Data Centre Magazine - December 2020

SUSTAINABILITY: THE HEART OF IMDC’S DATA CENTER OPERATIONS DE C E MB E R 2 0 2 0

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AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF CUSTOMISED TURNKEY DEVELOPMENT, FACILITY MANAGEMENT AND MISSION CRITICAL SERVICES

The Future of Data Center Sustainability INSIDE A LIGNED’S HIS T ORIC BILLION-DOLL A R F UNDING ROUND

DATA CENTRE BRANDS

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FOREWORD

W

elcome to the December issue of Data Centre Magazine, the industry’s leading community and resource for executives and leaders in the data centre and cloud industries.

This month, we’re bringing you in-depth research and unique insights into the data centre industry, from the ascendance of hyperscale architecture to the minutiae of cabling and energy management strategies.

tions, speaking with experts from Dell UK and Flexential about the future of virtual desktops, remote work and data centres as a service.

This month’s lead story features Andrew Schaap, CEO of digital infrastructure leader Aligned, who discusses the possibilities stemming from the company’s historic, billion-dollar funding round linked to sustainability.

Cabling and energy management are essential elements of a functional data centre. For this month’s issue, we’ve sat down with Brad Smith, marketing director at NVIDIA, to discuss the evolving state of innovation in cabling architecture, and how operators can prepare to evade disruption. We also take a closer look at how data centres - some of the most power-hungry pieces of modern infrastructure - can and must adopt new, more sustainable approaches to energy management.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spur demand for digital services, it’s undeniable that we’ve entered the golden age of hyperscale. In this exploratory piece, we speak with Andrew Donoghue of Vertiv and Andreas Limpak from NetApp, about the shape of things to come.

Our top 10 this month breaks down the world’s biggest data centre brands, and we’ll be bringing you exclusive, in-depth reports on industry leaders like T5 Data Centres, Omantel, Equinix, Iron Mountain, ARM and Nautilus Data Technologies. We hope you enjoy the issue.

We’re also looking at the ways in which the ongoing health crisis is prompting enterprises to unlock the power of service-based digital solu-

If you have a story to tell, email me at h.menear@bizclikmedia.com to become a part of the conversation.

Harry Menear da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

03

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PUBLISHED BY

PRODUCTION DIRECTORS

Georgia Allen Daniela Kianickovรก PRODUCTION MANAGER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Harry Menear EDITORAL DIRECTOR

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PROJECT DIRECTORS

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da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

CONTENTS

Adaptive Data Centers

10

PUTTING SUSTAINABILITY AT THE HEART OF DATA MANAGEMENT

24 The Golden Age of Hyperscale

36 Cabling: The Nervous System of the Data Centre

48

FROM DESKTOPS TO DATA CENTRES: THE POWER OF XAAS

58

Data Centre Brands

70

104 Nautilus Data Technologies

88 T5 Data Centers

118 ARM

136

150

Omantel/Equinix

Cap DC

164 Iron Mountain

Adaptive Data Centers

10

DECEMBER 2020

Putting Sustainability at the Heart of Data Management WRITTEN BY

PADDY SMITH

PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN 11

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

ALIGNED

12

DECEMBER 2020

Aligned has completed a historic billion-dollar round of financing specifically linked to sustainability. CEO Andrew Schaap is eyeing the possibilities it opens up

I

t’s a mark of Andrew Schaap’s modesty that he says of the Covid-19 pandemic, “We’re weathering it well.” While other

companies were diving for cover in the second quarter of 2020, Aligned – where Schaap is CEO – “saw a very big uptick in February, March, April, and May”.

“The pandemic has proven to be somewhat of a use case study in capacity planning for our big customers,” he explains. “All of them run analysis on what they can get out of a server, what they can get out of a CPU, what they can get out of a storage device or networking device. But the ones that are really born on web technologies are being pushed to the limit of what they can do. And so, our customers have been able to see just how effective adaptive infrastructure and our Delta3 cooling technology are when it comes to seamlessly addressing those peaks in demand.”

As well as higher headroom capacity, data patterns have changed. Schaap points to a gaming

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

13

ALIGNED

“ This is a capital-intensive business. You need capital partners that understand the business” — Andrew Schaap, CEO, Aligned

financing led predominantly by ING. This is the first U.S. data center sus-

client using Aligned’s data centres

tainability-linked financing and also

which saw its traditional 6pm to 3am

one of the largest private debt raises

peak capacity shift as schools closed

in data center history.

and the workforce headed home.

For Aligned’s customers, its modu14

billion-dollar sustainability-linked

Previously, after joining Aligned in 2017, Schaap struck a deal with

lar, dynamic and highly scalable data

Macquarie Infrastructure and Real

solutions came into their own. And

Assets (MIRA) (“not your traditional

its finance partners have allowed the

private equity”) to recapitalise the

Dallas-based company to innovate its

business. “This is a capital-intensive

supply chain to meet the accelerated

business. So, you have to have capital

delivery needs of customers, specifi-

partners that are highly capable of

cally in the hyperscale space.

understanding what the business

Another sunny day in Aligned’s fair-weathered pandemic came in September, when it closed a

DECEMBER 2020

looks like.”

Traditionally, MIRA invests in infrastructure such as roads, bridges and

CEO Andrew Schaap Discusses Aligned’s Adaptive Data Centers CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:19

15 highways. Aligned was the operating

leverage that buying power to get

group’s first foray into infrastructure

the best outcome out of the suppli-

of the digital kind. The entity saw

ers. What we did, essentially, was

a clear understanding that in order

approach the supply chain differently

to compete with the buying power

by deploying capital and committing

afforded to publicly traded Fortune

to capacity.”

500 data brands, Aligned needs to be

“Not everybody can do this. The pub-

able to work the angles. Schaap and

licly traded providers have to explain

his team laser-focused the business,

every dollar they spend to Wall Street,

including flipping the traditional data

and get a return on it within a set period

center supply chain / vendor-managed

of time – or they get penalised.”

inventory (VMI) on its head.

“We did it essentially to counteract

“But because of Macquarie, our other capital partners and our business

scale. Those [Fortune 500] guys have

model, we were able to essentially

buying power with scale and they

look at the supply chain and be bullish da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

Munters brings over six decades of innovation to its partnership with Aligned Energy Munters has been developing innovative, energy efficient climate control solutions for over 60 years, and Data Center cooling is a market segment that is very active right now. DC President Michael Gantert explains why as the industry leader in energy efficient climate control solutions, Munters expertise in data center cooling helps Aligned Energy meet growth demands Munters has a long history in delivering innovative, energy efficient climate control solutions. Started in Sweden over 60 years ago, Munters has deployed its technologies in a host of industries.

Munters Data Centers (DC) business, managed

by President Michael Gantert, is a key partner for Aligned Energy. Munters has worked closely with Aligned Energy to manufacture and advance the development of their unique cooling solution.

Munters entered the data center cooling market 12 years ago and has developed a number of cooling solutions that have been widely adopted and are critical to the efficient operation of many data centers.

When Aligned Energy got in touch to discuss a partnership, it wasn’t to purchase an existing solution, but rather to further develop their own cooling solution and manufacture a product that would reduce equipment lead time and cost, while also improving reliability.

“For a data center company to come to us with a pre-designed cooling solution and ask us to manufacture it, while also making it better and easier to install, that was a bit unique from what we’ve experienced over the past 12 years.”

Michael Gantert, Munters

“Aligned Energy recognized in Munters our history of innovation, engineering expertise, and flexible manufacturing capabilities. They saw those aspects of Munters as key to support their growing business.

Our relationship is a true partnership. We share a lot of information including technical engineering details and manufacturing techniques for their cooling solutions.”

“There has certainly been a lot of collaboration between the two companies over the past few years. They have a great cooling technology.

We have embraced that, and we really feel Munters has provided value to Aligned Energy by understanding the technology and continuing to develop and enhance it for them.”

“We’ve worked very closely with Aligned Energy and we’ve been provided selective visibility into their pipeline, which allows us to plan and prepare to best meet their needs. We continuously assess equipment inventory and component stock levels as well as things we can do within our manufacturing footprint to shorten lead times to support Aligned Energy’s growth.”

LEARN MORE TODAY

ALIGNED

18

on where the market is going, where we think the market’s going and have manufacturers hold on to the inventory inside their warehouse or factory before shipping it on a just-in-time basis. We’ve done very well with that over the years; and it has proven effective during the pandemic. We had a handful of transactions that we were able to win on speed of delivery and our ability to get a customer moved in faster than the competition.”

“We didn’t start the VMI because of the pandemic, but It worked in our favor DECEMBER 2020

“ Our customers have been able to see just how effective adaptive infrastructure and our Delta3 cooling technology are when it comes to seamlessly addressing those peaks in demand” — Andrew Schaap, CEO, Aligned

in a big, big way because we already

allocate manufacturing to quieter peri-

had that gear forward committed.”

ods, keeping productivity stable, and

By ordering before equipment was

workers off furlough.

needed, Aligned was able to offer

“What we try to do is to stabi-

manufacturers flexibility over their

lize the throughput in the factory.

throughput. Rather than a lumpy

Everyone we’ve spoken to has had

work-to-order production schedule,

phenomenal feedback about what

with workers on triple overtime when

we’re doing because it solves a

demand surges, the company’s pre-

big problem for them – removing

ordering allowed manufacturers to

the lumpiness.”

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Andrew Schaap Title: CEO

19

Location: United States

Industry: Information Technology & Services Andrew Schaap is CEO of Aligned, dedicated to accelerating business growth by delivering data center solutions with industry-leading technology and adaptive infrastructure. Since beginning his tenure, Schaap has exponentially grown revenues, completed several successful capital raisings, and cultivated an ecosystem of innovation that advances Aligned’s commitment to reducing the social, economic and environmental impact of the digital era. He is a data centre, IT, private equity and real estate executive with more than 20 years of complex transactional experience and multidisciplinary senior leadership. Prior to joining Aligned, he held numerous leadership positions over an 11-year period with Digital Realty Trust. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

We are Franklin-Griffith, a USESI Company

Project management and vendor managed inventory experts dedicated to exceeding the goals of our customers. www.franklinelectric.net | www.usesi.com |

: Franklin-Griffith Co. | email Matt Venancio, VP of Sales: M.Venancio@frankelec.com

It’s just one example of Schaap’s approach to partnerships, which revolves around listening to partners,

their problem is our problem. So, we have to be mindful of their problem.”

While Macquarie’s financing allows

understanding their challenges, and

Aligned to game the supply chain, its

earning their respect. “Sometimes

debt financing with ING has beefed

2013

Year founded

90

Number of employees DECEMBER 2020

up its efforts to continue pursuing a strategic vision in sustainability.

“On the debt side, we’re very pleased with the first sustainability-linked financing done in the United States.

And ING really drove that with us and has just been a great partner.”

“We can be sustainable, have great uptime and reliability, and provide great service and support to our

“ Because of Macquarie, our other capital partners and our business model, we were able to essentially look at the supply chain and be bullish on where the market is going” — Andrew Schaap, CEO, Aligned

customers. We do all three and we do them in a thoughtful, meaningful way. So, we’re delighted with it and looking forward to showcasing our sustainability even more. We’re doing it because our customers care about it and it’s part of our DNA.” Schaap gesticulates towards a 40-inch monitor on the wall where he can survey the top line performance metrics in real time. Unsurprisingly, he’s big on data, and Aligned is keen to pass on its data to help clients. “If we sell a customer a megawatt, let’s give them

Aligned IAD-01 Build Timelapse CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:15

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

21

ALIGNED

22

“ We had a handful of transactions that we were able to win on speed of delivery and our ability to get a customer moved in faster than the competition” — Andrew Schaap, CEO, Aligned

thing to do. No stranded capacity; that’s

the tools to figure out how to use as

ing to where the puck is going to

much of that megawatt as possible

be versus where it is now,” asking

because that’s the most sustainable

Schaap to gaze into his crystal ball is

DECEMBER 2020

the best thing for the environment.”

For someone who is always “skat-

23

to open a window to a new genera-

of dollars – or Euros or Yen – that

tion of data technology.

are being put into it is incredibly high

“Everybody is thinking about energy

because that’s the new gold rush, to

storage right now. How do you get

figure out how to store energy. And

as creative as you possibly can on

on the data side, we use a lot, so we’re

energy storage? That’s the number

really paying attention to what’s next.”

one problem with green energy: it’s cyclical. The sun, wind, hydro, all those things are somewhat cyclical.

Adaptive Data Centers

And so, you’ve got to find ways to store the energy. And so, the amount da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

HYPERSCALE

24

The Golden Age of Hyperscale WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR

DECEMBER 2020

25

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

HYPERSCALE

Industry 4.0 and the COVID-19 have driven demand for massive data centres to an all-time high. Welcome to the golden age of hyperscale.

T

he modern data centre is an engineering marvel, a confluence of fuel, cooling, data transmission and storage systems, all work-

ing in perfect harmony to power the digital age.

Global demand for data is swelling like a great wave, 26

as the growth of IoT, 5G and AI adoption spurs on the creation of more and more information on a daily basis.

That information needs to be housed somewhere and, while they represent less than 10% of all data centres in operation by number, it’s hyperscale facilities that are attracting the most investment, home to the most powerful innovations, and forming the backbone of Industry 4.0. This month, we’re taking a closer look at the past, present and future of the hyperscale data centre market, as well as two of the biggest disruptors the industry faces: the edge and climate change.

