving Clients with State of the Art Facilities DataHub helps its clients to free up their own resources and place their data in the company’s modern, extremely energy-efficient, and secured data centers of Biel or Winterthur. Customers have upper hand when it comes to choosing the co-location option, which can be a halfrack, a private room or a personal cage. In addition to all these, customer data is always protected in DataHub, thanks to the strict Swiss data protection law, low-risk sites, and fully redundant technical infrastructure. The data centers are designed to be extremely energy efficient and they have achieved an extremely commendable PUE value of less than 1.35.

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Evolving with Technology According to the company, they want to be quicker and leaner than their competition. Additionally, with the advantage of being a start-up, they can adapt the market faster than their counterparts. However, the company is not at all unique in all means, yet with their own fiber optic cable network spread all over Switzerland, two data centers and innovative offerings, DataHub is its way to be a challenger to the two big players of Switzerland, UPC/Liberty Global and Swisscom.

Assurance of Quality DataHub always adheres to the national and international quality standards. Customers receive a guarantee of data and information as well as greatest possible operating sustainability. The DataHub Winterthur has ISO 27001 certification, which ensures the highest level of information security. Additionally, all data centers of DataHub meet the strict requirements of FINMA Circular RS 08/7. Additionally, the data centers correspond to the TIER III+ standards and are built & planned entirely in accordance with EN 50600.

Picture of the Bright Future DataHub aims to stabilize the business and become a serious threat to the leaders over the time period of next 2 years.

When it comes to the future of data centers, the trend is pointing towards the cloud, software, and infrastructure as a service. However, the trend is not new, but the company believes, it is on the edge and this year will be the breakthrough.

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Data Talk

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he usage of data has quickly become one of the biggest assets for any modern-day business or organization. Most businesses nowadays, depend on precise data accumulation and analytics to analyze and perform important decisions. With the increasing need for data storage and growth in technology, migration of data center is becoming a possible choice among the business owners. For many, even the idea of shifting a data center is a daunting prospect, filled with risk and pitfalls. On the contrary, investing appropriate time and finance in its planning and execution process can easily outweigh its potential difficulties.

Benefits of Data Center Migration Cost-effectiveness

overall efficiency. Data center migration involves an effective planning formulation and a thorough evaluation of the process. Migration helps to wipe out the inefficiencies of a company that was previously neglected due to its complications or which went overlooked. It does so, by evaluating the IT systems, its necessities and the processes involved.

Refined Security System It is no secret that protection of data is crucial for any business or organization. Data migrated into an efficient and updated system, enhances its security in the fastest way possible. When data is moved into an upgraded or modernized data center, whether it be physical or cloudbased, it guarantees the most advanced and relevant security measures for the data. Data center migration provides an opportunity to analyze the existing protocols.

Identifying the loopholes in the current data center security can help in preventing any future breaches, thereby refining the security system.

Even though migrating a data center has a huge expense associated with it but, in the long-run, this process can help to curb down the costs of the company. Some of the costs involved with data center include the cost of trained employees, device maintenance, rent expenses and utility bills. Adapting a data center migration process will point out the redundant data and permit the removal of those unnecessary data. This will, in turn, mean that there is a much more accessible space on the servers. Thus, the space available for rent, servers for maintenance and the physical sites for the data centers, will considerably decrease.

Companies that manage to have a successful data center relocation, enjoy newfound efficiencies that more than makes up for the time and capital spent on it. These companies tend to primarily focus on four key areas to ensure a smooth data center transition, they are as follows: -

Higher Rate of Efficiency

Regaining Application Knowledge

At a time when the company’s growth rate is faster than its storage capacity, temporary solutions are adopted that can further complexify the process, thereby decreasing its

While planning for data migration, it is of utmost importance to have a broad outlook and knowledge concerning the present computing environment. Sometimes,

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the applications may be aged or are in continuous usage since its inception. In such instances, there is no assurance whether the reports, documents or the instruction manuals have been kept up-to-date. This way, a company’s own knowledge regarding its data center will remain incomplete and inadequate, leading towards defects or failures in the system during the migration process. In order to rediscover the information and regain knowledge of those aged applications, network tracing tools can provide the ideal assistance.

includes extensive backups, purchase of faultless equipment, and encryption of data. If the applications which are being relocated are critical or of immense importance to the business, a trial migration process is always advisable.

