In Depth
In Depth
Data centre
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Five reasons why – and when – cloud storage is the answer
We look at when cloud storage can be the best choice, with considerations that include performance, scalability and agility, cost, management simplicity, and security and resilience Continue Reading
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IT talent trap: How cloud skills suffer as a result of supplier lock-in
Even when supplier partners dominate, providers can keep some independence by nurturing in-house skills Continue Reading
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Making software development greener
We look at what IT leaders can do to help reduce the environmental impact associated with developing software Continue Reading
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The UK government’s G-Cloud procurement framework: Everything you need to know
The G-Cloud procurement framework emerged in 2012 to provide UK public sector buyers with a faster, easier and more transparent means of acquiring IT services. How has it fared in achieving its aims? Continue Reading
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Storage technology explained: AI and data storage
In this guide, we examine the data storage needs of artificial intelligence, the demands it places on data storage, the suitability of cloud and object storage for AI, and key AI storage products Continue Reading
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Top AI infrastructure considerations
Artificial intelligence workloads can put considerable strain on technology infrastructure. Here are some of the key considerations when deploying AI infrastructure to harness its full potential Continue Reading
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How to optimise cloud security without budget blowout
Budgets cannot stretch to accommodate infinite cost increases, not least to meet expanding cloud security requirements Continue Reading
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Storage technology explained: Flash vs HDD
In this guide, we examine the differences between flash storage and HDD, the rise of NVMe and much denser formats such as QLC, and whether or not flash will vanquish HDD in the all-flash datacentre Continue Reading
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Biodiversity's importance to sustainable datacentre computing
Want to advance sustainability targets? It’s time to add biodiversity to your cloud equation Continue Reading
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The CMA anti-trust investigation into AWS and Microsoft explained: Everything you need to know
After regulator Ofcom raised red flags about the anti-competitive behaviour of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, the UK cloud market was referred to the Competition and Markets Authority – here’s why Continue Reading
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Tips to improve IT sustainability
With every business function being asked to look closely at their carbon footprint, we look at ways to achieve greener IT operations Continue Reading
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A better way to manage hybrid or multicloud deployments
Cloud-native strategies notwithstanding, workloads running on-premise or in private clouds will continue to present management challenges Continue Reading
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Forrester: Tips for assessing hybrid cloud management
Cloud-native works for new workloads, but legacy IT needs a different approach, which is why IT leaders rely on hybrid cloud deployments Continue Reading
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Pseudo-SLC flash storage: What is it, what’s it good for and what does it cost?
Pseudo-SLC takes MLC, TLC flash and changes data storage at cell level to get better endurance and performance, but it’s mostly aimed at edge applications and is costly Continue Reading
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Storage technology explained: Ransomware and storage and backup
We look at ransomware attacks, and the importance of good backup practice as well as immutable snapshots, air-gapping, network segmentation, AI anomaly detection and supplier warranties Continue Reading
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Broadcom’s VMware acquisition explained: The impact on your IT strategy
In this guide, we look at Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and how it influences your IT desktop, server, cloud and supplier management strategies Continue Reading
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Tracking the change in enterprise attitudes to hybrid cloud
Hybrid cloud deployments are poised to become even more prevalent in the enterprise as public cloud fails to live up to the hype on cost savings Continue Reading
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The rising prominence of hybrid cloud in the Nordics
Many Nordic organisations have opted for hybrid cloud environments, subscribing to the newest services without giving up what they already have. Best practices are beginning to emerge for managing the heterogenous environment Continue Reading
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Sea-Lion explained: Southeast Asia’s first large language model
The Sea-Lion large language model was built to cater to the language and cultural diversity of Southeast Asia, which is currently underserved by existing models that mostly originate from the West Continue Reading
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French TV giant sticks with Dell NAS for channel upgrade
TF1 has the biggest market share in French TV, but plans for more. It has upgraded from Isilon to PowerScale scale-out NAS and saved 42% in energy costs, halving rackspace use Continue Reading
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Cloud is not always the answer: Five reasons why
We look at why the cloud is not always the best choice, including for reasons of cost, application suitability, management, data protection and the needs of the business Continue Reading
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Storage technology explained: Replication vs snapshots and backup
Are replication and snapshots the same? Can you replace backup with replication or snapshots? We look into the key planks of data protection strategy, including in cloud storage Continue Reading
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Cloud-to-cloud backup: What it is and why you (probably) need it
Basic cloud data protection is just not enough. Several loopholes leave business data vulnerable and that means additional cloud-to-cloud backup should be seriously considered Continue Reading
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Levelling the playing field: Could a UK cloud strategy weaken the hold of the hyperscalers?