The hyperscale data centre market is a relatively new one. Before 2016, it was rare that data centre leases exceeded 10MW of capacity. By the end of 2017, there were more than 390 data centres DECEMBER 2020

27

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

“ There were 100 new hyperscale data centers opened in the last eight quarters” — John Dinsdale, chief analyst, Synergy Research Group

around the world big enough to be classified as hyperscale, with the overwhelming majority being owned by AWS, Facebook, Google and other Tier One hyperscale players (more about them in a moment). However, the majority of these facil­‑ ities were built, wholly owned and operated by a single Tier One firm, almost exclusively in support of their own operations. Since then, the massive rise in public cloud adoption, which companies like AWS support through their own hyperscale infrastr­ucture, has propelled hyperscale investment to new heights.

In 2018, market research by North American Data Centres identified 11 deals in excess of 10MW - including a record-breaking 72MW lease of data centre space in Ashburn, Virginia

by Facebook.

At the end of 2019, there were more than 500 hyperscale data centres in operation around the world, a number which swelled again in the first half of 2020 to more than 540.

Of the new hyperscale data centres opened in the last 12 months, AWS and Google together accounted for more than half the total, with Micro­ da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

29

HYPERSCALE

What makes a data centre hyperscale?

The term hyperscale isn’t a protected one, and the lines between hyperscale facilities and enterprise, colocation and telecom data centres can sometimes become blurred.

However, there are a few widely agreed-upon characteristics that separate hyperscale facilities from their counterparts: 30

Hyperscale data centres are owned and operated by the companies they support, usually a Tier One operator like AWS, Apple or Facebook, as opposed to a Colocation data centre, which leases its capacity to third parties.

Hyperscale facilities are big. Most experts tend to agree that any data centre with more than 500 cabinets, or at least 10,000 square feet of floor space, is a hyperscaler. Usually, a facility with 40MW or less capacity is considered to be an enterprise data centre.

Hyperscale facilities have the ability to get much, much bigger. Think

DECEMBER 2020

about scale as a verb. Hyperscale data centres are built to be expanded to meet the ever-growing demands of the companies that build them.

The ability to functiont at hyperscale.

The potential challenges of handling such huge quantities of data mean that hyperscale facilities are designed to a different sttandard than smaller data centres.

“ We are moving from a situation where data centre capacity was built out in a rather haphazard, demand-driven way to one that is more deliberate and focused on efficiency and effectiveness”

the time. “COVID-19 has caused some logistical issues but these are robust numbers, demonstrating the under­ lying strength of the services that are driving these investments.”

Hyperscale growth is expected

— Andrew Donoghue, director of global analyst relations, Vertiv

to be highly resistant to the COVID-19

soft and Oracle following slightly behind.

education and overall internet usage

“There were 100 new hyperscale data

have risen sharply since March. By the

centers opened in the last eight quarters,

end of this year, Cisco Systems

with 26 of those being in the first half

estimated (before the pandemic -

of this year,” said John Dinsdale, chief

which may only intensify the result) that

analyst at Synergy Research Group at

more than half of all the data traffic on

pandemic, as increases in digital transformation, remote work, online

Earth will pass through a hyperscale facility. That’s 53% of all internet traffic passing through fewer than 10% of the world’s data centres.

A HYPER-QUICK HISTORY LESSON One of the trends with the potential to most dramatically impact the data centre industry is the rise of edge network infrastructure. The edge data centre market exceeded $5.5bn in 2019.

Between 2020 and 2026, the market is expected to display a CAGR or 23%, as the demand for low-latency edge computing is driven by an explosion da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

31

HYPERSCALE

of IoT and AI technologies. For many, both the shape of edge network evolution and its relationship to large-scale data centres at the centre of the network still hang in the balance.

“It’s still not completely clear how edge computing and edge data centres will manifest in the future,” Andrew Donoghue, director of global analyst relations at data centre infrastructure company Vertiv, explained to Data Centre Magazine in a recent interview.

Donoghue added that expanded edge 32

capacity will be an additive force to public and hybrid cloud build outs, rather than disrupt them. Both cloud and the edge, he proposed, are part of the same continuum of data centre capacity, rather than in competition with one another. “Focusing too much on either is actually a distraction,” he said. “What is really happening is we are moving from a situation where data centre capacity was built out in a rather haphazard, demanddriven way to one that is more deliberateand focused on efficiency and effectiveness.”

Donoghue believes that this more considered approach, enabled by a world DECEMBER 2020

where hyperscale, enterprise and edge facilities all work in tand­‑em, will see workloads located where it makes most sense from a cost, efficiency, latency and bandwidth perspective. He added: “Latency dependent workloads will tend to reside at the edge whilst workloads that are less latency dependent and perhaps more data intensive will reside at the core in large hyperscale sites.

So it’s not so much an edge build out as reorganisation of workloads to the most effective and efficient location.”

33

SUSTAINABILITY AT (HYPER)SCALE? Climate change is an increasingly imme­

“ Hyperscale operators have always led the way in terms of sustainability” — Andrew Donoghue, director of global analyst relations, Vertiv

diate and existential threat. Rising global temperatures, pollution, a biodiversity large-scale corporations and poli­ticians to present more than market-based, incremental solutions to the problem represent the single greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. The data cen­tre industry is a huge consumer of energy and therefore a massive contri­ butor to carbon emissions. The data centre industry has a bigger environm­ ental impact than the world’s airlines.

Hyperscale facilities in particular, can consume enough electricity per hour da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

HYPERSCALE

“ The hyperscale market will likely not become a poster child for sustainable processes” — Andreas Limpak, director, solutions engineering, NetApp

to power more than 50,000 homes.

Whether or not the sheer amount of power these facilities demand can be 34

reconciled with a need for drastic climate action is the greatest challenge the industry faces today.

According to Donoghue, hyperscalers have the potential to be a part of

invest in mechanisms like power

the solution, rather than the problem.

purchase agreements for renewable

“Hyperscale operators have always led

energy.” Large scale sustainability

the way in terms of sustainability,” he

projects in the data centre industry

told us, noting that their more uniform

do tend to stem from the hyperscale

workloads mean that they tend to

end of the market, with companies

support a narrower range of applica-

like Google, Apple and Microsoft all

tions compared to an enterprise facility.

making bold pledges towards carbon

“Consequently, they can be designed

neutrality in their data centre opera-

to support those workloads in a very

tions this year already.

efficient and sustainable way,” he said.

Vertiv has recently partnered with

“They also benefit from large scale

Honeywell on a portfolio of solutions to

and well-funded owners who can

make it easier for data centre operators

DECEMBER 2020

35

to develop micro-grid technologies to

become a poster child for sustainable

support their power consumption needs.

processes, because of the sheer

Data centre operators will be able

amount of resources it requires to

to “use a greater variety of energy

operate successfully,” he told Data

sources to provide power and

Centre Magazine in a recent interview.

resiliency for their sites, including

“However, the chance to streamline,

hydro­gen fuel cells and even on-site

do away with overprovisioning, test

renewables,” Donoghue explained.

and reduce resource-intensive

Andreas Limpak, director of solu-

churn, and deliver resources only

tions engineering at NetApp, how­ever,

when and where needed at the right

doesn’t see the relationship between

level – are all factors democratised

hyperscalers and sustainability.

by the public cloud that help make

“The hyperscale market will likely not

IT more sustainable.” da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

CABLING

36

Cabling: The Nervous System of the Data Centre WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR

DECEMBER 2020

37

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

CABLING

Brad Smith, Director of Marketing at Nvidia, discusses data centre cabling and how to solve pain points with a forward-thinking structured cabling strategy

T

he modern data centre is a vast, deeply complex collection of interconnected parts, each working in harmony. Power and cooling

systems support huge halls of serried racks and cabinets, each one home to dozens of servers, all

working to efficiently gather, store and transmit a 38

near-incomprehensible amount of data every day.

That data - the fuel that powers the modern world - is pumped across fast networks of fibre like blood through the body of a great beast. Responsible for the transmission of this vital information is a sprawling network of fibre optic and copper cables, the veins and nerves of a data centre.

Cabling and cable management is an essential part of the puzzle that makes up a modern data centre. A poor cable management strategy can create inefficiencies, demand constant maintenance, and ultimately hamper the operator’s ability to deliver value to its customers. “Some data center operators try to optimise the cost of every element and build a ‘Frankenstein’ system consisting of components from multiple vendors,” says Brad

DECEMBER 2020

39

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“ Some data center operators try to optimise the cost of every element and build a ‘Frankenstein’ system” — Brad Smith, Director of Marketing, Nvidia

faces rising demand for super fast, stable connections.

Smith, director of marketing for net-

Data centre cabling is undergo-

working interconnects at Nvidia.

ing something of a revolution, as the

”This moves all the networking

industry prepares to make yet another

specifications to the lowest level of

generational leap, from 100 Gb per

interoperability across all the ven-

second fibre - which became the

dors.” The perils of a poorly optimised

industry standard speed in 2016 - to

system are growing even greater, as

400 Gb per second. The life cycle

the technology behind data centre

of cabling hardware is shortening as

cabling accelerates and the industry

well. “While most high-performance

NVIDIA Data Center Tour CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:18

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

41

CABLING

computing (HPC) and hyperscale installations are designed around a three year upgrade cycle and are highly flexible, many enterprise data centers are still rooted in the 1G/10Gb per second BASE-T copper era with an eight year upgrade cycle,” he adds.

We sat down with Smith to discuss the challenges and opportunities that the changing data centre cabling market presents, and how data centre operators can build an effective cabling strategy to suit both their facility’s 42

demands and their budget.

N V I D I A : C O N Q U E R I N G T H E D ATA C E N T R E B U S I N E S S

Nvidia rose to prominence as a GPU manufacturer in the gaming industry, but the company has come a long way since then.

This summer, the company’s sales to the data centre industry exceeded its gaming revenue for the first time in its 30 year history. Data centre sales rose by 126% in the first half of 2020, following high-profile acquisitions of companies like

DECEMBER 2020

Arm and Mellanox, which Nvidia purchased in late 2019 for $6.9bn.

Mellanox has since brought its industry-leading connectivity solutions to Nvidia’s ecosystem, which has had spectacular results. Mellanox’s portfolio of InfiniBand and Ethernet products has prompted a strong sales boost for Nvidia, further expanding its portfolio of data centre solutions.

43

COPPER VS FIBRE

five times less expensive, potentially

Traditionally, data centre cabling has

allowing companies to save millions

been accomplished using copper wire.

of dollars in installation costs when

However, in recent years, as data cen-

spinning up an enterprise scale facility.

tres have gotten bigger, more efficient

Another cost-saver is copper’s reli-

and are required to handle larger and

ability. Passive coaxial copper cabling

larger amounts of information, fibre

has a mean time between failures

optic cable is emerging as a viable

(MTBF) of roughly 50mn hours, mark-

alternative. As with most new tech-

edly higher than fibre optics. In terms

nologies, fibre has its limitations.

of speed, over shorter distances, cop-

Copper cabling, used to transmit information for more than 100 years, still maintains several advantages.

per performs every bit as well as fibre while consuming less power.

However, the technology has a few

Firstly, they’re cheap. Compared to

drawbacks. “The basic issue with

fibre optics, copper can be two to

cables is that, the higher the frequency da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

CABLING

of the signal, the more that the electrons move to the outside of the cable, and then end up radiating into space,” explains Smith “At slow speeds you can go a long distance, which means that older, smaller data centres can use copper without any problems.”

In larger enterprise, colocation and hyperscale facilities, however, copper cabling struggles to perform over the long distances between racks, especially as the IT load these cables are expected to handle increases year 44

over year.

“A one gig copper cable could go maybe 500 metres. A 10Gb cable could go maybe 100 metres, but things start to fall apart when you get up to 25 Gb,” Smith explains. “The power usage, cost, you name it - it all just gets very ugly. So the industry moved to using direct attach copper (DAC) cables, which use a foil shield to extend the range and capacity of copper cabling.

However, once you get up to 100Gb capacity, the range of these cables is only about a metre.”

In an enterprise facility with thousands of square metres of floor space, the limitations become clear. “If you’re DECEMBER 2020

“ The basic issue with cables is that, the higher the frequency of the signal, the more that the electrons move to the outside of the cable, and then end up radiating into space” — Brad Smith, Director of Marketing, Nvidia a small, enterprise facility you can probably wire the whole thing up with copper. But if you’re Facebook and your data centre has two ZIP codes, then you’re going to have to use single mode fibre optics, which are the same type they use in the telecom industry,” Smith explains.