Conducting this trial relocation in a test environment ensures the software to adapt to the new data center. Thus, the risks involved with migration can be assessed at an early stage and appropriate actions can be performed.

Recognizing the Network Peculiarities

In case a legacy application cannot adapt to the all-new data center after migration, a business has two options to deal with the situation. The first option requires a physical transfer from the present hardware to the new location.

Whereas the second option involves the usage of an emulator to ease the transfer process but it cannot always be executed due to coding. Performing changes in coding are both expensive and time-consuming but it can benefit the company in the long-run. Before the migration process starts, companies should ensure that an allowance is put in place for the possibility of code changes.

To migrate a data center successfully, there needs to be a predetermined space for each of the applications in the new network. It is essential for a company setting up this relocation, to consider all the aspects running within the system to ensure its optimum compatibility. Advanced planning is required to recognize and decide how to handle the applications that may not be compatible with the newer network security protocols and peculiarities.

Ensuring Compatibility of Applications

Reducing the Risk Involved While relocating data center, risks such as the potential loss of data and unplanned downtime need to be identified and mitigated. Minimizing such risks is essential as a company won’t be able to function without a vital business application for a long period of time. Migration procedure

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A well-thought-out plan with an effective execution of the data center migration can influence positive changes in

the operating environment of the business. All these changes can have a long-lasting effect on the daily activities and various business processes.

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Deltalis: Frank Harzheim CEO

The Secure and Stable Data Center with Innovative Solutions

C

Providing Hyper Security for a Changing world

onsidering the high turnover of ideas and fads, it is no wonder that companies’ and their offerings in terms of products and services constantly evolve. Everything is in motion, everything is flowing, and everything is changing. Ernest Hemingway once remarked , “Never mistake motion for action.” With the motion in the air, the industry of data center solutions seems to be moving into two camps: Businesses which provide data center based solutions and the Data Centers that provide the environment for them. Deltalis is one of the world’s most secure, stable and innovative data centers, one that is moving with the flow yet taking the necessary action to serve businesses with the best-in-class data solutions.

Falling into the second camp, Deltalis is known to provide a unique environment from which many of their clients provide data center solutions to businesses. Located on the borders of the greater Zurich area in Switzerland,

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Deltalis operates in a former Swiss military bunker, deep inside a Granite mountain. This highly functional location not only provides the company with unmatched security, but also a way to maintain efficient and green operations. It is developing the industry by making contributions like co-marketing with clients to help them grow their businesses and brands, fully customizable Enterprise disasterrecovery and backup, and providing cutting-edge KVMaaS to allow clients to manage their infrastructure from any part of the world.

The exemplary services delivered by Deltalis have garnered them positive responses from world-class clients and certifications from Eurocloud 4 and 5 star (secure cloud environment), ISO 27001, EMShield (fully EMP proof) and URstrom (100% green energy)..

Deltalis is known to be a proud associate of Asut, Vigiswiss, and the GCCM (Global Carrier Community).

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Located in a Former Swiss Military Bunker, Deep Inside a Granite Mountain Deltalis is situated in a facility which features two mountain water reservoirs providing a natural resource for cooling. The facility is situated in the heart of the Swiss Hydro-electric power industry and is in close proximity to one of Europe’s major backbone routes which provides Deltalis access to a wide choice of local and international connectivity providers. The datacenterconsists of three independent buildings within the mountain, with three floors each, providing more than 10.000 square meters of floor space, on a total terrain of 15,000 square meters. Deltalis is a fully private Swiss business, known to provide the best-in-class data location for data center operations.

Adapting to the Change Deltalis is consistently reviewing the market and constantly looking for scope for development. They claim that their area of expertise includes their mentality to adapt to the ongoing changes and staying ahead of time. Deltalis is known for their broad level of experience in the industry. This data center provider focuses primarily on innovation around cooling and currently they are working with leading industry vendors, for example onan immerse cooling showcase.

The company works very closely with their clients, especially with service providers to understand their future requirements, so as to continually evolve the environment for them.

Services which make Deltalis unique It is not only security that Deltalis is known for, the company is also known as a co-location specialist providing the high-quality racks, cages and private suites on a fully customizable model. To meet the specific requirements of the customers, this data center company provides flexible room or suite configuration, security setup, and power delivery services. Deltalis supports modern high-density deployments due to efficient cooling and natural advantages. In addition to pure colocation, it provides a very flexible remote hands-on service which helps them to support their customers from different parts of the world. The company has further introduced a Remote Management as a service solution which allows their customers to manage their infrastructure in Deltalis anytime and from anywhere in the world as if they are physically present in the data center.

