Connectivity and data drive modern economies, with the demand for digital solutions only set to grow. At the same time, increasing awareness and con-cern about climate change means data centres are under attack for their en-ergy use and high-cost operations.

In response, AECOMs Andrew Williamson, Technical Director and electrical specialist; explores innovative approaches to modernise data centres and enhance their sustainability.

The need to reduce emissions is at an all-time high. Currently, electronics account for about five per cent of total global energy usage, with the ICT sector predicting it will use around 20 per cent of the worlds electricity by 2025, contributing up to 5.5 per cent of global carbon emissions.

As technology advances and a billion more people come online in developing countries, that figure is likely to rise even higher, potentially hitting up to 14 per cent by 2040, as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and smart solutions, such as driverless cars, becoming part of our everyday lives.

All of this intensifies the power burden on data centres, which already consume over two per cent of the worlds electricity. Many data centres are designed with considerable redundancy to enhance uptime and availability, while handling potential peak loads that have yet to be experienced building significant inefficiency into the facilities.

A Two-Fold Solution

There are actions data centre owners and occupiers can take now to increase their sustainability and secure a greener future.Firstly; where possible switching to renewable energy sources, including battery energy storage instead of combustion-based backup generation for short-term resilience. Secondly; modernising infrastructure to improve the energy-efficiency of servers, storage devices and other ICT equipment.

The benefits of modernised data centres

Upgrading legacy installations is an effective way to increase capacity without footprint increases, provided it can be achieved in an energy-efficient manner. It also offers other crucial long-term benefits, such as strengthening competitiveness, reliability, safety, flexibility, environmental integration, and security and monitoring.

For example, modernised data centres are better equipped to minimise downtime and respond to incidents, via the careful design of the redundancy and resilience of power supplies and critical mechanical systems. Through modular and scalable design, they can respond more effectively to changing customer needs and limit operating expenses. Power costs directly influence decisions to locate data centres, so accurately estimating the price of power both now and in the future is vital for modern facilities.

In addition, with increasing processing power comes an increased fire risk. modern data centres are equipped with fire detection and prevention systems and have effective evacuation and rescue built into the layout.Using advanced technologies for cooling and heat recovery, modern data centres are better able to integrate into their community environments. Studying and redesigning using analysis of factors, such as airflow, heat propagation, audible noise, and electromagnetic compatibility is a key component of any upgrading initiative.

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5 Core Steps to Modernise your Data Centre

Working with clients, weve identified the following five essential steps to upgrade smarter, faster and better:

1) Mobilise an Effective Project Team

The project team needs to include all relevant stakeholders from inside the organisation, as well as professional partners with experience in several key areas. These include finance and economics, architecture, planning and consenting, mechanical and electrical systems engineering, and utility connections, such as electric power, district heating, potable and wastewater. An integrated, multi-disciplinary team will deliver a holistic design, which does not have built-in inefficiencies due to design margins at the interfaces between different components and sub-systems.

2) Consider your Options

There is no universally applicable process for deciding how to modernise a data centre. With many possible solutions available, its important that the project team evaluate their options carefully during the planning stage to make sure they select the more effective, value-led approach for their facility. Analysis and simulation tools such as integrated safety-in-design, computational fluid dynamics, electro-magnetic transient simulations, thermodynamic models, and Monte Carlo reliability, availability and maintainability simulations are available to support this process, quantifying reliability and resilience, safety risks and energy savings potential, along with a range of impacts on the surrounding area.

3) Build a Strategically Focused Business Case

Although financial and economic analysis is an important part of the optioneering and planning phases, to help build a strong business case for modernisation, other factors also need to be considered. Alongside cost savings and return on investment, strategic factors, including brand-building, local community acceptance, future-proofing, and positioning in developing power and energy markets, and the so-called triple-bottom-line framework, which measures social and ecological impacts as well as economic impacts, must also be included.

4) Plan and Deliver

Each component of the modernised data centre must be designed considering all interfaces and possible conflicts. Sophisticated tools, including BIM, finite-element analysis and numerical integration simulation solutions, can assess aspects, such as fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, electrical transient performance, electromagnetic compatibility, audible noise and arc flash risk. Our team uses these tools in planning, designing and delivering data centres for major global hyper-scalers and colocation providers to mitigate risks upfront and focus attention where needed as early as possible.

