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Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
| Time | Event |
| 2:36p | Securing the Mobile Enterprise Today’s data-on-demand environment is demanding more and more out of a corporate IT department. The latest trend in this phenomenon has become Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). However, beyond just bringing a personal device to a corporate setting, we are now experience both the consumerization and the incorporation of user devices. The average user is beginning to use 3-4 devices to access information relevant to their jobs or role. This new push for more devices within an organization has IT security and data center professionals a bit nervous. As more users request the use of their own personal devices administrators are left with some very serious security questions. In Securing the Mobile Enterprise we begin to understand just some of the security topics that IT professionals are faced with when discussing some type of BYOD initiative: • Regulatory compliance controls That’s not to say that there aren’t direct benefits from moving towards such a platform. However, the most important part of any BYOD deployment is the control, management and security aspect that a corporation must undertake. Depending on the industry, security professionals must consider the following points to create a robust, user-centric, device infrastructure: • The technical deployment aspect Download Securing the Mobile Enterprise white paper today to learn the important parts of IT and end-user consumerization as well as how to properly approach this type of infrastructure. Beyond the cautions, Securing the Mobile Enterprise, also outlines the many positives in working allowing device versatility for an end-user. Remember, take the time to plan out every aspect of a BYOD deployment. By doing so, corporations can see increases in productivity, agility, and still deliver a powerful end-user experience. |
| 2:40p | Digital Realty Buys Fully-Leased Sydney Data Center Data center developer Digital Realty continues to build its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The real estate investment trust (REIT) has acquired a fully-leased data center in Sydney, Australia for $11.75 million ($12.3 million US). The 7,500 square meter (81,000 square foot) facility at 23-25 Waterloo Road in Macquarie Park is fully leased to “a leading global IT provider,” identified in local press as Fujitsu. “Macquarie Park is an established hub for high tech companies operating in Sydney,” said Kris Kumar, Senior Vice President and Regional Head Asia Pacific for Digital Realty. ”The addition of this institutional quality data centre facility to our portfolio expands our footprint in the Sydney market, and adds a new global, blue-chip tenant to our customer base,” “Along with our recently completed Turn-Key Flex data centre at Erskine Park, this acquisition is one more step in our Australian expansion plans, demonstrating our commitment to this important Asia Pacific market.” “The acquisition of this property is consistent with our Asia Pacific expansion as well as our strategy of investing in high quality operating facilities in key data centre markets,” said Michael Foust, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Realty. “In addition, we are very pleased to welcome one of the region’s leading global IT service providers to our customer base.” Digital Realty has now added three data centers since entering the Australian market last summer. Its first project was a facility in the Erskine Park section of Sydney, where Digital Realty has built out four of its Turn-Key Flex PODs, offering up to 6 megawatts of IT load. In November the company added a data centre in Melbourne, with National Australia Bank coming on as the anchor tenant. Sydney is an important data centre hub in the region, housing facilities for Equinix, HP, Amazon, Rackspace and Emerson, in addition to local providers like PIPE Networks, NEXT DC, Pacnet and iseek. |
| 2:43p | Data Center Jobs: Alban Cat At the Data Center Jobs Board, we have two new job listings from Alban Cat, which is seeking a Switchgear & UPS Technician and a Service Supervisor Shop & EPG Start Up in Elkridge, Maryland. The Switchgear & UPS Technician is responsible for completing service assignments and providing technical assistance as requested to other technicians in a positive and efficient manner, promoting the highest possible degree of quality, safety, customer satisfaction and teamwork. Position is responsible for handling service calls and assignments for generator systems with focus on paralleling switchgear, transfer switches and uninterruptible power sources. The technician will have completed the minimum level of switchgear, transfer switch and UPS training and have demonstrated competency in troubleshooting and repairing those components. To view full details and apply, see job listing details. The Service Supervisor Shop & EPG Start Up is responsible for directing and supervising the activities of the assigned shop service and EPG startup department in a manner that promotes the highest possible customer satisfaction, achieving business objectives, ensuring department growth, and fostering high employee morale, teamwork, and development. Responsible for staging and coordinating all aspects of the preparation, delivery, startup, and testing of new engine packages. To view full details and apply, see job listing details. Are you hiring for your data center? You can list your company’s job openings on the Data Center Jobs Board, and also track new openings via our jobs RSS feed. |
