Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | September 14, 2023
Communications giant Verizon last week launched 5G for Business Internet in 20 new markets, targeting SMBs and enterprises alike.
The fixed-wireless plans provide download speeds of 100Mbps ($69/month), 200Mbps ($99/month), and 400Mbps ($199/month) with no data limits. Upload speeds are slower. Verizon is also offering a 10-year price lock for new customers with no long-term contract required.
“As 5G Business Internet scales into new cities, businesses of all sizes can gain access to the superfast speeds, low latency and next-gen applications enabled by 5G Ultra-Wideband, with no throttling or data limits,” Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business, said in a statement.
“We’ll continue to expand the 5G Business Internet footprint and bring the competitive pricing, capability, and flexibility of our full suite of products and services to more and more businesses all over the country.”
The service was previously launched in parts of Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Verizon started rolling out 5G services last year using lower spectrum bands. According to a study by IHS Markit’s RootMetrics, Verizon offers speeds similar to those of T-Mobile but behind AT&T.
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Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | October 3, 2023
We’re all hoping that 2022 will finally end the unprecedented challenges brought by the global pandemic and things will return to a new normalcy. For IT infrastructure and operations organizations, the rising trends that we are seeing today will likely continue, but there are still a few areas that will need special attention from IT leaders over the next 12 to 18 months.
In no particular order, they include:
The New Edge
Edge computing is now at the forefront. Two primary factors that make it business-critical are the increased prevalence of remote and hybrid workplace models where employees will continue working remotely, either from home or a branch office, resulting in an increased adoption of cloud-based businesses and communications services.
With the rising focus on remote and hybrid workplace cultures, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet have continued to expand their solutions and add new features. As people start moving back to office, they are likely to want the same experience they had from home. In a typical enterprise setup, branch office traffic is usually backhauled all the way to the data center. This architecture severely impacts the user experience, so enterprises will have to review their network architectures and come up with a roadmap to accommodate local egress between branch offices and headquarters. That’s where the edge can help, bringing it closer to the workforce.
This also brings an opportunity to optimize costs by migrating from some of the expensive multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) or private circuits to relatively low-cost direct internet circuits, which is being addressed by the new secure access service edge (SASE) architecture that is being offered by many established vendors.
I anticipate some components of SASE, specifically those related to software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), local egress, and virtual private network (VPN), will drive a lot of conversation this year.
Holistic Cloud Strategy
Cloud adoption will continue to grow, and along with software as a service (SaaS), there will be renewed interest in infrastructure as a service (IaaS), albeit for specific workloads. For a medium-to-large-sized enterprise with a substantial development environment, it will still be cost-prohibitive to move everything to the cloud, so any cloud strategy would need to be holistic and forward-looking to maximize its business value.
Another pandemic-induced shift is from using virtual machines (VMs) as a consumption unit of compute to containers as a consumption unit of software. For on-premises or private cloud deployment architectures that require sustainable management, organizations will have to orchestrate containers and deploy efficient container security and management tools.
Automation
Now that cloud adoption, migration, and edge computing architectures are becoming more prevalent, the legacy methods of infrastructure provisioning and management will not be scalable.
By increasing infrastructure automation, enterprises can optimize costs and be more flexible and efficient—but only if they are successful at developing new skills. To achieve the goal of “infrastructure as a code” will require a shift in the perspective on infrastructure automation to one that focuses on developing and sustaining skills and roles that improve efficiency and agility across on-premises, cloud, and edge infrastructures. Defining the roles of designers and architects to support automation is essential to ensure that automation works as expected, avoids significant errors, and complements other technologies.
AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations)
Alongside complementing automation trends, the implementation of AIOps to effectively automate IT operations processes such as event correlation, anomaly detection, and causality determination will also be important. AIOps will eliminate the data silos in IT by bringing all types of data under one roof so it can be used to execute machine learning (ML)-based methods to develop insights for responsive enhancements and corrections.
AIOps can also help with probable cause analytics by focusing on the most likely source of a problem. The concept of site reliability engineering (SRE) is being increasingly adopted by SaaS providers and will gain importance in enterprise IT environments due to the trends listed above. AIOps is a key component that will enable site reliability engineers (SREs) to respond more quickly—and even proactively—by resolving issues without manual intervention.
