Data Centre World 2009 – success breeds success

This year’s Data Centre World Conference and Expo was the best attending data centre exhibition in the UK with over 2000 visitors and exhibitors attending the two day event at the Barbican in London. The seminar theatres were packed out, with some sessions standing room only. Star and On365 had a lot of interest in their conference programmes and datacentre masterclasses respectively, and the original Stig proved to be a real hit. Many companies made announcements at the show, including Platinum sponsors IBM. The company announced new services and products to help clients build a new, more dynamic infrastructure that will bring more intelligence, automation, integration, and efficiencies to the digital and physical worlds.  As a result, it will enable businesses and governments to better respond to and manage challenges presented by today's globally integrated planet. Equinix provided an insight into what the data centre industry in Europe can expect in the year ahead. The company explored the main drivers for growth in the data centre market, from the rise in internet usage, to increasing power densities.  There was also a look into the investments Equinix is making to help fill this widening gap between demand and supply. Star used the exhibition to introduce its new Data Centre 3. This multi-million pound investment in a 10,000ft2 facility has a number of new services on offer including co-location and managed services. Corning highlighted its new ClearCurve  ultra-bendable multimode optical fibre, which can be used in data centres and enterprise networks, whilst Netcetera launched its new cloud platform at the show. Tim Cass commented, “Our new cloud platform puts businesses in full control of their application environment.” Tyco featured its full range of data centre products and systems, which includes both optical and copper solutions. It also launched a new version of its MRJ21 cabling system, which gives increased performance and better signal integrity. Riello UPS has developed an ECO Energy Levels Rating system, which helps IT managers select the most efficient UPS for their installations. Brand-Rex showcased its fibre management system, which transform cabinet installation layouts, and make installation user-friendly. On365 said that data centre managers do not fully understand data centre costs and energy consumption - 77% don't understand the make-up of the actual costs and over 80% have never seen their electricity bill or know who has the budget for it. This lack of visibility is preventing data centre managers from analysing energy consumption and the costs incurred and making operational changes.  Sentrum confirmed that findings from an independent research report showed that UK business are embracing outsourcing, which was certainly confirmed by visitors at the event. GDCM was showing its new nlyte data centre management solution which the company says improves service delivery and eliminates costs in the data centre. CA had a range of automation tools on display which it says will help IT managers across the enterprise. Platinum sponsor Interxion impressed the crowds with its increased co-location offering. The company has added another 400m2 of equipped space in London and is expecting to grow further in 2009. Another managed services provider, Datacentre UK, have announced new facilities in the North East of England. Telehouse unveiled its plans for the latest addition to its London Docklands site, Telehouse West, which is due to open in 2010. The company is investing £80m in the site. Daxten introduced its CoolControl Curtain, which is a cost saving solution for cold aisle containment in data centre. This reduces the amount of energy required for cooling by 30 per cent. Avocent announced expanded support for its smart card/common access card technology for the data centre environment. Owen McKee commented on DCW, “There has been a great atmosphere at the event, which is now established on the data centre calendar.” Siemon impressed visitors with its Z-max technology, which is an end-to-end network cabling solution. Data Centre World has clearly becoming the ‘must attend’ event in the data centre industry for both exhibitors and visitors, and as, Andy Thompson, of Advanced Power Technology, commented, “This is our first year at Data Centre World and we will definitely do it again next year. We have picked up loads of leads, it really was worth while.” < Prev   Next >