Last month, we talked a bit about how world has run out of IPv4 web addresses and how IPv6 is set to take its place. This week we discuss the background of a lesser known sibling of IPv4 and Ipv6, known ‘un-officially’ as IPv5.

What Happened to IPv5?

TL;DR – In the late 70s IPv5 was named ST, The Internet Stream Protocol. IPv5, or ST as it was known, was used by the likes of Apple, NeXT, and Sun to guarantee service across a network. ST was good at maintaining communication while transferring specific data packets on select frequencies. IPv5 was merely created for experimental reasons, specifically for video and voice transmissions.

That’s actually a valid question as the world seemingly went from using IPv4 to using IPv6 at the drop of a hat. The truth is, IPv5 never really existed – or more precisely was never really developed in the first place.

After IPv4’s genesis in 1970s, an Internet Experiment Note (IEN-119) was

Of course, there’s more to the story than that; in the late 70s IPv5 was named ST – The Internet Stream Protocol. IPv5, or ST as it was known, was used by the likes of Apple, NeXT, and Sun to guarantee service across a network.

ST was good at maintaining communication while transferring specific data packets on select frequencies and it appears that a significant amount of testing was completed to make sure IPv5 functioned as it should. So, this still begs the question – why did we skip over it?

Some sources say that IPv5 was merely created for experimental reasons, specifically for video and voice transmissions. Years later the big dogs at Apple, NeXT, and Sun re-wrote the protocol and used it to bolster commercial operations. It’s been implied that by the time IPv6 came along, IPv5 was simply not available for public use. So the world moved on to IPv6 because quite frankly it was a fresh start and the perfect opportunity to chart the development and support of the next IP layer.

Much of the groundwork of “IPv5” was used to make VoIP happen, but smarter people prevailed when they realized that all usable IPV4 addresses would be used by 2011. The structure of “IPv5” would last a finite time as well, but the way IPv6 is structured, the human race will never run out of them (unless insects decide to use the internet…).

What Is the ST Protocol and ST-II?

In the early 70s, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency developed a network that government scientists could use to share and disseminate information; our modern Internet is built upon these early principles.

We talked about ST up above, but what is considered to be IPv5 was taken even further with ST-II. ST-II is defined as:

“An experimental connection-oriented internetworking protocol that operates at the same layer as connectionless IP. It has been developed to support the efficient delivery of data streams to single or multiple destinations in applications that require guaranteed quality of service. ST2 is part of the IP protocol family and serves as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, IP.”

As you can see, there was really no plan to make IPv5, just the groundwork for it to make the ST protocol.

Transport Layer

Scientists created a “Transport Layer”, the 4^th layer responsible for data transport and network connections. By the 80s it became apparent that too much emphasis was placed on just a single protocol – one was simply not enough to route and handle packaging functions.

Another version of “Transport Layer” was introduced but by the time engineers began to develop it, IPv4 became the new adopted standard. Of course, everyone thought that IPv4 would be everything it needed to be. Unfortunately, this wasn’t true and by the early 90s folks began to work on improvements to the next internet protocol, IPv6.

Depending on what circles you run in, IPv5 never really was. Then again, it did exist for the folks at Apple, NeXT, and Sunn – just under a different name, which ended up morphing into two revised versions: ST and ST-II. Whatever the fate of IPv5, one thing’s for sure; IPv4 is still the preferred internet protocol of today’s networking environment, IPv6 is its successor and we certainly didn’t get there overnight.

By James Mulvey

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Let’s take a break today from all the talk of interconnecting, colocation, and data centers to update all of you on something that you’re probably holding right now: your phone.

Actually, this update is better for you if you’re not holding your phone…because it’s been stolen.

What Smartphone Kill Switches Will Do For You

The original article (below the line down there) mentioned the state of California’s intentions to require a kill switch on all smart phones by 2014. On August 25th, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill making California and Minnesota the only states to require such a thing.

