Digitalisation and the IoT are driving change for physical infrastructure at the edge of networks

Digitalisation is fueling the growth of business critical applications being deployed in localised data centres. The result is a hybrid environment, which depends on a secure, connected infrastructure network of Cloud Computing services and single rack micro data centres distributed at the edge of networks. 

Many data centres that were once home to a multitude of rack enclosures may now only consist of a single rack solution and with an inevitable increase in data traffic, there is now a growing requirement for physical infrastructure to be located closer to the end-user.

With the increase of connected devices, today’s racks and enclosures are expected to support a greater number of connections and greater variety of applications, which also has implications for the overall levels of security and resilience required.

It is commonly accepted that centralised data centres will have the highest standards of physical security, environmental monitoring, management systems, data recovery and backup power. This is because typically, these facilities have redundancy in their critical systems to avoid failure or downtime. Physical security measures often include on-site security, biometric sensors, video surveillance and critical entry points.

Here racks and IT equipment are often locked, with power and networking cables organised to reduce opportunities for human error. But further down the chain, in unsecured network closets for example, you won’t always find the same level of resiliency.

Micro data centres are often co-located with their users, in unsecured rooms.  Older network enclosures may be open to a greater number of people, and cable management is less stringent with clutter and obstructions leading to increased human error. In such cases there may be little redundancy in the critical power and cooling systems, or monitoring through specialist DCIM or network management software.

However, many new edge and micro data centre solutions now benefit from the same level of security and technology as their larger counterparts. Developments in the converged and hyper-converged infrastructure spaces have become key to ensuring that the most critical edge solutions now come with some level of standardisation in the rack and include higher levels of security, remote access and environmental monitoring.

It is here that the latest technological advances in standardisation have stepped up to the plate, ensuring business continuity for both the end-user and the most business critical applications.

Schneider Electric’s portfolio of NetShelter CX and SmartBunker™ solutions, allow the rapid and cost-effective deployment of  secure IT infrastructure to any location, unhindered by challenges of distance, space constraint or environment. They enable businesses to meet the challenge of Big Data and latency by deploying localized infrastructure at the edge of networks; which reduces costs, whilst ensuring high levels of service, reliability and resilience for customer applications.

Both SmartBunker and NetShelter can be delivered as a single rack enclosure with integrated power, UPS, power distribution, management software, environmental monitoring and cooling to support a self-contained, secure computing environment.

They are ideal for Edge Computing deployments where micro data centres are located close to the applications they serve; a concept being driven by demands for faster response times, increased bandwidth and various regulations regarding data storage from internet devices and the IoT. As more devices become equipped with Internet connectivity and sensor technology we see an increase in data traffic.

Where required, a SmartBunker or NetShelter solution can be placed in an existing office space with no need for expensive refurbishment; delivering localised, secure computing environments at the network Edge that reduce the risk of human error,

latency and provide increased bandwidth for data-intensive applications.

It’s worth pointing out at this stage that using a Cisco certified rack like the APC Netshelter to ship say a FlexPod Converged Infrastructure system has additional benefits by significantly reducing the time needed to deploy an edge solution. Our NetShelter based Micro Data Centre solutions ship on shock pallets to ensure safe delivery of the system during transit so you can ship a fully integrated FlexPod for plug and play in the field. Prior to this the components would be individually packaged and shipped to be configured on site. With many edge environments lacking in IT staff and time to setup - fully integrated systems are quickly becoming the preference and this is where we can truly add value.

But one thing is for sure. As Smart devices continue to drive us towards a more digitised future, IT Managers must adopt a forward thinking model for ensuring businesses stay connected to their most critical applications.  

Reliability, security and protection from human error are of parammount importance to enure business continuity, which in turn challenges IT managers to think about the technology they are deploying and where critical, virtualised applications are located. 

Furthermore it’s important to recognise that Edge Computing as we know it is not just a trend; it is the next evolution of the physical infrastrcuture space. Secure single rack data centres, when combined with the power of the IoT, will continue to be the very building blocks that enable companies to embrace digital transformation.