Data Storage

DartPoints® to Provide the University of South Carolina with Custom Software-Defined Data Center Solution

DartPoints
DartPoints®, the leading edge digital infrastructure provider, announces today that it has formed an innovative technology partnership with the University of South Carolina. DartPoints will provide a custom Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) solution, which replaces the university's current data center.

DartPoints' custom SDDC cloud solution will significantly improve the university's IT agility. It adheres to UofSC's compliance requirements while providing the multi-tenancy of a public cloud infrastructure. The solution enables UofSC to reduce capital expenditures while improving functionality, reliability, and security.

"We needed a reputable provider that was readily available to ensure our team always has access to the critical data that keeps our campuses running across the state," said Dan Schumacher, executive director of infrastructure services at UofSC. "DartPoints is the ideal partner for our university and its solution is easy to use, highly configurable, and provides the comprehensive services we require."

Schumacher said moving information into a cloud-based data center will improve the university's disaster recovery capabilities and protect critical applications in the event of a catastrophic event. In addition, hosting compute services and file share services in the cloud improves efficiency and resilience because the time to respond to issues will be significantly reduced since there is no need to wait on shipping times or face equipment shortages that have occurred since COVID-19.

The University of South Carolina is leading the way for cloud-based data centers, as not many universities have fully adopted the model. Doug Foster, vice president for information technology and chief information officer for UofSC, said, "We are committed to the continuous improvement of our services to best meet the needs of our Gamecock community. This is one example of how we offer cutting-edge IT services that evolve with the ever-changing landscape. I am proud to be a part of this adventure with this great university and a talented group of employees."

An SDDC architecture helps organizations accelerate delivery of technology services while retaining control over IT, minimizing complexity, and reducing costs. It is an ideal solution for government agencies, hospitals, higher education institutions, and any organization that needs to respond quickly to demands for IT resources.

"The university had a number of factors that needed to be addressed, including latency, data location, cost, and technical expertise. "We were able to work with UofSC's team to develop a customized solution that addresses all of their needs, and we believe that similar solutions can help other large institutions."

Brad Alexander, DartPoints' CTO

DartPoints has been providing multi-tenant cloud, network connectivity, and managed services in South Carolina for over a decade, from its four active data centers in the state, located in Columbia, Greenville, North Charleston, and Spartanburg. DartPoints offers unmatched support and technical expertise backed by tenured and continuously upskilled technicians.

About The University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is the flagship institution in the state. The public university has seven satellite campuses, in addition to the main campus that is located in Columbia, the state capital. Founded in 1801, the university is a Research 1 institution and offers more than 300 programs of study, from bachelor's to doctorate. The university has an approximate student enrollment of 35,3000 students and awards more than 9,000 degrees each year.

The Division of Information Technology works to help fulfill the academic mission of the University of South Carolina by providing technology services that maximize productivity, increase collaboration, and improve service. We strive to provide repeatable, reliable, and consistent IT services to our constituents, who span across the eight-campus system. More than 170 highly skilled individuals are employed by the division.

About DartPoints
DartPoints is the leading digital infrastructure provider enabling next-generation applications at the edge. By weaving together cloud, interconnection, colocation, and managed services, DartPoints enables edge ecosystems for enterprises, carriers, and cloud and content providers. DartPoints is building tomorrow's distributed digital infrastructure while serving today's cloud and colocation needs — and helping to bridge the digital divide.

