Back in January, we announced TELEHOUSE London and KDDI Europe launched Telecloud, a portfolio of cloud products desired by the IT marketplace. We are excited to reveal the launch of Telecloud UK, the home to an array of enterprise Cloud solutions deployed within TELEHOUSE’s state of the art data centers in Europe.

The Telecloud UK portfolio of flexible services range from the provision of cloud infrastructure, managed private cloud environments, a public virtual data center (Telecloud Shared VDC), storage and disaster recovery and software-as-a-service solutions.

TELEHOUSE and KDDI Europe’s cloud solutions provide companies with a dedicated infrastructure platform, which is housed, connected and managed within TELEHOUSE London’s premium colocation facilities to host their most mission-critical applications. The Telecloud Virtual Data Centre offers an efficient approach to on-demand IT delivery with immediate start up.

The Telecloud service emphasizes TELEHOUSE’s global commitment to provide world-class services and innovative products to customers around the world.

For IT professionals, it can be difficult to balance the pressure for continual innovation while keeping up with stringent security measures. Today’s IT professionals are under constant demands to support innovation of virtualized networks, remote workstations and end-user systems, while still maintaining a secure environment.

In a virtualized environment, employees require a great deal of access to an array of applications on multiple systems. It’s important for IT professionals to provide access to these applications without compromising security for the entire system. Over the past year, this has become increasingly difficult, as the number of targeted cyber-attacks on organizations, and malware-embedded phishing attacks have dramatically increased. According to Juniper Networks’ annual Malicious Mobile Threats Report, “there has been a 472% increase in Android malware samples since July 2011, with October and November shaping up to see the fastest growth in Android malware in the history of the platform.”

As virtualization becomes more prevalent, these threats are being brought into the workplace, without the necessary security measures in place, this can turn into a particularly damaging situation. The IT department must be highly aware of the network and the problems that can arise if malware infects the data source. They also must define policies, automate enforcement and focus on securing the network’s data.

The IT department’s role has evolved; it’s no longer good enough to just know what is on the network, they also must know who is on the network and what can be done with their access. Today’s security measures need to dynamic and identity aware to prevent security breaches.

To read more about this issue please visit data center dynamics. You can contact us to learn about how TELEHOUSE can provide a secure environment for your IT infrastructure, while still offering the most innovative service on the market.

Spotlight on TELEHOUSE America! TELEHOUSE America’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Fred Cannone, has a featured article in the January/February issue of the popular industry publication, Mission Critical Magazine. TELEHOUSE’s Chelsea Center is used as a prime example when it comes to choosing a data center based on location and all of your other data center requirements and needs.

The article can be used as a go-to guide for both IT professionals and amateurs looking to discover the optimal colocation facility for their unique and growing business.

Read the entire article by clicking here! To learn more about all of TELEHOUSE America’s facilities and services contact us.

Have you ever gotten in your car and it didn’t start?Probably doesn’t happen very often, but if it ever did – you would be extremely frustrated to say the least. When purchasing a car you trust that your vehicle will work properly each and every day. And it should – as long as you maintain it – things such as changing the oil regularly, adding proper levels of water and coolants, and replacing spark plugs and filters.

The same can be said for data centers. We expect and trust that our data centers will remain up and running at all times. But without the proper maintenance and testing, our critical information, business applications, and communications can be in jeopardy. That could in effect wreak havoc on our daily operations, client relationships and our bottom line.

Data centers require experts in-house to make sure they run properly and stay ‘ON’ all the time. The ‘ON’ mode for data centers is directly related to the reliability of its power systems (among many other things).

Basic principles to follow to ensure that a data center protects its power systems include:

Maintenance – basic on-going programs are a fraction of the cost of actual downtime experienced if a power system were to fail.

Testing – data center staff and technicians should implement regular schedules where all facets of the power systems are tested.

Modernization – are the data center equipment and systems new or outdated? Much like your car, even the best maintenance can’t protect a piece of gear that is just worn out. With so much new technology out there, data centers that invest for the long-term with the latest advancements will require less fix/break cycles. And that will mean fewer outages and decrease the amount of planned downtimes for the clients.

