Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | September 14, 2023
IT infrastructure is of utmost importance because it enables organizations to manage and deliver data & services to their employees, customers, and partners.
The events mentioned in the following paragraphs cover a range of topics related to cloud infrastructure, including cloud security, hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, cloud automation, and cloud-native applications. These events are taking place in United States, Denmark, China, and Rome among others from May 2023 to December 2023.
Let's take a closer look at each of these events and know what attendees can expect to gain from them.
1. Data Center World
May 8-11, 2023 | Austin (Texas)
Data Center World is an important virtual event focusing on digital infrastructure aimed at professionals working in data centers, technology leaders, and innovators driving the digital industry forward. It is the longest-running data center conference and expo, blending decades of experience with insight into today's and tomorrow's strategic issues. The conference will provide attendees valuable knowledge and strategies on various technologies and concepts necessary for planning, managing, and optimizing data centers. The event will feature multiple themes as edge computing, colocation, hyperscale and more. The conference will offer a platform for experts to share their insights on the latest developments and trends shaping the future of digital infrastructure.
2. Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations and Cloud Strategies Conference 2023
November 20-21, 2023 | London (England)
Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations and Cloud Strategies Conference 2023 is a two-day event that will cover various topics related to IT infrastructure, operations, and cloud strategies. These topics include the cloud cookbook, disruptive practices, trends, technologies, and more. The conference is designed for attendees who are responsible for servers, storage & backup/recovery among others. It will provide a platform for IT professionals to share knowledge, learn from experts in the field, and discuss best practices as well as emerging trends in IT infrastructure, operations, and cloud strategies. It is an excellent opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments and gain valuable insights that can help drive their organizations forward.
3. Stackconf: The Open Source Infrastructure Conference
September 13-14, 2023 | Berlin (Germany)
Stackconf is an event that will focus on open-source infrastructure solutions in continuous integration, containers, hybrid, and cloud technologies. It will provide a platform for international experts to present their ideas on bridging the gap between development, testing, and operations. The event will offer lectures on various infrastructure topics throughout the entire DevOps lifecycle, including building, CI/CD, running, and monitoring. Participants can learn about innovative technology mixes and future-oriented designs for large infrastructures. The event promises to be an exciting opportunity to explore the latest advancements in open-source infrastructure solutions.
4. 2023 5th International Conference on Hardware Security and Trust (ICHST 2023)
July 8-10, 2023 | Wuxi (China)
This fifth international conference is a workshop for ICSIP 2023. With the increasing use of computing and communication systems in various aspects of modern life, the importance of system security has grown significantly. This is true for the internet-of-things, which has created new attack surfaces and requirements for secure system operation. Furthermore, the design, manufacturing, and distribution of microchips, PCBs, and other electronic components have become more complex, which has led to potential security vulnerabilities. ICHST will promote the growth of hardware-based security research and development, highlighting new hardware and system security results. The conference will cover topics such as techniques, design/test methods, and more.
5. Capacity Caucasus and Central Asia 2023
June 21-22, 2023 |Baku (Azerbaijan)
Capacity Media is pleased to announce the launch of a new digital infrastructure event for the Caucasus and Central Asian markets. This event is the only kind in the region and is being introduced when virgin markets open up. In addition, significant investments are being made into digital infrastructure, such as the Digital Silk Way project. This presents boundless opportunities for IP transit and content, with a growing demand for digital services ranging from e-commerce to e-learning, telemedicine, and telecommuting. The event aims to bring together infrastructure professionals and digital service providers in this emerging digital hub to explore the latest trends, technologies, and opportunities in the field of digital infrastructure.
