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Good morning and welcome to DCD>Building at Scale Virtual Live Blog. My name is Shaun, Content Marketing Specialist here at DCD and I'll be covering all three days' worth of content from the industry's largest virtual events.
I'll be posting content, links, and listening in on discussions happening in the social sphere as the day goes on. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @dcdnews and use the hashtag #DCDScale to join in on the discussion. Remember, if you're a registered delegate you can access our dedicated networking platform to connect with other delegates and speakers - it's 100% free.
4:00PM EDT // 9:00PM BST
That wraps-up Day 1 of DCD>Building at Scale Virtual. We're back again tomorrow, kicking off at 7:00AM EDT or 12:00PM BST. You can check out all the sessions we have in store on our conference agenda. As George mentioned, remember to use our Networking App, where you can connect with 1,500 delegates from 80 countries across the world.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who's tuned in today. We can't run the world's largest virtual events for the data center industry without you, our viewers, or our business partners. Remember to join in on the discussion in the social sphere, we're appreciating the feedback!
3:57PM EDT // 8:57PM BST
A fantastic conclusion to the day with some fantastic discussion by Mike and Nancy. This is a must watch panel! Remember, you can watch it again, on-demand, for free and connect with both Mike and Nancy on our exclusive networking platform.
3:32PM EDT // 8:32PM BST
"I don't think there's a silver bullet - it all starts with collaboration."
A common theme, also mentioned by Nancy. More collaboration will benefit the industry as a whole.
3:20PM EDT // 8:20PM BST
Very relevant points from Nancy on the importance of collaboration across the industry - how can organizations across the industry work together to deliver better outcomes overall? A holistic approach to business is more important now than ever, especially in the face of a global pandemic.
Normalizing technology across the baord and making it more accessible will benefit the industry and end users as well.
3:15PM EDT // 8:15PM BST
Great summaries from Nancy and Mike on their respective roles. Mike share's some insights about the increasing pressure on shorter service dates, with increasing interdependence on actual builds being implemented more effectively.
2:49PM EDT // 7:49PM BST
Thank you very much to Harmail and John for joining us this evening (or afternoon, wherever you are). Some great points towards the end there about building at scale during a global pandemic. Remember, if you missed the panel you can watch it for free, on-demand at any time, and you can connect with Harmail, Jon and other delegates on our dedicated networking app:
Our next, and final panel for the day is 'From shell and core to fully operational', a comprehensive panel about the technology decisions that need to be made, and how the fit out of technology can impact on the design and scale of the build. George Rockett, CEO of DCD will joined by:
- Nancy Novak, Chief Innovation Officer, Compass Datacenters
- Mike Buckingham, Global Director - Projects & Hyperscale, CBRE
2:26PM EDT // 7:26PM BST
This is a really fascinating back and forth between Harmail and Jon, and a rare insight into the planning and design it takes to build a truly hyperconverged data center. Remember you can keep up-to-date in the social sphere by using the hashtag #DCDScale.
2:14PM EDT // 7:14PM BST
Interesting points from Harmail on maximising utilisation of the rack, cooling and power. Using a taller, more optimised rack let Harmail and Jon work together on a really innovative approach to design and implementation.
1:54PM EDT // 6:54PM BST
Thanks Craig, Scotland and Esteban for a great showcase, with some great demos of the tech the industry can utilise in their own operations. Remember, you can connect with our panellists and re-watch the panel for free, on-demand:
The penultimate panel of the night is a case study: Designing a truly hyperconverged data center. We'll be joined by Harmail Chatha Singh from Nutanix and Jon VanHoose from Starline, who will walk you through their data center design journey and how it led to a hyper-dense, hyper-converged facility.
- Case Study: Designing a truly hyperconverged data center
- Harmail Chatha Singh, Senior Director Global Platform Operations, Nutanix
- Jon VanHoose, Regional Sales Manager, Starline Holdings, LLC, a company of Legrand North America
1:33PM EDT // 6:33PM BST
Wow, great demos from Scotland and Esteban. It's not often you get a peek under the hood of major software platforms. Remember, you can ask Scotland and Esteban questions after the panel has concluded using Swapcard. You'll also be able to connect with other delegates from the conference:
1:18PM EDT // 6:18PM BST
Thank you very much Craig, lots of resources for our audience to get stuck into. Remember you can ask Craig questions about Gordon Inc.'s data center solutions using our dedicated networking app:
12:49PM EDT // 5:49PM BST
Thanks to both Harry and Phill for a deeply insightful panel. Remember you can access the panel for free, on-demand:
Our next session is our Day 1 Tech Showcases, a series of quick-fire presentations showcasing the latest technologies to drive rapid expansion and innovation in the design and build of data centers. We'll be joined by representatives from Gordon Inc. and Autodesk.
- Tech Showcases - Day One
- Craig Eychaner, Director of Sales and Business Development, Gordon Inc.
- Scotland Foss, District Manager PNW, Autodesk
- Esteban Corrales, Technical Solutions Executive, Autodesk
12:23PM EDT // 5:23PM BST
Harry shares some of the key considerations in both the design and construction processes.
12:17PM EDT // 5:17PM BST
Phill sharing some really interesting insights in a change of thinking: production not construction.
