Welcome to day two of the Building the Edge live blog. Updates coming to you live throughout the day from me - Shaun Mills, Content Marketing Specialist. With over 1.800 individuals signed up for today we have a great day ahead of us. Make sure you're signed up and registered, and if you missed out on any of yesterday's action - catch up with the live blog.

I'll be posting content, links and listening in on discussions happening the in social sphere as the day goes on. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @dcdnews and use the hashtag #DCDEdgeVirtual to join in on the discussion.


Well, that wraps up two information-packed days of some brilliant insights from thought leaders in the industry, from all around the world. If you haven’t already, make sure you get access to all our sessions, from this virtual conference and all others in our on-demand archive. You can also use the virtual networking platform for a week, so make sure you take the opportunity to network with other attendees and panellists.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our panellists and audience members for helping make this virtual conference such a success. In light of an unprecedented global pandemic, here at DCD we’re proud to facilitate an opportunity for the industry to connect, learn and network. If you’re keen for more content from us, make sure you check out our summer calendar of events, there's something for everyone.

Thanks again for joining us, see you (virtually) next time!


4.05PM EDT // 9.05PM BST

Wow, what a cracker session. Thanks to everyone who joined us on the panel.


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3.49PM EDT // 8.49PM BST

Pelly makes an astute point: a win by the Goliaths of the world involve less disruption and behaviour change than from wins by the Davids of the world.


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3.45PM EDT // 8.45PM BST

Mike talks about the ability of smaller organizations to be more agile in the face of innovation and change. A really interesting point he raised in our pre-session interview.

Is this truer now more than ever in the face of a global pandemic? Have smaller organizations fared better because they are more distributed, and more agile?


3.39PM EDT // 8.39PM BST

Interesting view from Dan Loosemore, CMO here at DCD:

"Edge is not about a single killer app but hundreds of potential use cases and value that can be built through the edge marketplace."


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3.37PM EDT // 8.37PM BST

"We're looking for innovative solutions... on top of networks that are core to our livelihoods."

Great points from Rob about the role of telcos in the rollout of the edge. They're the one's keeping the lights on, do they have the space or capacity to allow others to use their networks as an experiment?


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3.29PM EDT // 8.29PM BST

"The difference is a behavioural problem, not a technology problem."

Antonio (Pelly) thinks the edge needs to be distributed, a new ecosystem that collectively, people can use to create a whole range of applications and services.


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3.17PM EDT // 8.17PM BST

This is a very hot topic - who gets to decide what the edge is? Let us know what your thoughts are, connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.



3.12PM EDT // 8.12PM BST

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"There's a lot of confusion in the market."

Mike D. Kail says that smaller organizations have the opportunity to define what the edge means, what use cases are available. He warns against just extending the cloud and rebranding it as the 'edge'.


3.09PM EDT // 8.09PM BST

Congratulations to Eric Adrian, EVP JLL on winning the $250 Amazon Gift Cards.


3.00PM EDT // 8.00PM BST

We're officially kicking off the last panel of DCD>Building the Edge Virtual. Make sure you check out all our sessions from the past two days, for free, on-demand:

Make sure you take the opportunity to utilize our exclusive networking app:


12.49PM EDT // 5.49PM BST

If you're itching for some content in the meantime, make sure you check out our session previews with Antonio Pellegrino from Mutable, and Mike D. Kail from Everest.


12.48PM EDT // 5.48PM BST

As always, pleasure to have Peter on board for another session. Remember, if you want to re-watch the session, share it with a colleague, or if you missed it completely, you can access it for free, on-demand:

We'll be taking a short break until our next, and final panel for DCD>Building the Edge Virtual: David vs Goliath - how new models at the edge are shaking up the market. You'll have the opportunity to hear from some people making waves in the industry:

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12.29PM EDT // 5.29PM BST

Great question from the audience about the impacts of COVID-19. Peter covers some key benefits of the edge in response: it will support increased higher bandwidth demand.