So make sure that your data center provider has a full program encompassing regular maintenance, on-going testing and the latest in equipment and systems. Ask them for a look at their track record and feel confident that your critical data will stay operational and ‘ON’ all the time. Read more about this topic by visiting our Data Center Knowledge Archives. To learn more about how TELEHOUSE’s facilities can provide a safe, secure, and reliable environment for your mission critical equipment contact us.

Recently, both companies announced the completion of all upgrade capacities for RJCN.

This upgrade and alteration with RJCN and the Transit Europe-Asia (TEA) service was meant to help create 10Gbps wavelength resources between Japan and Europe using the shortest possible route through Russia. Customers now have more cost-effective and quicker solutions because of the flexible 10bps wavelength and the traditional Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH). Transit-Europe-Asia (TEA) started their upgrade in conjunction with the RJCN development in order to meet increasing traffic demands between Japan and Europe. Another added benefit for customers is the ability to acquire seamless reaches of 10Gbps wavelength from Japan not only to Russia, but also to Central Asia and Europe as well.

KDDI Global Network Operation Center (KDDI GNOC) has formed a close relationship with the Rostelecom Operation team to ensure better network quality. They also have been operating at 100% availability on IPLC service between London and Tokyo for more than one year. This high quality broadband network connects Tokyo and Europe with the shortest distance available. It will cover demands such as low latency transmission and two-way real-time communications. The network update will also be the perfect solution for large capacity contents delivery. This includes video transmission service supporting broadcast of a variety of events in Europe and Africa.

Learn more about KDDI news and services. To learn about how these new updates can benefit your unique business please contact us.

1. Identify your basic needs

• Create a ‘must have’ list of requirements your collocation facility must meet. This may include:
• SAS 70 Type II or SSAE 16 and/or ISO 27001 or relevant certifications
• Scalable collocation space,
• Scalable power consumption commitment
• Minimum N+1 Power infrastructure consisting of:
• Redundant and diverse commercial power feeds
• Multiple generator back-up,
• Multiple telecommunications internet bandwidth # of carriers, , etc. If you are a growing business, you need a collocation solution that will grow and adapt with you.

2. Choose a collocation facility with 24/7 Remote Hands Service

Although most data centers promise 24/7 security staff, not all data centers have a 24/7 tech support onsite. Remote Hands Service is an essential tool for emergency trouble shooting and it is easy to overlook this service when searching for the right collocation contract. Look for a data center with 24/7 technical support and a minimum 30 minutes free Remote Hands Service included in their contracts. Otherwise, you can be paying up to $100 per hour and faxing release forms to pay for these services at the exact moment your servers need attention. Having these services included offers a faster, more efficient service.

3. Consider your future Internet bandwidth needs

Internet bandwidth costs can vary from data center to data center and from state to state, it is wise to check the cost in advance and plan accordingly. Get quotes for 1Mbps to 1,000 Mbps and anywhere in between, you could get a great rate on an advanced pricing schedule and save thousands of dollars in the future.

4. Choose a quality Internet Network

A worldwide Tier 1 internet provider with a fully redundant OC192 backbone and a additional 10 GigE network connection to other Tier 1 providers is the best option for reliable service. A top quality collocation facility will offer multiple carrier options with large and varied networks, seek their expertise when considering the right connectivity partner for you as they offer ‘neutral’ advice.

5. Get a reference

Ask your collocation provider about their customers, have they had well known brands choose their services? Ask for case studies and referrals to understand their service offering and reputation. Also, look online, are they a stable, profitable company? Are they well known in the industry? Do they offer global opportunities? How long have they been in business? Answers to these questions are essential for building a long term, efficient relationship with your collocation partner and gaining trust in their services.

Cooling is a key feature in a data center facility, live servers get hot and heat can create infinite problems for technology. It is essential to create an consistently cool environment in your data center suite, here are some key factors to consider when thinking about the importance of cooling in your data center space:

• How are your servers spaced in the rack units? Does the cool air have enough space to pass freely? Does your cabinet need blank panels to increase its efficiency?
• Location? Is the data center located in a geographically cool environment? Can you utilize the outside air to keep your servers cool and reduce costs?
• Does the data center offer hot aisle/cold aisle services?
• How is the cooling being delivered? What is the route? Is the cooling infrastructure set up with a critical power supply?
• Is the data center using recycled air? If so, can you save money from this efficiency stream?