6. DATACENTER FORUM HELSINKI 2023
June 1, 2023 | Helsinki (Finland)
This eighth annual Datacenter Forum Helsinki is a highly-anticipated event that will bring together over 400 professionals from the data center sector in Finland and the Baltics. The conference is free-of-charge for those involved in managing and operating IT infrastructure, making it accessible to a wide range of professionals. Attendees can expect to network with peers, learn about the latest trends as well as technologies in the field of data centers, and participate in informative sessions and discussions led by industry experts. The event promises to be an exciting opportunity for professionals in the region to connect, collaborate, and gain valuable insights into the future of data center infrastructure.
7. DICE East
May 24-25, 2023 |Virginia (US)
DICE East is a highly-anticipated two-day national event focused on data centers. This premium event will allow attendees to explore the latest opportunities, challenges, and innovations in the digital infrastructure industry. Attendees expect to gain valuable insights into the future of data center technology and connect with industry experts and peers. It promises to be a must-attend event for anyone involved in the digital infrastructure industry. Some key themes that will be discussed include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, edge computing, and more. The event will also include an exhibit hall where attendees can see the latest products and solutions from leading vendors in the digital infrastructure space.
8. International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC-CIE 2023)
August 20-23, 2023 | Massachusetts (United States)
The International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC-CIE 2023) is a significant event in the field of design and related manufacturing. It will comprise a series of sub-conferences, providing an opportunity for researchers, academicians and professionals from around the world to present and discuss the latest advancements, trends, and challenges in the field of design and related manufacturing. The conference will feature keynote speeches, paper presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, providing attendees with a comprehensive view of the latest developments in the industry. The IDETC-CIE 2023 conference is a must-attend event for professionals, researchers, and students involved in the design and related manufacturing industries.
9. International Intelligent Building and Green Technology Expo (IBG 2023)
November 15-17, 2023 | Shanghai (China)
The International Intelligent Building and Green Technology Expo (IBG 2023) is a specialized event dedicated to creating an intelligent and energy-efficient building ecosystem. The expo will focus on presenting the latest products & services related to fire and safety systems, intelligent building equipment and management, intelligent building management systems, building information systems, and information application systems. The IBG 2023 expo will attract attendees from various industries, where participants can gain insights into the latest trends & technologies related to intelligent building as well as green technology and learn about industry developments and advancements. This is a must-attend event for professionals and businesses looking to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the intelligent building.
10. ConnecTechAsia
June 06, 2023 | Singapore EXPO (Singapore)
ConnecTechAsia is a leading conference that will focus on the latest advancements in communication, enterprise, and broadcast technologies. The event will comprise three separate conferences, namely BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, and NXTAsia, covering a wide range of topics related to the respective fields. It will provide attendees with the opportunity to explore the latest trends and innovations in communication, enterprise, and broadcast technologies, and to connect with industry experts, thought leaders, and peers from around the world. The conference will also feature keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and exhibitions that showcase the latest products and services in the industry.
11. Data Summit 2023
May 10-11, 2023 | Boston (United States)
The Data Summit 2023 is a leading conference that will focus on data management and analytics. The event will feature a wide range of topics related to data and analytics, including What’s Next in data and analytics architecture, modern data strategy essentials, AI & machine learning, and data mesh and data fabric, among others. The event will also include keynotes, panel discussions as well as workshops that showcase the latest products and services in the industry. One of the main highlights of the Data Summit 2023 is the Data Solutions Showcase, which offers attendees the opportunity to explore and get demonstration on the latest data management and analytics solutions from leading vendors in the industry.
12. Advancing Data Center Construction: West 2023
July 17-19, 2023 | Washington (United States)
The Advancing Data Center Construction: West 2023 conference is a three-day event that will bring together professionals from the data center construction industry to discuss the latest trends and strategies. It will focus on the latest trends and strategies in data center construction. The event will feature keynote speeches from industry leaders, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Covering a variety of topics, such as optimizing prefabrication strategies, managing supply chain disruption, enhancing collaborative project delivery, looking into the future of data center projects, and more, the event will also cover sustainable construction approaches, including strategies for reducing energy consumption and minimizing environmental impact.
