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 interconnection, peering, 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!
Data Center Site Selection Key to Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
Sarah Rubenoff, Data Center Frontier
July 29, 2020
Amidst COVID-19, DR and business continuity are among the most misunderstood in the world of business — and also among the most important. A new report from Prime Data Centers explores those misunderstandings and highlights how “site selection” is key for your data business continuity strategy.
Among the findings are that RPO and RTO are impacted by distance due to latency, safety scores are impacted by distance + target weather/ seismic profile, and RTO is impacted by distance + transport.
Although choosing a data center is a multi-criteria process, Prime Data Centers contends that the first step is to understand how site selection and location will impact all the other criteria related to DR and business continuity. The closer your data center is to users, the less latency they will experience and the more data they will be able to process. That’s why urban-situated colocation data centers are the ideal partners for edge computing and other data-intensive technologies.
Colocation Services Provider Firms Tap Partners
July 29, 2020
John Moore, Search IT Channel
Colocation services provider companies are expanding their reach into the channel, looking to tap partners’ strength in digital transformation, managed services know-how and the ability to influence customers’ purchasing decisions.
Traditional colocation vendor partners include carriers and their downstream broker and agent partners. Brokers play a role similar to IT distributors, while agents, resembling VARs, work directly with carriers or through a larger agent company.
Colocation providers will increasingly tap partners that can bundle their data center services into digital transformation projects. As colocation and edge computing become table-stakes in the digital economy, having partners to fill in growing skills gaps and alleviate expansion pains will be critical.
Shipments of Servers Located at the Edge to Double by 2024
July 29, 2020
Neil Tyler, New Electronics
The number of servers deployed at edge locations will double over the next 5 years, according to new research from Omdia, with a total of 4.7 million servers shipped in 2024 that will be located at the edge.
“The development of new devices and software technologies in response to growing requirements is accelerating global computing demand,” said Vlad Galabov, principal analyst for data center IT, at Omdia. “At the same time, the nature of devices and applications is changing where the collection and real-time processing of data are becoming increasingly important.”
Latency and bandwidth are becoming key performance determinants and are driving the need for better telecommunication networks and more computing power to be placed closer to end users and machines. Just as we evolved from an on-premise to a cloud-based world, we are now shifting from cloud to edge.
Treasury Department Wants To Move Its Cloud Into Another Cloud
July 23, 2020
Aaron Boyd, Next Gov
Within the Fiscal Service, the Office of Information and Security Services “has a need to place network equipment within two hosted colocation data centers,” one on each coast, according to the RFI. “This placement will allow for low-latency network availability to several hosted cloud services,” and multiple cloud service providers.
“The on-site cloud exchange provider shall have a minimum of 40 onsite cloud provider onramps at the colocation data center campus,” with access to, at a minimum, Amazon Web Services Direct Connect, Microsoft Azure Government ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Services, Verizon Communications SD Interconnect and ServiceNow.
In order to meet the needs and expectations of a technology-empowered populace, government must be smarter and function in a modern and data-driven way. Edge computing will bring major benefits and advantages to public sector institutions at every level, bridging the gap between legacy and modern government IT.
Verizon’s Answer for Rural Broadband Access is a New LTE Home Internet Service
July 30, 2020
Monica Chin, The Verge
In response to more customers working and studying from home due to COVID-19, Verizon has announced a new home internet service that uses its 4G LTE wireless network. The service will target rural communities that aren’t currently served by Verizon’s Fios or 5G Home options.
Many customers in rural areas that did not have broadband access can now subscribe to this 4G LTE service which offers unlimited data and download speeds of 25Mbps with peak speeds of 50Mbps; comparatively, Verizon’s 5G and Fios networks offer 940Mbps on top plans.
With more and more people working from home and engaging in distance learning, Verizon’s 4G LTE network will provide Internet connectivity for customers in more rural parts of America who may not have access to broadband Internet service – a critical need, especially now, when so many are counting on reliable connectivity for remote work and educational needs
