Datacentre disaster recovery and security
Get up-to-date news and information on disaster recovery (DR) processes and planning to ensure that your business will stay up and running in the event of a disaster. Checks on generator testing, load testing, breaker design and fuel supply need to be taken care of long before a disaster hits so that when a disaster is happening you are not spending time doing things that you would not normally be doing. Find out about backup power supply products and how to failover and failback servers in the event of an outage. Discover ways to keep disaster recovery documentation up to date and available to all employees. This section also includes news and how-to information on securing your buildings against theft and natural disasters as well IT security, compliance and risk management.
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News
28 Mar 2023
BNP Paribas moves to Swedish datacentre in high-performance computing strategy
BNP Paribas is moving data-intensive workloads to a Swedish datacentre to increase capacity while reducing its carbon footprint Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2021
Private equity cash fuels Nordic datacentre growth
Private equity companies are betting on the Nordic datacentre sector as demand for services in the region accelerates Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
Fujifilm plans to ‘make tape easy’ with Kangaroo SME appliance
Fujifilm to add 100TB SME-focused Kangaroo tape infrastructure in a box to existing 1PB offer, as energy efficiency and security of tape make it alluring to customers Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Apr 2024
disaster recovery (DR) site
A disaster recovery (DR) site is a facility an organization can use to recover and restore its technology infrastructure and operations when its primary data center becomes unavailable. Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2024
Datacentre outages are happening less often and becoming less severe
Uptime Institute's annual outage tracker report suggests frequency and severity of crashes are declining, but warns datacentre operators not to get complacent Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2024
Cohesity: We won’t abandon NetBackup customers or force migration
CEO promises no forced migration to Cohesity and not to abandon any NetBackup product while building new leadership in artificial intelligence and security around Cohesity Gaia Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2024
Global McDonalds IT outage result of third-party error
An IT outage that forced McDonald's to temporarily shutter thousands of restaurants has been blamed on a configuration error by a third-party supplier, but there is no suspicion of foul play Continue Reading
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Podcast
11 Mar 2024
Podcast: Immutable storage essential against ransomware, but...
...not all immutable storage is created equal. That’s the message from Paul Speciale of Scality, who looks at immutable storage, its variants and what’s needed to secure data Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Meta outage disrupts social media globally
Meta services, including Facebook, Instagram and Threads, have been downed in a brief service outage Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Dutch organisations start building a federated European cloud
The ‘European cloud services in an open federated ecosystem’ (ECOFED) project is co-funded by the Dutch government and will run from 2024 to 2027 Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Keepit brings backup and restore to unprotected SaaS applications
SaaS backup specialist keeps data in its own cloud datacentres, protects cloud data across numerous platforms and aims to give customers the ability to rapidly add data sources Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Feb 2024
Can ransomware infect backups? 3 tips to protect data
Backing up data is one way to guard against threats such as ransomware, but attacks designed to infect backups can compromise data protection efforts. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2024
Storage technology explained: Ransomware and storage and backup
We look at ransomware attacks, and the importance of good backup practice as well as immutable snapshots, air-gapping, network segmentation, AI anomaly detection and supplier warranties Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2024
Storage and backup spend in 2024 targets risk and resilience
The TechTarget and ESG spending intentions survey finds big bias towards averting risk and building organisational resilience, but on-premise storage a significant planned outlay Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2024
What will result from Cohesity’s Veritas acquisition?