Over time, global hyperscale has taken a majority share of the UK market. How best could the government respond to Ofcom’s review to sustain local industry while best serving customers? Continue Reading
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On-prem vs cloud storage: Four decisions about data location
Hybrid cloud is now a reality. But how to decide what data goes where? We highlight four key decision points to evaluate whether data should be stored on-premise or in the cloud Continue Reading
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Interview: Ex-UKCloud chairman airs economic fears over growing dominance of US hyperscalers
More than a year has passed since UKCloud went into liquidation - its former chairman outlines his concerns about the economic impact of the UK cloud market floundering in the face of the US hyperscalers Continue Reading
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Iceland provides northern lights for Europe’s digital neighbourhood
As the price of energy has rocketed, IT companies running power-hungry services and datacentres are feeling the heat. It's why Iceland believes its subsea networks and growing datacentre industry offer advantages Continue Reading
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Pure Storage: Flash ‘startup’ that brings late entrant advantage
Storage profile: We look at Pure Storage, the youngest of the array makers, which comes to market with well-developed flash, hybrid cloud and consumption purchasing models Continue Reading
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ERP’s storage requirements and options in the cloud
We look under the hood at enterprise resource planning and its databases, the storage needed to support ERP’s I/O requirements, block, file and object storage, and ERP in an era of hybrid cloud Continue Reading
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Dell EMC: Storage giant shifts gear to cloud operating models
Storage profile: We look at Dell EMC, the result of the biggest tech acquisition ever, and find a company well set for ubiquitous cloud operating models and as-a-service Continue Reading
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The all-flash datacentre: Mirage or imminent reality?
Some say disk is dead and we’re on the cusp of the all-flash datacentre. But when will flash capacity and cost hit a point where it is suited to more than just high-tier storage? Continue Reading
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Waste not, want not: How datacentre heat reuse projects can power ahead
The Nordics, Netherlands, Germany and Canada are progressing district heating initiatives that save energy and emissions, although obstacles remain Continue Reading
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Datacentres’ energy-efficiency investment priorities in the race to net zero
Operators seeking to prioritise one pathway over another to reach sustainability targets may be disappointed, experts warn Continue Reading
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Closing the datacentre skills gap by tapping up career changers
Recruitment efforts commonly focus on relatively new graduates, potentially ignoring harder-to-reach segments, such as people looking for a career change or returning to the workforce after time away Continue Reading
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DPU 101: What are DPUs, what do they do, and who supplies them?
We look at data processing units, the latest in a line of hardware offload devices that emerged in the era of composable infrastructure. They come as hardware and even in the cloud Continue Reading
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Designing software for efficient IT operations
Rapid development and deployment of applications is not enough to achieve digitisation – IT operations needs to be re-engineered too Continue Reading
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Joining the dots for a seamless digital transformation journey
It is often the small things that have the greatest impact on a successful digital transformation project Continue Reading
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Five key questions about disaster recovery as a service
Disaster recovery as a service builds recovery data and systems into the cloud, accessible from anywhere. We look at the difference vs cloud backup, DRaaS use cases, the cost, and the firms that provide it Continue Reading
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NetApp: NAS pioneer well set for the cloud revolution
In this storage profile, we look at NetApp, which built a reputation in file access storage but seems to be set fair to navigate a future of hybrid cloud, cloud-native and containerisation Continue Reading
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Why the human factor is critical to ITOps success
Digitisation often means deploying software at pace. Along with tooling, IT leaders need to consider skills and training Continue Reading
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Preparing IT security for the age of quantum computing
We look at what progress is being made to ensure digital communications remain secure as quantum computers make an entrance Continue Reading
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Will computational storage meet data processing demands?
