INDUSTRY NEWS
Study suggests virtualised services have reached ‘ tipping point ’
Demand for virtualised applications , services and virtual network functions ( VNFs ) in the UK has tipped into the business mainstream with nearly two thirds of enterprises ( 61 per cent ) either already investing in some form of virtualised application or planning to do so in the next 12 months . The significant extent of the adoption of virtualised applications , enterprises ’ purchase preferences and strategies for these technologies was among the findings from an independent study commissioned by Ciena and conducted by Opinion Matters .
The study assessed virtualised applications , such as software based managed services like routers , encryption , firewalls and WAN optimisation services that have traditionally been based on dedicated hardware . The Ciena commissioned survey illustrates the investment plans and views of enterprises around virtualised service delivery and their key decision factors when selecting vendors and managed service providersto implement these technologies .
Joe Marsella , CTO EMEA at Ciena , commented , ‘ Software and virtualisation , combined with new DevOps style approaches , are key components for flexible and adaptive ICT – and also essential to establish a more agile business culture . By enhancing services with virtual applications that appeal to enterprises , improve service velocity and incorporate the flexibility needed to build , trial and release applications more rapidly , service providers will strengthen their ability to compete in today ’ s challenging business environment .’
The independent blind study was conducted by Opinion Matters among 252 UK IT decision makers , including 126 networking and communications decision makers across the IT and telecoms , finance , retail , healthcare , construction , manufacturing and utilities industries with a turnover of more than £ 2m . Respondents were asked to share their investment , strategic and supplier plans regarding virtualised enterprise applications .
New metric to assess data centre cooling performance launched by The Green Grid
The Green Grid has developed a new multi-metric view that will provide a broader understanding of a data centre ’ s cooling performance and enable data centre managers to take more informed decisions to maximise performance . The new addition to the metric family builds on the success of PUE with its focus on power ratios ( PUEr ) to include IT thermal conformance and resilience to demonstrate performance during both normal operations and in failure scenarios . The Performance Indicator will enable data centre operators to predict the impact of proposed changes before implementation and choose configurations that deliver the best combination of efficiency , resilience and conformance for the organisation .
Commenting on the development of the Performance Indicator , Roel Castelein , EMEA marketing chair of The Green Grid , said , ‘ The desire to maintain and improve data centre performance is a key objective for the data centre operator . The added demands of availability , capacity and sustainability placed on the data centre have left many operators searching for a comprehensive understanding of their facility .
‘ Rather than completely build the Performance Indicator metric from the ground up , the metric has been created to address the most critical aspects of a data centre ’ s cooling performance . While PUE is an effective step forward to measure current day energy efficiency , in order to establish a more complete view of facility cooling , the requirement to calculate cooling effectiveness and the data centre ’ s future thermal state is also critical .’
The latest metric has been built off existing models also created by The Green Grid , including The Power Usage Effectiveness ( PUE ) and the Productivity Indicator . Currently , the PUE metric is most commonly used to assess the data centre ’ s resource demands and has been a positive tool for large organisations in achieving improved industry energy efficiency targets . However , the absence of any other viable metric has opened the door to criticisms centring on its inability to account for other important aspects of performance .
To address these concerns and better understand a data centre ’ s performance , the Performance Indicator combines three key metrics : PUE ratio , IT Thermal Conformance and IT Thermal Resilience . These metrics were developed to adequately reflect how equipment is cooled during normal operation , maintenance conditions , and failure scenarios to ensure that the assessed facility maintains its ability to house and protect IT equipment throughout its life . Additionally , using these metrics will allow data centre operators to visualise the impact of changes they make to maintain acceptable thermal performance , while improving energy efficiency .
2020 cloud shift could affect more than $ 1 trillion in IT spending
More than $ 1 trillion in IT spending will be directly or indirectly affected by the shift to cloud during the next five years , according to Gartner . This will make cloud computing one of the most disruptive forces of IT spending since the early days of the digital age .
‘ Cloud-first strategies are the foundation for staying relevant in a fast paced world ,’ said Ed Anderson , research vice president at Gartner . ‘ The market for cloud services has grown to such an extent that it is now a notable percentage of total IT spending , helping to create a new generation of start-ups and born in the cloud providers .’
IT spending is steadily shifting from traditional IT offerings to cloud services ( cloud shift ). The aggregate amount of cloud shift in 2016 is estimated to reach $ 111bn , increasing to $ 216bn in 2020 . Cloud shift rates are determined by comparing IT spending on cloud services with traditional noncloud services in the same market categories .
In addition to the direct effects of cloud shift , many markets will be affected indirectly . Identifying indirect effects can help IT asset and purchasing managers ensure they are getting the best value out of new expenditure and are protected against risk , as well as assisting them to exploit the new opportunities caused by cloud shift .
‘ Cloud shift is not just about cloud . As organisations pursue a new IT architecture and operating philosophy , they become prepared for new opportunities in digital business , including next generation IT solutions such as the Internet of Things ,’ said Anderson . ‘ Furthermore , organisations embracing dynamic , cloud based operating models position themselves better for cost optimisation and increased competitiveness .’
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