The Data Center Frontier Show

Omicron: A New Resiliency Test for the World and the Cloud

The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is making  headlines around the world. It's not yet clear how serious Omicron may become, but it is a worrisome development in a pandemic that has extracted a high toll. What might Omicron mean to the data center sector and cloud computing? That's our topic today on the Data Center Frontier show, where we look at three areas of potential business impact: travel restrictions, supply chain disruptions, and the progress of the enterprise recovery in IT spending. Important Note: Our podcast focuses on the data center business and cloud infrastructure, so if you're seeking general healthcare information, please consult your medical professional or sources that specialize in healthcare. Here's a timeline of topics discussed on the podcast: 1:45 - What we know, and don't know, about the Omicron variant and its potential impact. 6:15 - The important role of data centers and cloud services during the COVID-19 pandemic. 6:50 - Data is global, and travel restrictions are a challenge for new deployments. 7:50- How travel restrictions could impact trade shows, conferences and in-person events. 10:20 - The state of the supply chain, and how data center operators are managing project delivery. 13:40 - The road ahead for the enterprise IT recovery. Here are some resources discussed on the podcast: How Data Centers Are Navigating the Supply Chain Crisis: https://datacenterfrontier.com/how-data-centers-are-navigating-the-supply-chain-crisis/   Be sure to subscribe to the Data Center Frontier show. 

Bill Kleyman: The State of the Data Center in 2021

We're jazzed this week to have Bill Kleyman as our guest. Bill is Executive VP of Digital Solutions at Switch, as well as author of the AFCOM State of the Data Center research report and head of millennial outreach for Infrastructure Masons. Bill has been an editorial contributor for both Data Center Knowledge and DCF, and is a technology evangelist with nearly boundless enthusiasm for his work. In this podcast, Bill and DCF Editor Rich Miller dig into some of the prevailing trends in digital infrastructure (digital transformation, cloud repatriation, FinOps and, yes, ROBOTS!)  as well as the big challenges facing the data center industry (staffing, sustainability and inclusion). It's a fun, wide-ranging conversation. Here's a timeline of topics Bill and I discuss on the podcast: 3:30 - The latest trends in how enterprise customers are using cloud, service providers and on-premises data centers. 7:30 - Cloud Repatriation: Is this a thing? How important is this trend? Bill digs into the details. 11:15 - FinOps is the hot new infrastructure specialty. Bill and Rich discuss the power of FinancialOps. 15:00 - The data center staffing challenge: Initiatives to introduce young workers to data center careers. 26:00 - How robots and autonomous systems may help maintain data centers. 35:00 -  Why the growing focus on ESG is good for data centers and good for the planet. Here are links to stories we discuss on the podcast: Infrastructure Masons: https://imasons.org/ Sustainable Finance: The Next Frontier in the Data Center Climate Response: https://datacenterfrontier.com/sustainable-finance-the-next-frontier-in-data-centers-climate-response/ Oracle Unleashes Robot Dogs in Chicago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqL9mqmxh58 Be sure to subscribe for more great data center content!

Going Global: AJ Byers on International Expansion

The data center business has gone global. For developers, this means extending their operations across borders and oceans. For a first-hand account of this experience, Rich talks with AJ Byers, of Compass Datacenters about their new campus in Israel, opportunities in Europe, and the quest for more clean electricity in Montreal, where crypto and cannabis firms are also seeking power to expand their operations.

The $10 Billion Data Center Deal

The Blackstone acquisition of QTS Realty for $10 billion is the biggest deal ever for the data center industry. We highlighted the potential for these huge deals in DCF's 2021 forecast. Here's some thoughts on the Blackstone-QTS deal, what it means for data center M&A, and what comes next. Links: Blackstone to Acquire QTS in Blockbuster Data Center Deal https://datacenterfrontier.com/qts-acquired-by-blackstone-in-blockbuster-data-center-ma-deal/ Data Center M&A on the Horizon as New SPACs go Shopping https://datacenterfrontier.com/data-center-ma-on-the-horizon-as-new-spacs-go-shopping/ Pandemic Could Drive Data Center M&A, Reshaping Industry Landscape https://datacenterfrontier.com/pandemic-could-drive-data-center-ma-reshaping-industry-landscape/ For all our 2021 predictions: Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center in 2021. https://datacenterfrontier.com/eight-trends-that-will-shape-the-data-center-industry-in-2021/ Be sure to subscribe for more great data center content!

