Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Time	Event
2:25p	Colocation Outlook: Smashing the Crystal Ball Andy Huxtable, Colocation Product Management at Savvis. ANDY HUXTABLE Savvis When it comes to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), why invite risk in the old pay-up-front capital expenditure (CapEx) model when you can align revenue to expense in a pay-as you-go operating expenditure (OpEx) model? It seems obvious, yet many still base their growth plans on their existing business model. They look into their crystal ball to gauge demand for services, “guestimate” and make a commitment upfront, despite many realizing that along the way, things will change radically and so will their needs. Cloud computing is sold on the notion of decreasing this consumption gap and adding flexibility, yet adoption has been slower than expected. In 2011, the annual State of IT research report showed that 14 per cent of IT decision makers from around the world expected the majority of their IT infrastructure to be outsourced to the cloud by 2013; the reality is that only five per cent currently do so. Colocation As First Step to Cloud This year’s research revealed an interesting expectation of colocation in coming years, which may help make the wider transition to the cloud a reality. Seen as the equivalent of “dipping a toe in the water”, colocation is often viewed as the first step into outsourcing on the “Stairway to the Cloud.” Based upon a global survey of IT decision makers, a sharp increase in colocation usage is expected over the next two years before it falls again, as companies move to managed services and outsourced cloud. If colocation is “dipping a toe in the water,” then the emergence of termless contracts must surely be the dipping the smallest toe. The introduction of rolling 30-day colocation contracts, which sees a cloud commercial model being applied to the colocation environment, should increase experimentation as it lowers the risk for the customer. “Contractual obligations” was one of the top reasons survey respondents gave as a barrier to outsourcing, but new models are taking away almost all obligations and removing the need for the long term commitments of old. Trial Presence For example, if a business is thinking about having a presence in another country, all they now need is some spare kit and the ability to pay their NRC. They can get a rack for one or two months, and therefore, make an informed decision whether to negotiate a longer term contract with the provider or pull the plug if things don’t work out. Such an option is not the kind of thing you’d use for a 500kw suite, but the advantages of rolling contracts opens up all kinds of possibilities for those taking their first steps, experimenting or simply for those needed several months of extra space. Economic Realities The rise of “XaaS” (whatever “X” may be) is widely acknowledged and for those still wanting to own the hardware and software stack within a data center; pay-as-you-go colo may be just the thing to start their journey into this new consumption-based world. As businesses realize that building another data center for their own use is not cost-effective, termless contracts should help remove any lingering concerns. The crystal ball needs to be smashed. After all, no CIO knows what the future holds for their business, but the emergence of flexible payment models is one way of de-risking the uncertainty rather than trusting 100 per cent in business forecasting or guesstimation. Industry Perspectives is a content channel at Data Center Knowledge highlighting thought leadership in the data center arena. See our guidelines and submission process for information on participating. View previously published Industry Perspectives in our Knowledge Library. (Comment on this)
3:20p	In Iowa, A Field Becomes a Billion-Dollar Google Server Farm A satellite image of the Google data center campus near Council Bluffs, Iowa, which has grown rapidly over the last two years. (Image: Google Maps) It’s not exactly “Field of Dreams.” But a field in Iowa provides evidence of how the data center revolution can transform a piece of empty land into a key Internet traffic hub in a matter of months. The 1,000 acre property, located amid farmland about four miles south of Google’s initial facility in Council Bluffs, was purchased in 2007 to provide expansion space. In 2011 the land was vacant. But that has changed dramatically as the search giant adds capacity. In early 2013 the first two phases of data center space were completed. Photos from Google Maps in fall of 2013 show three additional buildings have been added, while more land is being cleared for future construction, which appears to include space for at least three more data center facilities. Google plans to spend more than $1.5 billion to build Internet infrastructure in Council Bluffs, a city of 62,000 nested along the Missouri River, across the river from Omaha, Nebraska. The city offers an ideal environment for data center development – strong energy infrastructure, lots of land ready for development, and a skilled workforce. Google’s decision to build in Iowa has since been validated by Microsoft and Facebook, which