| 3:07p | Chip Makers Showcase New Processor Tech at CES  At the Consumer Electronics Show, NVIDIA introduced the Tegra 4 mobile processor, with faster graphics processing and web browsing and new camera capabilities. (Image: NVIDIA) The same semiconductor companies that fuel the data center are showing off new technologies this week in Las Vegas, at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Intel Ultrabooks and Video Sharing Chipmaker Intel (INTC) used CES to outline plans to accelerate new mobile device experiences across a growing portfolio of smartphone, tablet and Ultrabook offerings. Highlights included an Intel Atom processor-based platform for the smartphone market, tablets running the first 22 nanometer quad-core Atom SoC, lower power Intel Core (codenamed Haswell) processor lineups reaching as low as 7 watts, and the 4th generation Intel Core processors powering a range of Ultrabooks. Intel also announced a collaboration with Comcast to enable customers to view live and on-demand television content on Intel-based devices. With an Intel Puma 6MG XG5 multi-screen video gateway customers can enjoy the XFINITY TV experience on IP set-top boxes, Ultrabook devices, Intel-based all-in-one PCs, tablets and smartphones as well as smart TVs in the home. The gateway allows any screen in the home to access high-quality live and on-demand entertainment. Comcast is working with Intel to develop this technology based on upcoming enhancements to the DLNA Premium Content Guidelines to deliver its XFINITY TV experience to Intel-based devices in the home. DLNA is a set of interoperability guidelines that enable the delivery of enhanced content services and secure transport of protected digital content to devices around the home. NVIDIA launches Tegra 4 NVIDIA (NVDA) introduced the Tegra 4 mobile processor, with faster graphics processing and web browsing and new camera capabilities through computational photography. The Tegra 4 features 72 custom NVIDIA GeForce CPU cores and the first quad-core application of ARM’s Cortex-A15. It also enables worldwide 4G LTE voice and data support through an optional chipset, the fifth-generation NVIDIA Icera i500 processor. “Tegra 4 provides enormous processing power and efficiency to power smartphones and tablets, gaming devices, auto systems and PCs,” said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of the Tegra business at NVIDIA. “Its new capabilities, particularly in the area of computational photography, will help improve a whole range of existing products and lead to the creation of exciting new ones.” Qualcomm Snapdragon After treating CES attendees to some cutting edge technology previews to be used in the the new J.J. Abrams “Star Trek Into Darkness” movie, Qualcomm Technologies (QCOM) announced it is sampling the first products in its latest generation of Snapdragon processors. New Snapdragon 800 processors enable the mobile experience with UltraHD video, dual image signal processors and HD multichannel audio with DTS-HD and Dolby Digital Plus for enhanced audio. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor features a new Krait 300 quad-core CPU with speeds up to 1.9GHz, a new speed enhanced Adreno 320 GPU and support for LPDDR3 memory. “With the overwhelming success of our previous Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms, our mobile processors have emerged as the platform of choice for high-end mobile devices,” said Steve Mollenkopf, president and chief operating officer of Qualcomm. “With more than 50 design wins already secured with the first products of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and 800 processors, we are advancing our vision and setting the standard for excellence in mobile computing.” AMD unveils new APUs AMD provided an early look at its new 2013 accelerated processing units (APUs) and announced a new OEM relationship with VIZIO. At CES it demonstrated working silicon of its first true system on chip (SoC) APUs, which will be the industry’s first quad-core x86 SoCs. AMD also introduced the new APU codenamed “Richland” which is currently shipping to OEMs and delivers visual performance increases ranging from more than 20 percent to up to 40 percent over the previous generation of AMD A-Series APUs. During an AMD press event at CES VIZIO was on hand to showcase a new relationship and portfolio of AMD-based platforms. VIZIO’s new AMD portfolio includes an 11.6” APU-powered tablet PC, two high-performance ultrathin notebooks in both 14” and 15.6,” and an impressive 24” All-in-One (AiO) system. “VIZIO is entering the consumer PC market in an even bigger way in 2013 and we are thrilled to include AMD in our line-up for the premium visual and gaming performance we believe their processors deliver,” said Lily Knowles, vice president of Product Marketing, VIZIO. “AMD provides the VIZIO tablet, notebooks and All-in-One with the best graphics and visual experience for our customers.” |
