Data centre

Deciding where and how to build and operate a datacentre is one of the most important decisions your organisation will make. This section covers how to build a solid datacentre infrastructure, including selecting the right location to build your new facility, best practices for designing a new datacentre, and cooling and air flow techniques. Learn about green IT, data management systems, servers and operating systems.

News 30 Jan 2023
Tiger’s hybrid cloud storage targets medical imaging

Tiger Bridge targets vertical sectors that find it hard to migrate to the cloud by allowing data storage in the cloud while using files locally as if stored on-premise Continue Reading
News 27 Jan 2023
Enterprise on-premise infrastructure spending experiences ‘post-pandemic’ bounce-back

Latest data from Synergy Research Group reveals uptick in enterprise on-premise IT infrastructure spending Continue Reading

News 12 Nov 2018

Singapore’s Redmart finds speed and agility with cloud ERP

Online grocer has slashed the time it takes to close the books from more than a week to just three days with Oracle’s cloud-based financial application Continue Reading
News 12 Nov 2018

AWS CEO Andy Jassy confirms Oracle data warehouse switch-off at Amazon

Months after Oracle CTO Larry Ellison cited Amazon's use of its database tech as proof of its superiority, AWS CEO confirms its parent company is now migrating off it Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2018

Why commercial software providers are buying into cloud native

There is a reason why IBM has announced it will be spending $34bn to buy Red Hat, much like VMware’s acquisition of Heptio Continue Reading
Blog Post 09 Nov 2018

Common cloud myths, and how to bust them

In this guest post, Neil Briscoe, CTO of hybrid cloud platform provider 6point6 Cloud Gateway, sets about busting some common cloud myths for enterprise IT buyers The cloud provides endless ... Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2018

How Hive balances platform stability with innovation

The smart home thermostat division of British Gas has made developers fully responsible for supporting and monitoring the code they deploy Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2018

Nationwide Building Society banks on AWS and DevOps for customer-led digital revamp

Nationwide Building Society is in the throes of a cloud and DevOps-focused effort to re-platform its digital banking and mortgage services, its director of mobile and digital, James Smith, tells Computer Weekly Continue Reading
News 08 Nov 2018

Australia needs better cloud and data management capabilities

Use of cloud services is soaring in Australia, but a lack of cloud management skills is holding back enterprises from reaping the full benefits of the technology Continue Reading
News 08 Nov 2018

Google AI Hub aims to accelerate artificial intelligence project development in enterprises

Google debuts AI Hub to help enterprises get their artificial intelligence projects off the ground faster, as its bid to make the technology accessible to everyone gathers pace Continue Reading
News 08 Nov 2018

AWS cloud network architecture could put users at heightened risk of disruption, study claims

A comparison study of AWS, Google and Microsoft's network architectures reveals stark differences in how they process user traffic, ThousandEyes report shows Continue Reading
News 08 Nov 2018

Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital has capacity to spare after HSCN upgrade

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is unleashing the potential of digital for health after fixing up its internet connectivity with an upgrade to the new Health and Social Care Network Continue Reading
E-Zine 08 Nov 2018

CW Benelux: Bikes face scooter challenge in Netherlands

The concept of rental scooters is perfect for the Netherlands, where bicycles are already the most widely used method of transport. Scooter startups see the potential to apply the latest smart technologies to the concept, but regulations could be a barrier. Also in this issue, read how chatbots are taking off with Dutch organisations, with KLM's chatbot a pioneering example, and find out how Dutch bank ING is getting a financial boost from an employee performance management rethink. Continue Reading
News 07 Nov 2018

Uber backs hybrid cloud as route to business and geographical expansion

Ride-hailing app Uber is rapidly expanding its business interests, which requires an IT infrastructure that can scale just as quickly as its ambitions, according to the company’s head of compute, Dean Nelson Continue Reading
News 07 Nov 2018

APAC enterprises, analysts weigh in on IBM-Red Hat deal

Mega-deal could accelerate adoption of open source software and extend the reach of OpenStack and OpenShift across the region Continue Reading
News 06 Nov 2018