11:35AM EDT // 4:35PM BST
A big thanks to Doug Mouton from Microsoft for joining us, it's always great to hear about global initiatives that businesses like Microsoft are undertaking. If you missed Doug's panel, you can watch it for free, on-demand:
Our next panel of the day will feature some industry leaders, discussing how to realize the benefits of standardization and the pros and cons of modular construction. Make sure you're registered for the session:
- Modular or traditional data center builds - is standardization now the key to mitigate risk and increase speed to market?
- Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer, Aligned Energy
- Harry Handlin, Director of Data Center Solutions Architecture, ABB
11:20AM EDT // 4:20PM BST
Doug says Microsoft are using Power BI and predictive analytics to understand supply chain and site productivity, particularly in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. This is plugged into multiple fields, tools and APIs to have better understandings of data centers and customer service.
11:10AM EDT // 4:10PM BST
Extremely pertinent and important notes from Doug on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the data center industry. Especially with current global events, and specifically crimes committed at data center construction sites.
10:42AM EDT // 3:42PM BST
A big thanks to Alastair, and what an insightful presentation. Remember, you can watch the sessions again on-demand, for free:
In our next session, we'll be joined by Doug Mouton, General Manager - Global Data Center Execution, Microsoft for his Keynote: Our hazard alert - lifting the veil on the unintended consequences of global growth in ‘campus’ construction.
10:14AM EDT // 3:14PM BST
"Data center white space is a highly prized commodity."
Alastair highlights how important it is to be able to squeeze out as much efficiency and compute out of your data center as possible.
10:05AM EDT // 3:05PM BST
"A huge amount of data will be generated at the edge."
A key point shared by Alastair, we've seen growing predictions of data usage by things like robotics and self-driving vehicles.
9:46AM EDT // 2:46PM BST
Thanks again to Andrew Jay from CBRE for joining us in our Fireside Chat. Remember, if you missed it, you can access it on-demand, for free by registering on our agenda:
In our next panel for the day, we'll be joined by Alastair Waite of CommScope to discuss network infrastructure. Make sure you're registered using the links below:
9:25AM EDT // 2:25PM BST
"The finance has to be at a lower price to be competitive with hyperscalers building themselves."
Very interesting points from Andrew on the capital expenditure requirements to develop hyperscale data centers, and how hyperscalers work with financial institutions and colocation companies.
9:18AM EDT // 2:18PM BST
Thanks for joining us Michael! Most definitely is feeling like the new normal. Remember you can view our full calendar of virtual events on our summer calendar.
9:14AM EDT // 2:14PM BST
Andrew talks about some important factors leading to the .com boom, specifically the deregulation of the telecoms industry. What do you all think are some factors contributing to the growth of the data center industry?
8:57AM EDT // 1:57PM BST
What a fantastic, varied panel. Many thanks to Amy, Mick and Viktor for joining us. If you missed the panel, or want to watch it again, you can access it for free, on-demand by registering:
Our next panel is starting shortly - our CEO, George Rockett is joined by Andrew Jay, Executive Director at CBRE to talk about CBRE’s latest market report and his perspectives on market evolution. Make sure you're registered for the session.
- Fireside chat: Latest research on future capacity requirements - where, when and how much?
- Andrew Jay, Executive Director, CBRE
8:37AM EDT // 1:37PM BST
Great example from Viktor on the variations in timeline and product dependent on client. Flexibility across standardization is a key question the industry is asking.
8:32AM EDT // 1:32PM BST
Amy highlights some important issues that come along with the transportation of pre-fab. How does transport work? What is the impact on sustainability?
8:14AM EDT // 1:14PM BST
Mick makes some fantastic points about how Covid-19 has impacted not only the data center industry, but many industries across the world. Embracing change and digitization is happening quicker than ever.
7:43AM EDT // 12:43PM BST
Many thanks to Rhonda for joining us in a great opening keynote to kick off the conference. Remember, we have another panel starting shortly: How is data center design and engineering evolving to keep up with demand? We'll be joined by some leading experts to discuss new reference architectures and standardization.
- Amy Daniell, Director Hyperscale Team, Global Data Center EMEA, NTT Ltd
- Viktor Petik, Vice President Integrated Modular Solutions for EMEA, Vertiv
- Mick Lynam, Director, Project Delivery, PM Group
7:37AM EDT // 12:37PM BST
If you're not listening to the Q&A segment with Rhonda, you're definitely missing out. Remember you can register now and watch (or re-watch) Rhonda's presentation on-demand.
7:32AM EDT // 12:32PM BST
Large scale data centers are being built three or four times faster, and at about half the cost compared to ten years ago. This is a massive shift in cost and speed!
7:25AM EDT // 12:25PM BST
Rhonda shares the key influencing factors affecting speed of provisioning.
As Rebecca mentioned, you can access all of our previous conferences sessions from all our of virtual events this year, for free, on-demand:
You can also network with delegates and speakers on our dedicated networking app:
With just a few hours to go til DCD>Building at Scale Virtual begins, make sure you're registered for all three days worth of prime content:
Our first session of the day is the Opening Keynote: Best-in-class data center provisioning at scale, with Rhonda Ascierto from Uptime Institute. Join this session to hear the latest research into best practices and best-in-class provisioning,