Data centre
Deciding where and how to build and operate a datacentre is one of the most important decisions your organisation will make. This section covers how to build a solid datacentre infrastructure, including selecting the right location to build your new facility, best practices for designing a new datacentre, and cooling and air flow techniques. Learn about green IT, data management systems, servers and operating systems.
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Feature
26 May 2025
AI for network admins
Industry experts discuss how artificial intelligence is being used to support network management Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2025
Gartner: VMware users face multi-hypervisor future
With two-thirds of organisations reportedly negative about Broadcom’s VMware licensing changes, Gartner analyst Michael Warrilow advises IT leaders of multi-year migrations and an inevitable shift towards multiple hypervisors Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2025
Gprnt platform to ease sustainability reporting
Singapore businesses can now automatically generate basic sustainability reports free of charge using Gprnt, a platform aimed at simplifying reporting and unlocking green financing Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2025
Data embassies and US embargo halt give Saudi AI hope
Gulf autocracy gets access to powerful AI chips subject to export ban and pursues legal reforms to make foreign computing firms feel comfortable about putting their data there Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 May 2025
Microsoft's ICC email block reignites European data sovereignty concerns
Why Microsoft's rhetoric on protecting European users from US government actions does not quite ring true Continue Reading
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Feature
23 May 2025
AI storage: NAS vs SAN vs object for training and inference
Artificial intelligence operations can place different demands on storage during training, inference, and so on. We look at NAS, SAN and object storage for AI and how to balance them for AI projects Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2025
HMRC’s hunt for hyperscaler to lead £500m datacentre exit project deemed ‘anti-competitive’
HMRC is seeking a hyperscaler to manage a decade-long migration of its server workloads to the cloud, but the proposed deal is raising eyebrows among UK IT market experts Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2025
HMRC begins escape from Fujitsu’s grip through £500m contract
HMRC looking for a supplier to support its planned exit from three Fujitsu datacentre contracts Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2025
How to tackle your infrastructure technical debt
Gartner analysts explain how infrastructure and operations teams can address the accumulation of outdated systems and make a compelling business case for upgrades Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2025
Agentic AI to drive heavy infrastructure demands
As organisations begin to explore agentic AI, Dell’s Soo Mei May warns that scaling these intelligent systems will have higher compute, memory, storage and networking requirements, far exceeding those for generative AI Continue Reading
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Podcast
21 May 2025
Podcast: RSA 2025 – AI’s risk surface and the role of the CISO
We review RSA 2025 with Vigitrust CEO Mathieu Gorge who looks at the impacts on compliance of AI’s expanding risk surface, the role of the CISO, and a changed supplier approach Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2025
Vast Data launches into AI stratosphere with AgentEngine
Vast has built out into data management from its roots and will now offer customisable agentic AI agents that can tap into its existing storage, database and messaging capabilities Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2025
Red Hat touts OpenShift Virtualization momentum
Enterprises are increasingly adopting Red Hat’s OpenShift Virtualization, driven by Broadcom’s VMware licensing changes and a desire for a stable, AI-ready platform, company executives revealed at the Red Hat Summit this week Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2025
Dell unveils disaggregated infrastructure strategy
Dell makes push for disaggregated infrastructure, aiming to offer enterprises the independent scaling of three-tier architectures with the operational benefits of hyperconverged systems Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2025
Hacking contest exposes VMware security
In what has been described as a historical first, hackers in Berlin have been able to demo successful attacks on the ESXi hypervisor Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 May 2025
Microsoft’s wartime pact with the EU rings hollow - and could spell trouble for UK IT buyers
Microsoft has moved to assure its European customers that it will fight any attempt by President Trump to disrupt their ability to access its services, but can UK customers take the company at its word? Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2025
Trump visit bolsters Saudi AI
A new AI datacentre is among the initiatives the White House announced during the president’s Middle East visits Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2025
Keepit to expand SaaS backup footprint and intelligent automation
Danish cloud backup provider will add Atlassian and Okta support and has plans for intelligent automated restores to customer RPOs and RTOs as well a threat library Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2025
Gartner: Most firms not tapping cloud’s full potential
Organisations have not fully leveraged the full potential of cloud and must navigate emerging trends such as artificial intelligence, multicloud complexity and security perceptions to stay competitive Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2025
AI’s thirst for power pushing enterprises into supercomputing
The compute and energy demands of large-scale AI are turning enterprise AI infrastructure into supercomputing, though the search for a killer app and concerns over initial infrastructure costs remain Continue Reading
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Tip
16 May 2025
Single-tenant vs. multi-tenant cloud architecture
Single-tenant and multi-tenant cloud architecture offer unique advantages and disadvantages. Understanding both is crucial for selecting the best fit for your organization. Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2025
No workaround leads to more pain for VMware users
There are patches for the latest batch of security alerts from Broadcom, but VMware users on perpetual licences may not have access Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2025
Kissflow finds its place in low-code market
The supplier of low-code software development tools that cater to both citizen developers and IT professionals is experiencing rapid growth in Southeast Asia where it has been doubling its revenue over the past four years Continue Reading
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Definition
15 May 2025
What is Docker?
