Powering the Digital Economy with the Right Data Center

MARK WACHTMANN, IO

In addition, the use of new devices, wearables, and other smart endpoints that make up the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow exponentially. Gartner, Inc. forecasts that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016, up 30 percent from 2015, and will reach 20.8 billion by 2020. In 2016, 5.5 million new devices will become connected every day. This highly anticipated “future state” comes with the promise of better things: better information, better visualization, better decision making, and more. It also brings massive amounts of data.

But the IoT encompasses more than just millions of sensor points, it’s about expanding content. Social platforms—such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and others—are being mined in new ways to uncover new possibilities.

All of these data-driven market forces—analytics, IoT, and social media—are driving ever higher expectations from increasingly mobile customers whose loyalty shifts on a dime. That, in turn, is driving more intense competition across the business landscape.

As new uses for these technologies become more prevalent, the need for reduced latency will grow. Consider these examples:

•  Driverless cars – Having your “driver” miss a turn because directions were still downloading can result in wasted time and frustration due to getting lost.
•  Retailers – Slow-to-load beacons with dazzling product and promotional offers can result in missed revenue opportunities as potential customers pass by without taking notice.
• Healthcare – Pacemakers that literally miss a beat can result in clinicians missing the first sign of a heart attack—the consequences of which can be fatal.

SAMIR SHAH, BaseLayer

The unsung hero at the heart of this new digital economy is real-time data and the agility to move, store, process, and analyze that data and turn it into relevant business insights that transform the customer experience before your competitors do.

Powering this digital transformation cannot be left to legacy systems. It requires a new way of thinking, a novel approach, and ample technological innovation—from the hardware and software to the supporting infrastructure and services to the global expertise. It requires a world-class data center and partners with a shared belief in re-defining the data center.

Data Center Modules: Simplified, Smart, Compartmentalized

The data center hardware that powers the new digital economy must be simpler, smarter, and self-contained for provisioning anywhere. Look for:

• Insight – Command center view of next-generation and legacy data center infrastructure with simulations based on big data and advanced analytics and dashboards.
• Agility – Incremental “anywhere” deployment and provisioning in as few as 30-90 days.
• Control – Visibility and centralized control to manage your data center from any device, anywhere in the world.
• Reliability – UL-listed (power, cooling and fire protection systems) with maintenance and upgrades performed while minimizing service interruptions.
• Security – Compartmentalized architecture with physical and logical separation and standardized form factor to allow for easy replication of recommended corporate security protocols.
• Support – Partner network to help you deploy and support data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software, as well as 24xForever global hardware support.

Data Center Support Infrastructure: Efficient, Reliable, Secure

The data center that powers the new digital economy must be as close to endpoints as possible to ensure reduced latency. It must also be inherently secure, reliable, and efficient to deliver the services needed for business and data center transformation. Look for:

• Power/Cooling – Ample supply of power from the plant to the plug, along with backup generators fueled to meet emergency demand.
  • Security – Best-in-class, multi-layered physical security to control access.
• Reliability –100% uptime SLA for all of the critical elements of the data center with real-time monitoring and support for an “always on” environment.
• Connectivity – Data centers of the future need to be highly connected with the ability to rapidly scale this connectivity.
• Scalability – Scale vertically and horizontally to meet business requirements.
•  Cost efficiency – Higher density deployments, an enterprise-class data center experience, and renewed focus on your core business for increased cost effectiveness.
• Expertise – Highly skilled 24xForever global monitoring professionals that can clearly communicate with clients and act at their direction.
• Cloud/Colocation Services – A flexible menu of cost-efficient services to help clients choose what they need to meet their organizational and operational demands now and into the future.

It’s not enough to have smarter hardware and software, a world-class data center support infrastructure, and top-notch services to run the digital economy. It requires a fast and seamless experience that mirrors the customer experience of the digital economy. Look for a provider with:

• A shared philosophy built on re-defining the data center through best-in-class services, advanced modular technology, infrastructure management software and big data analytics.
• Single point of contact for simplified purchasing, deployment, provisioning, and support.
• Simplified deployments that can help speed your time to market.
• Massive scalability that helps you grow up and out to meet operational and organizational needs.
• Expertise at every level, from the guard gate to the core of the data center.
• 24xForever support – A robust global operations center with trained customer and technical support staff to support your business and keep your workloads running.

An innovative, next-generation data center built on a common philosophy can help drive a transformative customer experience—and ease your entry into the new digital economy.

Samir Shah serves as VP, Product Management, Marketing and Customer Experience at BASELAYER. In this role, Mr. Shah is responsible for BASELAYER’s Intelligent Control platform including product planning, roadmap development, requirements architecture, marketing, and product/project launch execution. Prior to joining BASELAYER, Mr. Shah was Group Leader, Product Management for IO. During his time at IO, Samir’s key accomplishments included launching IO’s software defined modular data center platform technology and global deployment of one of IO’s largest enterprise clients Goldman Sachs. Prior to joining IO, Samir spent 10 years in advanced system integration and R&D for IBM, JDS Uniphase and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. Mr. Shah’s experience also includes working for several venture capital and private equity firms such as Sterling Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, and MK Capital with focus on high growth technology companies. Samir, a native of Chicago, has a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Mark Wachtmann serves as Vice President Product and Technology for IO and is responsible for the overall performance of the network and cloud services product lines. Mr. Wachtmann has over 20 years’ experience of demonstrated success leading business and technology strategy, planning and execution for start-ups and established companies with global footprints. Prior to joining IO, Wachtmann served as Vice President Global IT Operations at Aristocrat. Wachtmann also held multiple leadership positions at GoDaddy, building and delivering web scale service provider class services. Prior to GoDaddy, Wachtmann held product and operations roles at Blackboard and AT&T. Mr. Wachtmann holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University-Northridge.