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While continuing to grow their ecosystem of cybersecurity and connectivity providers, Deltalis is further enhancing their physical security. This ultimate combination of physical and cyber security together, within the secure and independent location of Switzerland, makes Deltalis unique and an ultra-secure data center.

Led by a Veteran in the Industry Frank Harzheim, CEO at Deltalis, is a veteran of the Telco and data center Industry. Frank is a man with rich work-experience. He has served for some of the most best-known multinationals around the world. From being a Sales Director in Europe at Siemens to Director of EMEA Territory Sales at Emerson Network Power, Frank has been known as a man of wide experience. He has received his Master’s degree in Economics/ Management from Fern Universität in Hagen. His knowledge, expertise, and experience have earned him a broad perspective on the challenges and the required developments faced by data centers. Frank is known to manage many challenges, like the need to support ever higher density deployments and to improve the efficiency of the data center . Under Frank’s leadership, Deltalis enjoys a stable and growing business, and their clients take the pleasure of using virtual access to their infrastructure to manage any challenge, whenever it arises.

Planning Ahead Deltalis is quickly becoming specialized rather than remaining a type of data center to cover all use cases, for example, Disaster Recovery and Backup, Fintech such as Blockchain and payment services, secure cloud services and data archiving etc. The current scenario suggests that more and more data centers will evolve to fulfill the requirements for specific use-cases or industry verticals.

Deltalis is an organization which is ahead of the times and leading the trend, evolving to help clients better the company is at the forefront of the trend in providing a tailored environment for their client’s requirements.

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CONNECTING CXO Standpoint

DARK DATA

WITH IOT

T

he above infographic is astonishing when you really delve into the numbers. The last few years have been quite interesting when it comes to the IoT space.

I have personally taken a back seat and watched how the industry has sprouted, from an embryonic platform to an early catalyst for possibly becoming the next “Skynet� (no pun intended). For some time now pundits have been predicting great things for the Internet of Things (IoT),

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from smart cities and smart homes to smart energy grids, driverless cars and autonomous robots. What is in no doubt are the number of “things” that now have “connected capability”, and it is rising fast; according to one leading analyst, 6.4billion connected things will be in use by the end of this year, an increase of 30% from last year, meaning 5million new things are being connected up to the internet every single day. The term internet of things (IoT) was coined round about the turn of the millennium and is widely held to mean the connection of “things”.

There are a number of factors driving IoT. First, consumers are demanding greater convenience, speed of delivery and personalisation of the goods and services they consume. There are also other drivers for the IoT explosion we are witnessing. The costs of infrastructure are on a downward trajectory. Sensors are becoming smaller, cheaper and more energy efficient and battery life is improving. The further innovation of cloud computing platforms and the emergence

of specialised IoT services on them mean that the data collection and analysis necessary for wide scale deployment are more accessible.

Here you can see one infographic from Deloitte in 2014 that shows the value they analysed for smart homes and smart cars.

Interestingly enough these percentages have not differed too much till now.

Is IoT Fact or Future?

IoT is right at the top of the “hype” cycle and firmly perched to what everyone is talking about.

Mckinsey & Co predict that the economic impact of the IoT could be between $3.9tn and $11.1tn per year by 2025. That is a huge industry considering it was only born 16 years ago.

One of the main question I get asked a lot is “where do you see IoT making the most advantage”?

Adrian Hinrichsen Marketing & Business Development Director, Datumize

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overcome if we are to achieve the holy grail of “smart Cities” and connection of things.

domestic/leisure, utilities/energy and transport/automotive. At Datumize we are seeing traction in all these sectors with each project very much different to the next. Our everyday environment is changing, sometimes without us even noticing, however our lives are being made easier for it.

Although we are moving quickly to an IoT environment, we are also facing “Barriers to connection”, where businesses and consumers do not share the same vision of IoT. One suspicion is the concern for security and how IoT technology could be hijacked and manipulated by those for ill intent.