"Once we get the infrastructure in place... we're never going to go back to the old way."

If you want to hear more about the impacts of COVID-19 on the industry, make sure you tune into our on-demand session from Day One:


12.15PM EDT // 5.15PM BST

Interesting thoughts on the evolution of expertise in the data center industry. An issue that expands far beyond the edge - but directly impacts how the rollout and infrastructure of the edge will be implemented.


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12.07PM EDT // 5.07PM BST

Reliable, scalable and efficient. Great summary of some key points from Peter. Edge uses extend beyond autonomous cars and time-sensitive applications, it will (hopefully) improve everyday use of applications for general users.


11.55AM EDT // 4.55PM BST

Another great session today, with some great questions from the audience about the market and how edge facilities will operate. Thanks Chris for joining us, and sharing your and Digital Realty's vision. Remember, if you missed out on the session or want to watch it again make sure you access it on-demand, for free.

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Up next, we have a session with Peter Panfil from Vertiv: How to power 10MWs at the edge: What have we learnt so far? Peter also shared more of Vertiv's capabilities yesterday in our Tech Showcase. Like all of our sessions, it is available on-demand, for free.


11.40AM EDT // 4.40PM BST

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Great question from the audience - will edge be fully automated or is there a necessity for people?

Chris says smaller facilities might have to be fully automated, but because of the size and nature of new locations coming online people will need to be involved at some point.


Digital Realty - Core to edge spectrum

11.16AM EDT // 4.16PM BST

Kudos to Digital Realty on being able to condense some really key information into a sleek, visually stimulating way. The cord to edge spectrum is really important when we consider the most efficient supply chains for the industry.

Remember to submit your questions for Chris through the Q&A widget in your session module.


Digital Realty - Global prescence

11.11AM EDT // 4.11PM BST

Great visualization from Chris on the reach and extent of Digital Realty. So how is a large organization feeling about the edge? Looking forward to hearing some more from Chris.


Make sure you check out the resources available in the resource panel.


10.45AM EDT // 3.45PM BST

Thanks Marc, another great session at DCD>Building the Edge Virtual. Remember, if you missed out on the panel or want to watch it again, you can access it for free, on-demand any time you like.

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Next up we've got Chris Sharp, CTO at Digital Realty, for his Keynote: What role does the core play in the future of edge? You're definitely not gonna want to miss this one. We'll be taking a look at how the industry is interfacing with the edge.


10.20AM EDT // 3.20PM BST

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Marc posits a great question: why do we need AI for edge computing? In essence, it allows for further automation and optimization of data center processes. Big brands like Google and AWS are using it more frequently.


10.16AM EDT // 3.16PM BST

We're getting great feedback on the DCD>Building the Edge Virtual conference. It's a great, accessible way for the global community to hear from thought leaders in the industry.

Ruben Comment

Ben Comment


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10.12AM EDT // 3.12PM BST

These are some really interesting growth figures Marc is sharing. Almost one for one in metrics about hyperscale data centers correlated per populations with 1M+ people.


9.57AM EDT // 2.57PM BST

Another great panel with some really great interactions from the audience. Remember to use the Q&A module in the live sessions to submit your questions to the panellists. If they don't get to answer during the session we pass them along so hopefully you can network after the session is over - ideally in the networking platform provided to you all. Remember you can always watch the session on-demand, for free, if you missed any of it:

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Onto our next session with Marc Cram, from Raritan and Sever Technology: If knowledge is power, how smart is your edge?. Remember to join the conversation on Twitter, using the hashtag #DCDEdgeVirtual.



9.37AM EDT // 2.37PM BST

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Russell sharing some key insights about resiliency. Infrastructure needs to be fully interconnected to ensure scale and reliability across multiple load demands and in different circumstances.

This seems to be a hot topic when it comes to the edge.


9.25AM EDT // 2.25PM BST

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"What was the core 4 years ago has become the edge."