Docker is an open source software platform used to create, deploy and manage applications in virtualized environments called containers. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 May 2025
Roundtable: Why did customers sail away from VMware?
At Nutanix’s recent .Next event in the US, customers talked about why they migrated away from VMware and the pain points that accelerated their decision to switch hypervisor Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2025
Australian public cloud spending to hit A$26.6bn in 2025
Gartner forecasts strong growth in cloud infrastructure and platform services even as Australian organisations grapple with scaling AI initiatives and managing rising cloud expenditure Continue Reading
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News
13 May 2025
NHS trust cloud plans hampered by Trump tariff uncertainty
Essex NHS wants to move some capacity to the Nutanix cloud, but can’t be certain prices will hold between product selection and when procurement plans gain approval Continue Reading
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Opinion
13 May 2025
How sovereign AI will reshape APAC’s digital future
Asia-Pacific countries are developing sovereign AI capabilities to address unique cultural, economic, security and data sovereignty needs of the region Continue Reading
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Definition
12 May 2025
What is an emergency notification system?
An emergency notification system is an automated approach to crisis communications that contacts people within an organization and distributes important information during a disruption. Continue Reading
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News
12 May 2025
University will ‘pull the plug’ to test Nutanix disaster recovery
University of Reading set to save circa £500,000 and deploy Nutanix NC2 hybrid cloud that will allow failover from main datacentre Continue Reading
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Feature
09 May 2025
Threats versus potential benefits: Weighing up the enterprise risk of embracing AI
Technological opportunities typically come with a certain amount of risk – and generative AI adoption is no exception Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2025
Broadcom letters demonstrate push to VMware subscriptions
The owner of VMware is reminding customers on perpetual licences that they will longer be able to buy support for their VMware products Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2025
Apple to play modest role after datacentre heat breakthrough in Denmark
Country at forefront of industrial heat recycling expects datacentres will take only modest role in heating homes after government paved way with widely celebrated law Continue Reading
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Tip
08 May 2025
Benefits and challenges of underground data centers
Underground data centers offer sustainable alternatives to traditional facilities. They occupy less surface land, provide a naturally cool environment and use renewable energy. Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2025
Nutanix opens up to all external storage
CEO Rajiv Ramaswami says Nutanix will open its platform to all external storage, allowing it to profit from customers wanting to move away from VMware, as well as the hyper-converged curious Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2025
AI adoption: AWS addresses the skills barrier holding back enterprises
The AWS Summit in London saw the public cloud giant appoint itself to take on the task of skilling up hundreds of thousands of UK people in using AI technologies Continue Reading
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Feature
07 May 2025
Cloud storage for AI: Options, pros and cons
We look at cloud vs on-premise for AI workloads, why cloud is sometimes best, and the technologies speeding AI in the cloud such as parallelism and GPUDirect Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2025
Cisco lays out plans for networking in era of quantum computing
The network equipment provider has opened a new lab and developed a prototype chip as it fleshes out its quantum networking strategy Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2025
Datacentre outages decreasing in frequency, Uptime Institute Intelligence data shows
Datacentre outages are becoming less common and severe, but power supply issues remain enduring cause of most downtime incidents Continue Reading
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Definition
06 May 2025
What is Bash (Bourne Again Shell)?
Bash (Bourne Again Shell) is the free and enhanced version of the Bourne shell distributed with Linux and GNU operating systems. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 May 2025
What is data recovery?