Other factors are more technical in nature, and seem to be around operating systems, pricing and current offerings. All of these factors will have to be

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In Conclusion IoT is a concept which is no longer discussed only by technical scientists, it has very much moved into the mainstream. Certain industries have embraced IoT more than others, for example domestic/leisure, utilities and transport are leading the way. We are all consumers and citizens, and a great deal of education needs to occur before the reality of IoT is understood and accepted by us at large. Data is the key to IoT and organisations seems to want to get their hands on that “Dark data”, but do not know what to do with it once they have it, or how to turn it into a value for their business. It is here that obstacles occur in our everyday business environment as the resources needed have currently not been implemented into the infrastructure and this will not happen until businesses understand the value that is passing them by on a daily basis within their organisation.

IoT is potentially the most exciting technical revolution to have happened in a long time, and if we are able to help businesses and consumers connect in a smarter way, help build the resources and infrastructure to support this new environment, then the way we live and work will change forever, in a very positive way.

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Chalk Talk

Exigency of Energy Efficiency of Data Centers

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Chalk Talk

D

ata Centers are the powerhouses, whose engines are pumping blood through the arteries of global economy, while in the interim consuming a huge amount of energy. As much as we are depending on the data centers they are becoming convalescent towards energy efficiency as its scale is extraordinary.

The demand for data center capacity in the US grew enormously over the last five years, on the other hand, total data center energy consumption grew only inappreciably. As per the study, these energy efficiency improvements will have saved 620 billion kWh between 2010 and 2020.

But the question is will efficiency be the final answer? When at one end, data centers have cut out their energy consumption, on the other end, there are still software running in the highly inefficient data centers, small and mid-size enterprise IT facilities built a decade ago or even prior to the support applications for hospitals, banks, insurance companies, etc. There are energy problems the data center industry will have to face in the near future.

Well, the situation explains the need of improvement in the data center energy efficiency. Rather, it is the utmost need of the time. The function and objectives of a data center revolves around providing a secure physical space, ensuring the availability of power and environmental operating conditions best fit for the reliable operation of the IT equipment.

Furthermore, there is a range of complex business and technical issues which interact that can affect the design, on the same time, the present and future operating conditions over the operating life of the data center. Ergo, to fulfill the IT equipment environmental requirements as they continue to broaden in the future will remain an important factor for data centers to be efficient.

Ways to Lessen the Use of Energy What organizations can do is they can follow the ASHRAE thermal guidelines best fit for their business requirements. The hyperscale Internet and cloud service providers have different requirements and so they can use custom hardware made specifications. Obviously, the environmental specifications of that equipment may even be greater than the current A4 and so how to cool them will be a big decision. This is the reason that no particular recommended way can be helpful, as it will vary according to the data center's cooling system's energy efficiency.

‘Regulation’…Real Answer?

Some of us will say that the governmental regulation is the best fit when it comes to improve energy efficiency, let it affect the cost of building or operating cost of any type of building, counting data centers. Some of the others will say and agree that the inherent supporters of energy efficiency yet recognize that over-passionate and prescriptive mandatory measures are not the best one among all the methods, just because it can hamper this process.

Going totally other way, the traditional enterprise data centers colocation and cloud service providers are highly competitive businesses. Just because the TCO model they are following, congenitally drives them to improve their energy efficiency wherever possible. The cost of energy or local tax incentives and customer's market demands, and their own strategic technical and business objectives, are some of the other factors organizations can look after while making the decision. Forasmuch as, organizations should have the liberty and ability to build their facilities as per the customers need, and use whatever designs that will enable them to adapt to the best and most cost effective use of local conditions and resources.

The Future of the Industry When it comes to the future aspect, the data center industry has to look forward to the looming 4th edition of the TC9.9 Thermal Guidelines and the culmination of the 90.4 and 90.1 standards. Nevertheless, it is changing when it comes to historic industry practices that have inhibited many enterprise data centers from increasing their operating temperatures, due to perceived risk.

The greater understanding and interaction of facilities and IT operational management domains will prove to be beneficial to everyone. In this way, they can permit more power to be used for IT hardware, at the same time less for cooling the facility. In this way, the data centers can achieve the ultimate energy efficiency target by allowing the data center to install more IT equipment and computing capacity, without augmenting the total power used by the site.

Thus and so, data centers can improve the energy efficiency by incorporating the best fit guidelines for them.