13. International Data Center and Cloud Computing Expo (CDCE 2023)
November 15-17, 2023 | Shanghai (China)
The International Data Center and Cloud Computing Expo (CDCE 2023) is a trade show that will offer a platform for exhibitors to showcase their latest products & services in the field of data centers and cloud computing. Featuring a wide range of products, such as data center management software, monitoring systems, power generators, air conditioning and cooling systems, security systems, and more, the event will attract attendees from various industries, such as internet service providers, financial institutions, energy companies, research institutions, hospitals, and manufacturers. The exhibition will showcase products & services in different categories, such as data center management, infrastructure solutions, cloud computing services, system integration and development, and advanced construction materials.
14. Datacenter Forum Copenhagen 2023
September 21, 2023 | Copenhagen (Denmark)
This ninth edition of Datacenter Forum is an annual event that will focus on the latest trends and developments in the data center industry. The one-day event will bring together over 300 professionals from the data center sector in Denmark, including IT infrastructure managers and operators. Nordics Events, a company that specializes in putting on industry-specific events in the Nordic region, is in charge of organizing the event. Topics covered at the event will include data center design, energy efficiency, security, and more. Attendees can also visit the exhibition area, where they can meet with vendors and learn about the latest products and services in the industry. Attendance at the event is free for those who are involved in managing and operating IT infrastructure.
15. Telco Infrastructure Summit (TIS) 2023:
September 21-22, 2023 | Rome (Italy)
CC (Carrier Community) is a global telecom club organizing its fourth specialized annual event called CC-TIS 2023 Rome. The event is a hybrid gathering, bringing together leading industry telco and ICT players to learn, share, network, and shape industry trends related to digital transformation and telecom infrastructure development. During the two-day event, attendees will discuss market-relevant topics related to digital transformation, such as submarine and connectivity, as well as other emerging trends in the industry. Attendees can expect to engage in lively discussions and gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the telecom industry.
Conclusion:
These events will help organizations stay ahead of the curve in today's rapidly evolving landscape and capitalize on the opportunities presented. The events mentioned above aim to facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and discussions toward finding novel solutions for the computing systems of tomorrow.
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Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | October 3, 2023
DApps (sometimes called Dapps) are from the blockchain universe and so, logically, the apps part stands for application (obviously) and the D part stands for decentralised (only obvious once you know that we’re talking distributed immutable language here). According to the guides section at blockgeeks, DApps are open source in terms of code base, incentivised (in terms of who validates it) and essentially decentralised so that all records of the application’s operation must be stored on a public and decentralised blockchain to avoid pitfalls of centralisation. So then, Cartesi is a DApp infrastructure that runs an operating system (OS) on top of blockchains. The company has now launched a more complete ‘platform-level’ offering, which is described as a layer-2 solution
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Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | July 13, 2023
Adopting DevOps and CD in IaaS environments is a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to achieve agility, competitiveness, and customer satisfaction in their software delivery processes.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is IaaS Virtualization?
3. Virtualization Techniques for DevOps and Continuous Delivery
4. Integration of IaaS with CI/CD Pipelines
5. Considerations in IaaS Virtualized Environments
5.1. CPU Swap Wait
5.2. CPU System/Wait Time for VKernel:
5.3. Memory Balloon
5.4.Memory Swap Rate:
5.5. Memory Usage:
5.6. Disk/Network Latency:
6. Industry tips for IaaS Virtualization Implementation
6.1. Infrastructure Testing
6.2. ApplicationTesting
6.3. Security Monitoring
6.4. Performance Monitoring
6.5. Cost Optimization
7. Conclusion
1. Introduction
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) virtualization presents significant advantages for organizations seeking to enhance their agility, flexibility, and speed to market within the DevOps and continuous delivery frameworks. Addressing the associated risks and challenges is crucial and can be achieved by employing the appropriate monitoring and testing techniques, enlisted further, in this blog.