Nancy Novak on Innovation in Data Centers

How do you build innovation into data center development? This week our guest is Nancy Novak, the Chief Innovation Officer at Compass Datacenters,. Nancy and DCF Show Host Rich Miller discuss how innovation is critical to faster and larger capacity deployments, and helped Compass deliver new projects during the pandemic. Nancy also shares her take on diversity in the data center industry - where there's progress, and how to meet the staffing challenges to come. Here's a timeline of topics discussed on the podcast: 3:45 - The critical importance of sustainability in data center development. 8:35 - How COVID-19 altered the data center market. 10:00 - Why hyperscale operators are leasing more data center space, and why this trend may continue. 11:30 - How data growth drives innovation. 14:45 - Why diversity matters, and how (and whether) the data center industry is making progress. 18:30 - Construction tech, and how exoskeletons can support diversity. 22:20 - The "Cool Factor" and how it can help build the data center workforce of the future. Here are some resources that tie into our discussion: How Technology Can Transform Data Center Construction https://datacenterfrontier.com/how-technology-can-transform-data-center-construction/ The People Challenge: Global Data Center Staffing Forecast, 2020-2025https://datacenter.uptimeinstitute.com/2021-staffing-report.html Executive Insights: Nancy Novak https://datacenterfrontier.com/executive-insights-nancy-novak-compass-infrastructure-masons/ Be sure to subscribe!  

Talking Data Centers With Compass CEO Chris Crosby

Rich Miller sits down with Chris Crosby, the CEO of Compass Datacenters, for a wide-ranging conversation about the latest trends in the data center sector. Chris is an industry veteran who was in on the ground floor of the data center boom in working with CoreSite, Digital Realty and now Compass. The conversation explores demand trends from edge to cloud, where new data centers are being built, and why a data center developer has a research and development unit.  Here's a timeline of topics Rich Miller and Chris Crosby discuss on the podcast: 4:00 - Demand for edge computing, and where we are on the growth curve. 6:39 - How Compass approaches client-centric data center design and construction 9:55 - Why Compass has a Research & Development division (most developers don't), and why it matters. 20:35 - The primacy of the network 22:45 - Data center site selection, and how Compass has been early in identifying cloud computing hubs 25:20 - "Availability Zone Thinking" and how resiliency designs guide where data centers are built 26:30 - Investors love the data center industry. Chris discusses the benefits of patient capital. Here are some stories at Data Center Frontier that provide additional information about items Chris and Rich discuss. Making Concrete Greener: Addressing Cement's Carbon Problem https://datacenterfrontier.com/making-concrete-greener-addressing-cements-carbon-problem/ Compass Scales Up for Growth in Top Hyperscale Markets https://datacenterfrontier.com/compass-scales-up-for-growth-in-top-hyperscale-markets Compass EdgePoint Sees Opportunity in Building Better Networks https://datacenterfrontier.com/compass-edgepoint-sees-opportunity-in-building-better-networks/ Be sure to subscribe!

Building Cloud Data Centers at Internet Speed

Our society relies on data as never before. The world needs more data  center capacity, and it needs it yesterday. The key to meeting this challenge is industrialization – the ability to add cloud capacity in new places at Internet speed. Rich Miller looks at how the data center development is getting bigger, faster and more efficient.  Here are links to the additional resources Rich mentions: Building Through the Pandemic: Data Centers Added 17 Million SF in 2020 https://datacenterfrontier.com/building-through-the-pandemic-data-centers-added-17-million-sf-in-2020/ At Cyrus One, More Sky for Bigger Clouds https://datacenterfrontier.com/at-cyrusone-more-sky-for-bigger-clouds/ How Technology Can Transform Data Center Construction https://datacenterfrontier.com/how-technology-can-transform-data-center-construction/ Voice of the Industry (Expert Columns) Voices: Project Buffering to Build Data Centers Fasterhttps://datacenterfrontier.com/project-buffering-data-centers/ Voices:  5 Critical Success Factors in Data Center Construction https://datacenterfrontier.com/success-factors-data-center-construction/ Voices: New Data Centers Designs for Hyperscale Cloud and the Enterprise https://datacenterfrontier.com/data-center-designs-hyperscale-cloud/ This is the third in a series of broadcasts on the Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center in 2021. https://datacenterfrontier.com/eight-trends-that-will-shape-the-data-center-industry-in-2021/ Be sure to subscribe so you won't miss future installments!