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PhoenixNAP: Ian McClarty President

We enable companies to focus on their business objectives with the help of our technology experts and solutions

Delivering IT Services That Fulfill Diverse Infrastructural Needs of Companies

W

hether it be smart homes, internet-connected vehicles or the abundance of smart devices and sensors, digitalization is very much the norm today. The data generated by these devices are harnessed and analyzed behind the scenes to assist business decisionmaking. It is believed that by the year 2020, more than 7 billion people and almost 35 billion devices will be connected to the Internet. This will further increase the amounts of data which will require greater efficiency and speed in its manipulation, storage and transfer. To store and process these immense volumes of data Cloud, IaaS and Data Center solutions providers will keep playing center stage and have a great impact on performance of all kinds and sizes of businesses.

PhoenixNAP, a global IT service provider with six strategically located data centers worldwide, is one such company which is well-equipped to fulfill the diverse infrastructural needs of businesses of different sizes.

Since its inception in 2009, phoenixNAP’s mission has always been to provide best-in-class value and service to its vast customer base.

Through its high-density colocation,

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flexible storage, bare metal dedicated servers, hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) and globally available Hybrid and Private Cloud solutions, as well as backup and disaster recovery options, phoenixNAP responds to the surging market demands for reliable IT-based solutions. These services help customers achieve business continuity, data availability, and global connectivity. They remove the stress from the shoulders of the IT management to provide its clients with the scope of focusing on their core business processes.

Quality Services is their Best Business Strategy PhoenixNAP opened the door of its flagship data center back in 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, they have stepped on the rungs of opportunity to climb the ladder of success. Recent opening of two new data center locations based on customers’ demand has allowed phoenixNAP to add a secondary European location, assert its physical presence in Asia-Pacific expanding its previous U.S. and European assets, and grow in terms of both reputation and global footprint.

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Currently, PhoenixNAP’s service portfolio is truly diverse and is continuously expanding to meet the increasingly sophisticated market demands. PhoenixNAP is a VMware® Premier Service Provider and Veeam® Platinum Partner, and as such provides world's leading cloud, virtualization and disaster recovery technologies.

While providing colocation, Hybrid and Private Cloud, and hardware leasing services, phoenixNAP goes a great distance to offer advanced virtualization & hybrid solutions, managed services and a plethora of security solutions that include disaster recovery, backups, DDoS protection, and firewalls. With security continuing to be the hottest topic within the industry and the primary driver for new technology adoption in medium-sized and large business, phoenixNAP continues to to invest in developing security solutions as well as continuously improving its global networks and infrastructure.

Combining its in-house expertise and years of experience, latest systems, best security practices with the new-age technologies, enables them to offer a highquality business focused solution to their clients.

The Man Who Transformed his Vision into Action Ian McClarty, President of PhoenixNAP is the visionary who has spearheaded the company towards resounding success with his extensive knowledge and experience within the industry. A veteran in the IT sector with a comprehensive market knowledge has led the company from the front to make its vision a reality.

Ian boasts a proven track record in relationship building, vendor management, network operations, colocation, and data center administration, along with project methodology and processes, both at strategic and tactical levels. His continuous efforts have encouraged multiple departments of the organization to work together, thereby increasing the productivity of the company. Ian’s approach of Being the chief but not the Lord has made sure that each individual has a significant contribution to the company’s overall growth. He has also dedicated his time and effort to build effective relationships with their partners and clients, to develop a better understanding regarding their challenges and needs.

In education, he has worked to acquire an MBA from Thunderbird, The School of Global Management, and another MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. Add to that, he also holds a bachelor's degree in both Information Technology and Electronic Engineering Technology.

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Catering to the Evolving Data Center and Cloud Solutions Industry With the continual rise in popularity and adoption, the Data Center and Cloud Industry is at a booming phase .

More and more companies are realizing the current IT trends and the advanced options available for them to improve their operations. They are becoming increasingly aware and savvier about disaster recovery, business continuity and security in general. PhoenixNAP recognizes these evolving changes and is making security and compliance-ready solutions available for companies, which require to utilize technology to support their business objectives in order to remain relevant. By being actively involved in the industry events and the IT community, phoenixNAP can tailor solutions and services that meet the current market demands, ensuring a proliferating growth rate for businesses of all size and stature. Through its solutions that cater to every IT need, phoenixNAP enables a wider adoption of the latest and advanced technologies to help these companies grow. Their OpEx model is of immense importance as it represents an ideal way to cut infrastructure investment costs while leveraging the optimum potential of enterprise grade equipment and services.