Copper also has a wider bend radius than fibre, and the need for copper wiring to be insulated means that fibre optic cables tend to be a lot less bulky - a fact worth considering in modern, hyper-dense work spaces, HPC facilities or micro edge data centres. The benefits of Fibre optic cabling mostly da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

45

CABLING

“ You have to plan out your cabling strategy for the next five-to-eight years, not just the next two” — Brad Smith, Director of Marketing, Nvidia

46

lie in the range they can cover, as well

in the modern data centre, and opera-

as their less bulky profile. While fibre

tors should examine carefully where

optic cabling is still more expensive

each one fits within their overall

to install and maintain than copper

cabling strategy.

cables, widespread use by the telecom and hyperscale data centre industries

CABLING BEST PRACTICE

has driven the price down consider-

The secret to a successful cabling

ably in recent years.

strategy, according to Smith, is under-

In reality, both copper and fibre

standing the needs of your facility and

optic cabling solutions have a place

appropriate preparation. “You have

DECEMBER 2020

47

to plan out your cabling strategy for

the very quickly evolving networking

the next five-to-eight years, not just

systems landscape, and the use of

the next two,” he explains. “Current

new GPUs for artificial intelligence

cabling technologies that may be

applications, is a wise move.” He

less expensive today may require

concludes by emphasising that a

rip and replace upgrades tomorrow.

successful cabling strategy should

Re-cabling is very expensive, and you

centre around identifying the lowest-

are guaranteed to need the band-

cost technology that is capable of

width and reach of single-mode fiber

transmitting across the distance that

in the future. Making plans now for

needs to be covered. da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS

DATA CENTRE ENERGY MANAGEMENT NEEDS A REVOLUTION WRITTEN BY

ENGINE

HARRY MENE AR

48

DECEMBER 2020

A closer look at how data centres – some of the most power-hungry pieces of modern infrastructure – can adopt new approaches to energy management The global data centre industry is booming. However, as investment in digital infrastructure grows, so does the industry’s impact on an increasingly fragile climate.

Data centres are huge contributors to global carbon emissions and, if the industry is to do its part in preventing the destruction of our planet’s environment, drastic steps need to be taken. This month, we’re taking a closer look at how data centres – some of the most power-hungry pieces of modern infrastructure – can explore and adopt new approaches to energy management, with the goal of bringing energy consumption in line with increasingly stringent sustainability targets.

THE BIG DATA BOOM Over the past decade, more than US$100bn of investment has poured into the sector due to increased attention from private equity firms, infrastructure funds and governments, driven by a rising tide of data and digitalisation. Data centres are the engine that powers the modern enterprise and, as 5G adoption, the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and COVID-19 continue to accelerate worldwide digital transformations, the need for data centre infrastructure is growing greater by the day. da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

49

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“ Data storage is already one of the planet’s most energy-intensive industries and its growth is only set to rise” — Brendan Marren, Centrica Enterprises in every industry are

data centres is actually falling, as more and more enterprises abandon their on-premises infrastructure and migrate towards the cloud. As the number of data centres decreases, and the average size of data centres expands, the need for these facilities to embrace innovative energy management strategies is only becoming more of a mission critical priority.

increasingly shifting from legacy infrastructure and on-premises data

THE WRONG DIRECTION

centre solutions to hyperscale-sup-

“Opportunities for industry growth are

ported public cloud, or increasingly

abundant,” comments Brendan Marren,

sizable enterprise colocation facilities.

head of distributed energy at Centrica

A recent report by Cushman & Wake-

Business Solutions, an industry leading

field noted that “the 10 MW data

data centre power solutions provider

centre that was impressively sized 10

based in the UK. Speaking to Data

years ago now pales in comparison to

Centre Magazine, Marren adds the

30 MW leases that are now signed with increasing regularity.” Around the world, data centres are getting bigger.

The number of hyperscale facilities exceeded 540 in the first half of 2020, meaning the average amount of time it takes the industry to construct 100 hyperscale data centres is about two years – and it’s only getting faster.

As the construction of super-sized facilities grows, the overall number of da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

51

CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS

“ [Data centre operators must find a way] to satisfy their insatiable need for energy, while being mandated to drastically reduce emissions”

52

a recent report estimates that the UK’s data centre industry will exceed $8.4bn in size – exceeding the combined value of the entire African data centre industry by almost $2.5bn. At the same time, the UK government has committed to an environmental target of net

— Brendan Marren, Centrica

zero by 2050 and, while this is neither

caveat that the industry’s growth

strategy, nor likely to be fast enough

comes part and parcel with the issue

to avert a climate catastrophe, it’s a

of its appetite for electricity. “Contin-

deadline that the UK data centre

ued expansion also presents a major

industry will find hard to beat, accord-

complication: data storage is already

ing to Marren. “This combination of

one of the planet’s most energy-inten-

environmental pressure and growing

sive industries and its growth is only

concern over a consistent electricity

set to rise as the need for server space

supply puts data centres in an acute

increases.” According to Centrica’s

position – needing to satisfy their

own research, by the year 2040, data

insatiable need for energy, while being

centres will be responsible for a full

mandated to drastically reduce emis-

20% of the world’s energy usage,

sions,” he adds.

the harshest deadline imposed by a government as part of its climate

compared to a mere 3% in 2017.

Marren notes that each year the

A VICIOUS CYCLE

UK’s data centre industry alone is

In addition to its big picture contribu-

estimated to consume between two

tions to climate change, the carbon

and three terawatt hours of electricity,

impact of the data centre industry

a figure he doesn’t see falling on its

also threatens to make its own road

own, as the country’s digital infrastruc-

towards sustainable practice even

ture continues to develop. By 2025,

harder, further compounding the

DECEMBER 2020

challenges it faces in the process.

“Extreme weather as a result of climate change and instability can pose different challenges to data centre operators,” explains Billy Durie, global sector head of the data centre unit at temporary power and cooling solutions provider Aggreko.

In an interview with Data Centre Magazine, Durie explains that extreme weather as the result of climate change is putting increased pressure on data centre operators. “Rising temperatures are putting strain on cooling infrastructure within data centres, particularly now free cooling is more common,” he notes. “As ambient temperatures rise to a point where fresh air from around the data centre is too warm to cool the facility, data centre operators have to bring in supplementary temporary cooling to avoid outage. If climate change continues to worsen, the facilities that may not have had concerns around the limitations of free cooling, now must consider planning for warmer summers.” He adds that, as other symptoms of climate change like wildfires, hurricanes, tornados and freak storms da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

53

CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS

“ Rising temperatures are putting strain on cooling infrastructure within data centres” — Billy Durie, Aggreko

REDUCING DEPENDENCE ON THE GRID “For data centres, exponentially increasing energy needs means relying on the grid solely for their supply may soon become a challenge – a particular concern for an industry whose ability to deliver their service to customers directly hinges on having a consistent, reliable and sizable

54

become more common, data centres

supply of electricity,” Marren notes.

face an uphill battle to avoid disruption

On-site power generation is not a new

from fire, flooding or even something

concept in the data centre industry,

as innocuous as a humidity spike.

as power redundancy and backup

If data centre operators are to

systems are essential to avoiding

reduce their consumption of energy,

a disruption of services in the event

while sustaining the industry’s growth

of an emergency or natural disaster.

and continue operating in an increas-

Marren asserts, however, that on-site

ingly unstable world, there needs

generation may be approaching a

to be significant change in the way

point where it is able – and desperately

that these organisations approach

needs – to step out of the shadows.

energy management.

“More and more, we’re seeing technologies such as natural gas

A NEW APPROACH TO ENERGY MANAGEMENT

generators being used within a data

Luckily, there are solution providers

function they were never intended for,”

in the industry, like Aggreko and

Marren explains. “By instead produc-

Centrica Business Solutions, working

ing energy on-site, data centres can

to provide the tools that the data

not only take control of their own

centre industry needs to overcome

supply, but can also begin to tackle

the challenges ahead.

their other key challenge – their carbon

DECEMBER 2020

centre’s energy needs – a frontline

55

T H E U N TA P P E D P OT EN T I AL O F O N - SI T E SO L AR

Covering a data centre in solar panels has been fairly common practice for years now. However, with recent developments in both photovoltaic panels and battery engineering, the technology may be about to undergo a major leap in usefulness.

“Energy generated through solar panels could be used directly on-site, while surplus energy that

isn’t needed right away can be stored in the battery. Stored energy could then be deployed at a later time, such as when the weather is cloudy and the panels aren’t able to generate enough electricity to power the facility effectively,” says Marron. “In addition, this excess energy can often also be fed back to the grid to create an additional revenue stream.”

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS

“ Our responsibility is now to supply equipment that is more sustainable and expertise that helps make powering a data centre as efficient as possible” — Billy Durie, Aggreko

56

footprint. And, while generating

ing renewables and on-site

energy on-site doesn’t automatically

generation techniques

make a data centre more environmen-

with storage technology

tally friendly, it gives it the opportunity

like a battery array can

to be so.”

help overcome this hurdle.

He adds that, by making battery backup and on-site generated power

BRIDGING THE GAP

more sustainable, data centre operators

Data centre energy

can simultaneously reduce their

management is growing

carbon footprint and become increas-

steadily more sustainable,

ingly resistant to disruption. “The

but transitioning the entire industry

prospect of relying heavily on renew-

towards more environmentally friendly

able energy has traditionally been a

energy management practices is still

cause of concern in the data centre

going to be a big step. Durie notes that

community, where consistent power

one of Aggreko’s main goals going into

supply is a critical requirement. The

2021 is helping data centre operators

main drawback of solar or wind power

bridge that gap, as power grids,

is that both are dependent on the

renewable energy adoption and

weather, which is often intermittent,”

mandated carbon reduction goals all

Marren explains, noting that combin-

continue to impact the industry. As

DECEMBER 2020

(HVO), and renewable sources of power generation through wind and solar technologies. In terms of future plans, we are researching other technologies such as hydrogen generators, as well as continuing our development of battery storage and rental UPS systems.”

Marren also believes that there is a transition coming, a day when the demands of the data centre industry will outstrip the capacity of the grid.

Whether that transition is an environmental catastrophe, or a much-needed step along the path to a sustainable global digital infrastructure, will be determined in the next few years.

“As the industry continues to grow at pace, it’s clear that demand for more countries adopt renewable

energy will soon outstrip what the

energy as a principal source of power

grid can offer,” he warns. “Taking a

generation, Aggreko is providing its

more advanced approach to energy

services to help data centres bridge

through renewable on-site generation

the gap. “Our responsibility is now

will be vital to the industry’s future

to supply equipment that is more

success, not only by offering its

sustainable and expertise that helps

businesses greater control over their

make powering a data centre as

energy and cost savings, but also

efficient as possible,” Durie explains.

by providing the opportunity to begin

“We have introduced alternative fuels,

integrating renewables for a more

such as hydrotreated vegetable oils

environmentally sustainable future.” da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

57

S O F T WA R E

58

FROM DESKTOPS TO DATA CENTRES: THE POWER OF XAAS WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR

DECEMBER 2020

59

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

S O F T WA R E

Fueled by the COVID-19 crisis, enterprises are unlocking the power of service-based digital solutions

O

ver the past decade, the tech industry has been locked in a debate over the future of

the data centre. From on-premises legacy

infrastructure to public, private and hybrid cloud,

this chapter is drawing to a close.

“The debate over whether applications are going to move fully to the public cloud or stay on60

premises is nearing its end,” comments Tim Loake, vice president of Dell UK’s Infrastructure Solutions Group. Speaking to Data Centre Magazine, Loake explains that, by 2021, industry experts like Gartner expect that 75% of mid-size and large organisations will be using either multi-cloud or hybrid cloud IT strategies, adding that the prediction “was made pre-COVID-19, so we could even supercede Gartner’s estimate, given the acceleration we’ve seen in recent months.”

The global pandemic has had, is continuing to have, and most likely will continue to have a profound effect on the ways that we live and work for the foreseeable future. All scales of enterprise have been engaged in a profound experiment with remote work since March. This increased and involuntary digitalisation of the global workforce, DECEMBER 2020

61

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

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“ Being connected has never been more important to our customers than now, especially since the majority of their employees are working from home” — Tim Loake, VP, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies UK

the majority of their employees are working from home.”

In order to enable digital operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, enterprises are embracing the flexibility, resilience and scalability of service based digital solutions.

coupled with lockdowns, travel bans,

This month, we sat down with Loake

social distancing measures and

and Fuhrman to discuss how offering

online learning, have driven demand

everything from desktops to data

for digital services and infrastructure

centres as a service is driving the

at an astonishing rate.

success of the world’s most digi-

“We also saw a large spike in network

tally-enabled companies.

and connectivity needs during COVIDchief operating officer of Cloud and

DESKTOP-AS-A-SERVICE: ENABLING REMOTE WORK AT SCALE

Managed Services, speaking to Data

Launched in July, Flextential’s new

Centre Magazine. “Being connected

Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution

has never been more important to our

has been designed to help remote

customers than now, especially since

workforces remain competitive during

19,” says Mike Fuhrman, Flexential’s

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

63

S O F T WA R E

“ A virtual desktop looks and feels just like a physical workstation”

64

remotely delivers enterprise-class connectivity, performance and, perhaps most importantly, security.

