The data center industry’s response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus dominated the news in March, as industry professionals sought out the latest news on the evolving crisis. There was also strong interest in the Chapter 11 filing by INAP, new ownership for Baselayer, and the latest DCF Executive Roundtable.

Here are the 10 most popular stories on Data Center Frontier in March 2020, in order of article views:.

• Internet Exchanges See Record Levels of Traffic: Internet exchanges are seeing record levels of network traffic as the spread of the Coronavirus prompts more remote work and online education. Game downloads are also boosting traffic.
• Colocation Provider INAP Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy: Colocation provider INAP filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, citing the need to strengthen its capital structure after failing to find a buyer or strategic partner.
• Data Centers Prepare Contingencies for Coronavirus Spread: Data center operators are taking steps to ensure continued operations of their facilities in the wake of heightened concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
• Iron Mountain Focused on Building Capacity, Interconnections in 2020: Iron Mountain has spent several years adding data center capacity and green power. In 2020 it will also focus on enhancing its interconnection capabilities and building connected customer ecosystems.
• Microsoft Cloud Use Soars Amid COVID-19 Social Distancing: Use of Microsoft’s cloud services is soaring amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with usage increasing as much as 775 percent in regions implementing social distancing and shelter-in-place orders.
• Modular Data Center Specialist Baselayer Acquired by IE Corp.: Modular data center specialist Baselayer Technologies has been acquired by the IE Corporation, which says the deal will accelerate its expansion into edge computing infrastructure.
• As COVID-19 Crisis Intensifies, Equinix Limits Access to Some Data Centers: Citing the need for “urgent action” to protect staff and uptime from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), colocation provider Equinix will restrict customer access to its data centers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
• Executive Roundtable: Data Gravity Takes Center Stage: Our DCF Executive Roundtable tackles “data gravity” – the explosive growth of data and its impact on the enterprise. Featuring thought leaders from Digital Realty, Iron Mountain, Intel, Vertiv, Chatsworth Products and Infrastructure Masons.
• Ghost in The Machine: Machine Learning Maximizes Uptime: Jeff Klaus, General Manager of Intel Data Center Management Solutions, explores how Intel Memory Failure Prediction (Intel MFP) uses machine learning to improve the performance and reliability of server memory to predict potential failures and prevent downtime.
• With Packet Bare Metal Servers, Equinix Pushes Deeper Into Services: With its $335 million acquisition of Packet, Equinx hopes to use bare metal servers to deploy colo as if it were cloud, evolving its business model to embrace a deeper push into services.

Voices of the Industry

In March, Data Center Frontier’s guest column series, Voices of the Industry, featured insight from leaders at DataBank, ProLift Rigging, Iron Mountain, CoreSite and Chatsworth Products. Here are the Voices columns that were most popular with DCF readers last month.:

• 10 Reasons to Migrate Your On-Premise Data Center to Colocation or Cloud (DataBank): Jerry Blair, DataBank Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Sales, highlights a list of 10 reasons for colocation and explores the following question: Why make the move into colo or cloud?
• The Importance of Project Buffering and Timing in Data Center Construction (ProLift Rigging): How you manage equipment procurement and installation can make a huge difference in the cost and speed of data center construction. Insights from Zech Connell at ProLift Rigging.
• State of the APAC Data Center Market (Iron Mountain): In this edition of Voices of the Industry, Michael Goh, Senior Director and General Manager for Iron Mountain’s Data Center division for Asia, explores how the APAC data center market is evolving and Singapore is poised for future growth.

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