Well, now the FCC is getting involved and they are serious (as always). They want all wireless carriers to implement kill switches on all smart phones by the end of Q1 2015. This is on the heels of a report which looked into smart phone theft in the United States.

Perhaps surprisingly, smart phones accounted for nearly ten percent of all robberies in the United States in 2013, with around one million being stolen each year.

Kill switches are designed to remotely lock and erase user-critical data which helps deter the reselling of the phone.

The FCC also wants carriers to list all stolen devices they’re aware of in a national database for law-enforcement purposes.

The good news is that police in cities such as New York and San Francisco have reported that smartphone theft has declined thanks for kill switches.

This all leads back to a wider conception of data security which has the nation captivated and doing everything it can to prevent it.

For smart phones, the kill switch may not get you your physical device back, but it will protect your data from getting stolen, which is the peace of mind in a terrible situation.

Original:

California State Senator, Mark Leno, is pushing for smart-phone kill switch to take effect in 2014. Details over how black-list software will deter theft is unclear.

Earlier this year, we debated whether or not a smart-phone kill switch would prevent theft , but given this year’s alarmingly high-rate of smart-phone theft, looks as though California law makers will be moving forward with the smart-phone kill switch bill come January.

State Senator working with District Attorney

Mark Leno – state senator for California publicly announced this week he is working with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon to re-adjust the smart-phone kill switch plan.

Incidentally, San Francisco happens to have one of the highest rates of smart-phone related thefts in the country – so how could moving forward with such a bill be a bad thing?

Who are Apple Thieves?

City officials have dubbed those who steal Apple iPhone’s, “Apple-pickers”. These so-called “apple-pickers” can steal an iPhone with ease only to flip it for two-hundred dollars, or so. Talk about annoying! By now I gather we’re all in agreement that getting your iPhone (if you have one) stolen is clearly not a good thing, if not a major annoyance, so let’s focus on the details, shall we.

What are the goals of Smart-Phone Kill-Switch?

The overall goal of the smart-phone kill-switch bill needs to be redefined, and whatever the outcome – it must persist to devalue stolen smart-phones on the street. Violent street crime is an epidemic in the US –smart-phone thefts account for a high percentage, which is why Senator Leno still believes manufacturers like Samsung and Apple should include black-list software on their phones.

This so-called black list software would theoretically “block” or “black-list” stolen smart-phones preventing re-activation. There has been criticism from national carriers who believe deactivation software could be hacked – creating a problem for un-suspecting “legal” customers. Even still, lawmakers say the smart-phone kill switch needs to de-value stolen smart-phones enough to discourage theft in the first place.

Is Smart-phone Kill-Switch the Answer?

Legislation is under way and expected to commence after the holiday. At the moment, no definitive plan has been established. Hackable black-listing software sounds like nightmare but may help to protect the welfare of smart-phone users in this country. The best thing law makers can hope for is for phone carriers and smart-phone manufacturers to come together to establish a bill that’s right for everyone. What are your thoughts? Should Legislation, both at the state and local level – require smart-phone black-list software?

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After the data breach debacles at Target and other major retailers this past year, staying safe from fraud on is still incredibly important, especially in the face of the biggest online shopping day of the year–Cyber Monday.

New technologies have provided a safe platform for transactions when choosing payment options this year. For instance, the new Apple Pay program provides an encrypted transaction through a trusted and secure third party, allowing for an extra layer of protection against potential breaches. In fact, most digital wallets are a great way to make secure transactions, making it harder for someone to steal your information.

Most major credit card issuers also have a wealth of tools at your disposal to make sure you’re safe this holiday season. By using fraud alerts or balance alerts, you can keep tabs on your cards and the activity that is going on them. Also, make sure you always pay “credit”, as opposed to “debit”, as it provides additional protection services from the card issuer.

As always, common sense is the biggest way to stay safe. Make sure you’re on reputable, secure sites and that you monitor your bank statements for any suspicious activity and your holiday shopping should go as smoothly as possible.