A recent report on the pandemic’s effect on cybersecurity strategies

by Deloitte notes that remote work

— Michael Fuhrman, COO, Cloud and Managed Services, Flexential

transitions have introduced thousands

and after the pandemic. “As a result

corporate networks and systems on

of the pandemic, the remote labor

devices that may have vulnerabilities

force has increased from 10% to

or are already being compromised.

an estimated 70%,” said Fuhrman

Likewise, workers are relying heavily

in a recent press release. “That means

on web conferencing and collabora-

IT departments have had to quickly

tion tools to do their jobs, which can

re-architect their IT infrastructure

be compromised by threat actors.”

to enable a distributed workforce,

This year, IBM identified the global

provisioning hardware and SaaS

average cost of a data breach as

applications while ensuring security,

being higher than $3.8mn, with

accessibility and procurement of tools

breaches in the US costing an aver-

and equipment.”

age of $8.64mn. Clearly, enterprises

of unsecured devices to enterprise networks. Deloitte’s experts note that many employees are “accessing

In order to support the demands

cannot afford not to make security

of a distributed remote workforce,

a priority at a time when remote work

Flexential DaaS allows businesses

is rendering networks more vulnerable

to host a number of virtual desktops

than ever before.

in the cloud, a process which the

Flexential DaaS can largely solve

company claims offers advantages

those issues. By effectively central-

over a traditional in-house desktop

ising the hosting of an enterprises

portfolio. The turnkey solution

desktops, the solution can ensure

DECEMBER 2020

65

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

S O F T WA R E

“ VMware Cloud on Dell EMC combines the simplicity and agility of the public cloud with the security and control of an on-premises infrastructure” — Tim Loake, VP, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies UK

66

increased security and threat pre-

better than a physical workstation

vention. “Our DaaS solution provides

because powerful resources, such as

secure access to company data

storage and back-end databases, are

without storing anything on local devices

readily available. Because virtual desk-

and access control using authentica-

tops require less physical equipment

tion,” explains Fuhrman. He continues,

and maintenance, they can be more

elaborating on the ways that a digital

cost-effective than physical desktops,

service solution can be hugely benefi-

and an IT department can easily

cial to a remote workforce. “A virtual

manage a large number of far-flung vir-

physical workstation,” he adds.

tual desktops from a central location.”

“The user experience is often even DECEMBER 2020

Software updates, he continues, can all

a need to create a consistent cloud experience across on-premises, offpremises and edge environments,” says Loake. He adds that, for many enterprises, the last few years have seen the level of diversity in the application landscape increase dramatically, which has increased the complexity of creating a consistent cloud experience. Multi-cloud deployments are further compounding the problem, even as they deliver strategic benefits to their users. “Solving this complexity is one of the biggest IT challenges that we see organisations facing in 2020,” he says.

In order to increase stability, resilience and ability to scale, while reducing costs and disruptions, sevbe pushed out from a central control

eral players in the industry, including

panel, rather than installed one-by-

Dell, are offering data-centre-as-a-

one, and virtual machines have better

service (DCaaS) solutions as a way

potential to scale without creating

for companies to cut through the

pain points compared to portals and

complexity of the modern hybrid

shared drives.

cloud landscape.

Using VMware Cloud on Dell EMC

DATA CENTRES AS A SERVICE: SECURELY UNLOCKING THE POWER OF MULTI-CLOUD

“combines the simplicity and agility

“While multi-cloud is already most

and control of an on-premises infra-

organisations’ reality, there’s also

structure,” Loake explains. “The

of the public cloud with the security

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

67

S O F T WA R E

“ The debate over whether applications are going to move fully to the public cloud or stay onpremises is nearing its end” — Tim Loake, VP, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies UK 68

DECEMBER 2020

We Didn’t Stop at Cloud CLICK TO WATCH

|

0:30

69 product is then delivered as a service

disruption and distributed workforces,

to both data centre and edge locations

enterprises that embrace solutions as

using VMWare’s industry-standard com-

a service are set to have the edge in

pute, storage and networking software,

terms of resilience and scalability.

which integrates with our enterprise-

“At Dell, the cloud is not a destination,

class hardware.”

but an operating model,” says Loake.

A key benefit of DCaaS solutions,

“We recognise that data and applica-

Loake continues, is that the service

tions should be able to seamlessly

delivers secure and scalable data centre

move to and from private, public and

infrastructure hosting services on

edge deployments, at any time.” Both

a monthly billing cycle, eliminating costly

Dell and Flexential are delivering that

capital expenditure for physical infra-

much-needed mobility to enterprises

structure solutions.

looking to digitalise in response to

In a future defined by increased

a rapidly changing world.

economic and political uncertainty, da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

T O P 10

70

DECEMBER 2020

Data Centre Brands Data Centre Magazine ranks the world’s top 10 data centre brands WRITTEN BY

The data centre industry will dominate the global economy over the coming decade.

Demand for remote hosting, managed cloud services and the ever-expanding network edge will all continue to grow.

By 2025, global data centre market revenues are expected

HARRY MENEAR to exceed US$193bn annually.

Data centre operators who successfully gain dominance in the market can expect to drive massive revenues, which will further support infrastructure expansions in developing markets, and the advancement of their cloud and software capabilities.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

71

T O P 10

25

DATA CENTRES

HQ

LONDON, UK

CEO

NICLAS SANFRIDSSON

72

10 Colt

As a leading hyperscale data centre and colocation provider, Colt Data Centre Services operates 17 data centres in Europe, from Spain to the Nordics, and eight more locations in APAC, from Mumbai to Tokyo. With more than 15 years in the industry, Colt is one of the more trusted data centre operators in the European and APAC markets. Currently, Colt is focusing on expanding its APAC operations, fueled by large cash injections from its parent company, Brookfield Asset Management.

DECEMBER 2020

40

DATA CENTRES

HQ

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

CEO CHRIS DOWNIE

09

73

Flexential Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Flexential is a colocation, managed services and cloud-hosting data centre operator with a network of 40 data centres in 20 markets. In the US, Flexential operates five data centres offering disaster recovery as a service. In October the company broke ground on its largest data centre expansion to date: a 358,000 square foot, 36MW facility near Portland, Oregon, built in response to the recent shift towards remote work due to COVID-19

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

Pack the essentials for your business trip: Laptop Charger Business insights Payment solutions

From T&E expertise to business insights to payment solutions, the American Express Corporate Program gives you all the tools and services you need, so you’re fully prepared for business wherever you are.

To learn more about the American Express Corporate Program, visit www.americanexpress.com.

15

DATA CENTRES

HQ

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

CEO

WILLIAM MEANEY

08

Iron Mountain

The backbone of the US colocation industry, Iron Mountain’s network of 15 locations is primarily focused on the inland United States, but also has three facilities in Western Europe and one in Singapore.

Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain puts great emphasis on its superior security features, which are used by more than 90% of the Fortune 1000, and several US government agencies. For particularly security and safety-conscious clients, Iron Mountain offers colocation facilities more than 200 feet underground, which has the added benefit of increased cooling efficiency. Iron Mountain’s colocation services are targeted at enterprises looking for a hybrid approach to cloud computing.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

75

T O P 10

07

Switch

Renowned for building some of the largest and most advanced data centres in the world, Switch has been one of the leading players in the US market since its foundation in 2000. The company divides the US into four latency zones, each covered by one of its Prime colocation facilities: The Citadel, The Core, The Pyramid and The Keep.

Switch’s Citadel campus, located in Tahoe Reno, Nevada, will have a total capacity of 815MW upon completion, making it the world’s most powerful colocation campus. Switch is also responsible for inventing its own classification for data centre excellence: Tier 5 76

Platinum, which requires its data centres to be tested on more than 30 additional criteria than the industry-leading Tier 4 Gold certification from the Uptime institute.

4

DATA CENTRES CAMPUSES

HQ

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

CEO ROB ROY

DECEMBER 2020

06

683

DATA CENTRES

HQ

HONG KONG

CEO

XIAOFENG DENG

China Telecom

Founded in 2002, China Telecom is one of the largest data centre providers in the world, with more than 287,000 employees. The company’s operations are almost exclusively focused on mainland China.

China Telecom has more than 456 data centres in operation (almost as many as Digital Realty and Equinix combined) in China alone, and 187 additional data centres across 71 metro hubs internationally.

The company offers colocation, hosting, equipment management and backup and disaster recovery services. China Telecom also operates the largest data centre in APAC, the Inner Mongolia Information Park, which has a footprint of more than 10mn square feet.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

77

The Department of Defense trusts the cloud with the most tools, technology, and accessibility at the tactical edge.

www.BuildOn.aws

62

DATA CENTRES

HQ

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA

CEO

NELSON FONSECA

05

79

Cyxtera

With a global platform of 62 data centres spread across 29 markets, Cyxtera focuses in the hybrid cloud market, but also provides public cloud colocation. The company was founded in 2017 from the combination of CenturyLink and Savvis’ data centre portfolios, and is currently focused on the US market, although it does operate facilities in London, Amsterdam, Germany, China, Singapore and Australia. Cyxtera also focuses on bringing leading edge tech to its customers in an affordable manner. In August, the company announced the launch of an AI hardware as a service solution, in partnership with NVIDIA.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

T O P 10

04

108+ DATA CENTRES

HQ

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

CEO ANDY JASSY

Amazon Web Services The global pioneer of public cloud data centre services since 2006, AWS remains the global leader in offering cloud-based infrastructure to enterprise clients. The company was identified as the

80

clear market leader in Gartner’s 2020 Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service, with Microsoft and Google fighting for a distant second place. The company operates more than 108 data centres worldwide, although like other top tier hyperscalers like Facebook and Google, AWS tends to advertise their locations or capacities too loudly. Not since a WikiLeaks article in 2018 has the public known the full extent of AWS’ infrastructure operations.

Over the last year and a half, AWS has focused its expansion efforts on the Northern Virginia market, the largest and most heavily-saturated data centre hot spot on Earth.

DECEMBER 2020

160+

DATA CENTRES

HQ

LONDON, UK

CEO

BOB PRYOR

03

81

NTT Communications At a time when telcos are offloading data centre assets like they’re going out of style, Japanese telecom giant NTT has been going from strength to strength with its own data centre spin-off. The company owns and operates more than 160 data centres across 20 countries, including in the US, where NTT acquired a 100% stake in leading American operator RagingWire back in 2018. NTT offers colocation, data centre infrastructure management, managed hybrid infrastructure and consulting services to a network of global clients, through the largest single portfolio of Tier 3 data centres in the market.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

E M E A | A P A C | | APAC N O R T H | A EMEA MERICA AMERICAS FIND OUT MORE

FIND OUT MORE

T O P 10

205

HQ

DATA CENTRES

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA

84

Sustainability at Equinix CLICK TO WATCH

DECEMBER 2020

|

1:49

CEO CHARLES J. MEYERS

Equinix With more than 205 data centres in 25 countries on five continents, the Equinix brand has become synonymous with colocation and cloud based data centre services over the past two decades.

Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Equinix has the market’s largest ecosystem, comprising more than 10,000 companies. The company’s interconnection-oriented architecture can help users reduce latency with edge networks, and manage the cyber risk of a more distributed cloud-based network.

In October, Equinix completed a $780mn acquisition of 13 Canadian data centres from Bell, bringing its total footprint in the country to 15 facilities.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

85

T O P 10

Amsterdam Data Tower Tour CLICK TO WATCH

|

3:35

86

280

DATA CENTRES

HQ

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

CEO BILL STEIN

DECEMBER 2020

01

Digital Realty

87

Headquartered in San Francisco, Digital Realty is the world’s leading data centre

brand. The company operates a network of 280 data centres in 47 metro areas across 22 countries through its Platform Digital offering, which launched last year.

In March, Digital Realty completed an $8.4bn acquisition of European data centre operator Interxion, making it the region’s largest colocation company with a combined European capacity of more than 440MW. Digital Realty’s business is focused on providing facilities leasing services to hyperscale clients, but the company has also begun to move into the interconnection and colocation space to directly compete with Equinix.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z in e. com

88

THE COMPLETE DATA CENTER SOLUTIONS COMPANY DECEMBER 2020

89

WRITTEN BY

DAN BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

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T5

Meet a company at the cutting edge of customized turnkey development, facility management and mission critical services; keeping your business ‘on’ forever

N

ow in its 13th year, T5 evolved out of the services sector representing data center users. Back in 2008 T5 started

out as a development company before growing a full lifecycle of services geared towards hyperscale and enterprise customers. These extend 90

across the lifecycle of the core data center ranging from customised turnkey development and facility management to data hall operations, mission critical construction services and sustainable approaches to power genera-tion. T5 is serving the needs of the hyperscale and enterprise data center user across North America and at strategic international locations.

“Our roots in the development of cutting-edge data centers for leading corporations gave us a platform to evolve,” remembers President & CEO Pete Marin. “Those same customers looked to us to operate those DCs. There have been numerous changes inside these structures that required construction activity which drove us to create T5CS (T5 Construction Services). Everything we do revolves around that discerning data center customer in DECEMBER 2020

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T5

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“ We advise our customers on lowering the cost of their operations going forward by evaluating power and cooling systems and helping them design and procure the best system that’s going to use the least amount of energy throughout a data hall’s lifecycle” — Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5

two different sectors of the business cycle - hyperscale and enterprise. We’ll continue to grow with those strategic customers and the markets they want to be in, and we will continue to add the services they need as we evolve our assets to support them.”

A DATA CENTER LIFECYCLE PARTNER Marin highlights that T5 is the only company across the sector offering a full lifecycle combination of assets and services in strategic markets.

From delivering a fully functioning data center building at a competitive cost to producing the lowest possible cost of occupancy and then going on to operate it for the customer, T5 can utilize a build to suit approach delivering tailor made specs - for everything from power to cooling - inside the data hall.