5) Continually Validate Results and Refine Operational Procedures

Rigorous and objective assessments of the real-world performance are often neglected in the euphoria of completing a project. Measuring energy savings, environmental effects and impacts on nearby uses of shared utilities are often required for regulatory approvals. they in turn, also inform improvements to operational procedures, which can lead to further savings across the whole project.

Unlocking Value and Efficiency

By integrating the engineering and analysis function into a single project organisation, our team has worked to strengthen the optioneering, planning and delivery stages of datacentre modernisation projects.

For us, interaction and optimisation between sustainability engineering, utility connection designs, mechanical and electrical engineering, and a broad range of technical and environmental functions is key to unlocking value, which can be difficult to achieve when you use discrete, specialist scientists and engineers.

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Industry reports around the world believe that Cloud technology is a critical enabler of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. As the new Industry Revolution starts the ignition, cloud computing is effectively supporting the developments on the Internet of Things (IoT), automation and robotics. On the basis of experts opinion and latest researches, Rashi Aditi Ghosh of Elets News Network (ENN) explores how embracing the cloud can help the processes in banking and financial industry operate more efficiently and rise above the competition.

Unfolding Industrial Revolution 4.0

The original Industrial Revolution that occurred around the eighteenth century completely changed the world we live by connecting the energy of water and steam to power machines that helped the workers in producing goods much more swiftly.

The second Industrial Revolution began with the rise of mass production lines. By the time information technology could begin to automate production in the twentieth century, the third Industrial Revolution had come into motion.

Now, the fourth Industrial Revolution has arrived, all thanks to the massive developments pertaining to the Internet of Things (IoT), automation and Artificial Intelligence. These technologies, along with big data and analytics, comprise the key elements behind the onset of the new industrial revolution, popularly known as Industry 4.0.

The new revolution is driving massive developments across several sectors and the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), in particular, witnessed several major changes.

In the financial services sector, automation is used to deal with an ever- increasing volume of data, whether for customer service or shifting focus to areas such as security and risk.

Role of Cloud Computing in Boosting Industrial Revolution 4.0

No matter which segment of the industry you are associated with, cloud technology is playing the part of a critical enabler boosting the next Industrial Revolution, by offering the means for businesses to innovate around these technologies.

According to an Oracle report titled Cloud: opening up the road to Industry 4.0, out of the 1,200 technology decision- makers surveyed across EMEA in midsize and large companies, 60 percent talked in favour of an integrated cloud approach and said that it will unlock the potential of disruptive technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

Experts believe that no matter what industry youre in, cloud technology is definitely a critical enabler of the next Industrial Revolution, by offering the means for businesses to innovate.

The true potential of cloud in support of the fourth Industrial Revolution can only be determined via the integration of compute services with a cloud platform. By tapping into the strength of compute services, cloud platforms support innovative and disruptive applications.

Why Cloud Computing in Significant for Indian BFSI Sector?

Whether we agree or we dont, there is a big shift to the cloud which is happening.

Research from the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services reveals that 74 percent of businesses believe cloud computing has given them a competitive advantage. Further research reveals that 60 percent of technology decision-makers believe an integrated cloud approach will unlock the potential of disruptive technologies.

According to IDC, by 2022, though traditional softwares, will also grow but it will grow just at a rate of 11 percent. Whereas cloud infrastructure and cloud-based applications will grow at a whopping percentage of 150 plus, but it will have its own challenges, says Gulshan Chhabra, Country Manager, Snow Software Further, India is most likely to lead the world in hybrid cloud usage and adoption in the coming years, according to a study by enterprise cloud computing firm, Nutanix. The adoption of hybrid cloud workloads in India will be more than triple from 13 percent in 2018 to 43 percent in the coming 24 months.

Diwakar Nigam, Managing Director, Newgen Software believes that the banking sector has always been at the forefront of cloud adoption. And the reason behind this adoption is the advantages like scalability, lower capital costs, ease of operations and resilience.

Cloud computing has undoubtedly added new dimensions to the way businesses go about their daily chores. Organisations need to harness the power of a low-code platform through a flexible and scalable and agile model. Cloud deployment has addressed these requirements by creating new avenues for cost-effective software delivery and development. Our cloud-ready products are available on private and public clouds and extend support for hybrid models. The Cloud/SaaS business continues to be Newgens fastest-growing revenue component at a 5 year CAGR of 127 percent, says Nigam.