Best of VMworld 2018 Europe User Awards: The winners

Find out who won what, including the best of show prize, at the 2018 VMworld Europe User Awards in Barcelona Continue Reading
News 06 Nov 2018

VMware readies green blockchain

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger says the power used for blockchain computation will cause an environmental crisis Continue Reading
News 06 Nov 2018

Power and space constraints could put brakes on European colocation growth boom, warn experts

Panellists at DCD>Europe discuss barriers to future growth of Europe's booming colocation market, as concerns about the availability of power and space grow larger Continue Reading
News 06 Nov 2018

VMware takes layered approach to securing datacentres

From securing workloads to segmenting the network, VMware’s architecture is using AppDefence and NSX for intrinsic datacentre security Continue Reading
Feature 05 Nov 2018

Is Azure ready to go cloud-native?

We look at the suitability of Microsoft’s Azure platform for deploying cloud-native applications Continue Reading
News 02 Nov 2018

DevSecOps not limited to coding, says analyst

DevSecOps is seen as a way of ensuring application security, but security leaders must understand that embedding a security culture and taking the inter-dependencies of new development frameworks into account is key, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading
News 02 Nov 2018

Best of VMworld 2018 Europe User Awards: Shortlist announced

Find out who made the shortlist for this year's Best of VMworld Europe User Awards, with the winners set to be announced at VMworld next week Continue Reading
News 01 Nov 2018

The IBM and Red Hat mega-merger: Who stands to benefit most?

IBM is in the midst of a multi-year repositioning as it looks to offset the downturn in enterprise demand for its traditional, on-premise offerings by courting enterprise cloud buyers, prompting it to place its biggest bet yet on open source Continue Reading
Feature 01 Nov 2018

A guide to choosing cloud infrastructure services

We take a look at the considerations when choosing infrastructure as a service, and what needs to be in place for enterprises to get the most out of the cloud computing technology Continue Reading
News 01 Nov 2018

International Space Station runs HPE Apollo supercomputer

The first off-the-shelf supercomputer to run in space, Apollo 40, will be used for local number crunching and artificial intelligence applications Continue Reading
News 31 Oct 2018

AWS urges enterprises to embrace their heritage when facing down disruption from startups

At this year's AWS Transformation Day, the cloud giant's enterprise strategist, Miriam McLemore, talked about why enterprises should be looking to embrace their heritage and legacy when moving to the cloud Continue Reading
Feature 30 Oct 2018

Hyper-converged backup appliances bring flexibility benefits

Backup appliances in scale-out format allow data protection to be scaled easily by simply adding extra nodes. But is it an idea that’s ready for the enterprise? Continue Reading
30 Oct 2018

Dividing lines: EU bid to curb server energy use has the European datacentre community split

An EU-backed push to curb European datacentre energy use has proven to be a divisive issue, as debate rages over the usefulness of using idle energy to determine the overall efficiency of servers. Continue Reading
News 30 Oct 2018

AWS retains cloud market leader status in Q3, as Microsoft and Google post gains

AWS retains its title as the world's biggest cloud provider, but the position is not going unchallenged by the likes Microsoft and Google, Synergy Research Group's third quarter market analysis shows Continue Reading
E-Zine 30 Oct 2018

Power struggle: A row is brewing over EU plans to curb datacentre energy use

In this week’s Computer Weekly, a row is brewing over an EU plan to curb datacentre energy use, and the leading server suppliers are not happy - we analyse the details. Secretary of state for health and social care Matt Hancock talks exclusively to us about his new technology vision for the NHS. And we examine the growing popularity of short-term “gig” employment for IT professionals. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 30 Oct 2018

How Avanade keeps pace with Microsoft and the market

Systems integrator Avanade has had to adapt to Microsoft’s evolution into an “ecosystem platform” that includes open-source software Continue Reading
News 29 Oct 2018

Inside PropertyGuru’s DevOps journey

The online property search firm is at ease with microservices, containers and serverless computing, even as it grapples with legacy applications that were developed earlier on in its history Continue Reading
News 29 Oct 2018

IBM acquires Red Hat in $34bn hybrid cloud push

IBM and Red Hat senior leadership teams confirm imminent merger, which they claim will help accelerate migration of enterprise workloads to the hybrid cloud Continue Reading
News 26 Oct 2018