Evolving assets through the data center lifecycle is a big part of the philosophy that drives T5 explains Marin: “We advise our customers on lowering the cost of their operations going forward by evaluating power and cooling systems and helping them design and procure the best system that’s going to use the least amount of

DECEMBER 2020

energy throughout a data hall’s lifecy-

these developments are all inter-

cle. With that comes a big focus on the

twined. “We’re making sure we have

reduction of carbon footprint. We’re

the right cooling methodologies to

very supportive of that and have devel-

meet future needs. Simple things like

oped the capabilities to construct

having water at the rack for our cool-

solar installations and we’ll continue to

ing systems which allows a deeper life

expand that expertise as the technol-

cycle for that asset. And of course,

ogy evolves for the hyperscalers.”

we’re agnostic to networks, but we’re

Marin notes that, as electrical densities across data centers increase,

very supportive of having a robust network in all of our buildings.”

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Pete Marin

93

Title: President & CEO

Company: T5 Data Centers

Industry: IT

Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

As President and Chief Executive Officer of T5 Data Centers, Pete is responsible for setting the overall strategy of the firm, maintaining client relationships, capital management, and creating and executing the firm’s vision for growth. Pete has more than 20 years of experience in the data center sector ranging from development, securing debt and equity capital, to tenant representation including site selection and incentives.

Pete’s understanding of end-user needs has enabled T5 Data Centers to reduce project cycle-time and cost, which leads to successful relationships, and repeat business.

Pete received a B.S. in Finance from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

T5

T5 FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

• 400+ FM FTEs

T5’s commitment to greener ways to power data centers has seen it extend

• 500 MW IT load currently managed in over 55 data centers

its construction services to include

• 100% data center focused

into the delivery of solar projects a

• Battle-tested leadership experience

few years ago, and we’ve had a lot of

• Award-winning operations platform

94

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

• Multiple recipient of uptime institute’s continuous availability award and M&O certification • Commitment to military veterans and diversity

DECEMBER 2020

solar and renewable energy. “We got

repeat business,” reveals Marin. “The technology continues to improve and evolve, and it really comes down to the battery technology which I think will bring us to a point where we will see a huge reduction in traditional power sources. It’s going to be interesting to see how this develops because you’ve got some competing forces…

T5 Atlanta Hyperscale Data Center CLICK TO WATCH

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“ We have the ability to give visibility to as many touch points as a customer wants all the way down to the circuit level, so they have that vital input into how their building is operated” — Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5

You want to reduce carbon footprint and carbon emissions because this industry has a lot of generators that are fired with diesel fuel. We need to address that. The evolution of solar represents a great opportunity to do that so we will continue to develop a skill set to deliver these solar projects.

Already, a lot of the big hyperscale customers will typically build a solar deployment to offset what they’re taking from the grid. Eventually, I think you could see solar deployments that are directly set into the grid, so we’re moving in the right direction.” da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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“ We’ll see continued investment as 5G implementation ramps and the move to the Edge continues” — Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5

“Being able to go from bricks and mortar all the way through to the white space and be able to operate inside the data hall is unique in our business. We ensure we have the right EPMS and BMS systems to run the facility with a proper model that works all the controls throughout the data hall,” assures Marin. “We have the ability to give visibility to as many

THE T5 DIFFERENCE

touch points as a customer wants all

It’s one thing to build a great build-

the way down to the circuit level so

ing and deliver it, but another beast

they have that vital input into how their

entirely to operate it believes Marin.

building is operated.” da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

T5

CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM

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“COVID-19 is a challenge for all of us but we got up to speed as quickly as we could,” says T5’s President & CEO Pete Marin. “Right out of the gate, we were ahead of it with extra safety protocols instituted across our sites. We were one of the early adopters of testing and, with the use of smartphone cameras that read a barcode, our staff must complete a questionnaire each day before they are cleared to enter a site. Communication is key - that simple approach, along with best practice when it comes to PPE and social distancing, has limited the spread of COVID-19 at our sites. I’m very proud of how we’re tackling this but we’re not out of the woods yet. Our view is that we’re going to be managing and living with COVID-19 for the next year or two, so we need to make sure we take care of our people first. People first and then we’ll grow the business

DECEMBER 2020

and keep moving forward.”

Mission critical facilities rely on highly specific processes to ensure seamless IT deployment and migration, low redundancy and secure connectivity - much of which is handled by on-site IT or remote hands staff. An industry leader in critical facility management, T5 formed a cross-functional Crisis Management Team to further support its customers with expanded emergency action and business continuity plans to make sure “the lights never go out” as they navigate a global pandemic. By keeping many of its staff on the ground and avoiding the implications of an IT-less facility T5 has been able to continue performing preventative maintenance and server updates to mitigate the risk of downtime and outages while guaranteeing uptime and continuous availability.

The open book approach Marin

at how to improve the data center and

describes gives T5 the flexibility to

to solve the problems of hyperscale

build to suit offering a best in class

and enterprise users.”

service. “We work with the brightest

Marin maintains that recruiting the

and the best partners out there, from

right people, often with mission critical

design and construction through to

backgrounds in the military, and training

services inside the data hall. If there

them to the highest level is paramount.

are services our customers want and

“It’s a big part of making sure the lights

we’re not delivering those today, we

never go out,” he says. Training is the

will go out and find the best to do that

front-line philosophy, to keep our people

and develop that capability internally,

at the cutting edge and allow the group

or acquire it. We’re constantly looking

and its work culture to grow.”

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T5

THE EDGE Evaluating the industry today, Marin believes that on the asset front it’s still important to have space that’s ready to occupy and in key strategic markets. “Over the past couple of years, it’s been just a few buyers of data center space picking up the majority of it. That’s the hyperscale phenomena. That’s going to continue.

However, we predicted last year that enterprise business would come back and we’re seeing that with a combi100

nation of both cloud operations and data centers all supporting the hybrid platform. There’s going to be a combination strategy there. We’re seeing the enterprise return with more build to suit, as well as just leasing traditional data center sites.”

A key development for the future of connectivity is the impending 5G roll out. Marin is excited to see what this will mean for The Edge. “Thanks to 5G

data centers that can be deployed

we’re going to see more Edge deploy-

quickly in multiple locations bringing

ments,” he says. “There have been

compute and storage as close to the

a number of new companies estab-

users eyeballs as possible. We’ll see

lished that are looking at data centers

continued investment here as 5G

from a different perspective, not as

implementation ramps and the move

big, scalable operations but micro

to the Edge continues.”

DECEMBER 2020

2008

Year founded

400+ Number of employees

SCALING UP

to continue to scale the breadth of our

Last year, in partnership with QuadReal,

operations,” confirms Marin. “We have

T5 launched a $2.5bn fund to develop,

significant equity to build our asset

acquire and operate data centers

deployment while remaining nimble as

which has proved to be very success-

a private company.”

ful, allowing the company to scale on

T5 recently acquired an asset in

multiple levels. “We’re well positioned

Chicago, which it is currently building da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

101

T5

“ Continuing to grow our third-party services will be at the heart of our strategy to remain the industry’s premier data center lifecycle partner” — Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5

102

out on a turnkey basis. Located in the

Oregon, just outside of Portland with a

Elk Grove Village Technology Park,

maximum capacity of 17.6 MW,” adds

T5@Chicago will provide 103,000

Marin. “We’ve also acquired an exist-

square feet of white space and up

ing turnkey data center in Northern

to 27.6 critical megawatts of power

California in Silicon Valley where we’ll

capacity, purposefully designed to

be able to deliver in excess of 17 MW.

serve enterprise and hyperscale cloud

Elsewhere, we’ve acquired a large

computing customers. “We’re con-

tract of land (80 acres) in Atlanta,

structing a new building in Hillsboro,

where we’ve started what we call the

DECEMBER 2020

103

‘horizontal construction’ of a facility

their facilities, so continuing to grow

with a total design capacity of 217 MW.”

our third-party services will be at the

“This is just a taste of what we’re up

heart of our strategy to remain the

to at T5 with many exciting develop-

industry’s premier data center lifecy-

ments in the pipeline. So far, we’ve

cle partner.”

deployed 30% out of our fund and we’ve got a lot more work to do,” pledges Marin. “Some of the world’s best brands have entrusted us with da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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Transforming in the Data Center Industry WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

DECEMBER 2020

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NAUTILUS

James Connaughton, Nautilus CEO, discusses how his firm is revolutionising the data center industry

N

autilus Data Technologies is a global pioneer in water-cooled data centers and is leading a global transformation to ultra-

efficient, high-performance and environmentally sustainable operations in the data center sector.

James Connaughton is the CEO at Nautilus.

Having joined the organisation in March 2016, he 106

has overseen the implementation of the world’s first water-cooled and water-borne data center with Nautilus. “There are two essential features,” explains Connaughton. “The first and most important feature is cooling with naturally cold water, which is how all other major infrastructure sectors address the large amounts of heat generated by their systems. These include, for example, thermal power plants, ships, industrial processing facilities, and paper mills. Only data centers, generate heat at a similar industrial scale, still use massive and unsustainable air-cooling systems.

The second feature is mobility--the ability to prefabricate the data center in large modules, and either assemble them onto a barge and deliver it fully ready to go, or transport the modules to

DECEMBER 2020

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NAUTILUS

108

a prepared site for rapid assembly.

providing access to digital infrastruc-

Placing essential infrastructure on

ture to those who currently lack it.�

barges—such as energy barges and

Connaughton believes data centers

water treatment barges--is a well-

are the newest and most important

established model for enabling rapid

component of critical infrastructure

and flexible access to such infrastruc-

that sustains and enriches the lives

ture in fast growing and emerging

of people around the world. “Data

markets. The opportunity and need is

centers now stand alongside power

equally strong today when it comes to

generation, drinking-water plants,

DECEMBER 2020

waste-water plants, roads and other

the development of the company’s

critical infrastructure that allows

first full-scale commercial facility,

society to function and create good

which provides six megawatts of

outcomes for people,” he explains.

water-cooled data center capacity on

“Access to the water molecule and

a barge. He strives for an innovative

the electron has long been vitally

approach across all his operations.

important. Worldwide access to the

“We’ve been on the arc of creative

photon for data delivery is the next

invention and cleverly practical engi-

essential piece.” Over the past two

neering to make that a reality,” says

years, Connaughton has overseen

Connaughton. “The first part of our

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

James Connaughton

109

Title: CEO

Company: Nautilus

Industry: Data Centre

Location: San Francisco Bay

James Connaughton is the CEO at Nautilus. Having joined the organisation in March 2016, he has overseen the implementation of the world’s first water-cooled and water-borne data center with Nautilus. He began his career as a Partner at Sidley Austin focusing on energy, natural resources and environment, energy and environmental management and compliance assurance systems. He then moved on to serve as Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush. Roles followed at clean energy companies Constellation Energy and Exelon, and big data analytics company C3.ai, before moving into his current role at Nautilus.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

NAUTILUS

“ We’ve been on the arc of innovation and invention and engineering to make a high performing and environmentally sustainable data centre a reality” 110

— James Connaughton, CEO, Nautilus

DECEMBER 2020

company’s life has focused on building a functional prototype, and then using that experience to make the thousands of decisions of what not to do against the several hundred decisions of what to do in bringing a full scale facility into being. We’re really excited to be commissioning that data center in California in just a few weeks time.”

Nautilus is planning to develop facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, and has been contacted by potential partners to pursue projects in the Middle East, Africa,

Nautilus Data Technologies | Water-cooled Data Centre CLICK TO WATCH

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111 and South America. “Once our data

Connaughton explains that a key

center in Northern California is up

part of his organisation’s development

and running, we look forward to

has been to develop the supply chain

onboarding a great set of anchor cus-

partnerships with companies such

tomers,” says Connaughton. “We will

as Usystems, Schneider, Vertiv, and

show the world the ultra-efficiency,

George Fischer, among others. “Our

high-performance, and the strong

objective is to work with partners that

sustainability of our approach. After

can help us make this technology

that, we are ready to rapidly move into

available globally,” he says. “These

other locations to “productize” the

partnerships are important because,

technology and we look forward to

as customers, communities, and

partnering through joint ventures and

digital infrastructure providers become

technology licensing so that we can

excited about taking advantage of

get this important technology out into

our technology, we don’t want to lose

the world as quickly as possible.”

ground in being able to deliver it. In order da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

Systems

www.usystems.com

Future proofing data centers with advanced, sustainable and energy saving coldlogik cooling technology Low to high density cooling ‘in one solution’.

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USystems are proud to be an integral part of the Nautilus journey incorporating ColdLogik adaptive intelligence into the ‘TRUE ’ green data center solution. A shared vision leading with innovation, high-performance and sustainability.

TM

“ In order to support an innovation company like ours, partners must field tiger teams that know how to interact with startups and other smaller technology innovators like us” — James Connaughton, CEO, Nautilus

to support an innovation company like ours, partners must field tiger teams that know how to interact with startups and other smaller technology innovators like us. And these teams need to have the creativity and agility to adapt as the innovation advances. We’ve come a long way in just three years, and there is a lot more to come. Our partners need to keep pace with us.”