According to an industry report, businesses around the world are taking optimum advantage of the benefits that cloud technology brings to them. As a matter of fact, the global market for cloud computing is expected to grow from $272 billion in 2018 to $623 billion by 2023.

NASSCOM reports that the cloud market in India is also expanding quickly and expected to grow to $7.1 billion by 2022. The financial services industry, is rapidly adopting cloud technology. The disruptive wave of digital transformation that is transforming the financial services segment and it is drawing a lot of its power from the cloud.

Research from the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services reveals that 74 percent of businesses believe cloud computing has given them a competitive advantage. Further research reveals that 60 percent of technology decision-makers believe an integrated cloud approach will unlock the potential of disruptive technologies.

Talking about the relevance of cloud computing in terms of the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector, T V Ramanmurthy, General Manager IT, Bank of Maharashtra, said, Before implementation of cloud computing in the BFSI sector, it is important to accept the relevance of the technology first. In 2017, when BHIM and Unified Payments Interface were implemented National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) took six months to realise the vitality of cloud technology in the implementation of the above-mentioned interfaces.

Explaining about the implementation of cloud services further, Zulkernain Kanjariwala Head IT, Doha Bank said, Each and every financial institution in India has its own perception pertaining to leveraging cloud technology in their institution completely. In reference to the current level of digitisation in the country, it is evident to make use of tech-driven initiatives and cloud is definitely going to play a major role in the transformation.

Benefits of Cloud Computing in Banking and Finance Sector:

While cloud computing and its rising significance has touched all the major industries around the world, financial institution, in particular, have great benefits associated with this technology. Ranging from cost-effectiveness, reliability, flexibility and many more, cloud computing offers an answer to all the major queries of the banking and financial institutions.

Cost-effective:

Cloud computing helps the bankers and financial institution in saving their capital expenditure engaged in establishing IT infrastructure for meeting several IT needs. A major chunk of capital expenditure is transformed into comparatively nominal operating expenses with the application of cloud. This allows banks and financial institutions to emphasise on core banking functions.

Reliability:

The cloud infrastructure scores high in terms of reliability. By choosing private or hybrid cloud model, it becomes possible for the banks to secure their data while exploring the speed and flexibility of the cloud. In the case of public clouds also the data gets encrypted and several other layers of security like permission-based access can be added to further boost the level of security.

Flexibility:

The most important reason behind accounting for the reputation of cloud is its pay-as-you-use model of billing. This signifies that the user is only required to pay for the services used. Banks and other financial service providers can conveniently manage the rise in demand without making extra investment in expensive in-house computing source, much of which would go unutilised under non-critical conditions. In case of cloud, it becomes easier to pivot from one application to another making it a flexible choice.

Leading Applications of Cloud in BFSI:

Cloud computing is there in the picture since the 1960s. However, the pivotal innovations started only post the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2002. Now there are several other web applications that are delivered via cloud computing. Some applications of cloud computing in banking and finance segment are as follows:

Hosting:

In a bid to ensure secure transactions and efficient customer experience, banks require cent percent uptime. In-house IT systems entail periodic maintenance after which it becomes hard to offer continued service. In these circumstances, Cloud, can provide 99.999 percent uptime by offering server availability even at the time of maintenance. Hosting of mobile and web apps also ensures better speed to the users.

Payment Gateway:

Major lenders have already deployed cloud computing for initiating payments and funds transfer. Cloud offers security and unified customer experience. It is also important to note that the uptime offered by cloud also ensures that payments are processed securely from without any discrepancies.

ERPs and CRMs:

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship (CRM) software are the most go to (popular) applications provided by the cloud. Accounting for 50 percent of total usage, Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the most in demand methods used for leveraging cloud computing. It helps the vendor in controlling the application and provides better support. For users, it permits remote access and easy installation.

Conclusion

While most of the experts opine that the cloud computing can transformation across the banking and financial sector and offer support to the industrial revolution 4.0, however, it is significant to implement this technology keeping security, Regulatory and compliance and business alignment in mind. Experts across the sector also believe that the cloud-based services should be deployed only through leading and trusted cloud services providers should be chosen.

The advantages of todays cloud technology can go beyond reliability, scalability and storage (and the associated cost savings) within Industry 4.0.