These focus areas are by no means an exhaustive list. There are a variety of trends that will be more prevalent in specific industry areas, but a common theme in the post-pandemic era is going to be superior delivery of IT services. That’s also at the heart of the Autonomous Digital Enterprise, a forward-focused business framework designed to help companies make technology investments for the future.
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Application Storage, Data Storage
Article | July 12, 2023
Data Center as a Service (DCaaS) is a hosting service that gives clients access to actual data center infrastructure and amenities. Through a Wide-Area Network, DCaaS enables clients to remotely access the provider's storage, server, and networking capabilities (WAN).
Businesses can tackle their on-site data center's logistical and financial issues by outsourcing to a service provider. Many enterprises rely on DCaaS to overcome the physical constraints of their on-site infrastructure or to offload the hosting and management of non-mission-critical applications.
Businesses that require robust data management solutions but lack the necessary internal resources can adopt DCaaS. DCaaS is the perfect answer for companies that are struggling with a lack of IT help or a lack of funding for system maintenance.
Added benefits data Center as a Service allows businesses to be independent of their physical infrastructure:
A single-provider API
Data centers without Staff
Effortlessly handle the influx of data
Data centers in regions with more stable climates
Data Center as a Service helps democratize the data center itself, allowing companies that could never afford the huge investments that have gotten us this far to benefit from these developments. This is perhaps the most important, as Infrastructure-as-a-Service enables smaller companies to get started without a huge investment.
Conclusion
Data center as a service (DCaaS) enables clients to access a data center remotely and its features, whereas data center services might include complete management of an organization's on-premises infrastructure resources. IT can be outsourced using data center services to manage an organization's network, storage, computing, cloud, and maintenance. The infrastructure of many businesses is outsourced to increase operational effectiveness, size, and cost-effectiveness.
It might be challenging to manage your existing infrastructure while keeping up with the pace of innovation, but it's critical to be on the cutting edge of technology. Organizations may stay future-ready by working with a vendor that can supply DCaaS and data center services.
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Application Infrastructure, Application Storage
Article | June 23, 2023
Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) is a critical aspect of the ever-evolving infrastructure industry, helping ensure efficient and secure operation. It involves the continuous surveillance, analysis, and management of the digitalization in manufacturing, performance, and efficiency. To stay ahead of the latest advancements in this industry, executives and managers must attend the upcoming conferences scheduled for 2023. These events provide a crucial platform for professionals to gain in-depth insights into emerging trends, innovative technologies, and best practices.
Basics and Operation of Hyperconverged Infrastructure
November 21, 2023 | Online
Attend the training session on hyper convergent infrastructure led by Dr. Markus Ermes. This session will address hyper-convergent infrastructure questions, including appliances or software, central data centers or smaller locations, and established manufacturers or challengers. During the training session, this Hyperconverged Infrastructure conference allows participants to gain insights into software-defined storage, the critical properties of storage technologies, changes in backup and recovery scenarios, and considerations for data center network planning. This knowledge will enable participants to evaluate the merits and drawbacks of HCI in a nuanced and informed manner. The training session will accommodate participants with varying skill levels, whether they are beginners or have advanced expertise. Attending this training session will equip participants with the knowledge to navigate hyper-convergent infrastructures' complexities effectively.
TechMentor Redmond 2023
July 17-21, 2023 | Washington (US)
TechMentor Redmond 2023 is an anticipated technology conference that brings together IT professionals, industry experts, and thought leaders for an immersive learning experience. Set in Redmond, Washington, the heart of the tech industry, it will offer a unique opportunity for participants to engage with leading experts from Microsoft and other prominent technology companies. These sessions will cover a wide range of topics, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, DevOps, data analytics, IoT, and more. With a focus on practical implementation and real-world scenarios, TechMentor Redmond will equip attendees with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle the challenges of today's IT landscape. One of the highlights, is the opportunity to learn directly from industry experts and Microsoft MVPs.
Advancing Data Center Construction: West 2023
July 17-19, 2023 | Washington (US)
West 2023: Advancing Data Center Construction brings together Washington-to-Arizona clients, contractors, and designers to discuss industry issues. This event will provide a rare opportunity to collaborate and solve project delivery issues caused by tougher restrictions, difficult geographical conditions, supply chain interruption, and workforce shortages, offering hyper converged infrastructure solutions. The event will have sessions from keynote speakers David McCall, Michelle Stuart, Chad Labucki, and Micah Piippo. Hyperconverged Infrastructure events including this event, allow attendees to learn from over 25 hours of world-class content, 12+ hours of networking, and industry leaders like Google, Yondr, Clayco, Microsoft, and McKinstry. Participants will learn to overcome supply chain interruption, streamline approval processes, and enhance efficiency through case studies of breakthrough technology and energy-efficient, sustainable data centers.
