DCN June 2017 | Page 8

industry news

Vertiv ranks most critical industries in the world

Utilities , including electricity , gas , nuclear power and water treatment , are the most critical industries in the world according to a new ranking from Vertiv , formerly Emerson Network Power .
Vertiv convened a panel of global critical infrastructure experts to systematically quantify and rank the criticality of multiple industries based on 15 criteria . Mass transit – specifically rail and air transportation – ranked second on the list , followed by telecommunications , upstream oil and gas activity and cloud and colocation . The full list is available in a new report , Ranking the World ’ s Most Critical Industries , available at www . VertivCo . com / MostCritical .
The panel set criteria encompassing the range of potential impacts from the loss of availability of critical systems and weighted them based on the severity of the impact . These criteria then were used to create a criticality rubric that the panel used to score the industries , which then were ranked by their average scores .
‘ If there is a common theme at the top of this list , it is the interconnectedness of these industries ,’ said Jack Pouchet , vice president , market development , Vertiv . ‘ These sectors are important to the foundation of today ’ s society , and downtime in any of these areas can reverberate across industries and around the globe . This will only continue as our world becomes more mobile and more connected and as the Internet of Things expands .’
Panellist Emiliano Cevenini , vice president of power sales and business development for Vertiv in Europe , Middle East and Africa , added , ‘ Cloud and colocation are becoming more and more critical as an increasing number of devices and businesses rely on these platforms to perform . We ’ re expecting this trend to continue for the foreseeable future as the IoT networks that serve industries and smart cities are opting to use the cloud as the go-to platform to underlie their technology .’

Global study reveals cloud is gathering momentum , but tech pros struggle with optimal strategy

Pure Storage has announced the results of Evolution , a ground breaking independent global research survey that explores the ways businesses are balancing infrastructure and applications today and beyond .
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence ( AI ), Internet of Things ( IoT ) and machine learning have changed the way businesses operate and what it takes to thrive in a digital economy . An independent survey of IT leaders in more than 9,000 businesses spanning 24 countries across the US , EMEA and Asia Pac found that digital solutions drive around half of revenue ( 47 per cent on average ) for organisations , whether through customer facing applications or more back-office functionality . It ’ s clear that digital transformation is no longer just a buzzword , it ’ s actually happening .
But despite this growth , technical complexity and strategic uncertainty from an infrastructure standpoint have prevented businesses from truly becoming digital . Public , private and hybrid cloud , SaaS and traditional on-premises all have momentum , but businesses still lack confidence in where to place specific workloads .
‘ Emerging technologies have started to drive true digital transformation , but businesses remain in a cycle of lure and regret when it comes to public cloud ,’ said Scott Dietzen , CEO of Pure Storage . ‘ Rather than being viewed as competing options , companies should embrace cloud and on-premises storage as complementary offerings . By doing so , storage infrastructure becomes agile and future proof , which drives the data advantage that enterprises seek .’

IN BRIEF

The Cloud Industry Forum ( CIF ) has announced that its Professional Membership eLearning scheme has been formally accredited by the Continuing Professional Development ( CPD ) Certification Service . The accreditation means that CIF Professional Members can now use CIF ’ s online cloud training courses as part of their annual CPD structured development commitment .
Colt Data Centre Services ( DCS ) has announced the extension of its customer referral programme into the United States ( US ). Colt DCS will partner with strategic US based partners to provide customers with faster connectivity and better access to data centre facilities beyond Europe and Asia .
Virtus Data Centres has announced that it has achieved supplier status with the Crown Commercial Service ( CCS ) as part of the G-Cloud 9 initiative . This will allow Virtus to extend access to its Managed Cloud Connect Infrastructure Service ( VMCCI ), to central government , local government , health , education , devolved administrations , emergency services , defence and not-for-profit organisations , utilising the G-Cloud framework .
Pulsant has announced the appointment of Simon Hendy to the position of channel manager . Simon has a wealth of experience in both direct sales and the channel , with a career spanning almost 20 years across the UK , US , Europe and the Middle East . He brings a wide-ranging skill set to the company , specifically around helping partners with strategic planning to drive profitability , and go-to-market campaigns to expand their customer bases .
8 | June 2017