Networks Europe Jul-Aug 2019 | Page 27

businesses, building new data centres in specific geographic locations may be beyond economic feasibility and core business competencies. Colocation offers a solution to this. Carrier and cloud neutral facilities based in urban areas provide highly connected, secure, scalable infrastructure locations with minimal overheads and maximum convenience. These facilities also make it possible to roll out a multitude of micro-data centres in different locations, enabling connectivity providers to support data processing at the network edge far more cost- effectively. The flexible data centre Ultimately, the diversity of 5G use cases is sparking a move towards more flexible and adaptative infrastructure. The growing uptake of multi-cloud strategies has set expectations of increased flexibility within businesses. This is something we’ll certainly see when it comes to the rollout of 5G – especially for mobile operators who are progressively virtualising their networking assets. There’s an opportunity for data centres to be a central point of the future 5G network, offering the level of flexibility and security that many businesses working in the 5G supply chain are looking for. For example, for mobile operators who want direct access to equipment manufacturers and content providers, data centres act as a centralised platform with all the N G S I N C E /CANNONT4 Micro & Mini Data Centres in components needed to make 5G work under the same roof. For those switching to software-defined infrastructure housed in the cloud, colocation offers direct and secure access to multiple cloud providers and the ability to scale up and down with ease, depending on the 5G traffic running through their network. So, what does the future look like for the data centre? Well, diversification will certainly be a key trend. Whether it’s through expanding the capacity of their centralised data centres, supporting micro data centres or offering colocation services, we’ll see data centre operators expand their offerings to support new network elements that are needed for 5G such as edge computing, network slicing and densification, and cloud uptake. One thing’s for sure, the data centre of tomorrow will be at the core of 5G. n 1 9 7 8 /CANNONTECHNOLOGIES Modular D a ta C e n t re s Data Centre Design, Build & Construction UR LATEST BROCHURES : [email protected] TOMISING STANDARDS | AWARD WINNING DCiM Monitoring & Control +44 (0) 1425 632600