Computational storage promises performance for workloads that can benefit from dedicated oomph, but it’s not a cure-all. It may come at a cost, and with added application complexity Continue Reading
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Ransomware: All the ways you can protect storage and backup
We survey the key methods of ransomware protection, including immutable snapshots, anomaly detection, air-gapping, anomaly detection, and supplier monetary guarantees Continue Reading
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Cloud NAS, what is it good for?
We look at NAS file access storage, how it works, what it’s good for and the possibilities to access storage for files and unstructured data in the public cloud Continue Reading
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IBM reorients to offset historic storage hardware decline
Storage profile: We look at IBM and the strategic shifts it has made towards the cloud, cloud-native and as-a-service offerings that aim to reverse a long-term decline in revenues Continue Reading
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Toyota car plant outage shows database capacity planning is vital
How could database deletes and re-organisation take out car production for 36 hours at 14 plants? We drill down into the details of database capacity planning Continue Reading
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Simplifying cloud integrations with legacy IT
Subscription-based software is easier to integrate than traditional enterprise software, but the challenge for IT leaders is governance for SaaS connectivity Continue Reading
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Complexity challenges of pandemic hangover could lead to SaaS hysteria
The deployment of software-as-a-service applications during the Covid-19 pandemic has increased enterprise IT complexity Continue Reading
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SME disaster recovery: Five key points to consider
We look at key DR considerations for SMEs, including RPOs, RTOs, infrastructure needed for effective continuity and the right combination of cloud and in-house provision Continue Reading
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CXL in the datacentre: Boosting memory for hungry workloads
We look at CXL, how it revolutionises connectivity between memory components, potentially saves energy, and adds oomph to heavily memory-dependent workloads such as AI analytics Continue Reading
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HPE storage comes with full IT stack, hybrid cloud and as a service
Storage profile: We look at HPE, its Alletra storage refresh, and Greenlake and the ways the company is re-branding as a full-stack provider across on-prem and hybrid cloud Continue Reading
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Tackling Scope 3 emissions in materials to help meet datacentre climate goals
Fanciful carbon accounting practice might not help much with emissions reduction, but specific materials values are already on offer from steel makers and the like that can assist datacentre operators Continue Reading
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Going cloud-native: How to develop better cloud apps
Cloud apps do not always perform as desired – and there are multiple contributing factors, from resource gaps to blind spots and poor planning. Continue Reading
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How APAC organisations can drive IT sustainability
From using liquid cooling and optimising data storage to tapping renewable energy and recycling tape drives, organisations across the region are upping their sustainability efforts Continue Reading
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The challenges of integrating SaaS applications
SaaS has grown from a handful of applications to a vast market covering almost every type of business task. We look at the integration challenges Continue Reading
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Huawei a big storage hitter despite international troubles
Huawei is a leading storage player with an enterprise product offer across file, block and object storage, and the cloud, despite controversy and trading difficulties Continue Reading
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Generative AI: Automating storage and backup management
We look at how generative artificial intelligence is being deployed to automate monitoring of repetitive tasks and report on enterprise storage and backup, but also the limits to its implementation Continue Reading
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Software-defined storage: What’s available from key players
What’s available in software-defined storage from the big storage players, software-defined storage specialists, and SDS options focused on cloud, virtualisation and containers Continue Reading
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Hitachi Vantara: Small part of a big corp and analytics focus
We look at Hitachi Vantara, its storage, its cloud offer, the workloads it targets, and its efforts in containerisation and consumption models of storage purchasing Continue Reading
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Is the UK datacentre industry set for further consolidation?