Data recovery is the process of restoring data that has been lost, accidentally deleted, corrupted or made inaccessible. Continue Reading
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News
05 May 2025
How AsiaPac transformed into a multicloud powerhouse
AsiaPac CEO Andrew Cheng outlines the company’s growth from a laptop PC distributor to a regional technology service provider known for its multicloud capabilities Continue Reading
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Tip
02 May 2025
Complexities of integrating AI into legacy data centers
Integrating AI into legacy data center infrastructure is challenging. Increased heat and load require advanced cooling systems, structural adjustments and enhanced power capacity. Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2025
Tariffs could cost Meta $8bn in extra datacentre costs
The owner of Facebook and WhatsApp has forecast an increase in CapEx due to higher IT infrastructure costs to power its AI strategy Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2025
Microsoft commits to European datacentre footprint growth despite ‘geopolitical volatility’
Microsoft makes ‘digital commitments’ amid pledge to continue growing its European datacentre footprint, in the face of growing geopolitical uncertainty Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Apr 2025
What are hot and cold aisles in the data center?
Hot and cold aisles in the data center are part of an energy-efficient layout for server racks and other computing equipment. Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2025
Current SaaS delivery model a risk management nightmare, says CISO
JPMorgan Chase security chief Patrick Opet laments the state of SaaS security in an open letter to the industry and calls on software providers to do more to enhance resilience Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2025
Government bags 200 bids from local authorities wanting AI growth zones in their areas
The government has received 200 expressions of interest in response to its AI growth zones application push, and is now seeking to progress some bids Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Apr 2025
19 Linux performance monitoring utilities
Monitoring Linux server performance is vital for optimal operation. System admins should consider these 19 performance monitoring utilities to ensure maximum server performance. Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Apr 2025
What is the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) utility?
The Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) utility is a command-line interface (CLI) for working with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), a Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) framework for accessing and managing information about Windows computers in enterprise environments. Continue Reading
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News
25 Apr 2025
How AI workloads are reshaping datacentre design
At Gitex Asia 2025, industry leaders discuss how the computational demands of advanced AI models are forcing a rethink of datacentre power, cooling and networking infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2025
VMware patches put spotlight on support
Recent security updates in VMware products have highlighted the challenge IT decision-makers face as they navigate Broadcom licensing changes Continue Reading
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Opinion
24 Apr 2025
Challenges persist as UK’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill moves forward
Elements of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill are welcome but questions remain about how best to act in the face of persistent challenges like geopolitical chaos, threats to critical infrastructure, and technological advances Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Apr 2025
Hitachi Vantara: VSP One leads revamped storage portfolio
Storage supplier profile: Block, file and object as part of full-stack IT offer for hybrid cloud and containerised applications comes via VSP One arrays and EverFlex as-a-service options Continue Reading
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Podcast
23 Apr 2025
Podcast: Quantum lacks profitability but it will come, says CEO
Computer Weekly talks to Quantum CEO Jamie Lerner about the company’s expertise in massive volumes of data and a roadmap that includes Myriad, a new file system for forever flash in the AI era Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2025
Fujitsu targets private AI with Japanese LLM on Nutanix
Fujitsu’s Takane large language model, optimised for Japanese language and business use, is aimed at supporting private AI deployments Continue Reading
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Opinion
22 Apr 2025
VMware licensing changes and the road ahead
VMware's new subscription fees: will enterprises pay up, walk away or explore a smarter third option? Continue Reading
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News
21 Apr 2025
CW Innovation Awards: M1 aims to become digital-native telco
The digital-first telco is running all its back-end systems on the cloud, enabling it to speed up decision-making and enhance customer service Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Apr 2025
What is a virtual machine (VM) and how does it work?