Original

Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping event of the season. What merchants and consumers can do to prevent fraud:

Cyber Monday is perhaps the biggest online shopping event of the season. Cyber Monday falls on December 2nd this year and follows the ever-famous Black Friday.

Of course, no one wants to hear of the security pitfalls of online shopping, not to mention numerous charge-backs many financial institutions impose on merchants who provide eCommerce stores with the tools they need to serve online shoppers.

We had the privilege of catching up with Rey Pasinli, Executive Director of Total-Apps Inc. – a company that offers advanced payment gateway systems, to discuss some of the challenges facing online shoppers and merchants this holiday season. *Editors note: You don’t have to watch the whole video; click the anchor text following each question and jump to video clip pertaining to each question and answer*

Watch Rey’s full video response:

Cyber Security Tips

What do online merchants and online shoppers need to be aware of this holiday season, with regards to fraud? Is there a specific type of behavior merchants should watch out for during Cyber Monday?

The challenge is that the holiday season is when there’s the highest spike in credit card usage throughout the entire year.  And obviously with that usage comes a higher likelihood of somebody having their credit card stolen. So, if you’re a consumer and you’re going shopping you obviously want to be buying from secure websites, but even in the retail space we’re seeing a lot of credit card skimmers out there.  As a merchant it’s much more important to be able to look at the patterns that are happening. Watch Rey’s full video response HERE

What is a processing gateway and how can consumers tell if they are on a site that is encrypted, a site that won’t display their personal info?

Every website that is on the internet that is taking a credit card transaction has to be secure.  Those are the regulations and requirements.  Gateway is simply a private toll road that only the person with the toll pass can go drive on.  So it prevents people unauthorized access to the credit card networks.  As part of that security protocol, if you are shopping at a secure website you will see in your browser address bar it will start with https instead of http indicating that the page is secure. Watch Rey’s full video response HERE

What tips can you offer to protect credit card info online? Are there any tools available to consumers to help educate them on credit card security, with regards to shopping online?

From your side as a consumer be aware of your surroundings in who has access to your credit cards. A lot of restaurants are now moving to giving the waitress or waiter an iPod touch credit card machine so they swipe your card at the table.  They don’t leave your table anymore. A lot of fancier restaurants are going with Ipad based menu systems and checkout systems. And then there’s cool apps like Tabbed out (http://www.tabbedout.com).  It is emerging (the industry), it is getting better and not getting worse.  In the early 2000’s it was much more problematic than it is today. Watch Rey’s full video response HERE

What is a charge back? And how does it affect Merchant account service providers? More importantly, is there anything a merchant account service provider can do to prevent cancellations from occurring following Cyber Monday? What does Total Apps do differently to keep their clients happy?

As a cardholder I have the contractual right to dispute any credit card transaction that appears on my credit card statement.  That is the guarantee that was given to me by the bank that issued that credit card.  As a merchant, you’ve already provided the product/good service.  So not only are you dealing with the theft of your product, but you are also having to contend with potentially losing your merchant account because Visa and Mastercard rules are very specific.  You are not allowed to have a lot of charge-backs.  In the card association’s perception, they see that as you are a fraudulent merchant in the first place and we should ban you in prohibit you from ever processing credit cards again. Watch Rey’s full video response HERE

Supply and demand is a huge factor for any merchant during Cyber Monday. How does inventory management play into the charge back scenario? E.G, consumers order too much of a given product, the merchant sells out and clients are unhappy? Does that contribute to payment disputes?

This kind of stuff happens all the time.  Consumers buy a 100 units and it goes super viral and every teenager has to buy the latest and greatest, then all of a sudden Monday morning you have a 1000 sales; that is a disaster.  You will go to jail; that’s called Fraud. The FTC will show up, they will seize your bank accounts, they will lock away your house and take away your savings, it is that serious an issue.  So before you start going marketing like a mad man, you need to have those kind of controls in place.  A simple shopping cart has inventory control you can put a threshold in.  Some of the more sophisticated shopping carts will actually re-order your inventory and give that customer the option to say “Hey do you want to keep your order now or would you like us to send you a reminder when the inventory comes in stock”.  

