Thursday, February 7th, 2013

Time	Event
12:30p	Data Center Jobs: RagingWire Seeking Technicians At the Data Center Jobs Board, we have two new job listings from RagingWire Data Centers, which is seeking a Critical Facilities Electrical Technician L2 and a Critical Facilities Mechanical Technician L2 in Sacramento, California. The Critical Facilities Electrical Technician L2 is responsible for providing guidance and assistance to Electrical Team day to day, operating, monitoring, maintaining, and responding to abnormal conditions in Data Center Operations systems, analyzing systems to ensure best practices for internal and external customers, working with contractors and consultants, including quality assurance for all system expansions, corrections and upgrades, and providing feedback to Data Center Operations Engineering on the effectiveness of existing standards. To view full details and apply, see job listing details. The Critical Facilities Mechanical Technician L2 is responsible for analyzing systems to ensure best practices for both internal and external customers, providing feedback to CFO Engineering on the effectiveness of existing standards and processes, working with contractors, consultants and quality assurance for all system expansions, corrections and upgrades, working with the CFO Manager to develop and track annual budgets, and working with the CFO Manager to track and complete an aggressive preventive and predicative maintenance schedule. 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. (Comment on this)
1:15p	Density, Diverse Services Drive Growth at Latisys View from above of a new Latisys data center in Denver. As a data center service provider, Latisys has been on a journey in which it has expanded across the country and up the value chain. In 2013, it has arrived as an end-to-end provider of IT outsourcing, complete with a national footprint and a portfolio of high-end customers. The offerings from Latisys span every aspect of the infrastructure stack, from colocation to managed services to managed hosting and cloud, delivered in high, density data centers with a high-touch, hybrid model. The company now offers more than 350,000 square feet of data center capacity across four markets, and nearly everything they do is high density. “We saw early on that power densities would continue to change the dynamic,” said Jonathan Sharp, VP of Marketing for Latisys. “We invested so customers could go up, not out.” Latisys uses a unified platform running atop enterprise equipment: Servers and blades from HP, storage from HP 3PAR storage, and networking gear from Juniper Networks, Palo Alto and F5. The company also offers different Quality of Service levels: One for testing and development, one for high performance infrastructure, and one intermediate QoS level. Service Variety Boosts Cross-Selling The company believes that it isn’t just about offering multiple services, but offering the right services in the right circumstances. Latisys emphasizes a high-touch approach to customer service, combined with building on a uniform platform. “Many providers built a separate (cloud) platform,” said Sharp. “For us cloud is an extension of managed hosting. We are utilizing the same back end. That standardization is very important.” Latisys says it is benefiting from cross selling of its offerings. One managed hosting  customer turned into a colocation customer, and many colo customers are becoming managed services and cloud customers. Its high touch approach means that there isn’t always a standard setup, but rather very personalized configurations unique to a businesses needs. In colocation, “we’re seeing a trend away from server hugging,” said Sharp. “I think you used to take a colocation customer, and 50 mile radius would be it. Now companies are getting more comfortable with 150 to 250 miles (between the customer office and the data center). It is just one element of what a customer looks at. We have plenty of colocation customers that are physically located farther away.” Growth Through Acquisition Latisys was founded in June of 2007 under the name Managed Data Holdings by three experienced industry executives – CEO Pete Stevenson, CFO Doug Butler and COO Evans Mullan – in conjunction with Great Hill Partners and Catalyst Investors. So out of the gate, it had experience and funding.  Latisys’ facilities have completed SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 Audit Reports and are located in Irvine, Calif. (formerly InteleNet), Denver, Colo. (formerly Data393), Chicago (formerly Stargate).  The company recently expanded into the northern Virginia market with a 123,000 square foot data center campus in Ashburn, Va. (formerly Pryme Technologies). So what’s the next act? “The answer today is all of the above,” said Sharp. “It’s not hybrid cloud, it’s hybrid IaaS – (customers) want it to be seamlessly federated, and the ability to work with vendors in that hybrid (configuration).” Latisys is finding that many customers come to them wanting cloud, but aren’t exactly certain why. “You’d be amazed at how often the client comes to us and says we want to be on cloud, ” said Sharp.