NGA secures £22m for Bristol-Newport fibre link

Ultrafast wholesale network builder Nextgenaccess has been awarded funding from the National Digital Infrastructure Fund to improve connectivity in South Wales Continue Reading
News 25 Oct 2018

Microsoft results show hybrid benefit to Azure growth

The software company continues to push the benefits of on-premise Windows Server infrastructure alongside Azure PaaS Continue Reading
News 24 Oct 2018

Datacentre glitches expose data loss risks

A new study has highlighted the fragility of corporate datacentres and the very real risk of data loss Continue Reading
E-Zine 23 Oct 2018

Where next for digital identity?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government hands its digital identity service, Gov.uk Verify, to the private sector, we examine the history and prospects for the troubled system. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at cloud-native architecture. And we compare the flash storage capabilities of the leading cloud providers, AWS, Azure and Google. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 22 Oct 2018

Retail focus is key to Alibaba’s new London datacentre

China’s e-commerce giant has been slowly expanding into Europe and is now heading for a clash of the titans against AWS and Azure Continue Reading
Feature 22 Oct 2018

Transform business with microservices and containers

We look at how DevOps and microservice-based technology have advanced IT architectures Continue Reading
Feature 19 Oct 2018

The importance of adopting an evergreen IT strategy

Today's modern IT systems are potentially tomorrow's legacy technology problems, without an "evergreening strategy" in place Continue Reading
News 19 Oct 2018

Why CIOs need to find ways to manage the old and the new

In IT, nothing is ever reinvented and nothing ever really goes away. We investigate how IT departments can remain agile while managing legacy assets Continue Reading
News 19 Oct 2018

Chinese insurance giant extends cloud service to other sectors

Ping An is opening up its cloud service to more sectors, including real estate and automotive, in its efforts to become a technology company Continue Reading
Feature 18 Oct 2018

Google Cloud CTO Brian Stevens on using open source for competitive advantage in the public cloud

Google Cloud CTO Brian Stevens on how the enterprise cloud conversation is changing, and why not all supplier declarations about supporting open source technologies are quite what they seem Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2018

MoJ to go all-in on public cloud as infrastructure modernisation push gathers pace

The Ministry of Justice claims modernising, retiring and migrating its legacy IT systems to the public cloud will help it accrue long-term savings of around 60% on hosting costs Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2018

Best of VMworld Europe 2018 Awards nominations now open until 26 October

Read the criteria for the Best of VMworld Europe User Awards and find out how to submit your nomination Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2018

How Heathrow transformed using analytics for the people

A Microsoft Azure platform and PowerBI have provided the people who work at Heathrow Airport with a way to use analytics directly to help them improve their performance Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2018

Time to implement new cyber security protections, says McAfee CEO Chris Young

Convergence of threats and technologies and an increasingly complex regulatory environment are driving the need to implement new cyber security protections, says McAfee chief Continue Reading
News 17 Oct 2018

UCaaS supports British Medical Journal’s cloud-first ambitions

With a growing global business and a CIO intent on doing everything in the cloud, the British Medical Journal turned to unified communications-as-a-service provider RingCentral to make its comms infrastructure fit for the cloud era Continue Reading
News 16 Oct 2018

E-shelter secures planning permission for mega-datacentre campus in Dagenham

Colocation provider E-shelter has its plans approved to build a 60MW datacentre campus in Dagenham, East London Continue Reading
Feature 16 Oct 2018

GlaxoSmithKline R&D CDO on combining Hadoop and Docker to boost drug discovery efforts

Mark Ramsey, chief digital officer of research and development at GSK, describes how banking on big data, containers and on-premise technologies is speeding up the company’s efforts to uncover new drugs and improve the hit rate of its clinical trials Continue Reading
16 Oct 2018

Shell CTO Yuri Sebregts talks about using AI to amplify the human impact of its workforce

Digital transformation is a multi-decade process for Shell, with artificial intelligence presenting the oil and gas giant with new opportunities to ramp up the productivity of its workforce, its CTO explains. Continue Reading
News 16 Oct 2018