CIO Cloud Summit
July 17, 2023 | Online
One of the leading Hyperconverged Infrastructure events, this distinguished event caters to CIOs and IT executives strategically evaluating cloud computing solutions for their organizations. With a dedicated focus on crucial cloud computing issues, including data governance, security, private versus public cloud, and data availability, the summit offers a platform for in-depth discussions and knowledge sharing. Attendees can anticipate a curated agenda with interactive sessions, analyst-led presentations, and an exclusive environment with an average attendance of 50 C-level executives because CDM Media Summits is renowned for its ability to bring together industry leaders, analysts, and solution providers. The event is hosts renowned speakers as Chris Mattmann, Steve Rubinow, Jason Spencer, and Robert DeVito. It is an exceptional opportunity for networking, debating, and gaining insights from the latest industry research.
Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference
December 5 – 7, 2023 | Las Vegas (Nevada)
The Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations, & Cloud Strategies Conference 2023 brings together global technology leaders to explore the latest trends, gain objective insights, and exchange best practices. The conference will offer attendees access to nine tracks and seven spotlight tracks, each covering specific focus areas to help I&O leaders create effective pathways for the future while networking with peers. Topics will include innovation, cloud value acceleration, engineering platforms, enhancing operations, evolving at the edge, embedding security, developing skills, transforming leadership and the organization, optimizing costs & value, and more. The event features guest speakers such as Daniel Betts, Arun Chandrasekaran, Hassan Ennaciri, among others, Gartner Magic Quadrant sessions, solution provider sessions, workshops, and facilitated sessions, providing attendees with valuable inspiration, insights, and collaborative problem-solving opportunities.
stackconf 2023
September 13-14, 2023 |Berlin (Germany)
Being one of the best HCI events, stackconf is a prominent open-source infrastructure event focused on various aspects of CI/CD, containers, hybrid environments, and cloud solutions. It will address the challenges faced by businesses in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, where virtual infrastructures and multi-channel platforms have become the norm. The conference aims to bridge the gap between development, testing, and operations, offering insights and solutions from multiple perspectives. Attendees will be able to stay informed about current and future trends, think creatively, and explore innovative approaches to optimize their IT infrastructure. With a diverse international audience of IT infrastructure specialists, CTOs, CIOs, SREs, system administrators, IT architects, and DevOps engineers, the event stands out for its speaker talks, which offer practical insights instead of vendor pitches, and its emphasis on fostering meaningful discussions and collaboration among participants.
DatacenterDynamics (DCD) Connect | London
October 2-3, 2023 | London (United Kingdom)
DCD Connect | London is a highly anticipated event that brings together leaders and professionals from the data center and cloud infrastructure communities. The event will feature an exhibition floor where leading technology vendors and service providers showcase their latest products, services, and solutions. This will allow attendees to explore and evaluate the latest advancements in hardware, software, infrastructure, cooling systems, power management, and other critical aspects of data center operations. Beyond the knowledge-sharing opportunities, it will promote thought-provoking talks by Dame Dawn Childs, Val Walsh, Michael Winterson among others. Attendees will earn continuing professional development (CPD) credits by attending educational sessions and workshops, enhancing their industry credentials, and demonstrating a commitment to ongoing learning. The event will also provide a platform for career growth, with potential job openings and networking connections within the data center and cloud infrastructure sectors.
Key Takeaway
The conferences bring together industry experts, IT professionals, engineers, and decision-makers in the network industry. Attendees can expect a comprehensive program consisting of keynote presentations, panel discussions, case studies, and interactive workshops. The listed events will cover a wide range of topics, including the latest trends in data center design, energy efficiency, modular construction, and emerging technologies. Participating in these also offer ample networking opportunities, allowing attendees to connect with peers, share experiences, and establish valuable business connections. Leaders can stay at the forefront of the evolving data center landscape and gain a competitive edge in their respective organizations.
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