“You’ll spend more on the cloud if you put your non-burstable workloads on cloud.” For Latisys, the answer is focusing on a company’s larger IT strategy, which is often undergoing a change. “The differentiator is that when people decide to adopt new services, you need to ensure they have the same performance they had internally,” Christian Teeft, VP of Engineering for Latisys. “We sit down with them; we try and solve their problems. We want to understand what they’re trying to do.” The company has more than 1,100 customers, with some public examples being Opera Software, PDC Energy, eDocument Solutions, Printronix, PhoenixNAP, BlueCava, Horizon Technology and Photobucket. Latisys customer base is surprisingly diverse. “We don’t see verticals are driving that growth at all,” said Sharp. “In healthcare, IT, we have a bit of concentration . (But) we don’t have a single vertical that represents more than 5 to 6 percent (of revenue).” (Comment on this)
2:00p	Nominations Sought for ‘Data Center Manager of the Year’ AFCOM, the leading association of data center management professionals, is seeking nominees for the “Leonard Eckhaus Data Center Manager of the Year,” awarded annually to recognize outstanding leadership and excellence in the field of data center and facilities management. The award is named in honor of Leonard Eckhaus, founder of AFCOM and Data Center World. This award aims to showcase an individual who has the qualities of innovation, organization, versatility and ambition. He or she shows effective leadership skills, runs a highly efficient data center, works well under pressure, possesses strong communication skills and keeps up-to-date on the latest technologies in order to maintain his or her company’s edge. The award will be announced at reception at the spring Data Center World conference in Las Vegas. Nominees must be currently managing a large scale data center facility and have at least five years of experience in the field of data center and facilities management. Nominators should include specific details about and qualities of the nominee that make them stand out as true innovators and leaders in this industry. Learn more about the award on the AFCOM site. Do you know anyone who fits the bill? AFCOM is accepting nominations through next Friday, Feb. 15. Nominate an exceptional colleague today! (Comment on this)
2:00p	Share Your Perspectives Do you have your own thoughts and technical approach on a current data center topic? Do you want to respond to a column you’ve read on Data Center Knowledge? If so, we’d welcome a submission of a guest column for the Industry Perspectives section of Data Center Knowledge, the leading source of news and information for the data center industry. Each month more than 250,000 data center professionals visit Data Center Knowledge to stay informed as they plan, design, build, equip and manage world-class data centers. Our Industry Perspectives columns provide industry professionals with the opportunity to contribute articles sharing their insight, expertise and opinions with their colleagues and peers. And these guest columns are one of the most widely read items on our site. We receive many submissions from industry leaders and you could be one of them. Review our guidelines and submission page for specific information. Then, email us to get started. The content focus is education and thought leadership, rather than marketing. Submissions are welcome on any topic, but we are particularly interested in these areas: Storage Cloud computing Industry best practices Data center design Energy efficiency Measurement and metrics Next-generation technologies Regulatory updates Green technology Security/Disaster Recovery Thanks for reading! You can keep up with the Industry Perspective channel by viewing  previously published columns in our Knowledge Library. (Comment on this)
2:35p	Emerson’s Trellis Integrates With IBM on DCIM Emerson Network Power continues to focus on partnerships to boost its Trellis data center infrastructure management (DCIM). The latest partnership is with IBM, which will integrate its IBM IT service management software with Emerson’s Trellis platform. As part of this collaboration, IBM will resell the Emerson Trellis platform as its DCIM solution. Integrating IBM software with Emerson’s Trellis platform will provide real-time data on data center operations, from IT applications through infrastructure components and all the way to the power grid.  This information can be used to improve energy efficiency and space and capacity utilization, and improve operational efficiency, all of which reduce the risk of downtime. According to Gartner, DCIM is an estimated $450 million market today, expected to grow to $1.7 billion by 2016. Industry analyst firm IDC believes this integration can deliver customer benefits. “The combination of Emerson’s real-time infrastructure optimization capabilities in the Trellis platform and IBM’s suite of enterprise system management capabilities has the potential to help IT and facilities teams deploy a comprehensive data center infrastructure management solution to increase energy and operational efficiency,” said Jennifer Koppy, research manager at IDC. Emerson customer Brocade outlined the value of combining DCIM and ITSM. “‘Do more with less’ has become standard operating policy in IT and data center environments,” said Valery Sokolov, senior manager, Engineering Lab Services, Brocade. “At the same time, the mix of physical and virtual assets is growing exponentially. Because of these trends, there is a real business case for tools and applications that will provide the visibility and metrics required to manage IT resources and facilities provisioning efficiently and productively.  