Delivering What Others Promise Current business environment is incredibly dynamic, with a continuous need for innovation to stand out from the crowd and not amongst the crowd. PhoenixNAP goes beyond and above their contemporaries by not only developing new products and solutions, but also by interacting with the people, educating them about the existing trends and available solutions. They have constantly developed new and valuable partnerships to ensure their continuous growth by providing the latest industry solutions to their clients and partners.

PhoenixNAP believes that it is their qualified staff with specific skill sets, ideas, and approaches that make them unique and capable of adjusting to any IT requirement a company may have. They are all about offering new technology, solutions, and developments to its clients, helping them to stay ahead in this cut-throat fast-paced market. Even in the global market, where uniqueness is much harder to achieve, phoenixNAP differentiates itself through its personalized approach, expertise and comprehensive service portfolio. Being a Global IT service provider, they realize that it is essential to have an acute infrastructure in place that supports all regions of their operations, and they are facilitating the same through their inter-connectivity.

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Sybyl Kenya Ltd. : Mr. Anil Kuruvilla Vice Chairman

Delivering ICT Solutions for over 25 Years

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We deliver the best ICT enterprise services available in the East Africa Region

CT is the infrastructure and components that enable modern computing. However, the term is generally accepted to mean all devices that include networking components, applications, and systems that allow individuals and organizations to interact with digital world. Enters Sybyl Kenya Ltd., with the objective to provide strategic implementation and operational solutions for ICT enterprises, while enabling clients to integrate the best-of-breed solutions seamlessly. The company also brings together and implements end-to-end solutions applying the world’s best technologies in partnership with renowned, reliable and proven vendors.

Path Breaking Services The Systems Integrator is a leading cloud and data center solution provider that helps to identify the best approach by assessing workloads that can be moved to the cloud. With massive experience in deploying a multitude of cloud solution models, the organization

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assesses, builds and manages the cloud model that suits the requirements both individuals and clients. Sybyl is also a complete IT Service Management Solution Provider, supporting the entire server, network and security infrastructure of its customers, thus eliminating the need of in-house maintaining IT services.

Sybyl also looks after the security of its customers, and its team of experts work round-the-clock to ensure that the customers are secured. In addition, Sybyl offers managed services based on “As a Service� model, and is a leader regarding deploying backup and disaster recovery solutions. The organization assists customers to meet their RPO and RTO objectives by carving solutions that meet business demand on data availability.

The Man Who Took the Initiative Mr. Anil Kuruvilla the vice chairman of Sybyl group has been pioneer of introducing As a Service model in East

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Africa Sybyl’s first customer was Zain Uganda where Sybyl was offering hosted Exchange and Blackberry services to government institute in Uganda way back in 2007. Anil has been instrumental in driving innovation at Sybyl to introduce breakthrough solutions which were otherwise not available in East Africa. Sybyl has now 10+ years of experience in providing customized Managed Cloud Services for the companies in East Africa. Anil believes in taking enterprise class solutions to small and medium customers at affordable price.

Making the Industry Better The innovative solutions of Sybyl allow its customers to establish predictable IT management costs through a simple, firm-fixed-price agreement, without any term commitment. It also offers much-needed scalability based on user count, infrastructure landscape and usage.

Quick problem recognition and adequate diagnosis are much easier now, thanks to the remote monitoring technologies that have been deployed. Sybyl customers have the advantage of working with the experienced professionals who they can reach at any time.

Staying Afloat with Evolving Technology Sybyl’s unique approach to working with its customers is through “Collaborative Business Experience” designed

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to help its customers achieve better, faster, and more sustainable results. Sybyl always works to reduce IT costs and improve its customer’s bottom line by leveraging the right balance of technology vs cost and works to innovate and to transform its customer’s business using broad experience from its similar engagements.

Advantage of Using Cloud Aggressively As the only Kenyan company with the certification to the highest level for Enterprise Data Services, Business Communication & Collaborative Solutions, and Enterprise Security Systems; Sybyl . completely focuses on enterprise, data center solutions, IP and contact center solutions. The data center services company boasts of technical consultants with the largest combined hands-on experience for business continuity solutions in the SubSaharan region.

Bright Days Ahead Sybyl’s data center allows customers to take the advantage of various data center solutions with a focus on security and efficiencies which it can pass on to its customers to provide them with the access to public and private cloud technologies and the organization’s service and solution capabilities.

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