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What’s New With Amazon Studios?

First, you have Amazon Prime Instant Video, which allows paid members to stream thousands of videos and TV shows for free. Licensing agreements restrict these titles to U.S. and Puerto Rico viewers, but these can be watched online, on your set-top boxes, or on your tablet.

Amazon Studios is looking for unique titles, asking for submissions of movie scripts, concept videos, comedy and children series ideas. The site has a screenwriting tool called Amazon Storybuilder, and a storyboard creator called Amazon Storyteller.

Viewers are allowed to review projects that are in development, and provide feedback to shows that are vying for the chance to be an Amazon Original Series. Current prime time series include comedy drama Alpha House starring John Goodman and mystery drama Bosch starring Titus Welliver. Exclusive children shows include Wishenpoof and Tumble Leaf.

What New Problems May Have Occurred With Amazon Studios?

But all this streaming requires a fair share of bandwidth. From the content uploading to the actual hosting of media content to be watched by viewers, there’s no doubt that Amazon has bandwidth speed on the brain, on the upload and download side. While customers will need to check their own Internet speeds with their providers, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and the like will definitely need reliable data centers to house all this content and do their best to avoid bottlenecking.

Streaming is one option, and downloading is another. Some viewers may want to download videos to watch offline. Amazon Prime members can download Prime Instant Video titles onto their Fire phone or Kindle Fire tablets. However, that’s just a fraction of the available titles that can be instantly streamed. Also, downloading gives you a time limit of 48 hours to finish the show or movie you started watching.

The data space needed will continue to grow as Amazon receives and distributes new content, but the retail giant is ready for whatever it takes.

Original:

Amazon, the biggest internet retailer on the planet is really making strides to break into Hollywood. In an attempt to corner the market, Amazon has struck deals with cable networks Epix to stream movies online and has developed a script sharing platform for aspiring writers. Instead of green lighting movies, Amazon hopes to develop scripts into trailers and test how long customers watch the videos. Viewer feedback will be of utmost importance as it will determine the marketability of user submitted scripts.

How Studios Will Benefit

Amazon does not deny they aren’t without competition, which is why they are attempting to put together content deals with Hollywood studios. Basically, they are engineering deals for scripts that they know will be a hit. Aspiring screen writers are encouraged to upload original scripts to Amazon studios website for a chance to be selected for audience testing. If the trailer is well received, then the script has a better chance of being made into a feature. This is good news for starving artists alike, and even better news for Hollywood studios, who are always on the hunt for the next big thing. Amazon competes with Netflix and Hulu Plus, and as the streaming-video-on-demand market grows, so will the need to reach wider target audiences.

Streaming Online Requires Bandwidth

All those scripts that are uploaded to Amazon’s site require a fair share of bandwidth. With a large number of screen writers uploading content,  they might just be bogged down by bottleneck bandwidth speeds. Internet streaming has come a long way since its early days. As ISP’s and data centers continually improve upon bandwidth speed for uploads and downloads, the majority of the population will soon be viewing all of their media content online.

Which is why internet streaming has become so competitive as we transition from traditional TV to exclusively streaming media content online. Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the last time I tuned into a standard television station to watch broadcast shows. Now days, you just fire up your computer, plug it into your flat screen and stream the movie or show of your choice. The standard speed of basic internet is quick enough for some but still has a ways to go. As for Amazon studios in Hollywood, look out for another streaming revolution as they reinvent the way we discover hit TV shows and blockbuster movies.

The post UPDATE: Amazon Goes Hollywood – Cashes In On Online Streaming appeared first on Colocation America.

Internet providers are duking it out to bring fiber optic connectivity to subscribers across the US. The technology is currently the fastest available, and the speed typically comes at a price. Verizon offers FiOS to a lucky few who live in specific areas, and they have an impressive 50 Mbps option. But who’s the one offering 1 Gb down? Google Fiber.

