Intelligent Data Centres Issue 24 | Page 18

CRITICALLY SERVING COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES , ALONGSIDE ELECTRICITY , GAS AND WATER , DATA CENTRES WILL HAVE A UTILITY- LIKE STATUS .
DATA CENTRE PREDICTIONS
expectations for network availability will extend deep into rural and remote areas , bringing critical applications to more of the population .
This will increase pressure on data centres to maintain connectivity even at the outer edges of their networks . Second , any distinction between availability and connectivity will be erased , as the ability to ensure and protect connections across increasingly distributed hybrid networks becomes as much of a requirement as any traditional measure of data centre uptime .
“ Data centres have been moving towards public utility-type status for some time , but the pandemic has crystalised the need to establish the kinds of official guardrails that have been commonplace across other utilities ,” said Gary Niederpruem , Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Vertiv . “ This isn ’ t just about working from home , although that is part of it . More importantly , it is about supporting the digital economy in its most missioncritical forms , which include increased reliance on telemedicine and health , enhanced e-commerce and global telecommunications and mass media .”
The pandemic effectively established a new baseline for digital infrastructure as the industry adjusts to and eventually moves beyond the global shutdown . Against this backdrop , Vertiv ’ s experts identified several other emerging trends to watch this year . They are :
Digitalisation on fast forward : COVID-19 will have a lasting effect on the workforce and the IT ecosystem , supporting the new work-from-home model . Vertiv experts expect the pandemic-motivated investment in IT infrastructure to continue and expand , enabling more secure , reliable and efficient remote work capabilities . Remote visibility and management will become paramount to the success of these work-fromhome models . Already , remote service capabilities have emerged to minimise the need for on-site service calls and those practices are likely to continue long after the pandemic . Any cautious steps taken early in the crisis will be accelerated as the pandemic pushes through 2021 and organisations accept these changes not as a temporary detour , but rather a permanent adjustment to the way we work and do business . Over time , what is done in-person versus remotely will change and the change will be driven by customers looking to minimise their on-site presence . That places a premium on connectivity , remote monitoring , data analytics and even Artificial Intelligence to make decisions .
“ Recovery requires a change in mindset for most organisations ,” said John- David Lovelock , distinguished Research Vice President at Gartner , in a recent statement . “ There is no bouncing back . There needs to be a reset focused on moving forward .”
Bringing large data centre capabilities to small spaces and the Edge : Today ’ s Edge is more critical and more complex , functionally an extension of the data centre rather than the glorified IT closet of the past . Cost and complexity have prevented implementation of data centre best practices in these spaces , but that is changing . Vertiv ’ s experts anticipate a continued focus on bringing hyperscale and enterprise-level capabilities to these Edge sites . This includes greater intelligence and control , an increased emphasis on availability and thermal management and more attention to energy efficiency across systems .
“ Critically serving communities and businesses , alongside electricity , gas and water , data centres will have a utility-like status ,” said Tony Gaunt , Senior Director Colocation , Cloud , BFSI Asia and India at Vertiv . “ Hyperscale cloud providers are offering organisations across Asia- Pacific the vital flexibility and scalability to manage an ever-changing and moving business environment . While remote work was initially mandated due to the pandemic , it has already become a semipermanent fixture in many workplaces . The need for low-latency connectivity is no longer exclusive to large cities – we need on-the-spot processing at the Edge , enabling businesses to be fully operational anywhere .”

CRITICALLY SERVING COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES , ALONGSIDE ELECTRICITY , GAS AND WATER , DATA CENTRES WILL HAVE A UTILITY- LIKE STATUS .

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