Hortonworks CTO weighs in on Cloudera merger

Besides marrying technologies from Hortonworks and Cloudera, the two companies could also come up with new product components after their merger is sealed Continue Reading
News 15 Oct 2018

Microsoft staff allegedly pen open letter urging firm to drop bid for US government cloud deal

Letter calls on software giant to bow out of the race for a controversial, 10-year cloud contract with the US Department of Defense Continue Reading
News 15 Oct 2018

Datacentre operators ignoring risk of climate change-induced downtime, warns Uptime Institute

Uptime Institute data suggests operators are not taking disaster recovery precautions to protect their sites from extreme weather events Continue Reading
News 15 Oct 2018

Atos and Google open London-based digital innovation centre to boost enterprise adoption of AI

Atos and Google follow up the news of their global joint push to increase enterprise use of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies by opening London-based innovation centre Continue Reading
News 12 Oct 2018

WikiLeaks goes public with alleged list of AWS datacentre locations and code names

Whistle-blowing website claims to have obtained a confidential document detailing code names, locations and operational details of Amazon’s datacentre portfolio Continue Reading
News 11 Oct 2018

AirAsia on becoming a data-first business by taking flight in Google Cloud

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes on how Google cloud is underpinning its efforts to become a digital-first business where collaboration is king Continue Reading
E-Zine 11 Oct 2018

CW Middle East: Middle East warms to humanoid robots

Countries in the Middle East are warming to humanoid robotics, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence as these technologies become widely accepted globally. Also in this issue, read why Saudi Arabia has called on London’s fintechs to set up in the country with the promise of government support, and find out how the Gulf Warehousing Company has introduced cloud-based technology to replace paper processes used by its HR department. Continue Reading
News 11 Oct 2018

Dropping commercial open source lowers PaaS costs at Fidelity

Investment company Fidelity has created an on-premise PaaS for its in-house developer teams using the open source Cloud Foundry platform Continue Reading
News 10 Oct 2018

Businesses must get ready for a multi-cloud strategy

The debate about what is the right enterprise IT architecture has moved beyond private, public and hybrid clouds to the need to run multiple clouds Continue Reading
News 10 Oct 2018

Singapore extends reach of digital ID system with cloud

GovTech is using AWS to host a developer platform that enables government agencies and businesses to develop services that build on the upcoming National Digital Identity system Continue Reading
News 09 Oct 2018

Project xCloud: Microsoft draws on Azure for device-agnostic gaming push

Microsoft has revealed details of how its global Azure datacentre footprint will play a pivotal role in helping realise its ambitions to provide a low-latency, device-agnostic user experience to the worldwide gaming community Continue Reading
News 09 Oct 2018

Grab signs up for Azure, nabs investment from Microsoft

Ride-hailing, delivery and mobile payments firm will use slew of Azure services to improve operations and customer experience Continue Reading
Feature 08 Oct 2018

Windows Virtual Desktops: Microsoft takes virtual Windows mainstream on Azure

Microsoft is fleshing out its virtual desktop proposition by allowing enterprises to access Windows via its Azure platform, but what does this mean for its competitors? Continue Reading
News 05 Oct 2018

Amazon and Apple deny claims Chinese government bugged their servers

Amazon and Apple have publicly refuted a Bloomberg report that claims their servers were tampered with and bugged during the manufacturing process Continue Reading
Feature 04 Oct 2018

Executive interview: Sebastian Krause, general manager, IBM Cloud Europe

IBM Cloud Europe general manager Sebastian Krause opens up about Big Blue's big bets on hybrid cloud, enterprise IT and why the public cloud market is not one it is interested in playing in Continue Reading
Feature 04 Oct 2018

Infrastructure patching at scale: What you need to know

Embarking on an enterprise-wide patching exercise can be a daunting process for IT departments, but there are few things that can be done to make it less fraught and ensure effectiveness Continue Reading
News 04 Oct 2018

APAC SMEs still hanging on to older PCs

A majority of small and medium-sized business in Asia-Pacific are still using PCs older than four years out of cost and application compatibility concerns Continue Reading
News 02 Oct 2018