Google Fiber is currently live in Kansas City, Austin, and Provo, with plans to expand to 34 cities in 9 more metro areas: San Jose, Portland, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, San Antonio, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham.

What Makes Those Areas So Special?

Diversity and trailblazing, according to Google. Google believes that these communities are going to “do amazing things with a gig.” But just because they’re on the list, doesn’t mean Fiber is definitely coming. That’s up to city leaders, infrastructure, and construction permits.

Sign ups for Google Fiber will open in December 2014. Those who need blazing connectivity (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?) can subscribe to stay updated on when the service will come to their neighborhood. Google cares about us who live in apartments and condos, working with property managers throughout the city to bring the lightning fast speeds to the renters.

What Time Warner, one of the most popular service providers, has over Google is an existing customer base. They are offering increased speeds without an increase in cost. Google, however, has a better track record when it comes to customer service. The chosen few who will have Google Fiber service available, may be very tempted to switch if the price is right.

Original:

Google Fiber has plans to build its next fiber-to-home network connection in Austin, Texas.

There’s nothing like healthy competition; Google Fiber and Time Warner have plans to offer subscribers in Austin, Texas free Wi-Fi, but at what cost?

Gigabit Network Connection

The truth is, not very many people have access to a gigabit network connection but Google Fiber is working to change that. In fact, most routers and wireless equipment aren’t even capable of achieving that connection speed.

Your best bet: Google Fiber or Time Warner fiber optic connectivity. Although, it is interesting to note that Time Warner’s connection speed around town is only 30 Mbps. Can Google Fiber really top that? We hope so.

Tentative Pricing

Tentative pricing plans for Time Warner’s new fiber network will be $70 a month (free Wi-Fi included) but with an average connection speed of 30 Mbps, that doesn’t sound like such a deal. All Google has to do is offer faster connectivity, at the same price and they’ve cornered the market. Even Still, Time Warner says it had no choice but to offer free Wi-Fi in Austin in order to remain competitive. Lets hope they don’t just leave it at that; it’s only a matter of time before Google Fiber becomes as popular as Google itself.

Currently, Time Warner offers free Wi-Fi to subscribers in the following cities: Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Kansas City and Washington D.C. So far, Google Fiber is only offering high-speed connectivity in Kansas City, Missouri. Such competition, no matter how small, is healthy for the ISP market. Let’s hope that At&t can step up to the plate and offer consumers a high speed network of their own.

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DCD Converged – Each year industry professionals come together at the annual DCD (datacenterdynamics) Converged conference to network and share what’s new in the way of data center hardware, software and IT related management systems.

Modular data centers are making a comeback this year at IBM, who just announced yet another addition to its portfolio, a modular data center that can be pieced together and shipped anywhere.

Why Modular Data Centers?

Modular data center solutions have been around for quite some time. Even today, the concept is not widely embraced, however modular data center solutions offer a couple advantages over their “bricks and mortar” counterparts: scalability; cost effectiveness; greater efficiency; quicker deployment.

The selling point of IBM’s latest modular data center is portability; two square-foot ceiling and wall panels are shipped right to the customer’s door where they can be assembled onsite creating a data center “shelter.” Companies that have outgrown their legacy facility can buy as much space as needed to create more data center floor space – while simultaneously choosing the hardware options they need to scale up resources in a timely manner.

Modular Solutions Explained

A modular solution is a pre-fabricated data center module that can be made to order, but key differences do apply:

Container: This type of data center is just that – a pre-fabricated container built to order and delivered on site. As soon as power and cooling provisions are brought online, the container can begin to serve end users.

Modular: IBM’s latest offering is a perfect example of a ‘modular’ data center solution; pre-fabricated walls, ceilings, and floors are shipped to clients and are assembled on site.

Modular Providers: Modular providers build and lease modular style data centers to clients affording them the ability to reduce upfront costs.