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Storage Management

SoftIron Recognized as a Sample Vendor in Gartner Hype Cycle for Edge Computing

GlobeNewswire | October 25, 2023

SoftIron, the worldwide leader in private cloud infrastructure, today announced it has been named as a Sample Vendor for the “Gartner Hype Cycle for Edge Computing, 2023.” Gartner Hype Cycle provides a view of how a technology or application will evolve over time, providing a sound source of insight to manage its deployment within the context of your specific business goals. The five phases of a Hype cycle are innovation trigger, Peak of Inflated Expectations, Trough of Disillusionment, Slope of Enlightenment and the Plateau of Productivity. SoftIron is recognized in the Gartner report as a Sample Vendor for Edge Storage and the report defines the technology as those that enable the creation, analysis, processing and delivery of data services at, or close to, the location where the data is generated or consumed, rather than in a centralized environment. Gartner predicts that infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders are beginning the process of laying out a strategy for how they intend to manage data at the edge. Although I&O leaders embrace infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud providers, they also realize that a significant part of the infrastructure services will remain on-premises, and would require edge storage data services. Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities. Gartner Hype Cycle methodology gives you a view of how a technology or application will evolve over time, providing a sound source of insight to manage its deployment within the context of your specific business goals. The latest Gartner Hype Cycle analyzed 31 emerging technologies and included a Priority Matrix that provides perspective on the edge computing innovations that will have a bigger impact, and those that might take longer to fully mature. “We are excited to be recognized in the 2023 Garter Hype Cycle for Edge Computing,” said Jason Van der Schyff, COO at SoftIron. “We believe at SoftIron to be well positioned to help our customers address and take advantage of the latest trends and developments in Edge Computing as reported in Gartner’s Hype Cycle.”

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Application Infrastructure

Penguin Solutions Certified as NVIDIA DGX-Ready Managed Services Partner

Business Wire | September 28, 2023

Penguin Solutions™, an SGH™ brand (Nasdaq: SGH) that designs, builds, deploys, and manages AI and accelerated computing infrastructures at scale, today announced that it has been certified by NVIDIA to support enterprises deploying NVIDIA DGX™ AI computing platforms under the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Managed Services program. NVIDIA DGX systems are an advanced supercomputing platform for large-scale AI development. The NVIDIA DGX-Ready Managed Services program gives customers the option to outsource management of DGX systems deployed in corporate data centers, including the implementation and monitoring of server, storage, and networking resources required to support DGX platforms. Generative AI requires a completely new computing infrastructure compared to traditional IT, said Troy Kaster, vice president, commercial sales at Penguin Solutions. These new computing infrastructures require services skills, which Penguin is uniquely qualified to support given our extensive experience partnering with some of the largest companies in AI. As a full-service integration and services provider, Penguin has the capabilities to design at scale, deploy at speed, and provide managed services for NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD solutions. Penguin has designed, built, deployed, and managed some of the largest AI training clusters in the world. Penguin currently manages over 50,000 NVIDIA GPUs for Fortune 100 customers including Meta’s AI Research SuperCluster – with 2,000 NVIDIA DGX systems and 16,000 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs – one of the most powerful AI training clusters in the world. “AI is transforming organizations around the world, and many businesses are looking to deploy the technology without the complexities of managing infrastructure,” said Tony Paikeday, senior director, DGX platform at NVIDIA. “With DGX-Ready Managed Services offered by Penguin Solutions, our customers can deploy the world’s leading platform for enterprise AI development with a simplified operations model that lets them tap into the leadership-class performance of DGX and focus on innovating with AI.” Advantages of Penguin Solutions powered by NVIDIA DGX include: Design large-scale AI infrastructure combining the most recent DGX systems, ultra-high speed networking solutions, and cutting-edge storage options for clusters tailored to customer requirements Manage AI infrastructure making the most of multiple layers of recent hardware and software, such as acceleration libraries, job scheduling and orchestration Reduce risk associated with investments in computing infrastructure Optimize efficiency of AI infrastructure with best-in-class return on investment. About Penguin Solutions The Penguin Solutions™ portfolio, which includes Penguin Computing™, accelerates customers’ digital transformation with the power of emerging technologies in HPC, AI, and IoT with solutions and services that span the continuum of edge, core, and cloud. By designing highly-advanced infrastructure, machines, and networked systems we enable the world’s most innovative enterprises and government institutions to build the autonomous future, drive discovery and amplify human potential.