Porsche Informatik deploys OpenShift to accelerate software development

The automotive manufacturer's software arm is using a Red Hat private cloud to develop new trading platforms Continue Reading
News 02 Oct 2018

Open Compute Project eyes European enterprise adoption with Experience Centre opening

The Facebook-backed Open Compute Project is getting its first European Experience Centre in Amsterdam, as part of a three-way collaboration between its members to get more enterprises using its technology Continue Reading
News 02 Oct 2018

Singapore government makes bold cloud move

Most government IT systems will be migrated to commercial cloud services within five years, while a private government cloud will host more sensitive workloads Continue Reading
News 01 Oct 2018

Keeping Commvault on its toes in ASEAN

Backup and data protection software supplier is going after mid-sized companies and renewing its focus on partners to make deeper inroads in Southeast Asia Continue Reading
Feature 28 Sep 2018

Shell CTO Yuri Sebregts talks about using AI to amplify the human impact of its workforce

Digital transformation is a multi-decade process for Shell, with artificial intelligence presenting the oil and gas giant with new opportunities to ramp up the productivity of its workforce, its CTO explains Continue Reading
News 27 Sep 2018

Replication won’t protect VMs against ransomware

Seamless replication is among the benefits of virtualisation, but many organisations fail to back up virtual machines properly Continue Reading
News 27 Sep 2018

Open for business: Microsoft on using cross-industry collaboration to drive AI use in the enterprise

Microsoft's multi-year effort to drive adoption of artificial intelligence technologies has entered a new phase, with the firm banking on openness and cross-industry collaboration to boost enterprise take-up Continue Reading
News 27 Sep 2018

Agile IT held back by legacy tech and legacy budgeting

CIOs admit their organisations cannot keep pace with digital transformation initiatives, with capex budgeting and legacy IT part of the problem Continue Reading
News 26 Sep 2018

Australia’s ANZ banks on Google Cloud

The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group has signed up for the Google Cloud Platform to help its bankers deliver data insights to institutional customers Continue Reading
Feature 26 Sep 2018

Intelligent automation and the WAN: Is SD-WAN moving mainstream?

Take-up of software-defined networking in corporates is slower than expected. Where have we reached on the journey to software-controlled networks – and SD-WAN in particular – becoming the norm? Continue Reading
News 26 Sep 2018

Nipping DevOps challenges in the bud

A clear focus on helping enterprises overcome hurdles in their DevOps journey has been central to Puppet’s growing footprint in Asia Continue Reading
News 25 Sep 2018

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlights importance of sharing the wealth of digital transformation

During the opening keynote of the Microsoft Ignite conference in Orlando, Florida, the company CEO Satya Nadella talked up the importance of ensuring the spoils of digital transformation are spread far and wide in society Continue Reading
Feature 24 Sep 2018

Colocation and the hyperscalers: What the cloud giants want in a datacentre partner

The colocation market is booming on the back of the growing demand from the hyperscale cloud giants for readily available datacentre capacity, but why are some operators more successful than others when it comes to landing their business? Continue Reading
News 24 Sep 2018

Microsoft commits $40m to five-year push to explore 'AI for human good' use cases

Microsoft wants to encourage non-government organisations and humanitarian groups to help it explore potential use cases for artificial intelligence during times of natural disasters Continue Reading
News 24 Sep 2018

Alibaba Cloud and Intel team up on IoT

The Joint Edge Computing Platform lets enterprises train AI models at the edge of a network to support real-time decision-making Continue Reading
Feature 21 Sep 2018

Dividing lines: EU bid to curb server energy use has the European datacentre community split

An EU-backed push to curb European datacentre energy use has proven to be a divisive issue, as debate rages over the usefulness of using idle energy to determine the overall efficiency of servers Continue Reading
News 21 Sep 2018

Foreshadow mitigation obscures licensing impact

Performance of virtual machines could be severely affected by the workaround for Intel’s latest processor flaw. To compensate, more processors will be needed Continue Reading
News 21 Sep 2018

Shell mines Microsoft Azure for AI to digitally transform upstream and downstream operations

Multi-national oil and gas company Shell is embarking on an artificial intelligence-led digital transformation of its business with the help of Microsoft Azure and C3 IoT Continue Reading
News 20 Sep 2018