The Banking & Finance Post is an initiative of Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd, existing since 2003.Now, Elets' YouTube channel, a treasure of premier innovation-oriented knowledge-conferences and awards, is also active. To Subscribe Free, Click Here.

Get a chance to meet the Who's who of the BFSI industry. Join Us for 8th NBFC100 Tech Summit, Mumbai and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

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How Cloud Computing is Driving the Industrial Revolution 4.0 - Elets

Digital Realty expands its Board of Directors, adding two high-profile industry veterans to help shape the companys direction moving forward through the new decade.

Digital Realty has announced the appointment of retired Lt.Gen. VeraLinn Dash Jamieson and Alexis Black Bjorlin, Ph.D., to itsboard of directors effective January 2, 2020.

Lt. Gen. Jamieson is the former Director of the UnitedStates Air Forces Intelligence Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber EffectsOperations and Dr. Bjorlin is Broadcoms Senior Vice President and GeneralManager of Optical Systems Division.

We are delighted to welcome Dash and Alexis to our board of directors, both of whom bring significant experience directly relevant to our strategy of enabling customers digital transformation, said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein.

In particular, Dash brings invaluable cyber-securityexpertise and experience managing large, complex organisations.

Similarly, Alexis unique connectivity and customerperspective from her extensive experience at leading global providers acrossthe cloud and communications value chain make her an excellent addition to ourBoard.

We expect to gain valuable insights from each, given theirrespective backgrounds with enterprises and government organizationsundertaking digital transformations.

We are confident they will complement the development ofPlatformDIGITAL and the execution of our strategy as we seek to createsustainable value for our stakeholders.

Lt. Gen. Jamieson is a recognised expert in data management,cloud technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning with over 37years of government experience.

She achieved the rank of Lieutenant General in the U.S. AirForce and prior to retiring, served as the Director of the United States AirForces Intelligence Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects enterprise,conducting operations for the Department of Defense.

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In her role as Deputy Chief of Staff, she cultivated severalpartnerships, including with Microsoft, Amazon, Google and IBM, to acceleratethe Air Forces digital transformation.

Prior to assuming her position as Deputy Chief of Staff, Lt.Gen. Jamieson served as the Deputy Commander, Joint Functional ComponentCommand for ISR, U.S. Strategic Command, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Black Bjorlin has over 19 years of high technologymanagement experience at Fortune 500 companies, to which she brings to theDigital Realty board.

She currently heads Broadcoms Optical Systems Division, thebusiness unit responsible for developing and manufacturing devices used inoptical communications.

Previously, she was Corporate Vice President of the Data CentreGroup and General Manager of the Connectivity Group at Intel.

Prior to Intel, she spent eight years as President of SourcePhotonics, where she also served on the board of directors, and she began hercareer as Chief Optical Architect at Zaffire, an optical networking equipmentmanufacturer.

Its a privilege to have Alexis and Dash join theDigital Realty board, said Laurence A. Chapman, Chairman of the Board ofDirectors.

Their deep industry knowledge and expertise will make them immediate assets as we enter our next chapter of growth.

Last month, the data centre company announced another double appointment, hiring two-channel veterans to strengthen its team in EMEA.

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Here are five things to do Jan. 13-17 in the St. Cloud area

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From Staff Reports Published 5:00 p.m. CT Jan. 7, 2020 | Updated 6:36 p.m. CT Jan. 8, 2020

Rep. Dan Wolgamott(Photo: Paul Battaglia)

Rep. Dan Wolgamottwill be hosting aClimate Change & Clean Energy Forum with Rep. Jamie Long,vice chair of the House Energy and Climate Division, to discuss solutions to climate change.

The forum runs from 6-8:30 p.m. at the St. Cloud Library, 1300 W St. Germain St.

The Keller Bar will be holding its weekly comedy open mic night from 10-midnight.Sign-up starts at 9 p.m., with the open mic beginning around 10at the Keller Bar, 11 Fifth Ave. S.

The Pantown Brewing Company logo is installed above taps at the St. Cloud business. (Photo: Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com)

Pantown Brewing Company and Stearns History Museum will be hosting a Hops and History trivia night with the topic History and General Knowledge.

Hops and History will be held on the third Thursday of the month. The event runs from 7-9 p.m. at Pantown Brewing Company, 408 37th Ave. N.