A virtual machine (VM) is a virtual emulation of a physical computer. Continue Reading
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Opinion
17 Apr 2025
AI's power play: the high-stakes race for energy capacity
Growing ties between tech and energy industries are bringing new challenges and legal considerations Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2025
Interview: Markus Schümmelfeder, CIO, Boehringer Ingelheim
The pharmaceutical giant has built a digital and data platform based on cloud and standardisation, from which it is exploring technology opportunities in AI and quantum computing Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2025
AI chip restrictions limit Nvidia H20 China exports
The US government’s export controls have come into effect, limiting Nvidia’s ability to sell its H20 chip in China Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Apr 2025
Huawei rises in the storage ranks despite sanctions and tariffs
Supplier profile: Huawei has leapfrogged HPE in revenue and market share and broadened its storage offer towards AI, the cloud and as-a-service despite sanctions and tariffs Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2025
Roadmap for commercial adoption of quantum computing gains clarity
There has been plenty going on in the world of quantum computing, suggesting that commercial systems are on the horizon Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2025
Alibaba Cloud bolsters AI offerings
The Chinese hyperscaler has launched new models, tools and infrastructure upgrades for international customers following plans to advance its cloud computing and AI infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2025
Expect a tariff on semiconductors within two months, says US commerce secretary
The Trump administration has separated out semiconductors in a bid to bring back manufacturing to the US Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2025
Government injects extra funding to drive quantum growth
The UK government has ploughed an extra £121m into quantum to drive development of the technology Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2025
SUSE CEO champions open source choice
Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen warns against suppliers diluting open source to lock in customers, and touts SUSE’s commitment to providing choice and support across multiple Linux and Kubernetes distributions Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Apr 2025
Introducing the EuroStack initiative: Could this turn the tide on hyperscale cloud in Europe?
A collaborative initiative in Europe has kicked off to take back some power from an increasingly asymmetric global tech market. Should the UK do similarly? Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Apr 2025
The role of small language models in enterprise AI
Small language models do not require vast amounts of expensive computational resources and can be trained on business data Continue Reading
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News
11 Apr 2025
AI surveillance towers place migrants in ‘even greater jeopardy’
The use of autonomous surveillance towers throughout the English coast forces migrants into increasingly dangerous routes and contributes to their criminalisation Continue Reading
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News
11 Apr 2025
IT strategy implications of US tariffs
When is the best time to buy IT equipment? With tariffs in place that are set to increase, tech CEOs have signalled price rises ahead Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Apr 2025
What is a business continuity policy?
A business continuity policy is the set of standards and guidelines an organization enforces to ensure resilience and proper risk management. Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2025
Mattel taps into Google Cloud to accelerate product innovation in response to customer feedback
Barbie doll manufacturer Mattel reveals how leaning on Google Cloud has enabled it to respond to customer feedback quicker and speed up its product development processes Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2025
NetSuite bets big on built-in AI
At its customer event in Sydney, Oracle NetSuite unveiled a suite of AI-powered features integrated directly into its platform at no extra cost in a bid to make AI more accessible to customers Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2025
EU sets out plans to ‘at least’ triple its AI datacentre capacity over the next seven years
The European Union wants to reduce its dependence on non-EU datacentres in support of its plan to become an artificial intelligence superpower Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
IBM boosts AI mainframe capabilities with Z17
IBM continues to try to break out of the mindset that mainframes are just for transaction processing. The latest server offers greater AI capabilities Continue Reading
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Opinion
08 Apr 2025
It’s time to stop the victim-blaming and insist on safer software
Businesses spend too much time and money protecting themselves against flaws and vulnerabilities in modern software products, when they ought to raise their expectations and insist on better solutions from providers Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
Global law firm Freshfields embarks on AI-led digital transformation with Google Cloud
Freshfields has enlisted the help of Google Cloud and its artificial intelligence portfolio to help streamline its processes, as its global chief innovation officer sets about empowering staff to confidently use AI in their everyday work Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
What is the impact of US tariffs on datacentre equipment costs?