With the future in mind, Connaughton believes that the data center industry is moving rapidly to where the users are in order to

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NAUTILUS

“ Data centers are the newest and most essential piece of critical infrastructure for the world” — James Connaughton, CEO, Nautilus

114

DECEMBER 2020

115

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NAUTILUS

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DECEMBER 2020

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provide the more powerful computing

highways, railroads, airports, ports,

and faster connections necessary

and even overnight package delivery.

for smart-city, smart-transportation,

To these we will now add warehouses

smart grid, tele-medicine and other

of computers, countless miles of

highly valuable digital applications

fiber optics, and an endless array of

and services. “This means high-per-

wireless devices linking everyone to

formance data centers in the centre

everything digital. We need to make

of every population center,” he says.

sure that the environmental footprint

“We’ve seen this dynamic before with

of the data centers at the heart of all

the buildout of other forms of public

of this well serves both society and the

and private infrastructure—such as

planet. It’s very exciting.”

electricity and gas delivery, public water systems, telecommunications, da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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Digital Transformation in Semiconductor Procurement WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

DECEMBER2020

119

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ARM

Arm’s Alisa Bornstein, Group Procurement Senior Director, on the transformation in procurement worthy of Arm’s high-tech reputation

A

rm is a British multinational semiconductor and software design company headquartered in Cambridge, UK. Arm

technology touches more than 70% of the world’s population, and its processor designs have ena120

bled advanced computing in more than 180 billion chips to date, powering products from the sensor to the smartphone and the supercomputer.

One of the key functions enabling its success is the supply chain. Alisa Bornstein is Group Procurement Senior Director at the company, with over 25 years’ experience in procurement at companies including Ericsson, BT, Telia, Millicom, IHS and now Arm. “I have experience of procurement start-ups, green-field and significant transformations, as well as leading teams in multicultural, complex and fast moving environments and mature and emerging markets. At the places I’ve been I’ve professionalised and digitalised procurement and brought in innovative, agile, lean and efficient service and solutions to the business.”

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ARM

“ Strategic partnerships with suppliers are critical to supporting an organisation’s objectives” — Alisa Bornstein, Group Procurement Senior Director, Arm

and effective function supporting the business’ objectives and future plans.“ That transformation program was undertaken with the aim of digitalis-

On her decision to join Arm, Bornstein

122

ing core procurement processes to

says: “Arm stood out for its unique

enable efficiencies, boost controls,

people, culture of collaboration and

minimise risks, and improve the experi-

brilliant minds. Almost two years in,

ence for end-users. “Procurement

and after 18 months of the transforma-

digitalisation has exploded across

tion program, I am proud to say that

the entire business environment, and

procurement at Arm today is recog-

its entire value proposition to the

nised as a value-creating, responsible

overall organisation has changed tremendously,” says Bornstein.

“Digitalisation influences all areas of procurement, from category management, strategic sourcing, supplier and risk management, to transactional purchase-to-pay operations.”

DECEMBER 2020

Arm | Architects of Possible CLICK TO WATCH

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1:33

123 Naturally, the project has resulted

configuration changes and deploy

in a ground-up overhaul. “We started

all the solutions. We set separate

our digital journey by improving the

workstreams for supplier and content

basics, standardising and redesign-

enablement, and change management.

ing the whole source-to-pay (S2P)

The plan was rigorously monitored

process and deployment of Ariba,”

by external and internal teams.

says Bornstein. “This required a

Advice and support from the imple-

significant change in our ways of

mentation partner in the design phase,

working and the company culture.”

during configuration, testing and

The project hasn’t been without

during go live was absolutely a crucial

complexities. “We were preparing

success factor.”

the rollout for 18 months before we

Having been live with Ariba for the

engaged an external implementation

past year, Bornstein is satisfied that

partner. With them, a schedule was

the digital strategy has delivered and

developed to review the design, make

continues to create significant value da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

THE WORLD IS CHANGING. ARE YOU? Faster. More agile. More innovative. More sustainable. Lower cost. Improved EBITDA. If procurement is not accelerating your business outcomes, it’s probably time for a rethink. The world’s leading businesses trust Proxima.

ACCELERATE YOUR BUSINESS OUTCOMES

Proxima: delivering true value in procurement Clare Harris, Senior Vice President Operations, describes how Proxima has established itself as a world leader in procurement consultancy services

Over the last 25 years, Proxima has established itself as a world-leading expert on procurement consultancy services, helping a broad spectrum of customers to unlock their supply chain’s full potential, from the largest Fortune 500 entities to bespoke startups.

“Ultimately, we work with our clients’ procurement and commercial teams to help drive value from their cost base,” says Clare Harris, Senior Vice President.

As a company, Proxima helps customers optimise what they spend with suppliers and build exceptional procurement functions. “When you think that, on average, about 70% of organisational spend is with suppliers, then you can immediately understand the potential that exists for savings and innovation,” Harris states. However, it isn’t necessarily a purely ‘cost-saving’ exercise; the company specialises in maximising the value of every penny spent. “It’s about understanding what value means to our clients, whether that’s cost, speed, return, risk efficiency, or quality.”

Contributing to the company’s enduring success has been a flexible strategy focused on being adaptable to the changing supply chain environment. That evolution, Harris says, has been characterised by increased networking, collaboration and emphasis on procurement itself.

The benefits of this industry development have been keenly felt by Proxima’s clients. One in particular, Arm, shares a close working dynamic with it: “Proxima has

Clare @ Proxima

been able to bring both commercial expertise and category knowledge, while also injecting capability at a time when Arm’s existing procurement team were quite stretched,” Harris explains. Establishing a “twoway feedback” loop, the collaborators have been able to react swiftly to challenges and coordinate decisively, “We work together at pace and deliver value quickly.” Using different time zones to its advantage, Proxima’s UK team can hand over to the US team and vice versa, creating a continuous cycle of problemsolving capability.

This kind of partnership will prove vital in the postCOVID-19 world, where traditional operational patterns no longer hold true and an innovative mindset is crucial.

As other companies strive to build an operating model for procurement that matches today’s challenges, Harris believes that Proxima’s breadth of expertise will become even more valuable. “I think a lot of companies are now asking, ‘How can we transform ourselves to make decisions quicker?’, and that theme will continue into 2021.” Proxima’s aim, then, will be to guide that development and continue its ongoing mission of delivering real value to its customers.

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f in d ou t m or e !

“ Our procurement team recognises the challenge that COVID-19 poses to our organisation and is working hard to continuously assess and mitigate these risks” — Alisa Bornstein, Group Procurement Senior Director, Arm

is looking into the future trends of the procurement digitalisation . “We’re in the time of technology disruption,” she

for the company, for instance by offer-

says. “Why not combine best-of-breed

ing a one-stop shop, with everything

systems and integrate them to work

you need in one place, and standard

together to deliver a great experience

source-to-contract process that

to internal customers and suppliers?”

ensures that purchase-to-pay works seamlessly. Nevertheless, Bornstein

To this end, she emphasises that procurement is about much more

Arm AI Processors Making Smartphones Smarter CLICK TO WATCH

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1:04

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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ARM

128

than buying. “There are many other

The ongoing transformation of Arm’s

areas where procurement adds value

procurement is built on the strategy to

and where technology enables data-

deploy leading procurement practices

driven intelligence and efficiencies.

and processes, supported by tech-

Innovation in Procurement is crucial

nology solutions, to deliver financial

for professional and forward thinking

benefits and added value, compre-

procurement functions.�

hensive corporate social responsibility

DECEMBER 2020

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Alisa Bornstein Title: Group Procurement Senior Director Industry: Semiconductors

Location: United Kingdom

Alisa Bornstein leads Arm’s global Group Procurement organisation responsible for reshaping procurement while driving positive financial outcomes for the company. Her functional accountabilities include category management, strategic sourcing, supplier management, contracts and transactional purchase operations supported by enabling technologies. Her senior experience covers a broad spectrum of the function including procurement business partnering, strategy, processes, policies, data analytics, planning and execution of strategic and transactional operations, communication and training.

Prior to Arm, Alisa held senior leadership roles at large enterprises including Ericsson, BT, Telia and Millicom where she focused on transformation and digitalisation of the procurement, and serving as the procurement subject matter expert for the business. Alisa is passionate about people and talent development, building collaborative business partnerships and teams. She is a progressive and highly respected procurement leader, and is a frequent speaker at Procurement and Supply Chain industry global conferences and forums.

Alisa holds a Master’s degree in Finance from St Petersburg State University of Economics, Russia.

She is Russian by origin, a Swedish citizen for over two decades and resides in the UK since 2014.

Alisa is true international leader with experience operating around the world, facilitated by her multicultural and inclusive leadership style, with a warm, direct and consensus approach, and fluency in three languages. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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ARM

“ Group Procurement will continue to be a value-creating, responsible and effective procurement function, supporting Arm’s business and mission to architect a smarter world” — Alisa Bornstein, Group Procurement Senior Director, Arm

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“ Digitalisation influences all areas of procurement” — Alisa Bornstein, Group Procurement Senior Director, Arm

products,” says Bornstein. “That’s achieved through building collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships, a proactive development of leading practice strategies to maximise the value of these relationships, driving innovation programmes, reducing supplier-related risk, leveraging

(CSR), supplier risk management and

purchasing power and shared values

stakeholder engagement & collabora-

around sustainability and diversity.”

tion. It has required a shift in, among

As with essentially all of the world’s

other things, the way of working

companies, the COVID-19 outbreak

with key suppliers and partners, with

has impacted operations, particularly

Bornstein identifying seven key quali-

when it comes to the supply chain.

ties she looks for, namely being:

“Reports on how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting supply chains and

• An expert in service type and market • Accountable • A Strategic Advisor • An Innovator • Easy to communicate with • A Cultural fit • Ethics and Compliance-minded

disrupting manufacturing and service operations around the world are increasing daily,” says Bornstein. “The

“Strategic partnerships with suppliers are critical to supporting an organisation’s objectives in maximising the value it obtains from its external partners, providers of outsourced solutions and third-party services and da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

133

ARM

134

prediction is that the impact of COVID-

also bears in mind the impact on its

19 on global supply chains is to remain

suppliers, hence the action Arm has

for many months. Our procurement

taken. “We’ve sent communications

team recognises the challenge that

to key suppliers encouraging them

COVID-19 poses to our organisation

to share with us their business conti-

and is working hard to continuously

nuity measures. Arm’s top 20 suppliers

assess and mitigate these risks.”

were contacted, and follow-up is

Bornstein emphasises that it is not

ongoing to understand their plans

only focused on the well-being of its

and any impact this will have on Arm.

own organisation and employees but

We are also working with, for

DECEMBER 2020

135

example, IT equipment suppliers to

to be a value-creating, responsible

monitor and maintain our stock levels

and effective Procurement function,

on a regular basis.”

supporting Arm’s business and mis-

It’s no surprise then that Bornstein

sion to architect a smarter world.”

is confident that Arm’s procurement function will continue to live up to the company’s reputation as a hightech leader. “The world is changing.

Industries are changing. But our focus in Group Procurement will continue da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

136

Delivering World-Class Connectivity WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR

DECEMBER 2020

PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING

137

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

EQUINIX & OMANTEL

Judith Gardiner and Sohail Qadir discuss their companies’ joint venture to bring an unprecedented level of connectivity to the Middle East

P

erched at the easterly edge of the Arabian Peninsula, where the Gulf meets the Indian Ocean, the Sultanate of Oman sits at the

crossroads of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Positioned as it is, Oman is uniquely suited to serve as an interconnection hub for the entire 138

Middle East region, as well as the wider world beyond.

“The positioning of Oman is excellent,” says Judith Gardiner, Vice President of Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix.

Sohail Qadir, Vice President of the Wholesale Business Unit at Oman’s largest and leading telecom operator, Omantel, agrees. “This region is becoming highly connected,” he affirms. “Our location between Europe and Asia means that all the subsea cables that connect Asia to Europe, or Asia to Africa and so on, pass through the Middle East. We are becoming a hub for interconnection.”

In 2018, Omantel and Equinix embarked on a historic joint venture. Over the past couple of years, the data centre giant and Omani telecom leader have worked together to build a world-class, carrier-neutral data centre hub and international business exchange DECEMBER 2020

139

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EQUINIX & OMANTEL

“ There is no other place with this level of connectivity in the region. Even in the bigger data centres in Europe, it would be very rare to see something like this” — Sohail Qadir, VP, Wholesale Business Unit, Omantel

(IBX) in the city of Barka - just outside the Omani capital of Muscat. The facility, MC1, came online in early October of this year, with more than 23,600 square feet of colocation space and 725 cabinets for colocation hosting. Most importantly, the partnership has allowed Equinix to unite its global data centre network and extensive infrastructure expertise with Omantel’s strategically placed network of subsea cables to create the most highly connected telecom facility in the region. We sat down with Gardiner and

140

Qadir to learn more about this unique partnership and what it means for the future of Oman as the connectivity nexus of the Middle East and beyond.

A DIGITAL REVOLUTION As one of the world’s premier digital infrastructure companies, Equinix operates more than 220 colocation data centres in 26 countries globally. The Middle East, Gardiner explains, holds a great deal of promise for the company.