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Jules' Bistro will be holding a Poetry/Spoken Word Open Mic night with the topic "renewal" from 8-10 p.m. at Jules' Bistro, 921 St. Germain St.

The St. Cloud State Huskies will be facing off against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at 7:37 p.m. at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, 1204 Fourth Ave. S.

St. Cloud State freshman Jami Krannila prepares for a face off against Minnesota Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, at 3M Arena at Mariucci. (Photo: Zach Dwyer, zdwyer@stcloudtimes.com)

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Five Things To Do in St. Cloud, Jan. 13-17 - SC Times

Id like to start the year and the decade on a positive note. My beat at Forbes is the Cloud, social media, and where the two intersect. What Ive seen over the last ten years, before and during my tenure here: the story of people-driven online communication has transformed from one of hope to despair. With todays wild-west atmosphere in the social media sphere, its easy to miss whats working, particularly in well-moderated forums designed to leverage some of the original promises and benefits of social media.

Today, on the first of January when many people are waking late with hangovers and preparing to commit new year resolutions I am thinking of one type of forum: online alternatives to face-to-face Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.

While there are other online recovery programs AA itself has spawned and inspired many the program I want to focus on today is the SMART Recovery online community. Two reasons why: I have attended close to 90 SMART online meetings in the last few months (the subject of another article I plan to write), and I can see how this young organization (SMART was founded in 1994, the year the Netscape Web browser was born; AA was founded in 1935) came of age in the digital era. There are many other differences between the two. SMART does not ask its members to commune with a higher power, and it purports to base its curriculum on evidence not faith (SMART advises members to use tools modeled after the learnings of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). But while I have also attended face-to-face AA meetings, I will not go into the merits of either approach. I will simply point out the merits of online recovery, based on my experience. (Note: SMART also has face-to-face meetings Ive attended one but they are not nearly as plentiful as AAs).

Anonymity and the size of the group

In recent times, weve come to regard disinhibition the tendency for many people online to communicate more aggressively, if not just more assertively as one of the causes for the hostile environments that preside in social media. But not long ago, social media watchers looked at how the rules of some forums might inhibit some people from participating. One rule today: revealing your identity on Facebook (assuming you are not a political operative or a bot). SMART took a cue from AA by encouraging anonymity. While everyone has the option to reveal more, most people go by handles, often humorous, sometimes telling (fictional example: TheAncientMariner). Of course, anonymity doesnt guarantee participation. But here is where the numbers in private, moderated online meetings like SMART might benefit. Some SMART online meetings attract up to 200 people. At the beginning of my first meeting (attendance: about 200), my first thought was that this was going to be a trainwreck. Instead what I got was a well-structured conversation where at least thirty people weighed in meaningfully using video, voice, or chat (the meetings are conducted on the ZOOM cloud conferencing platform).This was better than most of the face-to-face meetings Ive attended. Perhaps anonymity plus scale can facilitate better, livelier meetings.

Access

Another benefit is access to people who cannot attend face-to-face meetings, either because they are ill or too far away. Many SMART online attendees are required to attend meetings by the courts and medical facilities, so access can be a great challenge. The judicial and medical communities are beginning to wake up though not uniformly allowing for recovery regimes that include a mix of face-to-face and online meetings. The greater reach to people otherwise excluded might benefit all attendees. Typically, SMART meetings have a very large geographical blueprint, within and outside the U.S., providing attendees with a wide range of perspectives on both personal issues and local policies (SMART also welcomes anyone with a dependence to other drugs of choice or other maladaptive behaviors). This level of depth can provide people with a better grasp on the evolving world of recovery, which can aid in their growth.

The future of Cloud Computing

And the depth plays well to the potential tech future of online recovery advances in Cloud Computing. In the past decade, weve witnessed the evolution of the Cloud (a) as a system that serves the hosting and storage needs of many organizations to (b) a vast complex of platforms (with Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and others, competing) that provides advanced computational power. In other parts of the medical world, that power is being harnessed to predict patient outcomes and to personalize care securely. This is not science fiction, but science fact, and the providers of recovery services along with the legal and medical bodies that feed those services might sit up and pay attention. Face-to-face is here to stay in fact there are a number of innovations colliding with that world (my next article), but for recovery in the Cloud, its only the beginning.

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Recovery In The Cloud: An Online Alternative To Face-To-Face AA Meetings - Forbes