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Application Infrastructure

Carahsoft Partners with Oracle to Expand Access to Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure and Applications for Public Sector

GlobeNewswire | September 14, 2023

Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, and member of the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced an agreement to serve as Oracle’s Public Sector aggregator, making the company’s complete cloud and applications portfolio for Government, Defense, Intelligence and Education available through Carahsoft’s reseller partners, NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V and GSA Schedule contracts. Oracle offers a diverse set of solutions, ranging from cloud infrastructure, software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, hardware, and construction and engineering technology. Across these capabilities, Oracle enables the connectivity of project teams, empowerment of decision makers through data, and simplification of multicloud deployment across agencies. The partnership can help accelerate IT infrastructure modernization, and help improve innovation with secure, cost-effective, and FedRAMP-compliant cloud infrastructure. Oracle’s cloud infrastructure and applications offerings provide customers with a variety of solutions, including: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) enables customers to build and run a wide range of applications in a scalable, secure, highly available, and high-performance environment. From application development and business analytics to data management, integration, AI, and cloud-native services, OCI delivers high security, performance, and cost savings. In addition, with multicloud, hybrid cloud, public cloud, and dedicated cloud options, OCI’s distributed cloud delivers the benefits of cloud with greater control over data residency, locality, and authority, even across multiple clouds. Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite enables organizations to take advantage of the cloud to break down organizational silos, standardize processes, and manage financial, supply chain, HR, and customer experience data on a secure integrated SaaS platform. Oracle Construction and Engineering’s Smart Construction Platform helps teams work together, turn data into intelligence, and coordinate resources for smooth project planning, delivery, and operations. “As the Public Sector continues to prioritize modernization and adoption of a multicloud model, Oracle is focused on interoperability and ideally positioned to help government customers innovate faster to better support their missions,” said Kyle Clement, Senior Manager, NACT Government Alliances and Channels, Oracle. “We are excited to partner with Carahsoft to bring Oracle solutions to more Public Sector customers and to continue to drive success for government agencies and the citizens they serve.” Carahsoft will serve as the aggregator for the partnership, enabling Oracle to access Carahsoft’s portfolio of contract vehicles and extensive Public Sector ecosystem of channel partners. The Carahsoft team has significant expertise in partnering with the Public Sector to advance multi-cloud strategies while ensuring ease of procurement. “We are excited to leverage our dedicated sales and marketing teams in support of this new partnership with Oracle,” said Lacey Wean, Sales Director who leads the Oracle Team at Carahsoft. “By including Oracle on our contract vehicles, Carahsoft and our partners are able to expand the reach of their solutions for cloud, cybersecurity, data management and more to Government agencies.” Oracle's solutions are available through Carahsoft’s SEWP V contracts NNG15SC03B and Carahsoft’s GSA Schedule No. 47QSWA18D008F. For more information about the offerings available through this new partnership, visit https://www.carahsoft.com/oracle. To request a demo or speak to a representative, contact the contact the Oracle team at Carahsoft at (855) 618-3114 or Oracle@carahsoft.com. About Oracle PartnerNetwork Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle’s partner program designed to enable partners to accelerate the transition to cloud and drive superior customer business outcomes. The OPN program allows partners to engage with Oracle through track(s) aligned to how they go to market: Cloud Build for partners that provide products or services built on or integrated with Oracle Cloud; Cloud Sell for partners that resell Oracle Cloud technology; Cloud Service for partners that implement, deploy and manage Oracle Cloud Services; and License & Hardware for partners that build, service or sell Oracle software licenses or hardware products. Customers can expedite their business objectives with OPN partners who have achieved Expertise in a product family or cloud service. To learn more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partnernetwork About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Customer Experience and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com.

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Windows Systems and Network

Zayo Bolsters Global Network Infrastructure, Increases Capacity to Meet Rapid Bandwidth Demand