| 3:29p | INetU Set to Expand After Private Equity Investment Managed hosting and cloud service provider INetU is set to expand its operations following an investment from BV Investment Partners, which is now the majority shareholder in the company. INetU will use the funds to help accelerate growth initiatives, expanding both geographically and its cloud services for business. “INetU will continue its global expansion with a Seattle, Washington location early this year,” said David Van Allen, VP of Sales and Marketing. ”Our recently released suite of PCI and HIPAA security products and services is scheduled for additions and enhancements in 2013.” The Seattle facility will provide a West Coast facility for INetU, which has most of its data center infrastructure near its headquarters in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. The ability to provide out-of-region backup is an important capability for many enterprise customers seeking disaster recovery services. Chanchani Continues as CEOThe investment and recapitalization by BV is being made in partnership with INetU’s founder and CEO, Dev Chanchani, who will stay on as President and CEO and remain a significant shareholder in the company. “Our new partnership with BV will help accelerate our growth initiatives and we look forward to continuing to provide our customers with world class services and new innovative business cloud solutions,” said Chanchani. “BV has a long history of successfully partnering with and growing founder-owned companies, and my senior management team and I look forward to working with them.” Founded in 1983, BV has invested over $2.6 billion in over 80 companies. INetU is the first investment in BV’s latest investment vehicle, BV Fund VIII, its eight private equity fund. “We are delighted to start the investment program of Fund VIII with INetU,” said Vik Raina, Managing Partner of BV. ”This investment is consistent with our strategy of partnering with fast growing, founder-owned businesses in the communications and information and business services industries and helping them to achieve their growth plans.” Private Equity As A Growth DriverThe investment in INetU follows a familiar story line in the data center industry: a private equity firm buys up a successful local operator with experienced management, and then provides capital for expansion into other markets. BV clearly sees an opportunity in the sector. “We believe the rapid growth in data generation and the proliferation of web-based applications and services are changing the way companies address their IT infrastructure needs,” said Louis Bertocci, a Managing Director at BV. ”INetU is truly a value added partner providing mission critical IT services to a large and growing customer base.” Bertocci and Matthew Kinsey from BV have joined INetU’s Board of Directors. INetU was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pa.. The company specializes in enterprise managed and cloud hosting, supporting several applications and websites in eCommerce, healthcare, financial services, SaaS, education, and government. Focusing on Business hosting, the company has a strong story in terms of compliance. It is PCI, SSAE 16/SOC 1, SOC 2/3, ISAE 3402 and Safe Harbor compliant and provides HIPAA guidance and assurances. |
| 3:40p | Top Five Data Center Issues: DCIM To the Rescue Sev Onyshkevych is Chief Marketing Officer of FieldView Solutions, which produces Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solutions.  SEV ONYSHKEVYCHField View In the past, managing a data center was pretty straightforward. But due to the inexorable trend of processing more and more data, the management of these facilities grew in complexity. Complicating the situation, operational decisions at the data center now include such factors as power, cooling, rack space and CPU availability. This is in addition to other information gleaned from IT systems, and related to the facility infrastructure components such as UPS devices, PDUs, chillers, HVACs, generators, branch circuits, etc. In order to gather and make sense of this massive amount of data, and conform it into plausible information suitable for decision making, the industry is turning to Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) tools. In fact, DCIM tools are quickly becoming the solution of choice to control skyrocketing energy costs for data centers worldwide. In the report “DCIM: Going Beyond IT”, Gartner analyst David J. Cappuccio states that data center managers cannot control costs unless they have a real-time data center software offering to render an accurate view of facilities and IT components. DCIM tools go beyond the outdated method of storing information in separate, vendor-proprietary, software silos that offer limited reporting capabilities. While overseeing all the necessary parts of the data center’s operations may be complex, DCIM is designed to make device and system monitoring easier, flexible and more customizable across a wide range of user requirements. So how can DCIM tools simplify my operations? To help address this question, here’s a list of the top five data center issues that DCIM tools address and how they might help almost anyone responsible for the operational integrity of the facility to simplify their jobs. #5 Energy Efficiency Data centers are increasingly under