Data Centre Magazine August 2020 | Page 57

“ The enormous number of devices , coupled with the sheer volume , velocity and structure of IoT data , creates challenges ”

— Joe Skorupa , VP , Analyst , Gartner
IoT is producing spell a number of challenges for data centre operators .
A recent report by Bain & Co notes that “ given the progress in sensor technology , 5G connectivity , edge computing and edge analytics , and an estimated 20 billion devices connected by 2020 , there ’ s little doubt of the potential for technology to vastly improve efficiency and no doubt that the IoT will have to manage it .”
The flow of data – traditionally outwards from a centralised data centre to enterprises – is being reversed as IoT traffic will see huge amounts of data , made up of vast numbers of smaller data packets generated by individual devices , flowing into these data centres . Joe
Skorupa , vice president and analyst at Gartner , explains that , “ Existing data centre WAN links are sized for the moderate-bandwidth requirements generated by human interactions with applications . IoT promises to dramatically change these patterns by transferring massive amounts of small message sensor data to the data centre for processing , dramatically increasing inbound data centre bandwidth requirements .”
The incredible proliferation of endpoints driven by IoT adoption is elevating security threat levels , as malicious actors find themselves able to gain access to networks through an array of new smart devices . Lastly , the IoT revolution is starting to completely restructure the global data centre architecture in a way that could potentially spell doom for hyperscale data centre infrastructure entirely , as the market pivots towards a race to the edge .
Data centre operators need to be aware of these trends , as those who react quickly have the potential to drive their slower competitors out of the market . Here , we explore the key
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