Growing reliance on cloud will need tighter IT management

By 2022, over $1.3tn will be spent on cloud computing and related services globally, and IT leaders will need to figure out how to manage it all Continue Reading
Feature 20 Sep 2018

Leading companies embrace DevOps to improve agility and flexibility

DevOps is an approach to improving the efficiency of software development roll-outs, but while the benefits are clear, companies face a number of challenges along the way Continue Reading
19 Sep 2018

Oracle claims positive traction for autonomous database in ASEAN

Oracle’s newly minted autonomous database could leave database administrators unemployed, but that has not stopped a Thai payment services provider from jumping onto the bandwagon Continue Reading
19 Sep 2018

ASEAN firms need to overcome DevOps hurdles

Southeast Asia has had pockets of success with DevOps, but most organisations across the region will need to overcome cultural and legacy challenges to succeed. Continue Reading
E-Zine 19 Sep 2018

CW ANZ: Get to grips with DevOps

The burgeoning DevOps culture in Australia has attracted new market players and led major companies to embrace the movement to get development and operations teams working in unison. But organisations need to be wary of a range of traps while they try to instil a DevOps mindset. In this issue of CW ANZ, we take a look at how Australian organisations are embracing DevOps and the pitfalls they need to avoid. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
E-Zine 19 Sep 2018

CW ASEAN: Time to clear DevOps hurdles

ASEAN organizations are generally aware of the benefits of DevOps, but lesser known are the pathways to success. What would an organization that has successfully implemented DevOps look like? In this issue of CW ASEAN, we look at how ASEAN organizations are bridging the gap between development and operations teams, and the DevOps challenges they are facing. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
19 Sep 2018

Australian enterprises warming up to DevOps

The burgeoning DevOps culture in Australia has attracted new market players and led major banks and telcos to embrace the movement to get development and operations teams working in unison. Continue Reading
News 19 Sep 2018

EU-backed bid to cap idle energy use by datacentre servers moves closer

Move to improve the energy efficiency of datacentres by capping idle energy use by servers by 2020 comes one step closer, despite opposition from IBM, HPE and Dell-EMC Continue Reading
News 17 Sep 2018

Red Hat to throw its hat in with Container Storage Interface

Software maker will add Container Storage Interface support to its existing OpenShift Container Platform and GlusterFS-based scale-out file system container storage Continue Reading
News 14 Sep 2018

Leeds Beckett University asks Alexa for help cutting Clearing admin

Dougal Scaife, head of digital experience and engagement at Leeds Beckett University, opens up about how combining chatbots with Amazon Alexa is helping update the Clearing process for the 21st century Continue Reading
News 14 Sep 2018

Lenovo cements deal with NetApp to strengthen datacentre foundation

Lenovo wants to become more customer-centric. A tie-up with NetApp takes its datacentre strategy to the next phase. We investigate Continue Reading
Blog Post 14 Sep 2018

Fixing “bad code” isn’t always a bad thing

A study commissioned by Stripe has revealed that the Singapore economy has the potential to grow by S$1.6bn each year, if companies harness developer resources more effectively. Conducted by ... Continue Reading
News 13 Sep 2018

Culture, not tools, is key to unlocking innovation

Australian organisations should focus on bringing in agile practices and foster a culture of trust and transparency to drive innovation and improve business agility Continue Reading
News 13 Sep 2018

Autumn Budget 2018: Guarantees sought over future funding of national quantum computing programme

The chair of the Science and Tech Committee has written to the chancellor Philip Hammond to demand assurances that more funding for the UK's quantum computing efforts will be forthcoming in the Autumn 2018 budget Continue Reading
News 12 Sep 2018

Gartner claims pure-play IaaS providers could be sidelined as enterprise attitudes to cloud mature

Gartner's latest public cloud services market tracker shows demand for IaaS is booming among enterprises, but providers whose cloud proposition does not feature a PaaS component may lose out in future Continue Reading
News 12 Sep 2018

AIOps killed the IT support star

There is no room for IT support stars, who can fix anything. As complexity increases, automation and machine learning are the only options Continue Reading