Latest from Network Transformation/Edge Compute/IoT/URLLC/Automation/M2M
SASE Growth Slows to 10% in Q2
What’s in Your Data Center?
Utility-Like Criticality for Data Centers in 2021
The criticality of data centers and the unrelenting reliance on them across all walks of life became an enduring storyline of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This reality will manifest in new ways in 2021 as the data center and the information ecosystem orbiting it emerge from the pandemic with a fourth-utility criticality, complete with all the expectations and responsibilities that implies.
Data centers have long been held to high availability standards, but the shift toward utility-like status will emerge in 2 ways:
1. Those high expectations for network availability will extend deep into rural and remote areas, bringing critical applications to more of the population. This will increase pressure on data centers to maintain connectivity even at the outer edges of their networks.
2. Any distinction between availability and connectivity will disappear, as the ability to ensure and protect connections across increasingly distributed hybrid networks becomes as much of a requirement as any traditional measure of data center uptime.
InvisiLight® Solution for Deploying Fiber
April 2, 2022
Go to Market Faster. Speed up Network Deployment
April 2, 2022
Episode 10: Fiber Optic Closure Specs Explained…
April 1, 2022
Food for Thought from Our 2022 ICT Visionaries
April 1, 2022The pandemic effectively established a new baseline for digital infrastructure as the industry adjusts to, and eventually moves beyond, the global shutdown. This isn’t just about working from home, although that is part of it. More importantly, it is about supporting the digital economy in its most mission-critical forms, which include increased reliance on telemedicine and health, enhanced e-commerce, and global telecommunications and mass media.
4 Emerging Trends
Against this backdrop, 4 other emerging trends to watch in 2021 include:
TREND #1
Digitalization on Fast Forward
The COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting effect on the workforce and the IT ecosystem supporting the new work-from-home model. Vertiv experts expect the pandemic-motivated investment in IT infrastructure to continue and expand, enabling more secure, reliable, and efficient remote work capabilities. Remote visibility and management will become paramount to the success of these work-from-home models. Already, remote service capabilities have emerged to minimize the need for on-site service calls, and those practices are likely to continue long after the pandemic.
Any cautious steps taken early in the crisis will be accelerated as the pandemic pushes into 2021 and organizations accept these changes not as a temporary detour, but rather a permanent adjustment to the way we work and do business.
Over time, what is done in-person versus remotely will change, and the change will be driven by customers looking to minimize their on-site presence. That places a premium on connectivity, remote monitoring, data analytics, and even artificial intelligence, to make decisions.
"Recovery requires a change in mindset for most organizations," said John-David Lovelock, distinguished research vice president at Gartner, in a recent statement. "There is no bouncing back. There needs to be a reset focused on moving forward."
TREND #2
Bringing Large Data Center Capabilities to Small Spaces and the Edge
We anticipate a continued focus on bringing hyperscale and enterprise-level capabilities to these edge sites. This includes greater intelligence and control, an increased emphasis on availability and thermal management, and more attention to energy efficiency across systems.
TREND #3
The 5G Conversation Turns to Energy Consumption and Efficiency
In 2021, the focus will shift to the significant energy consumption increases brought on by 5G and strategies to deploy more efficiently and effectively. The network densification necessary to fully realize the promise of 5G unavoidably adds to the increased energy demands — estimated to be 3.5x more than 4G. The coming year will see greater focus on managing that significant increase in energy consumption by exploring more efficient products and practices.
TREND #4
Sustainability Comes to the Forefront
5G is one piece of a broader sustainability story. As the proliferation of data centers continues and even accelerates, expect to see a wave of innovation focused on energy efficiency across the data center ecosystem. The benefits for data-center operators are clear, starting with reduced costs and increased stakeholder satisfaction.
Look for important innovations to take hold across the data-center infrastructure space and especially in the area of thermal management.
References and Notes
This is among the emerging 2021 data center trends identified by experts from Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions. For more information and for the latest news and content from Vertiv, visit https://www.vertiv.com/en-us/. You can also follow us on Twitter at @Vertiv and on LinkedIn.
Like this Article?
Subscribe to ISE magazine and start receiving your FREE monthly copy today!