Image shows Flomerics software predicting thermal performance of data centers, courtesy of www.mentor.com

When air temperature isn’t controlled or monitored it can lead to a malfunction or a serious problem. An inadequate infrastructure can lead to the following:

• Thousands of dollars of destroyed or tarnished equipment
• Loss of data
• Downtime – A disruption in business could mean the loss of a loyal and long-standing customer.

There are several ways a data center can provide a robust infrastructure to enhance and maintain efficient cooling. Raised flooring provides the air circulation and distribution from the ground upwards which is advantageous in the management of warm and cool air throughout the entire data center space. Modern data centers also offer hot and cold aisle solutions to channel air in a specified, regulated zones where equipment is prone to heating. The best design/strategy will keep costs low and will ensure energy is used in the most efficient manner possible.

As technology advances in the data center, it is not space that is required, it is more power. With more power comes more heat and a need for an advanced cooling infrastructure. Recent innovations in the data center have met this challenge with the Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle design (see below).

(image property of Liebert Corporation)

The Contained Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle is a directional cooling system for your racks. Supplying cold air through ventilation in the floor focuses the direction of the cool air into your cabinet and around each rack unit. The fans assist the cool air into all the important, intricate places to maintain a consistently cool temperature. Likewise, the momentum of the internal fans pushes the warm air out of the rack unit behind the equipment into the ‘warm aisle’.

(Image taken from Onward and Upward)

In recent years the hot aisle/cold aisle concept has developed to further contain and separate the hot and cold air. Beyond fanning cool air into the cabinets, the warm air is now pushed into a sealed compartment and directed away from the equipment. This controlled approach is more efficient in terms of the power consumed by the chillers; however, in terms of building the infrastructure, it is more expensive than the original design.

Contact us to learn more about efficient data center design and to tour one of our data centers to see the hot aisle/cold aisle concept in action!

Exciting news for KDDI America! The U.S. division of KDDI Corporation and sister company to Telehouse America is named as a Premier Partner for UP 2011, a Cloud Computing Conference, taking place from December 5-9, 2011.This prominent and highly anticipated event will be held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA and broadcasted to a global audience online.

“Evolving technology capabilities are enabling the rapid adoption of cloud computing for mission-critical workload deployment and UP 2011 – the industry leading cloud computing conference provides a great venue for us to discuss our views, leadership and recent acquisitions in the cloud space,” said Sandra de Novellis, US Director of Marketing.

KDDI America will be positioning both public and private cloud solutions for US companies who are interested in setting up service or infrastructure in the US and Asia Pacific. KDDI America can provide a private cloud solution with their Data Center offerings as well as a public cloud with their own KA-Kloud service and alternatively with a suite of cloud services with Partners such as Parallels, Plex Systems and others.

There are many types of Modular data centers on the market which include:

• Self contained cabinets
• Containerized structures often utilizing freight or cargo container structures
• Purpose built, modular data facility

Today, we will explore the benefits of the purpose built modular facility that is constructed using panels to creates interlocking walls, ceilings and floors. The biggest question is trust, how can a modular solution with an inherent ability to remodel itself ever be reliable enough to keep your data secure and protected. Here’s how…

• Flexibility: The primary benefits of this modular solution is the flexibility it allows your business. The modular solution is completely customizable in terms of size, location and connectivity.
• Secure: The structure abides by the IBC 2006 Exterior Building Code and has a Seismic rating Class D. Moreover, the military version of this structure has been tested by the US Marine’s under attack, gunfire, flood, fire and wind and is rated against the ASTM E119.
• Growth: The solution considers your future by offering the ability to expand upon your structure at any time as well as dismount and reassemble the data center at another location.
• Capital Expense: Modular data centers are extremely useful in assisting companies of all sizes and backgrounds build out their private and public clouds while keeping capital and operational costs directly in line with the changing requirements.
• Speed: Modular data centers are especially ideal for those companies who require their data center facility to be ready NOW! Construction time is generally less than three months from start to finish, which is a significant difference from the traditional two year build-out for standard data center designs.
• Robust: Modular solutions are air and water tight and actually much more energy efficient than a traditional data center. Infact, the cost saving associated with the data center efficiency may pay for the modular construction inside ten years.

All of the above enhance and support the daily operations of your business. Be it service or product driven, having a flexible, secure, reliable data center supporting you is the key to relying on your technology and maintains business continuity at all times. Why Modular?

We say, why not?