“The Middle East has proven to be one of the most exciting areas of cloud growth and cloud has quickly become a key factor in the region’s digital transformation,” she says. “There’s been DECEMBER 2020

Introduction to Judith Gardner Vice President of Gems at Equinix CLICK TO WATCH

|

0:40

141 rapid growth of the digital economy

and storage that is required for eve-

and it’s really driven increased demand

rything to function harmoniously,” she

for global connectivity and hybrid multi

explains.

cloud solutions. The increased use

Qadir notes that the Omani govern-

of cloud services and mobile devices

ment’s active role in the data centre

are causing an exponential growth in

and cloud industry has accelerated

the volume of data being stored and

dramatically over the past year, due in

processed.” Gardiner adds that the

part to the COVID-19 pandemic, but

expansion of the Middle East’s digital

also as a result of the region’s changing

economy has also spurred the adop-

relationship to the oil and gas industry.

tion of new applications and services

“The Middle East is heavily dependent

using advanced analytics and machine

on oil revenues, with some economies

learning, which are demanding greater

in the region being as much as 90%

performance. “They’re really leading to

dependent on oil revenues, and you

a reshaping of the network compute

will not find a country - especially in the da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

EQUINIX & OMANTEL

“ The Middle East has proven to be one of the most exciting areas of cloud growth” — Judith Gardiner, VP, Growth and Emerging Markets, Equinix

142

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - that

A few years ago, cloud was something of

is less than 75% oil dependent,” he says.

a no-no in this region. Just a few months

Following the global drop in oil prices

ago, the Omani government announced

last year, there has been a serious push

plans to deliver Oracle cloud in Oman to

towards cloud and digital services, as

consolidate all its IT requirements. Cloud

governments work to ramp up cloud ser-

has become a very important goal for the

vices in preparation for a regional pivot

government.”

towards a more digital economy. “It’s “In response, governments and agencies

MC1 - THE NEW TELECOM HEART OF THE REGION

have been aggregating and consolidat-

The Middle East and the rest of the world

ing their requirements on services like

are moving towards increased cloud

Oracle, AWS, Azure, etc. and these

adoption and greater dependence on

projects are starting to come online.

digital services at an unprecedented rate.

a big crisis in the region,” Qadir explains.

DECEMBER 2020

143 E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Judith Gardiner Title: VP, Growth and Emerging Markets Company: Equinix

Industry: Internet

Judith Gardiner joined Equinix in 2013 as Director of Sales Strategy and Operations for EMEA, going on to serve as Chief of Staff for EMEA leading multiple high impact projects in the region, including acquisitions and integration programs, before becoming Vice President of EMEA’s Growth and Emerging Markets in 2019.

Judith joined Equinix from Polycom, where she held management positions in Finance and Sales Operations in Europe over the span of 10 years. Previously, Judith worked at Peoplesoft (now Oracle) in the Netherlands, after spending five years at Deloitte in Ireland. Judith qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

EQUINIX & OMANTEL

THE COVID-19 FACTOR

144

The current crisis has, Gardiner explains, dramatically accelerated the pace of digital transformations around the world. “Before COVID-19, a digital transformation project could be expected to take two years, and now that same transformation has to happen in two months. The conversations we’re having with other countries in the Middle East have been accelerating,” she says.

A recent report from Deloitte identified the trend, noting that a global shift towards remote work, and the pandemic rendering on-premises data centres inaccessible has rapidly accelerated cloud migrations around the world. “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital

DECEMBER 2020

transformation in two months,” Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella told Deloitte, confirming Gardiner’s assertion.

Executing a historic joint venture like the one between Equinix and Omantel is a challenging feat at the best of times. However, Gardiner reflects, the companies’ respective teams rose to the challenge commendably. “Previously, we would have never thought we could achieve something like this without travel,” she says. “While it’s been disappointing not to be able to do a lot of the work in person, it’s also been really rewarding to see the teams join together and integrate successfully, even in the midst of a pandemic.”

“ With Omantel in Muscat we’re going to be able to offer 160 milliseconds of latency between Frankfurt and Singapore” — Sohail Qadir, VP, Wholesale Business Unit, Omantel

in Oman. The Sultanate also has another operator, which has another two cables landing in the country. All of these subsea cables now have access into MC1, making for 16 subsea networks in one data centre,” says Qadir, adding that “There is no other place with that level of connectivity in this region. Even in the bigger data centres in Europe, it would be very rare to see something like this.”

The latest findings from the Global

The initial success of MC1 has already

Interconnection Index predicts that

garnered significant interest in the

enterprise consumption of interconnec-

project. Qadir notes that the venture

tion bandwidth will grow at a CAGR of

is currently working on five additional

45% across the EMEA region by 2023.

projects to bring even more connectiv-

Equinix and Omantel’s joint venture is

ity to MC1. “There’s a point-to-point

poised to elevate connectivity in the

link between Perth in Australia and

region to a revolutionary degree.

Oman, which will land in MC1 and go

First opened in early October this

live towards the end of 2021. It is called

year, MC1 is a state-of-the-art IBX,

the Oman Australia Cable (OAC) and

strategically positioned to make use

will be one of the longest direct subsea

of Omantel’s extensive subsea cable

cables in the world. We are also working

network. Omantel currently has invest-

with Google and Telecom Italia Sparkle

ments in more than 20 subsea cable

on a cable system called Blue-Raman,

systems, which connect to five landing

which will also land in MC1, just to name

stations in Oman and one in France,

a few,” says Qadir. “Moreover we are

making Omantel the first GCC telecom

planning to extend the GCCIA cable to

operator to have a subsea landing sta-

MC1, which is an alternative terrestrial

tion in Europe.

path connecting the GCC countries”, he

“Omantel has 14 subsea cables landing

added. Qadir explains that the goal is to da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

145

EQUINIX & OMANTEL

146 E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Sohail Qadir Title: VP, Wholesale Business Unit Company: Omantel

Industry: Telecommunications

Sohail Qadir is vice president of wholesale business. He is responsible for developing and growing Omantel’s emerging International businesses, like expanding submarine cables, voice transit and national interconnects including MVNO. In addition, as senior management member he is responsible for overseeing the company’s growing business and footprint outside Oman. He has more than 20 years of experience in a broad range of IT & telecom segments with a specific focus on international business. Before joining his current position in August 2010, he served as chief operating officer in Worldcall Telecom Limited. Mr. Qadir holds B.E. in Computer Systems and Masters in Business Administration.

DECEMBER 2020

Introduction to Sohail Qadir Vice President of Wholesale at Omantel CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:27

147 create an environment where Omantel

adding that Equinix’s role is then to man-

does not need to build its own subsea

age those intersection points between

cables into MC1, as the facility attracts

cables globally. “With Omantel in Muscat

outside investment from cable and

we’re going to be able to offer 160 mil-

infrastructure companies due to its role

liseconds of latency between Frankfurt

as a regional interconnection point. “Five

and Singapore, and that sort of connec-

years down the line, MC1 will be among

tivity is only going to accelerate adoption

the most highly-connected data centres

and transformation even further.”

globally,” he enthuses.

This level of connectivity is going to

GLOBAL CONNECTION

be a driving force behind uniting the

The pace of innovation and adoption

digital economies in EMEA with APAC

around digital services is only going to

and beyond. “The subsea cables that

accelerate. The Equinix and Omantel

Omantel is investing in are really going

joint venture is set to keep pace with

to drive connectivity,” says Gardiner,

demand. “We launched MC1 just last da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

EQUINIX & OMANTEL

An insight into the partnership between Equinix & Omentel CLICK TO WATCH

148

DECEMBER 2020

|

0:49

“ Before COVID-19, a digital transformation project could be expected to take two years, and now that same transformation has to happen in two months” — Judith Gardiner, VP, Growth and Emerging Markets, Equinix

month and we are already in discussions over possible expansions,” says Qadir.

In closing, Gardiner emphasises the fact that continued investment in the Middle East’s digital infrastructure is essential for the region’s success, and that its opportunities, both locally and as a global interconnection point, are significant. “We’re very focused on Muscat right now. The interconnection platform is incredibly important. What we’re seeing drive our customers isn’t space and power, it’s the interconnection platform we provide, the reliability and service excellence, and fundamentally the access to all the digital ecosystems and partners we can offer,” she says, adding in conclusion that “It’s vital that companies invest in developing the digital infrastructure of the Middle East, or the pace of innovation will quickly outstrip its capabilities, and the region’s promising growth as a digital hub will stop. But we’re not expecting to see that; if anything, we’re expecting to see it grow and develop even faster than we’ve already seen.”

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

149

150

GLOBAL BACKING AND LOCAL EXPERTISE WRITTEN BY

JOHN O’HANLON PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

DECEMBER 2020

151

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

CAP DC

Cap DC España, a subsidiary of CAP Ingelec, provides invaluable local knowledge and project management to international clients in Europe and Africa

A

ccording to the data analysis specialist Arizton, the data centre/colocation market in EMEA was worth around US$14bn in

2019. It’s a burgeoning market, driven by factors like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 152

and rapid adoption of internet-based services among businesses in the Middle East and Africa region.

The Cap DC Group, a subsidiary of the leading French Cap Ingelec brings together local engineering firms in Southern Europe and Africa to build data centres to meet this demand, and has been ranked among the top 15 global data centre engineering firms by Arizton. While its core business is data centre engineering, increasingly it is offering its clients in southern Europe and francophone Africa the option of EPC or turnkey construction contracts, says its Managing Director Antonio Ríos Suanzes.

Antonio came on board in 2017 to set up the company’s headquarters in Madrid. In that time his team has grown to eight, turnover to €5.5m, and revenue is targeted to reach €10m by 2022.

DECEMBER 2020

153

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“Madrid is seeing strong growth in tier

tech giants (GAFA) have no foothold yet

2 of the European data centre market

and very few pan-African colocators

thanks to the increase in subsea cables

are active.

reaching the Iberian peninsula,” he says.

“The market is still mostly driven by

“We foresee huge growth in Madrid and

telcos like Orange, or by the public sec-

Barcelona over the coming years.”

tor,” says Antonio. “For example, we

Cap DC has also begun its expan-

are working for the national data centre

sion into Milan, he adds, and Microsoft

agencies in Senegal and Guinea. The

announced recently that it will build data

size of the data centre market in Africa

centres in Greece, while Cap DC deliv-

is currently far smaller than in Europe,

ered two colocation projects in Turkey

but we consider that with rapid popula-

in 2020.

tion growth and the real innovation

With the southern Europe data centre

capability across the continent, it will

market set fair, he notes that Africa

equal the rate of development in Europe

is a completely different market. The

within five years.”

Madrid company has six offices in Africa

He is encouraged in this view by

from Morocco to Senegal to Ghana and

African leadership in mobile payment

Cameroon. In these markets, it’s all about

and its innovations in e-agriculture and

potential. Apart from South Africa the

e-health business.

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155

CAP DC

156

Wherever it is to be built, time to market is the most important consideration

cater for the unknown final requirements of the final client.

for data centre operators and this

“In our view, the technical solution for

is where Cap DC derives a distinct

a data centre client is a combination of

advantage from its deep engineering

merging operator requirements (some-

know-how and the resources of

times pre-defined in the best-practice

Cap Ingelec.

policies of the company) with the skill

Flexibility and modularity are its priori-

to adapt these requirements to local

ties. Power usage effectiveness (PUE)

regulations as necessary, and to validate

driven by modern cooling systems such

construction feasibility in a short time-

as direct and indirect free-cooling and

frame,� he says.

choosing the right location are always

The contracting model developed

important, but design flexibility must

by Cap Ingelec and Cap DC has been

DECEMBER 2020

a major growth factor since 2015, Antonio feels.

“The difference in approach between a general contractor and an engineering specialist is clear. The turnkey contract model we offer our clients focuses on time-to-market. Between our group infrastructure and our local representatives, we can provide full governance of the projects, including licensing, securing power supplies and managing all legal issues: this enables us to commit to a budget and schedule with the client and stick to it.

“This model has helped many of our clients not only to design but to deliver their

“ The size of the data centre market in Africa is currently far smaller than in Europe, but we consider that ... it will equal the rate of development in Europe within five years” — Antonio Ríos Suanzes, Managing Director, CAP DC España

data centres on time. We are very gratified that more clients are trusting us with the full design and construction of their projects. It’s convinced us that this is the construction model that fits this market.”

For Antonio Ríos Suanzes, the key to an effective turnkey solution in the data centre industry is to have the right collaborators, partners and suppliers in place. A good example is the fire protection system, which needs to be planned at an early phase of the project to ensure a system that is fit for da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

157

CAP DC

“ We consider that this pandemic has boosted digitalisation more than any new product or marketing campaign” — Antonio Ríos Suanzes, Managing Director, CAP DC España purpose and protects the data centre through its entire lifecycle.

Taking into account every possible detail during the project planning stage 158

means less need to make changes later.

Making changes to the routing of the pipe network, for example, could disrupt

are delighted to bring to the client the

operations. Also, fire suppression in

quality and performance of our suppli-

data centres can be challenging due

ers.” Close communication across

to the high airflow and the increased

the entire value chain is his mantra:

power density of servers. The upgraded

“If one partner has a problem, the others

FM Standard 5560 incorporates new

have a problem too.”

fire test protocols for data halls and

Strategic partners are equally impor-

subfloors: long-term Cap DC supplier

tant. Private equity and hedge funds

Marioff provides a high-pressure water

are increasingly interested in data cen-

mist solution, a very reliable fire protec-

tres as an alternative to their logistics

tion system focused on total cost of

investments. The global property group

ownership (TCO) and with OEM sup-

Goodman is setting the standard on this

port 24/7, says Antonio.

shift of emphasis and is a key partner for

“We manage construction but we are not a supplier company, so we DECEMBER 2020

Cap DC. “Goodman has the financial resources

159

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Antonio Rios Suanzes Title: Managing Director

Company: CAP DC España

Industry: Construction

Location: Madrid

Antonio Rios Suanzes is Partner and Managing Director at CAP DC España, responsible for the company development in Spain from its creation in 2017. He holds two master’s degrees in Engineering and Corporate Finance. During his three years at CAP DC España, he has overseen the growth of the company from one to eight employees and seen the turnover increase by € 5.5 million.