The $7bn backup giant will leverage huge assets in enterprise customer base, compliance and governance intelligence, AI, R&D, and Kubernetes backup and storage Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2024
We need backup! Pennsylvania police data loss shows why
Police evidence systems data was lost during ‘routine maintenance’, with human error blamed – the case clearly illustrates why data protection can’t be left to chance Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2024
Datacentres set to consume third of Ireland’s energy by 2026
Forecast data from International Energy Agency shines light on how booming demand for datacentres is affecting energy usage levels in different geographies Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Uptime Institute predicts 2024 will see datacentre operators start row back on net-zero commitments
Datacentre resiliency think tank Uptime Insitute predicts 2024 will mark the start of a testing time for operators when it comes to delivering on their net-zero commitments Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jan 2024
Cloud-to-cloud backup: What it is and why you (probably) need it
Basic cloud data protection is just not enough. Several loopholes leave business data vulnerable and that means additional cloud-to-cloud backup should be seriously considered Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 Jan 2024
Inadequate cloud logs are proving a headache for CISOs
The mass adoption of cloud environments is pushing strained CISOs to the brink and a lack of attention to logging isn't helping. Vectra's Mark Wojtasiak calls for organisations to do more to improve visibility in their clouds in 2024 Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2024
Datacentre operators form APAC industry group
The Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association will advocate for policies to drive the security and resiliency of datacentres and minimise environmental impact, among other goals Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2023
Top 10 datacentre stories of 2023
Here are Computer Weekly's top 10 datacentre stories of 2023 Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2023
Government plans to regulate to tackle datacentre threats
DSIT outlines a range of proposals designed to protect data storage facilities from cyber attacks, as well as physical threats and the effects of climate breakdown Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Nov 2023
network load balancing (NLB)
Network load balancing (NLB) is a feature in multiple versions of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system (OS), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other cloud service providers that distribute network traffic among multiple servers or virtual machines (VMs) within a cluster to avoid overloading any one host and improve performance. Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Nov 2023
Incident response planning is vulnerable to legacy thinking
What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2023
NetApp ‘unified storage’ adds new ASA block storage at Insight
Las Vegas event sees NetApp continue its evolution to hybrid cloud and data management player announce ASA C-series and Keystone and Kubernetes storage enhancements Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Oct 2023
Five key questions about disaster recovery as a service
Disaster recovery as a service builds recovery data and systems into the cloud, accessible from anywhere. We look at the difference vs cloud backup, DRaaS use cases, the cost, and the firms that provide it Continue Reading
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News
11 Oct 2023
Pure offers Evergreen energy and rackspace cost guarantees
Pure Storage will take upfront payments for power and rackspace and guarantee those for product lifecycles in its Evergreen One, Flex and Forever consumption purchasing models Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Oct 2023
Ransomware: All the ways you can protect storage and backup
We survey the key methods of ransomware protection, including immutable snapshots, anomaly detection, air-gapping, anomaly detection, and supplier monetary guarantees Continue Reading
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E-Zine
14 Sep 2023
CW APAC – Trend Watch: Datacentre sustainability
Sustainability targets are becoming more pertinent than ever. In this handbook, focused on datacentres in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at how firms are approaching the topic, why STT GDC is building its largest datacentre in the Philippines, OVHCloud’s India project and the impact of generative AI. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Sep 2023
SME disaster recovery: Five key points to consider
We look at key DR considerations for SMEs, including RPOs, RTOs, infrastructure needed for effective continuity and the right combination of cloud and in-house provision Continue Reading
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News
06 Sep 2023
Schneider Electric: Business leaders deprioritise green goals due to economic pressure
Research from energy management giant Schneider Electric reveals how events like the 2021 energy crisis have altered the investment priorities of enterprises towards green issues Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Aug 2023
critical infrastructure
Critical infrastructure is the collection of systems, networks and public works that a government considers essential to its functioning and safety of its citizens. Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2023
US Cyber Board to probe cloud security after latest Exchange hack
CSRB review of cloud security comes in the wake of a major Chinese cyber attack on US government bodies orchestrated through Microsoft’s cloud services Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2023
Datacentre management vulnerabilities leave public clouds at risk
At the annual DEF CON hacking convention, researchers from Trellix have disclosed multiple vulnerabilities in key datacentre products underpinning the world’s public cloud infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2023
Microsoft fixes Azure flaw that was subject of researcher criticism
Microsoft has confirmed a potentially-dangerous flaw in the Azure platform has now been fully fixed, and moved to reassure customers that despite criticism it is committed to responsible disclosure and timely fixes Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2023
Microsoft attacked over ‘grossly irresponsible’ security practice
The CEO of Tenable has launched a scathing attack on Microsoft, asserting that the organisation is deliberately keeping its Azure cloud customers in the dark about dangerous vulnerabilities and accusing it of a culture of ‘toxic obfuscation’ Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jul 2023
Generative AI: Automating storage and backup management
We look at how generative artificial intelligence is being deployed to automate monitoring of repetitive tasks and report on enterprise storage and backup, but also the limits to its implementation Continue Reading
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Podcast
21 Jun 2023
Podcast: Cloud security, compliance and data classification
The rise of cloud has led to a proliferation of enterprise data and a rise in risk. We talk to Vigitrust CEO Mathieu Gorge about how to ensure compliance in a multicloud world Continue Reading
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News
16 Jun 2023
CGI to develop virtual, cloud-hosted ‘black box’ recorder technology for aircraft
IT consultancy CGI is developing an alternative to the traditional ‘black box’ recorders found in aircraft that will allow teams on the ground to intervene quicker in the event of an emergency onboard Continue Reading
