This year’s DatacenterDynamics EMEA Awards featured finalists from Norway, the UAE, The Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, Finland, even from as far afield as Djibouti and of course including United Kingdom. There have been more entries, and a more diverse group of winners, because technology has made the process of entering the awards easier, and simplified the process of judging them.

Awards are an intrinsic part of any industry. They are the way in which individuals and organizations share their triumphs. It is inspiring to see organizations that are willing to enter, to be judged and to be compared with their peers, because they all passionately believe that they are leaders in their field. Sharing these successes will drive this industry forward.

Fiber optic cables
– Thinkstock / kynny

2016 - the birth of the Zettastructure

In 2015, DatacenterDynamics’ events have consolidated to just 23 bigger, bolder events attempting to drive a new conversation that we believe will be pivotal to future of the industry. In this conversation the ‘North of the rack’ meets the ‘South of the Rack’, and the physical and logical worlds will collide.

This convergence needs a new dictionary, which we hope to develop in 2016 with your help and participation.

At DCD Europe in London I implored delegates to get out of their comfort zones, and go to sessions which challenged them with new perspectives. Seeking these perspectives is something we should all do every day, as the pace of change is blistering.

In any period of transition, there are always scare-mongers. Every conference, and the media, are repeating the same slogans: “Software is eating the world”…. “Cloud is eating colo”….. “You are being commoditized”.

Maybe so, but data centers are a resilient industry which can move with the times, understanding what these changes mean, and responding as individuals and companies. The role of the data center manager is constantly changing, as is that of the CIO and all other advisors and consultants in this dynamic sector.

In 2016, you are going to hear us talk about the “ZettaStructure” – the layers of infrastructure that support the digital world. We are entering the zettabyte era, where billions of connected devices make up the Internet of Things - and in this world, data center skills will shine. The best practices we have developed as an industry will spread far beyond the walls of the data center, into the fabric of society.

The next few years are going to be really exciting.