IaaS virtualization allows organizations to provision and de-provision resources as needed, eliminating the need for long-term investments in hardware and data centers. Furthermore, IaaS virtualization offers the ability to operate with multiple operating systems, databases, and programming languages, empowering teams to select the tools and technologies that best suit their requirements.
However, organizations must implement comprehensive testing and monitoring strategies, ensure proper security and compliance controls, and adopt the best resource optimization and management practices to leverage the full potential of virtualized IaaS. To achieve high availability and fault tolerance along with advanced networking, enabling complex application architectures in IaaS virtualization, the blog mentions five industry tips.
2. What is IaaS Virtualization?
IaaS virtualization involves simultaneously running multiple operating systems with different configurations. To run virtual machines on a system, a software layer known as the virtual machine monitor (VMM) or hypervisor is required.
Virtualization in IaaS handles website hosting, application development and testing, disaster recovery, and data storage and backup. Startups and small businesses with limited IT resources and budgets can benefit greatly from virtualized IaaS, enabling them to provide the necessary infrastructure resources quickly and without significant capital expenditures.
Virtualized IaaS is a potent tool for businesses and organizations of all sizes, enabling greater infrastructure resource flexibility, scalability, and efficiency.
3. Virtualization Techniques for DevOps and Continuous Delivery
Virtualization is a vital part of the DevOps software stack. Virtualization in DevOps process allows teams to create, test, and implement code in simulated environments without wasting valuable computing resources. DevOps teams can use the virtual services for thorough testing, preventing bottlenecks that could slow down release time. It heavily relies on virtualization for building intricate cloud, API, and SOA systems. In addition, virtual machines benefit test-driven development (TDD) teams that prefer to begin their troubleshooting at the API level.
4. Integration of IaaS with CI/CD Pipelines
Continuous integration is a coding practice that frequently implements small code changes and checks them into a version control repository. This process not only packages software and database components but also automatically executes unit tests and other tests to provide developers with vital feedback on any potential breakages caused by code changes.
Continuous testing integrates automated tests into the CI/CD pipeline. For example, unit and functionality tests identify issues during continuous integration, while performance and security tests are executed after a build is delivered in continuous delivery. Continuous delivery is the process of automating the deployment of applications to one or more delivery environments.
IaaS provides access to computing resources through a virtual server instance, which replicates the capabilities of an on-premise data center. It also offers various services, including server space, security, load balancing, and additional bandwidth. In modern software development and deployment, it's common to integrate IaaS with CI/CD pipelines. This helps automate the creation and management of infrastructure using infrastructure-as-code (IAC) tools. Templates can be created to provision resources on the IaaS platform, ensuring consistency and meeting software requirements. Additionally, containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes can deploy applications on IaaS platforms.
5. Considerations in IaaS Virtualized Environments
5.1. CPU Swap Wait
The CPU swap wait is when the virtual system waits while the hypervisor swaps parts of the VM memory back in from the disk. This happens when the hypervisor needs to swap, which can be due to a lack of balloon drivers or a memory shortage. This can affect the application's response time. One can install the balloon driver and/or reduce the number of VMs on the physical machine to resolve this issue.
5.2. CPU System/Wait Time for VKernel
Virtualization systems often report CPU or wait time for the virtualization kernel used by each virtual machine to measure CPU resource overhead. While this metric can't be directly linked to response time, it can impact both ready and swap times if it increases significantly. If this occurs, it could indicate that the system is either misconfigured or overloaded, and reducing the number of VMs on the machine may be necessary.
5.3. Memory Balloon
Memory ballooning is a memory management technique used in virtualized IaaS environments. It works by injecting a software balloon into the VM's memory space. The balloon is designed to consume memory within the VM, causing it to request more memory from the hypervisor. As a result, if the host system is experiencing low memory, it will take memory from its virtual infrastructures, thus negatively affecting the guest's performance, causing swapping, reduced file-system buffers, and smaller system caches.