This is where DCIM and ITSM applications become critical to provide the data required to achieve that goal, as well as to plan and model growth.” The combined capabilities also provide insight into the true costs of running an application, calculating its resource demands in real-time, and dynamically provisioning resources in support. “Managing the physical constraints of available space and power in the data center is becoming a greater challenge for organizations,” said Jamie Thomas, vice president, Tivoli strategy and development, IBM. “This, combined with the increasing demand on the enterprise for reliable and agile IT services, makes finding a cost-effective solution critical for our customers. The combination of Emerson Network Power’s market-leading DCIM solution – the Trellis platform – along with our solutions for IT service management and systems management, is an ideal way to meet these customer needs with innovative capabilities.” Steve Hassell, president of Emerson Network Power’s Avocent business, said that aligning Trellis with IBM software “enables data center managers and IT and facilities leaders to see, decide, and act across all resources.  This collaboration with IBM is a strong validation of our DCIM strategy and the ability of the Trellis platform to improve how data centers are currently managed and operated.  Our collaboration will span engineering, development, and go-to-market strategies, and we are making significant investments to realize the full potential of our work together.” Details of the Trellis platform integration roadmap with IBM Tivoli software will be available in March at the IBM PULSE 2013 conference. (Comment on this)
3:32p	Global Strategies: Communications and Network Design Considerations This is the third article in a series on Creating Data Center Strategies with Global Scale. In order to have a viable global network it is critical to closely examine the various communications providers offering in various locations. The ability to have a fully meshed network that can fail-over traffic in the event of network service outages or localized catastrophic failure is crucial. Carrier diversity via multiple providers in both the local loops, as well major network nodes bear careful scrutiny. In the event of a local failure the distance to the next closest data center in the event of a network failure should be factored in determining multiple cross coverage geographic locations. The distance from the client to the data center impacts the performance of the system due to data communication systems latency (the time it takes for data packets to travel though the network). Therefore, while a good global network design should try to maximize the geographic coverage for every site, practical limits come into play in order to achieve a good response and data throughput to the end user, whether to a desktop, laptop or mobile device. This needs to be determined by your IT systems department and then factored into the trade-offs for location availability and costs. The ability to incorporate replication of critical data (either real-time synchronous or delayed asynchronous) between sites may mean the difference between nearly seamless “business continuity” or the need for “disaster recovery”, in the event of the loss of a facility. The lead time and availability of high bandwidth fiber optic services may be limited in certain regions and lead times may be far greater than typically experienced domestically. Be aware that even when dealing with major global telecom providers they are also subject to local government authorities and bureaucratic delays, as well local “last mile” issues, especially in newly developed or remote sites. While there may be some economic advantages offered by some developing areas, the need and cost for logistical support in more underdeveloped or remote areas, should not be underestimated. The availability of high bandwidth fiber optic services may be limited and lead times may be far far greater than typically experienced domestically. The next installment will be on “Ten considerations in building a global data center strategy.” You can download a complete PDF of Creating Data Center Strategies with Global Scale by clicking here. This series is brought to you courtesy of Digital Realty. (Comment on this)