attack for their energy consumption and costly operations. According to a 2011 New York Times-sponsored study by Jonathan G. Koomey, a consulting professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Stanford University, titled “Growth in Data Center Power Use 2005 to 2010,” United States’ data center power consumption increased by 36 percent over that period. Electricity used in global data centers in 2010 likely accounted for between 1.1 percent and 1.5 percent of total electricity use, respectively. For the United States, that number was between 1.7 and 2.2 percent. Cutting energy usage will help organizations save significant money, while changing the public perception of data centers being “energy hogs” with a “greener” impression. To reduce energy consumption, it must first be accurately measured. The measurement must start with a baseline view of what energy every part of the data center is actually consuming. And to be accurate, this view must include all areas such as IT equipment, power distribution infrastructure, and ventilation/cooling infrastructure. This is an often time-consuming and manual data extraction process to which nobody looks forward. This is where the value of DCIM tools comes into play. DCIM solutions automatically extract current energy usage and accurately display overall trending information. In many cases after deploying DCIM for monitoring, data center operators – for the first time – receive a holistic view of their entire energy consumption, coupled with a trending pattern to help spotlight areas of concern. Since many data centers are designed with substantial redundancy to optimize uptime, availability and to handle potential peak loads that have yet to be experienced, there is substantial inefficiency built into the infrastructure. After implementing DCIM, many data centers are able to reduce their power consumption by 15-25 percent, or more. #4 Monitoring No doubt, day-to-day system failures have underscored the need for proactive response to potential data center uptime threats.To help facility managers and IT personnel control these issues, more and more operators are turning to DCIM’s real-time, alarming/alert engine—that offers visibility across all aspects of the data center. For example, DCIM’s monitoring capabilities provide a high-level view of data center operations while also enabling a drill-down process to focus in on minute details such as temperature fluctuations in hot and cold aisles. In addition, DCIM tools can also monitor generators and their power output. Just these two areas can provide a very useful, at-a-glance indicator. Proper monitoring also helps enable an effective call-to-action. In the event of a pending issue, alarms can be sent via e-mail, phone or pager, allowing proactive steps to be taken to correct problems before they become critical. In addition, continuous logging of all alarms and alerts empowers data center operators with a chronological, forensic, review of events to strengthen the infrastructure and improve disaster recovery plans. |
| 4:44p | Google Offers Free Wifi Internet in Chelsea
Google will provide free Wifi Internet access in the Manhattan neighborhood surrounding its New York headquarters in 111 8th Avenue, a major data center hub and connectivity hub, the company said today. The wireless network in the Chelsea section will be the largest contiguous WiFi network in New York City, the company said. Free WiFi is now available outdoors, roughly between Gansevoort St. and 19 St. from 8th Ave to the West Side Highway, as well as the neighborhood’s public spaces, including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park, and Gansevoort Plaza. The network will cover all of the outdoor areas of the Fulton Houses, a property owned and managed by the New York City Housing Authority, as well as several of the local public schools. “Google is proud to provide free WiFi in the neighborhood we have called home for over 6 years,” said Ben Fried, Chief Information Officer for Google. ”This network will not only be a resource for the 2000+ residents of the Fulton Houses, it will also serve the 5,000+ student population of Chelsea as well as the hundreds of workers, retail customers and tourists who visit our neighborhood every day.” “New York is determined to become the world’s leading digital city, and universal access to high-speed Internet is one the core building blocks of that vision,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Thanks to Google, free WiFi across this part of Chelsea takes us another step closer to that goal.” |
| 4:58p | DataChambers Renovates New NC Facility North Carolina-based information technology firm, DataChambers started the first phase of renovation of a 50,000 square-foot Research Triangle facility that will become its latest high-availability data center. The firm offers management and monitoring services, colocation and cloud solutions, and backup and recovery options. In September, DataChambers bought the building, a former Quest Communications telecommunications hub, an eight-acre property in Garner, N.C. Upgrades are planned for completion by this spring. The building will be brought up to meet Category 3 hurricane standards. Landmark Construction of Winston-Salem is serving as contractor for that portion of the project, and work is ongoing. Upon completion, DataChambers will open the first 10,000 square feet of raised data center flooring at the site and will begin interior renovations to office spaces. New Executives Named DataChambers also has hired Brent Wall to head the Garner facility as regional vice president. Previously, Wall was CIO and vice president of hosting for StraTech, a global information technology solutions provider. Wall serves on the advisory board for the North Carolina Technology Association and is active in the N.C. Society for Information Management. DataChambers also has hired Clayton D’Souza as Triangle business development manager. He comes to DataChambers from Peak 10, where he served as senior account executive. |