Business Wire | October 10, 2023

Zayo Group Holdings, Inc., a leading global communications infrastructure platform, today announced its latest series of infrastructure investments to extend global capacity to support rapidly increasing bandwidth demand—including deployment of 400G across the globe, long-haul capacity growth, and enhancements to its global IP infrastructure. Next-generation technology is being deployed at never-before-seen rates. This has placed the communications infrastructure industry at a unique inflection point as all digital businesses—enterprises, carriers and hyperscalers alike—scramble to ensure they have enough capacity to support these technologies, said Bill Long, Chief Product Officer at Zayo. As this trend plays out, it will be a strong tailwind for those providers who can capitalize on the moment. As one of the newest and most modern networks on the market, Zayo is uniquely positioned to support this growing demand for global bandwidth. Deploying 400G Globally For today’s digital businesses, 400G is essential to ensure the speed and scalability to support increasingly complex and data-intensive applications. Zayo recently completed upgrades of its European network to be fully 400G-enabled, with plans for its Tier-1 backbone in North America to be fully 400G-enabled by the end of 2024. In Q3, Zayo added nine new 400G-enabled routes to its North American network to provide high-bandwidth options between key cities, including: Atlanta to DC Denver to Dallas (Direct) Montreal to Quebec City Clinton to Ponchatoula Indianapolis to Columbus Ashburn to Baltimore Bend to Umatilla Laurel to Denver Additional 400G routes in progress include: Houston to New Orleans St. Louis to Chicago Buffalo to Albany Winnipeg to Toronto Toronto to Montreal Buffalo to Toronto Columbus to Ashburn Cleveland to Buffalo Houston to Ponchatoula Umatilla to Quincy What this means: The enablement of Zayo’s global network with 400G will allow customers to continue scaling their bandwidth with Zayo on existing routes, opening up high-capacity access on new routes, improving network stability and providing an overall better customer experience through quicker delivery and optimal routing. The enhanced capacity from these routes will support customers that have exponential growth needs driven by emerging technologies such as 5G, cloud adoption, IoT, AI, edge computing, and automation. Expanding Global Low-Latency Network Zayo has also been working to expand capacity in other key economic centers across the globe. In October 2022, Zayo announced its global low-latency route connecting the U.S. to South America’s financial hub of Sao Paulo. In Q3 2023, the company completed expansions to its connectivity infrastructure in Sao Paulo including a new key terrestrial route that will provide connectivity throughout the metro ring and to four key data centers. New Sao Paulo Points of Presence (PoPs): Alameda Araguaia, 3641, Alphaville, Barueri, SP, 06455 000, Brazil Av. Marcos Penteado de Ulhoa Rodrigues, 249, Santana de Parnaiba, SP, 06543 001, Brazil Avenida Ceci, 1900, Tambore, Barueri, SP, 06460 120, Brazil Rua Ricardo Prudente de Aquino, 85 Santan de Parnaiba, Brazil What this means: As Latin America’s center of innovation and commerce, São Paulo has seen an increased demand for connectivity from the U.S. To meet the growing needs of customers, Zayo is establishing diverse, high-bandwidth connectivity from its first-class North American fiber network directly into the largest economic center in the Southern Hemisphere. IP Infrastructure Growth IP demand continues to be a driver for capacity increases. Zayo continues to bolster its IP infrastructure with new PoPs in key markets and data centers across the globe. Zayo added eight new IP PoPs to its North American network in Q3, including: 45 Parliament St, Toronto, ON 250 Williams St NW, Atlanta, GA 6477 W Wells Park Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 2335 S Ellis St, Chandler, AZ 375 Pearl St, New York, NY 626 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 431 Horner Ave, Etobicoke, ON 1100 White St SW, Atlanta, GA Zayo's IP backbone, which runs on Zayo's wholly owned fiber infrastructure, makes up nearly 10% of the world's Internet capacity. Zayo currently manages 96Tb of core capacity and 34TB of peering capacity, and adds 1-2Tb of peering capacity every quarter. Upgrading Long-Haul Capacity As one of the other providers actively investing in its long-haul infrastructure, Zayo is continuing to overbuild its routes in high-demand areas to enable enhanced fiber capacity. In Q3 2023, Zayo completed the overbuild of its Omaha to Denver route, providing increased capacity on this highly sought-after route. Zayo also has three new long-haul route builds and two additional route overbuilds in progress with scheduled completion by the end of 2023. What this means: The enhancement to Zayo’s long-haul dark fiber routes provide customers with diverse routing options and the ability to customize and enhance their network to meet the unique needs of their businesses while maximizing resiliency and ability to scale. Zayo will continue to invest in future-proofing its network and services to connect what’s next for its customers. About Zayo For more than 15 years, Zayo has empowered some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies to connect what’s next for their business. Zayo’s future-ready network spans over 17 million fiber miles and 142,000 route miles. Zayo’s tailored connectivity and edge solutions enable carriers, cloud providers, data centers, schools, and enterprises to deliver exceptional experiences, from edge to core to cloud. Discover how Zayo connects what’s next at www.zayo.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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