Review IT Infrastructure event 2019

In a brand new location with an unmistakable industrial appearance, the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam, exhibitors and visitors gathered for the IT Infra event 2019. In addition to long-term themes in the data center world, such as continuity and energy savings, impactful technological developments were also discussed in the lecture program .

By: Dimitri Reijerman

There's nothing like Groningen: that seemed to be the slogan of the opening keynote by Cas König, CEO of Groningen Seaports. As in being interview With FHI, König provided an overview of the many advantages of Dataport Eemshaven as a data and fiber optic hub for IT companies. In particular, the wide range of energy sources, many of which are already sustainable, makes Eemshaven an interesting location for data centers.

Leo Kusters from AutomotiveNL gave the IT Infra visitor a glimpse into the future. He talked about the enormous amounts of data that will have to be processed in data centers if the (semi) autonomous car continues to advance. This technological development not only places higher demands on data centers and networks, but also creates a different dynamic in the automotive market in which data plays a key role.

Three tracks

After the opening keynote, the lectures were divided into three tracks: continuity, cooling & energy and future, 5G & mobility. When running a data center, continuity and compliance play a crucial role. An example was given in the lecture about bacterial growth in process water installations: strict rules apply, but not all companies have their accounts in order, said Raymond Brouwer of the AQ Group. Lectures by Taco Dekker (Siemens) and Daan Preijde (ABATO Motoren) on electrical connections and emergency power generators respectively were closely related to the track topic of continuity.

Just after lunch, Taco Kluwer from the Telecom Agency gave an overview of the role this regulator plays in the arrival of 5G networks and the associated infrastructure. In addition to monitoring the market, the Agency also plays a role in directing investments in 5G technology. Kluwer emphasized that the arrival of 5G and similar network infrastructure is absolutely necessary to keep the highly digitalized Dutch economy and society afloat.

Edge computing also plays a role in the rise of increasingly faster networks. Because certain storage tasks and specific calculation jobs need to be processed so quickly that a traditional cloud system is no longer sufficient. With a lecture entitled 'discover the edge', Andre Hiddink (Rittal) provided an overview of a number of options for creating a 'hybrid cloud' with edge computing and formulating answers to these issues.

Cooling and emergency power

There is still a lot of environmental benefit to be gained from cooling. Three parties – speakers from Western Airconditioning, APAC, Aquain and De Wit data center cooling respectively – provided concrete solutions in a track. At the same time, Ronald Lagerberg of Koninklijke van Twist gave a lecture in which he posited that around 2030 the end of emergency power could be a reality could be.'

Ron den Biesen (Belgacloud) and Jos Theuns (ATEPS) concluded the lecture program. By applying various sustainable measures, such as submerged cooling and energy storage, a data center from Holland Datacenters managed to achieve significant energy savings in an already competitive market.

After the broad lecture program, visitors and exhibitors could have drinks in the impressive hall of the event location. Perhaps the content of IT Infrastructure 2020 has already been discussed.