are also building data center campuses in Iowa. Council Bluffs is one of five locations across the U.S. where Google is building out massive data center hubs to power its network of Internet services. The others are in North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon. These sites were chosen in 2006 and 2007, and saw a preliminary round of construction in which Google built one or perhaps two large server farms. But the company is now pumping more than $2 billion per quarter into a global data center construction program. Rather than finding new locations to build, Google is expanding at existing campuses where it can take advantage of its scale, building upon available power and fiber infrastructure. It’s an approach that allows it to get the biggest bang for its data center investment dollars, and underscores the importance of the company’s initial site selection decisions. Here’s a look at how Google’s campus in Iowa has progressed, illustrated in satellite photos from Google Maps and Pottawattamie County: Here’s a look at Google’s first data center in Council Bluffs, which was built near the site of a drive-in movie theater. The facility was completed in 2008, and features a Google design in which generators are housed in the equipment yard outside the building. In late 2007 Google acquired this 1,000 acre plot of land for potential data center expansion. This 2011 aerial shows the undeveloped site, with the initial preparations for a power substation at upper right. This photo from early 2013 shows the progress at the site, which now features two data halls. The design is slightly different from the initial Council Bluffs site, as the generators are now enclosed within the superstructure of the building. The current image on Google Maps shows an additional data hall attached to the first two, along with two new buildings across the street, and the completed substation. Next: A Look Inside Google’s Iowa Server Farms (Comment on this)
3:41p	Akamai Acquires Prolexic to Protect Customers From DDoS Attacks A look inside the network operating center for Akamai Technologies, which tracks web traffic at hundreds of locations around the globe. The company has acquired Prolexic to boost its customers’ defenses against electronic attacks.(Photo: Akamai) Content delivery network (CDN) specialist Akamai Technologies is acquiring Prolexic in a bid to extend its web optimization and security offerings. Prolexic is a natural extension for Akamai, as the hybrid CDN/security model has been on the rise. Akamai will acquire all of the outstanding equity of Prolexic in exchange for a net cash payment of approximately $370 million, after expected purchase price adjustments, plus the assumption of outstanding unvested options to purchase Prolexic stock. Prolexic gives Akamai (AKAM) further cloud-based security for protecting data centers and enterprise IP applications from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. DDoS attacks can temporarily cripple a organization, preventing legitimate users from accessing a service. “Any company doing business on the Internet faces an evolving threat landscape of attacks aimed at disrupting operations, defacing the brand, or attempting to steal sensitive data and information,” said Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai. “By joining forces with Prolexic, we intend to combine Akamai’s leading security and performance platform with Prolexic’s highly-regarded DDoS mitigation solutions for data center and enterprise applications protection. We believe that Prolexic’s solutions and team will help us achieve our goal of making the Internet fast, reliable, and secure.” Companies like CloudFlare that provide a hybrid of CDN and security services have captured a lot of the consumer market, and  stand as a possible future threat to Akamai’s business. Akamai needs to evolve, and it is doing so here. Akamai is firmly rooted in the higher end of the market and will maintain its position by expanding its portfolio of security solutions, in addition to content delivery services. The acquisition means businesses can acquire performance and DDoS mitigation from a single vendor. “Today, business is defined by the availability, security and latency of Internet-facing applications, data and infrastructure,” said Scott Hammack, CEO at Prolexic, which has been a pioneer in DDoS defense. “Being able to rely on one provider for Internet performance and security greatly simplifies resolution of network availability issues and offers clients clear lines of accountability. We believe that, together, we will be able to deliver an unprecedented level of network visibility and protection.” Akamai intends to provide customers with a comprehensive portfolio of security solutions designed to defend an enterprise’s Web and IP infrastructure against application-layer, network-layer and data center attacks delivered via the Internet. (Comment on this)