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Podcast
14 Jun 2023
Podcast: Containers, Kubernetes, data protection and compliance
Containers offer benefits to application deployment, but they proliferate, so tracking them for compliance purposes can be a challenge. We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading
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Podcast
08 Jun 2023
Podcast: Storage, backup, AI and data classification at RSA 2023
Much discussion at RSA 2023 about artificial intelligence, the risks to data protection, storage and compliance, plus risk and data classification, especially its impacts on access and data management Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2023
Cohesity Turing aims AI tools at backup and ransomware
Backup supplier continues to enrich its ecosystem with more artificial intelligence for backup and ransomware, with chat-like reporting functions and new security partners in its alliance Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2023
How datacentre operators can fend off cyber attacks
Applying zero-trust principles in the form of strong authentication controls and network segmentation can help datacentre operators to mitigate cyber threats Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2023
OVHcloud aims to bring Glacier-like cloud archive to Europe
OVHcloud makes Cold Archive GA with deep archive storage cheaper than AWS’s offer and all based on IBM 3592 tape hardware spread across four sites with Atempo backup Continue Reading
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Opinion
02 May 2023
Want to get cloud IAM right? Master the fundamentals
By getting the basics right, you’re setting yourself up for success to then can build more advanced and complex functionalities on top Continue Reading
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Podcast
25 Apr 2023
Podcast: Ransomware, data protection and compliance
Ransomware is a huge and ever-present threat, but there are ways to avoid it and to mitigate its effects. We get key practical steps from Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2023
IT Priorities 2023: Cloud and disaster recovery top storage and backup plans
Cloud storage still the biggest project planned in data storage in 2023, with disaster recovery the most important area in data protection cited by TechTarget/Computer Weekly survey respondents Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2023
Focus on these three risky behaviours to boost cloud security
Some 80% of cloud security alerts are triggered by just 5% of security rules. Security teams can substantially improve their resilience by zeroing in on a small set of risky behaviours, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2023
HPE launches GreenLake for File and Block, and unified arrays
HPE upgrades its storage-as-a-service offer with Greenlake for File and for Block, configurable via the cloud but deployable on-prem. Meanwhile it shows new Alletra MP arrays Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Mar 2023
Network documentation best practices for DR teams
In the event of a disaster, IT teams often think of servers and storage, but forget about networks. Find out what you should document as part of your network DR plan. Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2023
BNP Paribas moves to Swedish datacentre in high-performance computing strategy
BNP Paribas is moving data-intensive workloads to a Swedish datacentre to increase capacity while reducing its carbon footprint Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2023
LastPass attack saw employee’s home computer hacked
The ongoing investigation into a series of linked security incidents at LastPass has found that the attacker was successfully able to compromise a developer’s home PC using a vulnerability in a media software package Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2023
Colt DCS starts build-out of renewably powered West London datacentre campus
Hyperscale-focused colocation firm Colt DCS claims project will bring hundreds of jobs to West London Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2023
Ransomware operator turns their fire on two-year-old VMware bug
A vulnerability in VMware ESXi servers that users should have patched in 2021 is now being exploited to spread ransomware Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2023
Cisco fixes two bugs that could have led to supply chain attacks on users
Two vulnerabilities uncovered in Cisco hardware could have opened the door to serious supply chain cyber attacks, according to the Trellix researchers who found them Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2023
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust warned in 2018 about datacentre cooling issues, outage report shows
A review has been published regarding the circumstances that led to two datacentres, hosting healthcare systems for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, overheating during the 2022 summer heatwave Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2023
DataCore software-defined storage helps car firm avoid breakdowns
Bontaz used to face regular IT outages that took too long to recover from. Then it got DataCore software-defined storage and the ability to rapidly recover from downtime Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2023
Exclusion of datacentres from government-backed energy bill discount scheme 'no cause for alarm'
A government-backed scheme to provide power-hungry businesses with discounts on their energy bills does not include datacentres, but industry watchers claim that's not necessarily a bad thing Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Dec 2022
Why BCDR teams should consider EMP disaster recovery plans
An EMP event could be a major game changer depending on where it happens and who is affected. EMP disaster recovery might not seem urgent, but it never hurts to be prepared. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Dec 2022
emergency notification system
An emergency notification system is an automated method of contacting a group of people within an organization and distributing important information during a crisis. Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2022
Top 10 emerging storage trends stories of 2022
There’s a seismic shift to the cloud. In its wake, object storage, unstructured data, analytics, unified file and object, and consumption models of procurement have all been boosted Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2022
Top 10 datacentre stories of 2022
The energy crisis has wreaked havoc on the UK datacentre market in various ways this year, with supply and pricing issues blighting operators and their business interests Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2022
Cohesity doubles down on cyber-defence failings via backup
Datahawk service and Data Security Alliance bring clean data restores, ransomware artefact detection, data vaulting and data audit for a clearer understanding of attack impact Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Nov 2022
Datacentres in the dark: How the sector is preparing for the prospect of planned winter power cuts
Against a backdrop of ongoing uncertainty in the energy market, the UK datacentre market is readying itself for ‘worst case’ planned power cuts this winter Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2022
Microsoft pledges $100m in new IT support for Ukraine
Microsoft will continue to offer free-of-charge technology support to Ukraine for the foreseeable future Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Nov 2022
Where do business continuity plans fit in a ransomware attack?