4:51p	DuPont Fabros Scouting for Acquisitions The ACC5 data center, one of the northern Virginia properties operated by DuPont Fabros Technology. Data center developer DuPont Fabros Technology is exploring acquisitions, and in recent months has investigated deals with other providers in both the U.S. and Europe, as well as opportunities to acquire properties, company executives said yesterday. That marks a shift in strategy for DuPont Fabros (DFT), which to date has focused exclusively on building and operating its own data centers. The company’s efforts haven’t been limited to small deals, either. In yesterday’s earnings call, DFT President and CEO Hossein Fateh said that discussions were held with a large U.S. company that offered wholesale and colocation services. “We are looking at acquisitions,” said Fateh, who said the company was exploring deals that could give it a presence in retail colocation and the interconnection market.  DuPont Fabros currently operates “wholesale” space, leasing completed data halls to large companies. The focus on acquisitions follows one of the most successful years in the company’s history. In 2012 DuPont Fabros leased 41.5 megawatts of data center space, up from 25 megawatts in 2011. “This has been our best year in leasing,” said Fateh. “The amount of volume of leasing we’ve had has been unbelievable. If you had asked me a year ago, ‘Would you have done 41.5 megawatts of leasing?’ I would have said no.” Growth in Wholesale, But Open to New Models Securities analysts focused on the company’s growth options and its decision to focus on acquisitions. Fateh said that DuPont Fabros still sees strong growth trends in the wholesale data center business, but believes the company has reached a scale that allows it to look beyond its initial focus developing wholesale data centers. “I think for our first 5 years, we had to build the tenant base and build a diversified portfolio that could successfully absorb an acquisition,” said Fateh. “I believe we’re now close to making that happen. And so now we would look to doing acquisitions.” (Comment on this)
8:33p	Datacenter Dynamics Converged Datacenter Dynamics Converged will host its Washington, D.C. event on May 2 at the Hyatt Regency Reston, in Reston, VA. Topics such as renovating aging infrastructure, building new facilities, integrating the old and the new, moving beyond virtualized servers, migration and consolidation, managing increased density, security and cloud computing, as well as financing and location decisions will be covered. The Washington DC area is a different playground, says Datacenter Dynamics, and they have crafted an event that reflects this. DatacenterDynamics Washington DC is specifically designed to fill the knowledge and networking needs for both those responsible for the design, build an operation of IT facilities as well as key IT decision makers responsible for strategic decisions regarding capacity planning and technology investment. For more information, visit Datacenter Dynamics Washington D.C.. Venue Hyatt Regency Reston 1800 Presidents St Reston, VA 20190 (703) 709-1234 For more events, please return to the Data Center Knowledge Events Calendar. (Comment on this)
9:09p	7X24 Exchange Spring Conference 7×24 Exchange will host its spring conference June 2-5 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton, FL. The theme of the conference is Driving Performance. The 7X24 Exchange is aimed at knowledge exchange among those who design, build, operate and maintain mission-critical enterprise information infrastructures, 7×24 Exchange’s goal is to improve end-to-end reliability by promoting dialogue among these groups. More details will be published as they become available. Check 7X24 Exchange site for more information. Venue Boca Raton Resort & Club 501 E Camino Real Boca Raton, FL 33432 (561) 447-3000 For more events, return to the Data Center Knowledge Events Calendar. (Comment on this)
9:58p	Strapped UK Provider to Customers: Fund Us or We Shut You Off Struggling UK service provider 2e2 has told its data center customers that they must help fund the cash-strapped company or their services will be shut off. 2e2 filed for administration (the UK version of bankruptcy) last month and has been unable to find a buyer. On Wednesday the administrators laid off more than 600 workers and discontinued many services. The 2e2 administrators say that given the mission-critical nature of data center services, they want to continue to maintain the infrastructure so customers can migrate their data. That could take as long as 16 weeks, and there’s no funds left, so customers are being asked to provide 960,000 pounds ($1.5 million US) just to keep the lights on for another week. “In order to meet the on-going costs of operating the Data Centres, we will require customers to provide immediate funding to the Companies,” administrator FTI Consulting said in a letter to customers. “In the event that funding is not provided, we will be unable to maintain the Data Centre Infrastructure and we will have no alternative, other than to cease all operations without any managed wind-down of those operations.” The 20 largest customers are being asked to provide 40,000 pounds ($62,800 US) each, with smaller customers needing to pony up 5,000 pounds ($7,850 US). The letter doesn’t reconcile the disconnect between the one week of additional operations and the claimed 16 weeks needed to retrieve data, and how this will impact migrations. 2e2 provides data center and cloud computing services out of data centers in Gateshead, Reading and Newcastle. For more, read coverage in The Register and CRN UK. (Comment on this)

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