4:13p	Top 10 Data Center Stories, November 2013 An existing Sears Auto Center, which might be turned into data center space, is depicted in this illustration. In November, lots of data center stories drew our readers’ interest. The top items included: the possibility of turning former Sears auto service centers into mission critical space, the automation at Facebook that allows a sys admin to manage at least 20K servers, and actual use cases of immersion cooling technology. Also, Microsoft’s rack-based fuel cells received a great deal of interest. Without further ado, here are the most viewed stories on Data Center Knowledge for November 2013, ranked by page views. Enjoy! Ubiquity Eyes Turning Sears Auto Centers into Data Centers – Nov 14 – Ubiquity Critical Environments is considering plans to build a national chain of IT facilities by converting dozens of Sears Auto Center stores into data centers. The data center initiative is one of several options being considered as Sears pursues a strategy for its fleet of Sears Auto Centers. Facebook Ops: Each Staffer Manages 20,000 Servers – Nov 20 – Each Facebook data center operations staffer can manage at least 20,000 servers, according to Delfina Eberly, Director of Data Center Operations at Facebook. Dunking for Density: New Projects Pursue 3M’s Take on Immersion Cooling – Nov 13 – We’re continuing to see new examples of immersion cooling at meaningful scale. Last year, we offered an early look at an immersion cooling technique developed by 3M known as open bath immersion. Here’s an update on some projects using this technology. Microsoft Will Use Fuel Cells to Create Self-Powered Racks – Nov 12 – Microsoft wants to bring power generation inside the rack, and make data centers cheaper and greener in the process. The company says it will test racks with built-in fuel cells, a move that would eliminate the need for expensive power distribution systems seen in traditional data centers. Report: Google Mystery Barge A Party Boat, Not A Data Center – Nov 1 – That mysterious “Google Barge” in the San Francisco Bay? It’s apparently not a water-based data center, but a Google Glass promotion featuring high-tech showrooms and a “party deck.” Windows Azure, Xbox Live Experience Problems as Xbox One Launches – Nov 22 – Xbox One launch day turned out to be a rough ride for the Windows Azure cloud computing service, which helps power Xbox Live. The platform was plagued by problems for much of Thursday, including storage and network issues. Google Data Center Investment in Finland Tops $1 Billion USD – Nov 4 – Google purchased a 60-year-old paper mill in Finland, which it has converted into one of its most modern, efficient data centers worldwide, and its now investing an additional EUR450 million (about 608 million in USD) to continue expansion of the facility. LinkedIn Expands With Texas Data Center – Nov 6 – LinkedIn, the social network for business, continues to expand its data center infrastructure to support its rapid growth. The company signed a $116 million, 11-year lease for a large chunk of data center space in Dallas. Why The Hybrid Cloud is Gaining in Popularity – Nov 21 – What’s the driving force behind the hybrid cloud boom? What is causing the blurring of the cloud line? Bill Kleyman looks at why hybrid clouds are gaining in popularity. HP, Fidelity Say Modular Designs Are Enterprise-Ready – Nov 19 – Modular designs are driving significant cost savings in creating mission-critical data centers at Fidelity Investments and HP, who say their experience demonstrates that modular designs are ready to deliver high availability for enterprise workloads. Stay updated on data center news – Subscribe to our RSS feed and daily e-mail updates. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook or Google+. (Comment on this)
7:03p	Gartner on the Intelligent Data Center – What Will Unfold Over the Next Five Years Gartner, a leading technology research firm, will convene its annual Data Center Conference 2013, on December 9-12 at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV. David J. Cappuccio, research vice president, will speak on “The Intelligent Data Center – What Will Unfold Over the Next Five Years.”  The Gartner Data Center Conference focuses on current  I&O topics, trends and technologies, including in-depth coverage of mobile, cloud, storage and other IT forces that are making new demands on the data center. Recently announced are guest speakers from industry, including Don Duet, co-head of the technology division of Goldman Sachs, and Dean Nelson, vice president, Global Foundation Services at eBay. Other speakers and topics include: “The Transformative Power of Infrastructure and Operations” John Enck, Managing VP Jeffrey M. Brooks, Research Director Guest Keynote: “Being Decisive” Dan Heath, Best Selling Author and Consultant at Duke Corporate Education “Trends That Will Increase I&O Costs” Andrew Butler, VP Distinguished Analyst Ronni J. Colville, VP Distinguished Analyst Hot topics to be covered: • Enterprise mobility • Private/Public cloud strategies • Business alignment • DevOps and IT operational excellence • Attracting and retaining I&O personnel Solutions and tools will be demonstrated by the more than 85 companies exhibiting at the conference. A listing of current exhibitors is available on the Exhibitor Directory. For complete event details, please visit the Data Center Conference website.   (Comment on this)

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