5.4. Memory Swap Rate
Memory swap rate is a performance metric used in virtualized IaaS environments to measure the amount of memory being swapped to disk. When the swap rate is high, it leads to longer CPU swap times and negatively affects application performance. In addition, when a VM is running, it may require more memory than is physically available on the server. In such cases, the hypervisor may use disk space as a temporary storage area for excess memory. Therefore, to optimize, it is important to ensure that VMs have sufficient memory resources allocated.
5.5. Memory Usage
Memory usage refers to the amount of memory being used by a VM at any given time. Memory usage is assessed by analyzing the host level, VM level, and granted memory. When memory usage exceeds the available physical memory on the server, the hypervisor may use disk space as a temporary storage area for excess memory, leading to performance issues. The disparity between used and granted memory indicates the overcommitment rate, which can be adjusted through ballooning.
5.6. Disk/Network Latency
Some virtualization providers provide integrated utilities for assessing the latency of disks and network interfaces utilized by a virtual machine. Since latency directly affects response time, increased latency at the hypervisor level will also impact the application. An excessive amount of latency indicates the system is overloaded and requires reconfiguration. These metrics enable us to monitor and detect any negative impact a virtualized system might have on our application.
6. Industry tips for IaaS Virtualization Implementation
Testing, compliance management and security arecritical aspects of managing virtualized IaaS environments . By implementing a comprehensive strategy, organizations ensure their infrastructure and applications' reliability, security, and performance.
6.1. Infrastructure Testing
This involves testing the infrastructure components of the IaaS environment, such as the virtual machines, networks, and storage, aiming to ensure the infrastructure is functioning correctly and that there are no performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, or configuration issues. Testing the virtualized environment, storage testing (testing data replication and backup and recovery processes), and network testing are some of the techniques to be performed.
6.2. Application Testing
Applications running on the IaaS virtual environment should be thoroughly tested to ensure they perform as expected. This includes functional testing to ensure that the application meets its requirements and performance testing to ensure that the application can handle anticipated user loads.
6.3. Security Monitoring
Security monitoring is critical in IaaS environments, owing to the increased risks and threats. This involves monitoring the infrastructure and applications for potential security threats, vulnerabilities, or breaches. In addition, regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing help identify and address potential security issues before they become significant problems.
6.4. Performance Monitoring
Performance monitoring is essential to ensuring that the underlying infrastructure meets performance expectations and has no performance bottlenecks. This comprises monitoring metrics such as CPU usage, memory usage, network traffic, and disk utilization. This information is used to identify performance issues and optimize resource usage.
6.5. Cost Optimization
Cost optimization is a critical aspect of a virtualized IaaS environment with optimized efficiency and resource allocation. Organizations reduce costs and optimize resource usage by identifying and monitoring usage patterns and optimizing elastic and scalable resources. It involves right-sizing resources, utilizing infrastructure automation, reserved instances, spot instances (unused compute capacity purchased at a discount), and optimizing storage usage.
7. Conclusion
IaaS virtualization has become a critical component of DevOps and continuous delivery practices. To rapidly develop, test, and deploy applications with greater agility and efficiency by providing on-demand access to scalable infrastructure resources to Devops teams, IaaS virtualization comes into picture. As DevOps teams continue to seek ways to streamline processes and improve efficiency, automation will play an increasingly important role. Automated deployment, testing, and monitoring processes will help reduce manual intervention and increase the speed and accuracy of development cycles. In addition, containers will offer a lightweight and flexible alternative to traditional virtualization, allowing DevOps teams to package applications and their dependencies into portable, self-contained units that can be easily moved between different environments. This can reduce the complexity of managing virtualized infrastructure environments and enable greater flexibility and scalability. By embracing these technologies and integrating them into their workflows, DevOps teams can achieve greater efficiency and accelerate their delivery of high-quality software products.