Can Cloud Computing Lead the Way On Climate?

Cloud computing can be a catalyst for action on climate change. Customers are demanding it, and the planet needs it. Rich Miller outlines how the cloud's massive energy footprint positions the data center industry to drive a global shift to renewably-powered business.  Here are links to the additional resources Rich mentions:  Report: Green Data Centers & The Sustainability Imperative https://datacenterfrontier.com/white-paper/green-data-centers-iron-mountain/ Report: The RIse of the Sustainable Data Center https://datacenterfrontier.com/white-paper/rise-sustainable-data-center/ Webinar: Greening the Data Center  https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&referrer=&eventid=2966296&sessionid=1&key=03286873B0FA5C265BAB5A7E7D6C5219&regTag=&V2=false&sourcepage=register Here are two article series on the topic: The Sustainability Imperativehttps://datacenterfrontier.com/green-data-center-imperative/ Tackling Data Center Water Usagehttps://datacenterfrontier.com/data-center-water-usage/ This is the second in a series of broadcasts on the Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center in 2021.  hhttps://datacenterfrontier.com/eight-trends-that-will-shape-the-data-center-industry-in-2021/ Be sure to subscribe so you won't miss future installments!    

Enterprise IT Adapts to a Pandemic-Altered Landscape

Enterprise IT must adapt to a new landscape created by the COVID19 pandemic. DCF Editor Rich Miller outlines why this will matter to data center professionals and end users.  This is the first in a series of broadcasts outlining the Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center in 2021. In 2020, when cloud technology enabled society to retool to survive the pandemic. As the world slowly defines the contours of the “next normal” in its battle with COVID-19, flexibility and resiliency are the business attributes that will matter most. Many organizations are not yet wired for this. BONUS RESOURCES on Enterprise IT trends Data Center Roundtable: The Year Ahead in Enterprise IT Spending https://datacenterfrontier.com/roundtable-the-year-ahead-in-enterprise-it-spending/ The Enterprise Cloud Shift Accelerates in 2021 https://datacenterfrontier.com/data-bytes-idc-sees-enterprise-cloud-shift-accelerating-in-2021/ Be sure to check our our free Annual Forecast, outlining the DCF take on the most important trends to watch this year: The Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2021 https://datacenterfrontier.com/eight-trends-that-will-shape-the-data-center-industry-in-2021/ To hear about the other trends in future episodes, please subscribe. 

Talking Data Centers With Dean Nelson

DCF Show host Rich Miller speaks talks with Dean Nelson, the founder of Infrastructure Masons and an industry thought leader who has helped build some of the world's largest data center networks for Sun Microsystems, eBay and Uber. Rich and Dean discuss the essential role the data center industry has played during the COVID-19 pandemic, Infrastructure Masons' mission to ensure that "every click improves the future," and Dean's work as CEO of Virtual Power Systems and its vision for software-defined power.  Here's some links with additional information about Dean's work recent work, the iMasons and software-defined power: With Nelson as CEO, VPS Advances Vision for Software-Defined Power https://datacenterfrontier.com/with-nelson-as-ceo-vps-advances-vision-for-software-defined-power/ Dean Nelson's Next Chapter: Family, Phlanthropy, iMasons and Startups https://datacenterfrontier.com/dean-nelsons-next-chapter-family-philanthropy-masons-and-startups/  Infrastructure Masons: https://imasons.org/ Virtual Power Systems: https://virtualpowersystems.com/