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Blog > Netrality News Roundup: 3/17/2020

Netrality News Roundup: 3/17/2020

Netrality's bi-weekly industry news roundup for early March 2020, chronicling the latest news, developments and innovations in the colocation data center space.

Welcome to the Netrality News Roundup!

We’ve selected key articles on the latest news, developments, innovations and revelations in the colocation data center industry.

Don’t miss our bi-weekly news roundups to learn what’s going on with colocation, edge computing, and the brave new world of hybrid cloud, 5G, IoT, artificial intelligence, smart cities, virtual reality, and other technologies at the edge!

 

Analyst: Enterprise CIOs Seek Simplicity, May Use Fewer Data Center Providers

Rich Miller, Data Center Frontier

“Enterprise decision-makers are increasingly looking for single providers to meet their data center and cloud computing needs, according to new data from a Credit Suisse survey of CIOs. As a result, data center and cloud markets may be shifting to a ‘winner takes all’ dynamic as more CIOs seek to simplify their global data center infrastructure.”

The growing shift to the edge is influencing many CIOs to shift from working with multiple providers to relying on single colocation providers. A single go-to provider connecting to an ecosystem of cloud, network and services providers that is in closer proximity to users is much more efficient and cost-effective. 

 

Dell Updates, Adds To Edge Computing Portfolio

Larry Dignan, ZDNet

“Dell Technologies rolled out a series of edge computing devices including a modular micro data center for rugged environments, servers for tight spaces and an architecture approach that blends cloud, edge and on-premises compute.

Dell is aiming to capitalize on edge computing, a trend that will reshape everything from real estate to analytics and the Internet of things. As a result, more technology vendors will be creating rugged devices designed for multiple conditions. According to Gartner, 75% of enterprise data will be created and processed outside of data centers and cloud by 2022.”

Since the majority of our data will be created and processed outside of data centers and within actual devices, connecting to data centers in close proximity to these devices will be the only way an IoT infrastructure can work. 

 

Netflix: Edge Computing Can Streamline TV & Film Production

Rich Miller, Data Center Frontier 

“Netflix sees an opportunity for these new technologies to transform TV and film production, changing the way huge video files are managed and shared. 

‘Where (edge computing) is super interesting to me is the production side of the house, and during series production’ said Dave Temkin, Vice President of Networks at Netflix. “As we’re making content, one of the biggest challenges we face is that we can be making content in Mumbai, but have the producers or other creatives sitting in London. A big priority for them is being able to see the content, either as it’s being made, or that evening in a process called dailies.’

Edge computing can perform “data thinning” to distill large datasets down to smaller files to be sent across the network for review. In TV and film production, that means transcoding, which converts large files into a format more suitable for digital transport. Edge computing can bring processing power onto remote sets, allowing transcoding to take place on location.”

The media and entertainment industry is very data-intensive. Even in 2020 digital files are still physically moved by courier between editors and producers because the cloud simply can’t handle their size and complexity. This is foreword thinking on Netflix’s part. As they shift to the edge, they will have a leaner, more efficient production process and change the way films have been edited for over a century. 

 

Microsoft’s Azure Sphere for IoT Devices Now Commercially Available 

February 24, 2020

Kurt Mackie, Remond Mag  

“Microsoft announced on Monday that its Azure Sphere solutions for Internet of Things (IoT) devices have reached the ‘general availability’ (GA) commercial-release stage.

‘The opportunity to release a brand-new product that addresses crucial and unmet needs is rare,’ stated Halina McMaster, a Microsoft principal group program manager, in the announcement. ‘Azure Sphere is truly unique, our product brings a new technology category to the Microsoft family, to the IoT market, and to the security landscape.’

Microsoft is aiming to make IoT devices trusted with the GA release of Azure Sphere. The security risks inherent in edge computing are very different from those encountered in a traditional data center or even the cloud. The more connected devices you add to your network, the more potential vulnerabilities you create. Security for edge devices is one of the most important considerations for and IoT infrastructure.

 

Chattanooga smart city research tops $110 million, MIT economist praises public investment

February 21, 2020

Dave Flessner, Times Free Press

“More than two-thirds of all research funds in America are spent in a handful of U.S. coastal and big cities, leaving the rest of the country outside of most of the technology boom and the high-paying jobs it generates. But Chattanooga is trying to shift that direction.

Capitalizing on Chattanooga’s high-speed internet connections, a coalition of government, university, business and nonprofit agencies has succeeded in capturing $110 million of federal research projects. The Chattanooga Smart Community Collaboration is exploring and applying new technologies in energy, health and traffic services, among other research initiatives.

‘Chattanooga is rapidly becoming America’s living laboratory for smart city research,’ Chattanooga mayor Andy Berke said. ‘By combining some of our nation’s most advanced smart city infrastructure with expertise ranging from autonomous vehicle development and healthcare delivery to freshwater conservation and entrepreneurship, Chattanooga is emerging as a singular location for integrated research and testing new technologies.’”

It is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. In order to accommodate this rapid growth, cities must become smarter. As cities such as Chattanooga, Kansas City, and Houston become smarter, they will increasingly depend on ultra-low latency, two-way connectivity between sensors and devices. Urban-based, interconnected data centers will be crucial to the success of smart cities as they continue to proliferate across the globe.

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