Recovery isn't the only priority when ransomware hits. Careful planning, training and coordination among IT teams are critical to maintain business continuity during an attack. Continue Reading
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Opinion
31 Oct 2022
Security Think Tank: Container security: why so different?
Done well, container security can be a model for securing the enterprise, and businesses that focus their teams on solving it can help accelerate positive change in other areas Continue Reading
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Opinion
28 Oct 2022
How has container security changed since 2020, and have we taken it too far?
While containers are now one of the most popular ways to deploy applications, it is fair to say that the adoption and implementation of security best practice to govern their use has not kept up Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Oct 2022
Air gaps for backup and how they help against ransomware
The air gap is a basic of backups and storage. We look at what’s meant by an air gap, the rise of the logical air gap, and its place in the fight against ransomware Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2022
PoINT to offer on-site S3 object storage archive on disk and tape
Archival Gateway can cluster up to 256 tape readers to provide S3 object storage clusters capable of storing 50 billion objects per bucket, and giving throughput of 230GBps Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2022
Datacentre operators urged to tighten up their carbon emissions and water usage reporting
The 12th annual Global Data Center Survey from resiliency think tank Uptime Institute suggests the industry has work to do to improve its reporting on sustainability, as regulation looms large Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2022
Cloud compromise a doddle for threat actors as victims attest
Two separate studies into the state of public cloud security reveal insight into the ease with which threat actors can compromise vast numbers of targets, and some of the challenges security teams are facing in the cloud Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2022
OVHcloud opens new datacentre in Strasbourg at site of March 2021 fire
A year and a half after a fire at its datacentre campus in Strasbourg destroyed one of its facilities and damaged another, OVHcloud has opened a new server farm at the site Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2022
CISOs should spend on critical apps, cloud, zero-trust, in 2023
Faced with a global recession next year, security buyers should try to direct investment towards technology that protects customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads, say analysts Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Aug 2022
Burning up: Mitigation should sustain datacentre operations during extreme heat
July’s temperature spike put headline heat on regional operations at Google and Oracle. Datacentre operators must side-step similar mistakes to avoid climate change-related collapse in future Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Aug 2022
Data classification: What it is and why you need it
To be compliant, to ensure data is optimally protected, that it is available, that it can be analysed and that it is stored most cost-effectively – these are reasons why data classification is vital to organisations Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Aug 2022
Icelandic datacentres may lead the way to green IT
Iceland may soon become even more attractive to companies wanting to minimise their carbon footprint while using high-performance computing services Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2022
Internet giants in favour as Ireland tightens rules on datacentres
Irish premier Michael Martin has insisted its temporary squeeze on datacentre construction is not a moratorium on the industry Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2022
Hibs push for the backup premier league with Acronis
Hibernian FC signs Acronis to get top division data protection and make the most of ticketing information and match footage as it tries to gain more value from the data it holds Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Jul 2022
data breach
A data breach is a cyber attack in which sensitive, confidential or otherwise protected data has been accessed or disclosed in an unauthorized fashion. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2022
UK heatwave linked to ongoing IT systems issues at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Guy's & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said it is working ‘around the clock’ to restore the IT systems affected by the extreme temperatures seen in the UK this week Continue Reading
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News
20 Jul 2022
UK heatwave sparks cooling system meltdown in Google’s and Oracle’s London datacentre regions
The extreme heat experienced by the UK this week had a detrimental impact on the cooling systems of two of the cloud world’s biggest players Continue Reading
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News
12 Jul 2022
Schneider Electric reinforces commitment to addressing datacentre skills gap with new courses
Datacentre energy management company is adding more courses to its free online training portal to help close industry skills gap Continue Reading
