NEWS
Vox expands
Virtual
Data Centre
functionality
ox, an integrated ICT and
V infrastructure provider, has
announced enhancements to its
Virtual Data Centre (VDC) offering that
include support for high-performance
storage and sees the introduction of an
updated HTML5-based user interface.
“Having made the VDC available to our
customers last year, it has resulted in an
influx of demand for delivering cloudbased
services. Using our solution allows
customers to consume just the amount of
resources they need without the burden of
procuring and maintaining hardware,” said
Barry Kemp, Head of IaaS at Vox.
The new HTML5 interface delivers several
features such as enabling additional
firewall security as needed.
It also empowers the customer to easily
manage all aspects of the implementation
in the cloud and scale resources according
to demand. The interface links to the Vox
software-defined networking approach
for enhanced security features as well as
connectivity to the customer’s site using a
VPN, Vox’s MPLS offering, cross connects
to other ISPs or direct Internet access.
“The most important update is support for
high-performance storage. High workload
machines like ERP systems need access
to faster storage and hardware to run
applications effectively,” said Kemp.
“Traditionally, storage has been a
bottleneck limiting performance. By
introducing this high-performance
storage support to our VDC, Vox is
removing a significant obstacle and
giving companies a more effective way
of moving high demand computing
workloads to the cloud.”
The VDC lets users split applications
between high performance and
traditional storage. This provides an
improved total cost of ownership as
the more expensive fast storage is only
required for specific solutions.
TIM and Infratel Italia accelerate
fibre switch-on plan in ‘white areas’
IM and Infratel Italia, the
T
in-house company of Italy’s
Ministry of Economic
Development, are accelerating the
development of ultrabroadband
in Italy to address the COVID-19
emergency, adding further
impetus to cabling programmes
leading to the ‘switch on’ of all the
infrastructure to access the public
fibre-optic network installed by
Infratel in eight regions: Abruzzo,
Sardinia, Tuscany, Puglia, Calabria,
Lazio, Lombardy and Marche. All
of the ‘white areas’ are subject to
direct intervention by Infratel
Italia and not under concession.
Work has already been carried out
in 241 municipalities, rising to 310
by May with the switch-on of over
1,600 cabinets.
The initiative, which follows on
from the agreement signed last
July, concerns the municipalities
covered by the ‘direct model’,
which aims to build ultrabroadband
networks in so-called ‘white areas’
not previously put out to tender.
About one million citizens, businesses
and public administrations in the
municipalities involved will benefit
from the programme.
The new roadmap developed by Infratel
Italia and TIM speeds up infrastructural
work, with Infratel providing fibre-optic
backbones and TIM subsequently
delivering local loops to street cabinets
and installing electronics components.
TIM will acquire a significant amount
of dark-fibre infrastructure built by
Infratel as part of the initiative, which
is a major example of a virtuous
synergy between the public and private
sectors to bridge the digital divide in
Italy, in keeping with the country’s
strategy to spread ultrabroadband.
TIM is using this infrastructure to bring
ultrabroadband to the municipalities
served by the project, delivering
networks using FTTC (a total of 653)
and FTTH (15) technology. ◊
12 Issue 15
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