Over this period of time, Antonio has also grown as a leader and acquired essential managerial skills at the young age of 33. Antonio has broad experience in international projects and reports directly to the group CEO based in France. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

CAP DC

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“ Goodman has the financial resources and strong local teams in key locations” — Antonio Ríos Suanzes, Managing Director, CAP DC España

161 and strong local teams in key locations

has had to face the challenges posed

such as Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam,

by Covid-19, though the situation has

Milan and Madrid,” says Antonio. “Its

boosted the data centre market.

group strategy is to purchase a plot,

“We consider that this pandemic has

secure the power infrastructure (a

boosted digitalisation more than any

specialised process in a complex and

new product or marketing campaign,”

regulation-fraught environment), and

says Antonio. “We expect growth in

then invite interested parties. Once

digital services that will require more

the data centre operator is on board,

investment in data centres and faster

Goodman will support construction

development of tier 2 cities like Madrid,

and rent it to the operator. This model

Monaco or Bordeaux. Internally, in Cap

speeds up delivery by outsourcing plot

DC we were prepared for a ‘smart work’

selection and power due diligence. In

period and we are very proud of how the

Madrid, we are talking 6-12 months

team has reacted to this situation. The

saved on ready-for-service date.”

technical team has been working from

Throughout 2020, every industry

home and the construction team have da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

CAP DC

“ The turnkey contract model we offer our clients focuses on time-to-market” — Antonio Ríos Suanzes, Managing Director, CAP DC España

162

DECEMBER 2020

adapted their schedule to keep the business running and minimize the impact.”

The dramatic uptick in demand will not decline when Covid is finally vanquished, he believes, as business consolidates the efficiencies it has been forced to adopt.

In a city like Madrid, securing power supply for new data centre capacity at strategic locations can be a limiting factor, he notes: “We have identified power supply and infrastructure between substation and data centre as a red flag that was delaying or even withdrawing projects. To tackle this, since 2018 we have offered a consulting service to deal with the electricity provider, securing power alongside a specific turnkey contract to develop this infrastructure. We are very happy with how this has impacted our business and we have been growing turnover every year.”

This success is getting recognised: Cap DC recently received an award as the leading company in Data Center Construction in Spain in 2020 from La Razón newspaper, one of Spain’s most influential.

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

163

164

SUSTAINABILITY: THE HEART OF IMDC’S DATA CENTER OPERATIONS DECEMBER 2020

165

WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

Iron Mountain Data Centers’ (IMDC) Alex Sharp & Eric Boonstra discuss IMDC’s services, ambitions, and why sustainability is the heart of its operations

S

Starting their respective careers in the data center industry in 2005 and 1990, Eric Boonstra, VP and GM in Western

Europe and Alex Sharp, Global Head of Data Center Design and Construction collectively have 45 years of experience in the industry. The two 166

have worked for the likes of Siemens, ABN AMRO, SpendLab, EvoSwitch, Wates, Mace and CBRE. Joining Iron Mountain Data Centers (IMDC) in 2019, Sharp identifies the company as “a leading provider of data center and colocation services.

We have a global portfolio which includes hyperscale ready facilities, strategic-edge facilities and underground data centers, which are fully powered by 100% renewable energy.”

Being sustainable is a fundamental element of IMDC’s strategy: “we try to make sure that everything that we do is as renewable and as sustainable as possible,” comments Sharp. “We believe that we are one of the most sustainable colocation providers in the world, which is really important to us and at the same time makes us stand out from the competition,” adds Boonstra, who joined IMDC in 2018.

DECEMBER 2020

2013 Year founded

$4.26bn+ Corporate company revenue, US dollars

350 Number of employees

167

da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

Alex Sharp @Iron Mountain CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:04

168

“ WE HAVE A GLOBAL PORTFOLIO WHICH INCLUDES HYPERSCALE READY FACILITIES, STRATEGIC-EDGE FACILITIES AND UNDERGROUND DATA CENTERS, WHICH ARE FULLY POWERED BY 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY” — Alex Sharp, Vice President, Global Head of Design and Construction, Iron Mountain Data Centers DECEMBER 2020

While most organisations have an interest in minimising their impact on the environment, Sharp reflects that, in his career, no company has been more considerate of its impact on the environment than IMDC. “Sustainability at Iron Mountain Data Centers is not optional,” he says. “It’s not an aspiration, it’s an absolute requirement. Our CEO Bill Meaney is absolutely passionate about renewable energy, and energy optimisation processes. He aggressively drives us to try and find new solutions, look at different fuel technologies for instance and push the

envelope in terms of doing things that

we do, and our customers are aware

other organisations haven’t done yet,

of that. We look at designing the most

if we think it’s the right thing to do in

efficient data centers that minimise

order to be sustainable.”

the consumption of electrical energy,”

IMDC’s approach when it comes

says Boonstra.

to sustainability is to lead rather than

One example that highlights these

follow; the company is keen on trying

sustainability ambitions is the fact

new solutions that will increase its

that IMDC helps its customers to

sustainability efforts. “Sustainability

look at the hardware they put into an

is at the forefront of everything that

Iron Mountain data center to drive

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Alex Sharp

169

Title: Vice President, Global Head of Design and Construction Company: Iron Mountain Data Centers Industry: Data Center & Colocation services Alex Sharp joined Iron Mountain Data Centers in 2019 as Global Head of Design & Construction. Prior to joining Iron Mountain Alex was Global Head of Projects and Construction for CBRE DataCenter Solutions as he joined CBRE from Mace Limited where for 8 years he was Senior Managing Director of their data center construction business. Alex is an Electrical & Electronic Engineer and one of Europe’s leading data center builders with the ambition to further develop and grow Iron Mountains Data Centers business by building sustainable data center facilities. Alex is a regular speaker at prominent industry conferences such as Datacenterdynamics and DataCloud Global in various places around the world. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

IRON MOUNTAIN DATA CENTERS

efficiency and sustainability for their

170

Going forward, Sharp sees IMDC

racks in any of their data centers glob-

adding cooling technologies, carbon

ally. “We look at technologies where

scrubbing, and trying to get conces-

customers can replace six of their

sions with its customers where it can

legacy racks in a data center with one

run its data centers at slightly higher

that is far more efficient, where the

temperatures, to its focus areas when

energy is being tailored and used at

it comes to sustainability. “Our aim

the appropriate point where it needs to

is to reduce our carbon emissions to

be. It makes it far easier for us to man-

get to a position where we are car-

age the air within the data center. So

bon neutral, initially, before we push

for us, it’s far more than just looking at

for carbon negative where we take

the design of a data center; it’s work-

harmful greenhouse gases out of the

ing with our customers to ensure that

atmosphere. We also want to look into

we’re deploying those energies in an

the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and

efficient way.”

analytics when it comes to the design

Eric Boonstra @Iron Mountain CLICK TO WATCH

DECEMBER 2020

|

0:59

I R O N M O U N TA I N D ATA C E N T E R S ( I M D C ) G R E E N P O W E R PA S S O F F E R I N G

“We’re very proud of the Green Power Pass,” says Boonstra. “Iron Mountain Data Centres is the first operator in the industry that has launched this kind of portfolio-wide renewable power solution.”

Prior to its Green Power Pass offering, Sharp details that customers with colocation data centers couldn’t use renewable energy that was being consumed there as part of their own sustainability reporting. “We didn’t think that was very fair. So we worked together with industry leading organisations such as Future of Internet Power (FoIP) and the

Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) in the US to come to a solution where customers can now claim colocation power consumption from the minute they sign a contract with us. We can do this because we provide a very clear audit trail in terms of where the energy comes from and how it’s deployed within the data centers, as well as an audit letter of attestation at the end of every year to our customers to explain what power they’ve used and where it was sourced from so they can apply it to their own corporate social responsibility reporting.”

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171

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“ WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF INVESTMENTS, AND BECOME TWICE AS BIG IN THE LAST TWO YEARS IN EMEA” — Eric Boonstra, Vice President and General Manager Western Europe, Iron Mountain Data Centers

of a data center to compare what it is and what it should be operating at, and ultimately coming up with solutions to make not only new but legacy data centers more efficient and resilient.”

In addition to its sustainability efforts, IMDC also has a strong focus on ensuring that its data centers

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Eric Boonstra Title: Vice President and General Manager Western Europe Company: Iron Mountain Data Centers Industry: Data Center & Colocation services Eric joined Iron Mountain Data Centers in 2018 after the acquisition of EvoSwitch and currently serves as the Vice President and General Manager Western Europe. Prior to his role, Eric was the CEO of Evoswitch for 10 years and was instrumental in the company’s M&A activities. With the high ambitions IMDC has set for developing and growing it’s data centre portfolio across the European region, Eric’s main drivers to achieve these ambitions are through customer satisfaction, sustainability initiatives, operational excellence, international growth and industry leadership. His focus on attracting international customers for Iron Mountain has been helped by his multi-sector experience, which includes senior management roles in Siemens, Staples and ABN AMRO Bank. Eric also holds several board positions including the Dutch Data Center Association, and the Amsterdam Economic Board. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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serve as connectivity ecosystems that enable customers to transact their services. “We not only look towards greening the grid with our renewable initiatives such as Green Power Pass but we strive for our customers to transact their services from within the Iron Mountain ecosystem in the most efficient way possible. With our ever growing ecosystem of Carriers,

“ OUR AIM IS TO REDUCE OUR CARBON EMISSIONS TO GET TO A POSITION WHERE WE ARE CARBON NEUTRAL” — Alex Sharp, Vice President, Global Head of Design and Construction, Iron Mountain Data Centers

Internet Exchanges and Cloud Service

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Providers we enable our customers to

secure, efficient and resilient, while

connect and enhance their business

also providing opportunity and choice

by providing the route of their choice

for our customers,” explains Boonstra.

to any CSP on a global scale. So really

With this in mind, Boonstra reflects

it’s about providing top quality services

that over the last two years, IMDC

within our data centers, that are highly

- which originates from the US - has

DECEMBER 2020

I R O N M O U N TA I N D ATA C E N T R E S ’ PA R T N E R S H I P W I T H D ATA L E C

Datalec is a design, build and installation company that our customers were continually asking us to use for fit outs. I think typically when you’re asked to use a particular company for any reason, and it’s not someone that you’ve selected, you fear the worst. But that certainly wasn’t the case with Datalec. A lot of our hyperscale customers were asking us if we would use Datalec, which is a very niche business providing worldclass customer fit out and team user solutions.

They show an exception level of attention to detail, where they really do work to understand the brief. Consequently they have come to partner with us as the data center owner and operator and the relationship has grown from there. Now we use them in their own right as an installation company and we’re getting a fantastic service from them.

Alex Sharp, Global Head of Design and Construction, Iron Mountain data centers (IMDC)

grown very fast on a global scale next to the EMEA region. “This was exactly our plan,” comments Boonstra.

“We have made a lot of investments, and become twice as big in the last two years in EMEA.” Currently Iron Mountain has data centers in Amsterdam - its headquarters for the EMEA region - Frankfurt and London, with plans to further expand in not only the leading countries in the region but the emerging ones, too. da t a c e nt re ma ga z i n e. com

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While these are notable successes for IMDC in the EMEA region, Boonstra adds that “we are currently one of the top 10 global data center providers, and we have strong ambitions to get into a top 5 position.” As a result the company’s ambitions to expand its global operations continue. “We currently have 15 locations globally with eleven data centers in the US, one in Singapore and three in Europe that we are heavily investing into. But we want to continue to expand our port176

folio and enhance our position to be a global leading data center provider in the future. So that’s why our target markets are retail, enterprise and

construction projects all around the

hyperscale businesses. In the past

world, and while we are still doing okay,

you had providers for each industry,

we have seen a few delays as a result

but I believe that leading providers of

of COVID. We have seen both good

the future will be able to provide their

and bad outcomes due to COVID-19.

services to all of these markets,” com-

One of the things we have all seen is

ments Boonstra.

that there is a lot more traffic going

When it comes to the effects of

through the internet due to people

COVID-19, Sharp adds that “if you

working from home, which is chan-

look at revenues and pipelines there

neled through our data centers. So

is luckily no impact, we are growing

we’ve seen a much bigger increase in

fast despite COVID. But where we

demand for immediate space that our

have seen some impact is in the con-

customers need - particularly cloud

struction projects. Currently we have

service providers. So the demand has

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“ IF YOU LOOK AT REVENUES AND PIPELINES THERE IS LUCKILY NO IMPACT; WE ARE GROWING FAST DESPITE COVID” — Eric Boonstra, Vice President and General Manager Western Europe, Iron Mountain Data Centers DECEMBER 2020

grown significantly through COVID, but with that has come its own challenges, and of course movement of personnel and movement of equipment has been an issue through COVID.” Looking to the future Sharp states that IMDC’s ambitions for 2021 - like 2020 - will be much the same. “To continue to be a partner of choice for our customers, to deliver high quality services, and to expand our offerings in all regions. We actively anticipate expanding into new regions and contributing to those communities that we go into. We will also, as ever, ensure that we continue to minimise the impact we have on the environment and drive social inclusion in the regions we operate in.”

Adding to Sharp’s comments in the future, Boonstra says: “We want to be a top leading data center provider in the world, so we will keep on investing, conducting M&As and carry out construction projects around the world, despite COVID-19 changing the ways that we work.”

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