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Application Infrastructure
Article | December 20, 2021
The pandemic has had a seismic impact on the telecom sector. This is perhaps most notably because where and how the world goes to work has been re-defined, with nearly every business deepening its commitment to mobility. Our homes suddenly became our offices, and workforces went from being centrally managed to widely distributed. This has called for a heightened need for widespread, secure and high-speed connectivity around the clock.
5G has answered the call, and 5G location intelligence and big data can provide service providers with the information they need to optimize their investments.
Case in point: Juniper Research reported in its 5G Monetization study that global revenue from 5G services will reach $73 billion by the end of 2021, rising from just $20 billion last year.
5G flexes as connected devices surge
Market insights firm IoT Analytics estimates there will be more than 30 billion IoT connections by 2025. That's an average of nearly four IoT devices per person. To help meet the pressure this growth in connectivity is putting on telecom providers, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking action to make additional spectrum available for 5G services and promoting the digital opportunities it provides to Americans. The FCC is urging that investments in 5G infrastructure be prioritized given the "widespread mobility opportunity" it presents, as stated by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
While that's a good thing, we must also acknowledge that launching a 5G network presents high financial risk, among other challenges. The competitive pressures are significant, and network performance matters greatly when it comes to new business acquisition and retention. It's imperative to make wise decisions on network build-out to ensure investments yield the anticipated returns.
Thus, telcos need not – and should not – go it blindly when considering where to invest. You don't know what you don't know, which is why 5G location intelligence and big data can provide an incredible amount of clarity (and peace of mind) when it comes to optimizing investments, increasing marketing effectiveness and improving customer satisfaction.
Removing the blindfold
Location data and analytics provide telcos and Communications Service Providers (CSPs) with highly-specific insights to make informed decisions on where to invest in 5G. With this information, companies can not only map strategic expansion, but also better manage assets, operations, customers and products.
For example, with this intelligence, carriers can gain insight into the most desired locations of specific populations and how they want to use bandwidth. They can use this data to arm themselves with a clear understanding of customer location and mobility, mapping existing infrastructure and competitive coverage against market requirements to pinpoint new opportunities. By creating complex customer profiles rich with demographic information like age, income and lifestyle preferences, the guesswork is eliminated for where the telco should or shouldn’t deploy new 5G towers.
Further, by mapping a population of consumers and businesses within a specific region and then aggregating that information by age, income or business type, for example, a vivid picture comes to life of the market opportunity for that area.
This type of granular location intelligence adds important context to existing data and is a key pillar to data integrity, which describes the overall quality and completeness of a dataset. When telcos can clearly understand factors such as boundaries, movement and the customers’ surroundings, predictive insights can be made regarding demographic changes and future telecom requirements within a certain location. This then serves as the basis for a data-backed 5G expansion strategy. Without it, businesses are burdened by the trial-and-error losses that are all too common with 5G build-outs.
Location precision's myriad benefits
Improved location precision has many benefits for telcos looking to pinpoint where to build, market and provision 5G. Among them are:
Better data: Broadening insights on commercial, residential and mixed-use locations through easy-to-consume, scalable datasets provide highly accurate in-depth analyses for marketing and meeting customer demand.
Better serviceability insights: Complete and accurate location insights allow for a comprehensive view of serviceable addresses where products and services can be delivered to current and new customers causing ROI to improve and customers to be adequately served.
Better subscriber returns: Companies that deploy fixed wireless services often experience plan cancellations due to inconsistencies of signal performance, which typically result from the misalignment of sites with network assets. Location-based data provides operators with the ability to adapt their networks for signal consistency and serviceability as sites and structures change.
The 5G future
The role of location intelligence in accelerating development of new broadband services and driving ROI in a 5G world cannot be overstated. It adds a critical element of data integrity that informs network optimization, customer targeting and service provisioning so telecom service providers can ensure their investments are not made with blind hope.
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