24
DATA CENTRE OF TOMORROW
close to the public cloud as possible; using public Internet
connections to connect to public cloud can expose users
to possible congestion and latency issues, while direct
connections do not come cheap. This will lead to highly
scalable data centres being able to host and connect all the
required public, private and legacy infrastructures, using
the various backup solutions available, for data stored in all
environments. Apart from reducing costs and latency, it will
ensure a far higher level of control for users.
Bypass the Internet
Data centres bypassing the Internet will become
increasingly common practice. While it’s still relied on by
many enterprises for their public cloud services, the major
service providers have more recently developed secure,
predictable access methods to support organisations. By
using data centres equipped with cloud gateways, such as
Next Generation Data, public, hybrid and legacy users can
expect to achieve the same level of seamless experience as
those using private cloud only.
Data centres equipped with such cloud gateways will
allow fast, highly secure private network connections directly
into the global public cloud network infrastructures, such as
Microsoft’s Azure ExpressRoute. By seamlessly connecting
into these subsea cable and terrestrial networks and
bypassing the public internet, users will increase security,
reduce latency and optimise bandwidth in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, with multiple interfaces, private connectivity to
multiple cloud locations can be achieved and will ultimately
improve resiliency.
Cloud gateways will also allow the flexibility for users
to separate their connectivity provider from the cloud
provider, and therefore have greater control over costs than
purchasing all aspects of the solution from a single provider.
Beyond the Cloud
Just like the cloud, Big Data, The IoT and HPC ultimately
require physical elements to sustain them – scalable,
powerful processing and storage, high-speed low latency
connectivity, security, and abundant power. Older
data centres housing IT systems typically doubling in
performance every two years in accordance with Moore’s
Law, will likely struggle to support the new unprecedented
compute demands of our new highly data-intensive age.
The way forward is to have a highly flexible infrastructure
that can adapt and grow to deliver the increasing power,
cooling and connectivity necessary. A typical rack in a data
centre used to consume under 2kW of power, and older data
centres were built to support this level. However, expecting
customers to now use two, three, four or more times the
space to support increased power requirements will not be
acceptable practice.
Ultimately, IoT fuelled Big Data, including that from
driverless vehicles, will accelerate the demand for HPC –
they’re inextricably linked. But the answer doesn’t have to
mean a return to building expensive in-house data centres
that will rapidly age and fail to keep pace with the power
and cooling demands of such high density environments.
Instead, we’ll see HPC-ready colocation data centres
emerging with the space, power, cooling and connectivity
necessary to support clusters of very high-density server
racks. By choosing the right colocation provider, an
organisation will be able to grow or shrink its HPC platform
as required, with the knowledge that the facility provider
will not be a constraint on their needs. This solution must
not only offer a future-proofed data centre infrastructure
to accommodate rapid expansion, but also provide the
essential engineering skills necessary for the design and
build of highly bespoke environments.
Tomorrow’s data centres must have the flexibility and
scalability to offer all of the essential components necessary
for ensuring organisations of all shapes and sizes can
meet immediate and future requirements. IT has never
experienced such dramatic changes as we experience now,
and will continue to do so.
Flexibility, with the ability to change direction without
the significant sunk costs in ‘build your own’ data centres is
the way forward for enterprise customers. Physical security,
vast space, and plentiful power are all prerequisites, but
without fit for purpose and redundant network connectivity,
the resilience, predictability and seamless experience users
expect will be put at risk. n
www.networkseuropemagazine.com