| 6:57p | CoreSite Gets Vote Of Confidence From Lenders: Unsecured Credit Data center provider CoreSite Realty has reworked its revolving credit facility, increasing its borrowing power $225 million to $355 million and changing the line from secured to unsecured. CoreSite, which operates a network of 14 data center in nine major U.S. markets, intends to use the credit line primarily to fund expansion and development projects. The expanded borrowing capacity gives CoreSite flexibility as it develops additional data center properties, including a recently-announced greenfield data center construction project in northern Virginia. The shift to an unsecured loan shows lender confidence in CoreSite’s business, the company said. A secured loan is backed by collateral, which in CoreSite’s case included five data center properties that secured the previous revolving credit line. “We are pleased with the enhanced financial flexibility and cost savings that the amended facility provides CoreSite as we continue to pursue our growth objectives,” commented Jeff Finnin, Coresite’s Chief Financial Officer. “The move to unsecured debt, as well as the size and term of the facility, signals our lending group’s confidence in our operating model and we appreciate their ongoing support.” The revolving credit facility has a five-year term through January 2018, including a one-year extension option, and the interest rate spread was reduced by 25 basis points.
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| 8:21p | CyrusOne Sets Range of $16 to $18 for IPO  A look at indirect evaporative cooling (IDEC) units that support CyrusOne’s new data center in Chandler, Ariz. CyrusOne is preparing for an IPO. (Photo by Colleen Miller.) Cincinnati Bell hopes to raise at least $264 million in the initial public offering (IPO) of CyrusOne, the company’s colocation and data center services business. Shares of CyrusOne will be offered at between $16 and $18 per share, the company said today, with the final price determined just prior to the start of trading. Although the company said it had “commenced the initial public offering,” the company was actually setting terms for the offering. A date has not been set for the start of trading. Cincinnati Bell will sell 16.5 million shares of CyrusOne, which will trade on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol CONE. Underwriters Morgan Stanley and BofA Merrill Lynch will have the option to purchase up to 2.475 million additional shares of common stock from CyrusOne. If all these options are invoked and shares sell at the top of the $18 range, CyrusOne could raise as much as $341 million from the IPO. Upon completion of the offering, Cincinnati Bell will own 71.6 percent of CyrusOne through its holdings of common stock and its interest in the CyrusOne LP limited partnership, which are exchangable for shares of common stock of CyrusOne. Cincinnati Bell acquired CyrusOne in 2010 for $525 million, seeing colocation as a potential growth engine. The deal has paid off handsomely, and the IPO for CyrusOne could allow Cincinnati Bell to benefit from investor interest in the data center and cloud computing sector, while shifting significant capital expenses off the telecom company’s balance sheet. CyrusOne’s strategy is built atop a base of 493 customers, including 108 members of the Fortune 1000. With its finished data center space now 85 percent leased, the company is aggressively expanding its footprint with a new fleet of facilities designed for phased deployment of customers and capital. CyrusOne plans to add a new revenue stream by providing interconnection services within its data centers. CyrusOne’s property portfolio included 21 operating data centers in eight markets (Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, London, Singapore and South Bend) with a total footprint of 1.48 million rentable square feet of space and 105 megawatts of utility power. Cincinnati Bell said that it may operate CyrusOne as a real estate investment trust (REIT), a corporate structure used by other large data center developers, and was analyzing that option. A REIT is a corporation or trust that uses the pooled capital of many investors to purchase and manage income property. Income comes from the rent and leasing of the properties, and REITs are legally required to distribute 90 percent of their taxable income to investors. Three of the largest data center developers – Digital Realty (DLR), DuPont Fabros (DFT)and CoreSite Realty (COR) – are organized as REITs. |
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