PROJECT FOCUS Scuderia Ferrari

SPECIAL FEATURE : GAME CHANGER :

INTELLIGENT THE IMPACT OF IEEE

FINE TUNING THE

BUILDINGS 802.11AC

DATA CENTRE

SPECIAL FEATURE : CABLE MANAGEMENT

& LABELLING 01 Cover . indd 1 02 / 08 / 2016 15:49

WILL MULTI-STOREY DATA CENTRES BECOME THE NEW NORM ?

Such speed and precision requires a technology infrastructure that is up to the task .

FEATURE

THREE DECADES OF NETWORK

fibre cleaning

INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION

Ferrari and Schneider Electric have teamed up to push limits on data centre efficiency and reliability . Michael Crane races to find out more .

Despite warnings that IPA is no longer ‘ fit for purpose ’ when it comes to cleaning optical fibre , the outdated cleaner is still often used on highly sensitive fibre equipment . Edward Forrest , an expert on the fibre optic industry , looks at the many problems that IPA can cause . cuderia Ferrari is the racing team racing . Competitive on all levels , from and analysed . The time given to respond division of the world famous engineering to the race , there ’ s no room to and accommodate new rules and Ferrari sports car manufacturer . for error , downtime or delays . restrictions from one competition to the n the world of fibre optics , there only So here ’ s the headline : to get the Why clean ?

The most successful team in ‘ One of the founding elements of next is often very short . are two truly critical precision cleaning most from an investment in advanced The basic answer is as simple as a the history of Formula One , the Ferrari experience and success is the The regulatory changes can range operations . The first is ‘ prep ’ before fibre equipment , companies must stain on your shirt . In fibre optics , they having recorded 224 ( and ability to make decisions very quickly ,’ from technical directives during actual fusion splice . The other is ‘ end-face update their cleaning processes this is not merely a cosmetic issue . counting ) race victories . The says Vittoro Boero , chief information championship events to modifications cleaning ’. Both are essential to and stop using IPA . Over the last 20 Stains and debris on an optical surface team has competed in every major world officer at Ferrari ’ s automotive division in the car ’ s architecture . These changes deployment of reliable , high capacity years , the precision cleaning industry will degrade the transmission of the championship since 1950 . and its Formula One team . ‘ At Ferrari need to be quickly reflected in Scuderia networks . But as new and advanced has developed high performance signal . ‘ Clean ’ directly equates to more we ’ re constantly working to push the Ferrari ’ s working methods and IT as modern fibre networks might be , products that cost less , are safer reliable transmissions and mechanically limits , to break records .’ support systems . As a result , the data most technicians still are cleaning them to use and perform better than stronger splices . Optical fibre must Speed and precision

Such speed and precision requires centre physical infrastructure needs to with the same fluid used in the 1960s : traditional alcohol cleaners . Let ’ s take be pristine to transmit reliably and to

A Formula One team is driven by a a technology infrastructure that is be high performing , reliable , flexible isopropyl alcohol , also called IPA . a look . splice properly . culture of innovation at the highest up to the task of being both flexible and highly manageable . levels where speed is the literal key and reliable . The Ferrari data centres to competitive advantage . It ’ s a support the Scuderia Ferrari Formula

26 place where results are concretely One engineers by providing the high A data centre upgrade measured at each Grand Prix . Formula performance computing environment ‘ The data centre hosts solutions and One racing represents the pinnacle necessary to adapt and adjust quickly as systems used by our engineers during in high performance automotive data is gathered in real time during races races ,’ says Antonio Tornatore , head of

20

storage , servers & hardware

Targeted services However , by joining forces with a variety of vendors , channel organisations can create more specialised and targeted services that appeal to a wider range of customers . And the cloud can help them deliver these services anytime and anywhere . This works for vendors , too , as they can leverage existing customer relationships forged by the channel to their benefit .

Whether it ’ s eCommerce , healthcare , financial services or another sector there is a demand for fast , reliable and tailored services that solve a particular problem or need . The flexibility required to deliver such a diverse offering can really only be provided by the cloud , and it ’ s unlikely that one single vendor will be able to do it alone . The channel can aggregate

services from multiple vendors into a single tailored product that suits a specific need . It ’ s this kind of innovation that can drive businesses forward . All this means the digital transformation of the channel is presenting vendors in the space with an unparalleled opportunity for change . The cloud has given organisations a new way of buying and using technology , and the channel has an opportunity to put itself at the centre of that evolution . We ’ ve been accelerating this trend through Evergreen Storage , our procurement and ownership model . Through allowing service providers to routinely upgrade the performance and scale of their array , without the need for continual disruption and forklift upgrades , we ’ ve given customers the benefit of getting this

The cloud is helping the channel to develop new business models , new revenue streams , and new relationships .

higher performance they expect on flash , as well as a utility cost model through their cloud provider .

The cloud is helping the channel to develop new business models , new revenue streams , and new partnerships and relationships , fundamentally changing the solutions and services offered to customers . These can drive innovation in not only the channel , but the technology industry as a whole , across a variety of sectors .

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