Bricks and Mortar Vs Modular

Bricks and Mortar facilities cost significantly more to construct and take longer to deploy but still remain the preferred model of choice for wholesale operators who have the ability to lease floor space to re-sellers as soon as construction is complete.

Modular solutions appeal to organizations looking to deploy data center space in increments – typically within a location that may not offer the space or power requirements needed to support scalable growth. IBM’s latest product offerings may not be groundbreaking but the plug and play nature offers enough flexibility to address deployment concerns of growing organizations.

[DataCenterKnowledge]

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On March 14, 2014 – the concept of the World Wide Web turns 25. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed, it was in 1989 that British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee first submitted his proposal for a “decentralized network of computers,” (The Eden Stanley Group, 2014). 25 years later nearly 90% of Americans use the internet every day to communicate, share, and discover information about almost anything imaginable.

A Dream Realized

The notion of a “decentralized network of computers” didn’t just materialize overnight. It took Berners-Lee nearly 4 years to make the World Wide Web available to everyone – on a “royalty free basis,” (The Eden Stanley Group, 2014).

By 1985, 58% of Americans had heard of, or at least used the World Wide Web to communicate with friends, loved ones, or colleagues. So at 90% – nearly 20 years later, it’s safe to say Americans have truly embraced the World Wide Web. Heck – most of us can’t even walk anywhere without surfing the web on our smart-phone.

Surprisingly, the World Wide Web Foundation states that only “25% of the world’s population use the World Wide Web,” (World Wide Web Foundation, 2014). Perhaps there is a reason for, what some would consider a rather low percentage of global internet users; freedom of expression hasn’t always been encouraged in certain parts of the world.

Freedom of Expression – a Continuous Movement

While some of us will stop to reflect just how much the World Wide Web has meant to us, and what it will continue to mean for future generations, most will fail to grasp the significance behind its conception.

And it’s no one’s fault. One could argue that younger generations (those born after 1989) have simply never known a life without the internet.

It’s easy to take for granted something as simple as the ability to communicate via the internet if it’s something you’ve always been able to do. To this day, freedom of expression on the World Wide Web continues to challenge the values (or suppressive tendencies) of governments worldwide. Remember Wikileaks, or Snowden for that matter? The World Wide Web continues to be a widely unregulated media outlet for everyone, and the gods of the internet aim to keep it that way. But where do we draw the line?

Internet Regulation: Where do we stand?

To celebrate 25 years, the World Web Foundation will move to mobilize a campaign dubbed the Web We Want, to gain support and form partnerships to “protect and promote freedom of expression,” (The Eden Stanley Group, 2014).

Recognizing that clear lines need to be drawn, to protect civil dignities, the World Wide Web foundation will work together with global organizations to make freedom of expression a focal point for policy reform – particularly in nations whose governments protest web freedoms.

Internet Way of Life

The explosive growth of the internet has certainly influenced the way we –as global citizens communicate, interact, work, and even share and decipher news amongst our family, friends, and peers. Our increasing dependence on mobile connectivity only deepens our relationship and experience with the World Wide Web. From here on out, it’s an internet way of life. Isn’t our world better off that way?

Some would say no, especially from a socially interactive standpoint. Yet a new summary of findings state that “90% of internet users say the internet has been a good thing for them personally and only 65% say it has been a bad thing, while 3% volunteer that it has been some of both,” (Pew Research Internet Project, 2014).

All things considered, 90% of internet users seem to agree that the World Wide Web has had way more of a positive impact on everyday life than one could have ever imagined. Come to think of it, if it weren’t for the World Wide Web no one would even be reading this, so thank you Mr. Berners-Lee  for submitting that proposal 25 years ago.

How has the World Wide Web influenced your generation? Is it something you could live without? Leave a comment in the section below.

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Since many businesses do not have have a dedicated IT staff, we thought we’d share some basic tips for troubleshooting call-quality in office phone systems in the form of a gifographic made by VoIP and PBX technology research firm Software Advice.