Great insight from Willie about the changes of the industry and it's attitude towards infrastructure.


9.10AM EDT // 2.10PM BST

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Adrian highlights the challenges COVID-19 is presenting much of the industry. How can you deploy quickly and at scale? Like we've seen over the past few months, nothing ever goes 100% to plan - but how can automation testing deliver efficiency in the process? Let's find out.


8.42AM EDT // 1.42PM BST

Up next we're looking at all things testing. Can we reduce deployment, testing time and costs? Can we optimize optical networks? Can we reduce latency to ensure we're still in line with SLA's? We've got an expert panel who will answer these questions:

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8.37AM EDT // 1.37PM BST

Some great points from Trey on the evolving landscape of edge systems - i.e. how do we service a non-traditional model in an effective way? Remember if you missed out on the live session you can view the session on-demand.

Trey, thanks for joining us and what a great look at a use case for us all.


8.22AM EDT // 1.22PM BST

Summarizing some of Trey's key insights from his work at Dell EMC:

  1. Identify the functional edge
  2. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.
  3. Choose your partners wisely.


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8.10AM EDT // 1.10PM BST

Trey makes some fantastic points about the role of data collection and inferencing to make improvements to systems and ecosytems. There's no point collecting data if you're not using it and analysing it.

There's always optimization to be done!


Trey Wiederhold - Live Blog Card

8.00AM EDT // 1.00PM BST

We're onto our next session of the day with Trey Wiederhold from Dell EMC: Cutting Edge: 3 things to know for successful deployment of edge data centers. Our winner of the DCD Global Award for Edge Data Center Project of the Year in 2019, discusses how Dell EMC approach edge deployments.


7.57AM EDT // 12.57PM BST

Fantastic start to the day, and thank you to our panellists for a comprehensive look at the possibility of a net-zero edge. If you missed out on our first session of the day, would like to watch again or want share with a colleague or friend you can access the session on-demand.


Prof John Goodacre - Live Blog Card

7.47AM EDT // 12.47PM BST

John weighs in on the discussion about system architectures, talking about the importance of improving system architecture in tandem, not standalone. Cooling, IT, delivery etc. all need to be optimised in order to ensure net-zero, or as close to net-zero as possible.


Alberto Ravagni - Live Blog Card

7.20AM EDT // 12.20PM BST

"If you use a fuel cell with renewable gasses... it will give you onsite, clean and renewable power." Great thoughts about the future of powering data centers by Alberto.


Peter Hopton - Live Blog Card

7.14AM EDT // 12.14PM BST

Peter Hopton thinks there's definitely opportunities here to put servers where reusable energy is available. Great ideas that are are inline with Iceotope's projects that are enabling a more sustainable edge.


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7.14AM EDT // 12.14PM BST

First big question of the day, is the idea of net-zero edge a pipe dream? Keen to hear what the panel has to say.

We recently did a piece with David Craig, Iceotope, on liquid cooling at the edge. Great reading for later.


7.05AM EDT // 12.05PM BST

And we're off! George Rockett, CEO of DCD kicks off the day with a stellar panel talking about the possibility of a net-zero edge. As George mentioned, we've got a virtual networking platform available our viewers so you can chat to other viewers and speakers on the panel. Highly recommend getting stuck in, it stays open for a whole week:


5.39AM EDT // 10.39AM BST

Our first session of the day will be Exploring the net-zero edge. We'll be talking to some key experts involved in new, pioneering projects that leverage edge computing. Meet your panellists:

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5.15AM EDT // 10.15AM BST

It's just under two hours til we start day two of DCD>Building the Edge Virtual. I'll plug our live blog here in case you missed out on any of the action yesterday:

Remember, if you missed out on any panels you can watch them on-demand, for free.

We're getting some fantastic feedback on our sessions yesterday. Congrats to Mark Thiele on a stellar session. Let's see what we have in store for today.

Day 2 - Building the Edge Liveblog Image 1