Turbulent times make it tricky to predict which way markets will jump, yet UK datacentres continue to grow and hold investor attention Continue Reading
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Pure Storage: HDDs dead by 2028 and our flash will replace it
Pure Storage says spinning disk is doomed, and only it can provide a replacement. We look at the rationale behind its bold message, and the possible impacts of such a scenario Continue Reading
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The impact of generative AI on the datacentre
While artificial intelligence will not live up to its name any time soon, mass adoption of large language models, whether by customers or in-house, requires thinking about by enterprise IT leaders Continue Reading
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Software-defined storage: What it is and variants available
SDS is available in numerous variants. It is usually cheaper, flexible to deploy and brings storage efficiencies, but there are pitfalls in complexity, management and performance Continue Reading
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Automation: The key to FinOps success
Workload management and automation offers a way for FinOps teams to match supply to demand for cloud-based IT in an efficient way Continue Reading
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PLC flash: The next generation or a mirage?
PLC could be productised within two years, but chip makers might not think it worth the effort. Will managing multiple voltages be more hassle than adding layers to existing flash? Continue Reading
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Quantum computing: What are the data storage challenges?
Quantum computing will be able to process massive amounts of data at extraordinary speeds, but challenges exist in data storage. How will today’s storage systems keep pace? Continue Reading
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Why IAM systems are crucial for securing multicloud architecture
As business tools evolve into cloud-based services, organisations are finding themselves becoming ever more reliant on the cloud, but how can data be secured across so many different platforms? Continue Reading
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How sustainability software bears broad benefits beyond cost savings
The imperative for organisations to do a better sustainability job is clear. There is business software that can help, with data at its core, and smart companies are acting now Continue Reading
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Driving up IT efficiency and sustainability
IT leaders need to balance IT sustainability with business drivers to innovate with digital technologies and ensure corporate systems remain secure Continue Reading
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How APCOA is using big data to reinvent car parks
Car park operator APCOA is using big data to transform traditional car parks into mobility hubs that will offer electric vehicle charging, space for small businesses and depots for delivery companies Continue Reading
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HDD specs: Assess SATA vs SAS, sustained data rates and block size
In part two of a two-part series, we look at sustained data rates in hard disk drive specs, SATA versus SAS, drive security, and how HDD makers pack density into products by shingling Continue Reading
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HDD specs: Assess MTTF, AFR and UER to get the drives you need
In part one of a two-part series, we look at key hard disk drive specs, including mean time to failure, annual failure rate and unrecoverable error rate, and how they relate to each other Continue Reading
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Gartner: Use digital to achieve sustainability goals
Sustainability guides decision-making by incorporating economic, social and environmental impacts. Gartner looks at digital technology’s role Continue Reading
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The race to net zero: Six ways to slash IT infrastructure emissions
Strategies aimed at successfully cutting climate risk can appear to be stymieing business sustainability. How can the industry remain productive? Continue Reading
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Backup testing: The why, what, when and how
We look at backup testing – why you should do it, what you should do, when you should do it, and how, with a view to the ways in which it will be made easier by forthcoming developments in backup software Continue Reading
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Unstructured data and the storage it needs
We look at unstructured and semi-structured data and find increasing amounts of production workloads that have their own storage hardware – file and object – needs, including flash Continue Reading
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Green tech and the private sector: How the UK government will hit its 2050 net-zero emissions goal
The UK government is targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but it will need the private sector’s help and its appetite for investing in green technologies to meet its goal Continue Reading
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Schneider Electric on why datacentre operators need to close the ‘sustainability gap’
Datacentre operators sometimes have a hard time ensuring their actions match their words and pledges on sustainability matters, which could put the industry at risk of greenwashing accusations, Schneider Electric warns Continue Reading
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Container storage platforms: Big six approach starts to align
Container storage is a complex but vital task. We survey the big six storage makers and see methods are starting to align around management platforms Continue Reading
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Green storage: Savings to be made but tricky to achieve