The gifographic is an overview of some of the many steps involved in connecting a VoIP phone call. It begins with the caller (#1) in the top left and proceeds down then up to the person being called (#10). The image is divided into thirds, identifying the three most common VoIP call-quality problems: Echo, Choppiness and Delay.

Echo is often caused by the volume on one of the phone handsets (or softphones) being set too high.

Choppiness stems from packet loss, often the result of incorrect router configuration, or LAN or cell-service congestion.

Delay, shown in the bottom third, is often caused by high latency between WAN servers.

The hope is that by seeing an overview of the system, and understanding what types of problems are related to what parts of the system, people will know where to begin troubleshooting when they experience call-quality problems with VoIP.

Below is a copy of Software Advice’s gifographic accompanied by a brief outline of how to evaluate the most common call-quality problems. Take a look below:

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During the Open Compute Summit in San Jose, California, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed the ways in which the company has been able to save money using Open Compute designs throughout its entire portfolio of data centers. Facebook also plans on deploying DCIM (data center infrastructure management) systems further streamlining operations in 2014.

About Open Compute

The Open Compute project started as collaboration between Facebook engineers, who set out to eliminate any inefficiency, from hardware and critical power components, to software systems deployed inside the data center.

Open Compute designs were utilized in Facebook’s Prineville facility and since its inception, have influenced industry-wide collaborations between software and hardware companies.

How has Open Compute improved Efficiency?

According to Zuckerberg, Facebook has been able to increase efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and lower ownership costs through the use Open Compute technology. The buck doesn’t just stop with Facebook however, the Open Compute project transcends across an entire industry burdened by high cost infrastructure spending.

The Open Compute project challenges conventional wisdom concerning the design and construction of hardware, software, power, and cooling systems deployed inside a data center. Facebook VP of Infrastructure Engineering Jay Parikh also reiterated the company has saved billions with Open Compute and that savings would translate for other companies as well.

Facebook, alongside DCIM systems developer, CA Technologies is working towards deploying a customized DCIM system to monitor and analyze operational efficiency. Moving forward, website availability will continue to be the key to Facebook’s success. This is precisely why engineers are hard at work to improve the infrastructure that connects millions of users each and every day.  Overall, industry forecasts predict that DCIM systems will play a critical role in the IT decision making process.

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Amidst speculation that UK carbon policies were biased against data centers, the UK government is working harder with data center non-profits to address the energy concerns facing its nation. Ultimately this is good for the green movement as it has inspired others to follow suit.

Take for example, The Green Grid – a non-profit dedicated to improving resource efficiency of data centers, recently announced a new committee to bring state and local governments closer together.

The idea is, the more mutual understating there is of the efficiency challenges facing our industry, the better we can work together to address such problems. That’s all fine and dandy but why form the partnership? Isn’t the IT industry capable enough to solve energy problems? Yes and no.

Governmental Action on Resource Efficiency

Data centers are an important part of our global economy. The downside is even though data centers bolster local economies they seemingly do not provide enough jobs to justify the amount of natural resources they consume from a municipality. At some point, state and local governments must take action because political interests (ideally) favor the commonwealth of the community.

As such, governments have been known to come down hard on data centers, perhaps without knowing what sets of challenges they are up against. This is where the committee comes in; without endorsing specific solutions they will instead make suggestions for industry wide best practices. That being said, The Green Grid is a solid authority – with the unbiased credentials to show politicians what it is our industry is up against.

The Bigger Picture

Without preaching to the choir, it’s more than safe to say, that data centers are continually faced with efficiency challenges. Not that this is a bad thing, as these challenges ultimately improve the resiliency of our networks. At times however, the IT solutions market is slow to catch up, especially when not given the chance to address concerns as they arise.

It would be great to see more non-profits like The Green Grid working together with both public and private committees to help improve the world in which we live. Given the pivotal role data centers have come to play in our modern society, such partnerships should be welcomed, fostered and designed to work effectively to address resource efficiency. Hat’s off to The Green Grid for going with the flow on this. For more information regarding resource efficiency challenges in our industry, click here.

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