Moore’s Law predicts that every 18 months, IT buyers can get more for the same outlay. But US tariffs may mean they end up paying a higher price Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Apr 2025
Innovating for the arts at Royal Ballet and Opera
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how virtual reality and other tech innovations are helping Royal Ballet and Opera to stage world-class performances. After a spate of banking IT outages, we examine why further bank crashes are inevitable. And our new buyer’s guide looks at how to get started with small language models for AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2025
UK government to address balancing energy sustainability with AI growth demands
The government is to host its inaugural AI Energy Council meetup, as it seeks a route to ensuring its goal of making the UK an artificial intelligence superpower does not come at the expense of the nation’s energy security Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2025
KubeCon London: Prepare for a shake-up
Developer overload, inadequate fault tolerance and regional fractionalisation are among the issues the Linux Foundation needs to address Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Apr 2025
Why SLMs could be a big deal for businesses looking for an edge
Sky-high infrastructure demands, rising operational expenses and data privacy concerns have left CIOs questioning whether bigger is always better when it comes to AI languages Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2025
Microsoft at 50: Enterprise IT for the masses
On 4 April 1975, Paul Allen and Bill Gates formed Microsoft, a company that defined the PC era and opened up computing for all Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Apr 2025
Taking a ‘good enough’ approach with cloud security isn't enough
In the wake of the January 2025 'Codefinger' attacks against AWS S3 users, Thales Rob Elliss argues that many organisations are dropping the ball when it comes to their understanding of cloud security best practice Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Apr 2025
Unlocking business benefits with sustainable IT infrastructure
To fully unlock the value of sustainable IT, infrastructure and operations leaders must go beyond meeting expectations and prove the business value of their sustainability efforts Continue Reading
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Definition
02 Apr 2025
What is a northbound interface/southbound interface?
A northbound interface (NBI) is an application programming interface (API) or protocol that allows a lower-level network component to communicate with a higher-level or more central component; conversely, a southbound interface (SBI) allows a higher-level component to send commands to lower-level network components. Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2025
Nvidia tackles graphics processing unit hogging
People may try to lock up GPU resources even if they don’t need them all day – but not anymore, thanks to Nvidia KAI Scheduler Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Apr 2025
Dell VxRail vs. Nutanix NX: HCI heavyweights square off
Compare Dell VxRail and Nutanix NX, leading hyperconverged infrastructure platforms, to understand their strengths and ideal applications to best fit your organization's needs. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
01 Apr 2025
Inside Amazon’s robot-powered warehouse
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we go behind the scenes at Amazon’s robot-powered Swindon warehouse to see how AI and humans are working together. We examine the state of open source licensing and find out how it’s affecting datacentre operators. And we visit a 130-year-old wine and drinks company to find out how technology has brought operations into the modern age. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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01 Apr 2025
All change: Weighing up the options for enterprises as open source licences evolve
Software suppliers have been rowing back on open-source licensing. Will enterprises with datacentres have to change their software approach? Continue Reading
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News
31 Mar 2025
Top 1,000 IT service providers in scope of UK cyber bill
The government’s proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is set to include regulatory provisions covering both datacentre operators and larger IT service providers Continue Reading
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News
31 Mar 2025
Microsoft restates commitment to OpenAI amid analyst note about datacentre expansion rollbacks
Microsoft pushes back on analyst claims its changing relationship with OpenAI is forcing it to scale back its datacentre expansion plans in the US and Europe Continue Reading
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Podcast
31 Mar 2025
Podcast: HDD safe from flash for a decade or more
We talk to Toshiba’s Rainer Kaese, who argues flash cannot replace spinning disk because it’s too costly to consider for anything but limited, performance-hungry applications Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Mar 2025
Meeting the UK’s compute capacity needs: Alternatives to hyperscale datacentre builds
Since coming to power, the Labour government has set out plans to accelerate new datacentre builds. We look at how this is evolving Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2025
Microsoft’s ‘fraying relationship’ with OpenAI blamed for datacentre expansion plan rollback
US analyst TD Cowen publishes research note pointing to further rollbacks on Microsoft’s datacentre expansion plans Continue Reading
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Opinion
27 Mar 2025
Can regulatory oversight alone unlock cloud competition?
CCS Insight’s Bola Rotibi looks at the Competition and Markets Authority’s plans to regulate the public cloud Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2025
Research team demonstrates certified quantum randomness
A 56-qubit trapped ion quantum computer from Quantinuum has demonstrated quantum supremacy as a random number generator Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2025
Selangor teams up with Google Cloud on AI
The Teraju AI Selangor initiative will provide state agencies with access to Google Cloud’s AI tools and training to build AI applications in areas such as education and healthcare Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2025
Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use AI to catch wealthy tax dodgers
HMRC’s use of artificial intelligence is one of many initiatives outlined in Chancellor’s Spring Statement Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Mar 2025
What is a virtual hard disk (VHD)?
A virtual hard disk (VHD) is a disk image file format for storing the entire contents of a computer's hard drive. Continue Reading