Storage upgrades can bring energy savings. New hardware, the cloud and as-a-service procurement models all cut costs, but can need careful tweaking to get right Continue Reading
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IT’s shift to the cloud: Veeam’s data protection report in detail
With half of servers in the cloud, most backup and nearly all disaster recovery cloud-centric, the shift to the cloud is significant – but container backup is one area that is yet to settle down Continue Reading
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Cloud egress costs: What they are and how to dodge them
We look at how cloud providers charge to move data from their cloud, including to other providers and between storage in the same cloud, and what you can do to mitigate “bill shock” Continue Reading
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Why the devil’s still in the detail in the race for energy efficiency
Energy-efficiency credentials are surely a step in the right direction, but cloud and datacentre providers must look at the sustainability equation from all angles Continue Reading
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Storage hardware shortage causes and how to mitigate them
We look at the IT supply chain shortages that have hit data storage equipment, their causes and what organisations can do to work more smartly to mitigate them Continue Reading
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Reverse cloud migrations: Why some enterprises are shifting their IT back on-premise
With a steady trickle of customer organisations returning on-premise, a need to plan better may not be the whole story Continue Reading
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Datacentres in the dark: How the sector is preparing for the prospect of planned winter power cuts
Against a backdrop of ongoing uncertainty in the energy market, the UK datacentre market is readying itself for ‘worst case’ planned power cuts this winter Continue Reading
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Expensive datacentre outages: Untangling messy collaborations, contributing costs and complexity
Even if outages in the datacentre are trending down, Uptime data this year traces rising costs per outage. So what can be done? Continue Reading
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Computer simulation at work for the future of nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion works, just not yet well enough. Learn how software simulations running on modern supercomputers and data science are lighting up possible paths forward Continue Reading
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Cloud bursting: Six key steps in planning and decision-making
We explore the key stages in a cloud bursting project: assessing the data and workflows, variants in the mechanism, application suitability, having the right resources, and planning and testing Continue Reading
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Cloud bursting: What is it, what workloads, what technologies?
We look at cloud bursting, its benefits and how to deploy it, as well as the limitations in terms of suitable workloads, the technologies needed and the skills to make it happen Continue Reading
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IT sustainability strategies: Why enterprises need to start with the datacentre when going green
Enterprises are under pressure to curb their carbon emissions and become more environmentally friendly entities on multiple fronts, including in the datacentre Continue Reading
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Air gaps for backup and how they help against ransomware
The air gap is a basic of backups and storage. We look at what’s meant by an air gap, the rise of the logical air gap, and its place in the fight against ransomware Continue Reading
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Providers unconcerned about Ofcom probe into hyperscaler influence on cloud market
Should we be more worried about the growing dominance of the three big cloud providers – AWS, Azure and Google? Continue Reading
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What cloud users need to know: Ensuring greater end point engagement for improved cloud delivery
Although early-adopter worries about cloud may have dissipated, the end-user experience can still leave much to be desired Continue Reading
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Carbon copies: How to stop data retention from killing the planet
Our society has a serious digital hoarding problem, which is coming at a cost to the environment. But what can be done to address it? Continue Reading
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AIOps for storage: Potential huge benefits, but lots of lock-in
Applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to storage can help to predict bottlenecks, diagnose I/O issues and recommend upgrades, but suppliers’ products are largely limited to their own hardware Continue Reading
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Putting artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads in the cloud
We look at the pros and cons of putting artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in the cloud Continue Reading
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How water conservation and management floats on cloud
From the cloud comes our water supply – an essential building block and life support system increasingly underpinned by IT infrastructure Continue Reading
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Cloud bursting: What it is and what it’s good for
We look at cloud bursting, which allows organisations to meet demand by bursting compute and storage to the cloud Continue Reading
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Burning up: Mitigation should sustain datacentre operations during extreme heat
July’s temperature spike put headline heat on regional operations at Google and Oracle. Datacentre operators must side-step similar mistakes to avoid climate change-related collapse in future Continue Reading