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News
07 Jul 2022
UK-based datacentre cooling firm FEL Group ceases trading
Although its most recent financial report suggested the firm was seeing green shoots of recovery after a business restructure and financing plan, a disagreement on a key contract has resulted in FEL Group going out of business Continue Reading
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News
06 Jul 2022
UK-based datacentre liquid cooling firm Iceotope Technologies secures £30m funding
Sheffield-based datacentre liquid cooling firm wins funding from environment-focused global investment syndicate Continue Reading
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News
28 Jun 2022
Google Cloud expands availability and scope of IT sustainability tracking tools for enterprises
The Google Cloud Sustainability Summit sees the public cloud giant ramp up its support for enterprises wanting to minimise the environmental impact of their operations Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2022
Cloudflare confirms outage caused by datacentre network configuration update error
Website application security firm Cloudflare has published a review into the cause of the short-lived outage that rendered hundreds of websites inaccessible Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2022
MS Azure Synapse vulnerability fixed after six-month slog
Microsoft patched a critical Azure Synapse vulnerability twice, but each time the researcher who discovered it was able to bypass it with ease, leading to a lengthy saga Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2022
Datavita to open Scotland’s first metro datacentre in Glasgow during Q3 2022
Datacentre operator Datavita is building a server farm in the heart of Glasgow’s financial district Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2022
Length, cost and severity of datacentre outages continue to rise, Uptime Institute research confirms
Latest datacentre outages research from resiliency think-tank Uptime Institute confirms that downtime incidents are increasing in cost, length and severity Continue Reading
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News
31 May 2022
OVHCloud facing client compensation class action claim of €10m over March 2021 datacentre fire
The law firm overseeing the class action against OVHCloud claims 140 clients are now seeking compensation for the data lost as a result of the March 2021 fire Continue Reading
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Definition
31 May 2022
contingency plan
A contingency plan is a course of action designed to help an organization respond effectively to a significant future incident, event or situation that may or may not happen. Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2022
Consultation launched on datacentre, cloud security
The government is seeking views on how to boost the security and resilience of the UK’s datacentres and online cloud platforms Continue Reading
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Feature
26 May 2022
Hydrogen’s promise: How fuel cells might power lower-carbon datacentres
Could UK datacentre operators soon adopt emerging hydrogen technologies to reach expanding energy and emissions requirements? Continue Reading
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News
13 May 2022
Dublin datacentre operators warned of climate change-related coastal flooding risks
A 3D data visualisation map from Cervest shows large swathes of Dublin could be affected by climate change-related coastal flooding in the years to come, which could have big implications for the region's datacentres Continue Reading
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Feature
12 May 2022
The limits and risks of backup as ransomware protection
Backups can provide a sound means of recovery from ransomware infection, but they are not 100% certain to foil attackers. We look at the limits and risks of depending on backups Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 May 2022
Security Think Tank: Your path to understanding attack paths
The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these attack pathways better in order to fight back Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2022
CyberUK 22: NCSC refreshes cloud security guidance
The National Cyber Security Centre is revising its cloud guidance as increasing uptake of potentially vulnerable cloud services puts more organisations at risk of compromise Continue Reading
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Feature
05 May 2022
Disaster recovery is an essential service for EDF with Phenix-IT
EDF has built disaster recovery tracking, planning and testing software on a six-month upgrade cycle based on governance, risk and compliance functionality in Mega’s Hopex platform Continue Reading
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Podcast
29 Apr 2022
Podcast: War, geo-political risk, data storage and compliance
We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, about impacts on compliance and data storage from instability in geo-political events, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2022
Datacentres critical to Singapore but sustainability concerns remain
Datacentres create jobs and contribute S$2bn to Singapore’s economy each year, but sustainability issues will need to be addressed to minimise their environmental impact Continue Reading