NEF partner, Hosted Solutions, is hosting a virtualization event that will address how SaaS companies can utilize virtualization to ensure business continuity and disaster recovery.

This event is aimed at IT professionals, network managers, risk assessment managers and anyone involved with business continuity and disaster recovery planning. The goal is to provide an overview of why virtualization is important for business continuity and disaster recovery, while also explaining how someone would create a highly effective disaster recovery plan using virtualization.

The event will also outline several companies and their contribution to virtualization. For example, Hosted Solutions provides space and managed services, ICI provides VMware and other components to virtualize and NEF and Ciena provide the network and gear to connect the key sites.

WHEN:
Thursday.
October 30th, 2008
6pm to 9pm

WHERE:
Hyatt Regency Cambridge
575 Memorial Drive Cambridge
MA 02139
ph. 617.492.1234

Fiber optic experts agree that the best way for a bandwidth-intensive business operation to boost the efficiency of its network is to own its fiber optic network rather than rent them through a local phone company. With companies like Ford Motor Co., Bank of America, Bausch & Lomb and Gannett Co already owning their own optical fiber lines, the benefits of owning versus subscribing to the local phone company are clear.

Traditionally, optical fiber lines were thought of as too expensive to own, and much too difficult to manage. It was also believed that only specially trained optics engineers were able to build and run the networks. However, owning is far cheaper than renting and a short-distance optical network is easy to handle for anyone who is familiar with IP networking gear.

Whether to utilize dark fiber or subscribe to a service from a local carrier often comes down to price. If you are spending from $7,000 to $10,000 per month on telecommunication services, you could potentially save up to 30 percent on your total network costs. But how can you save so much money through dark fiber?

During the 1990’s excessive amounts of fiber optical lines were laid underground, but were not put into use. To lay all of this fiber, phone companies, electric companies and municipalities had to disrupt the lives of their citizens and dig up miles of city streets. This was problematic for the public and thus, all open conduits were packed with as much fiber as possible, so that there would be less of a need to re-open the conduits in the future to install more fiber. 

Now with an oversupply of dark fiber, prices in fiber optical lines have declined and owning your own dark fiber network can cost less than subscribing to an outside service. Because of the decrease in price in dark fiber and newer, less expensive optical equipment, many midsize companies and cost-conscious fields such as education and health care can reap the benefits of dark fiber and buy the equipment required to run their own network on it.

Contact NEF today and to find a better, faster, cheaper network connection.

5) Look at an interconnection site as well as a data center facility.  Most data center locations have a reasonable amount of connectivity options but no where near the number that interconnection site have.  What's the difference?  Data center locations are made to house servers and network gear, interconnection sites are places where your internal network meets the rest of the world.  Why is it important?  Adding an interconnection node to your network radically reduces the cost of connectivity to sites outside of your network by offering you a vast number of options.  More carriers competing for the same business reduces cost.  It also eliminates the costly last mile.  I would suggest that you look at a site like Telx as an example of a top interconnection facility.

NEF provides a number of tools that may be of assistance to enterprise customers.  Information can be found throughout our site, and at FiberLocator.com and FindADataCenter.com

2) Make sure you have a migration plan well mapped out before you start to move.  Given that there are so many details and critical decisions it makes sense to hire a firm that specializes in data center moves.  The cost of their services is usually off-set by saving money during the actual move.  NEF has worked with clients that have done it on their own and others that hired specialists.  Our experience, categorically, is that the companies that hired specialists  had much smoother moves.  I would recommend speaking to a company like TDS (www.transitionaldata.com)

3) Make sure that the data center that you select has ample AC and DC power.  The recent trend towards deploying higher density computing platforms has put a real strain on the power supplies in many of the data centers. 

4) Have a contingency plan for all aspects of your move.  Cover everything from the space not being ready, the network connectivity not being installed to a plan for bad weather on the day of the move.  Given that most moves are mission critical, do not let fate intervene.

The biggest challenges for enterprises tend to be finding network connectivity and evaluating off-site data center locations.  For many of the enterprise customers it is the first time they are going through this process and it can be a bit overwhelming. 

Time for a bit of free advice.  NEF has worked with numerous large enterprise customers to complete data center migrations.  Whether it's a large or small deployment many of the key elements are the same.

1) Make sure you select a location that has ample network connectivity from providers that can interconnect your HQ locations to the datacenter and also get out to key carrier PoPs.  Many times enterprises will have the real estate group or a facilities team evaluate data center space.  They look at the things they are familiar with such as square footage required, power and cooling and access to the physical location.  Often times the network component is overlooked which drives up the total cost of moving a data center off-site.  Space + network connectivity = total cost.  Costs to connect different data centers can fluctuate as much as 100% between locations.  Make sure you get quotes from multiple providers for network connectivity before you sign a lease.  Being on an island is great if you are in the Caribbean but not so great if it's your data center.

Over the last couple of years NEF has noticed several significant trends in working with enterprise customers.  The first over-arching trend is that enterprise customers need to move their data centers from corporate or campus locations to improved data center space.  The reasons for this change is usually related to things like regulatory or insurance compliance, a lack of power in existing space or the escalating cost of retail office space.

Moving to an off-site data center typically makes financial sense for most enterprises.  The cost of retail office space in major cities is in many cases more expensive than improved data center space in the suburbs.  It also saves the cost of upgrading/building out data center space within the corporate space.  Costs include upgrading HVAC, providing UPS and generator back-up and things like raised floors.  Not to mention the pesky fines from regulatory agencies for not meeting compliance guidelines.

From a network perspective off-site data centers are built for the singular purpose of keeping networks up and running.  The sites have proper environmentals, ample power feeds and adequate security.  All of these systems are designed to support the needs of a large scale enterprise operation. In this four part series, I will present the challenges enterprises face when searching for network connectivity and evaluating off-site data centers, and tips on how to overcome those challenges.

SC07 Selects AFS to Facilitate Conference’s High Bandwidth, High Performance Network

New Private Optical Networking Infrastructures to Provide Long-Term Benefits to the City of Reno

Reno, Nevada – October 31, 2007 –  American Fiber Systems (AFS, a provider of Reno dark fiber solutions) announced today that it has been selected to provide optical broadband networking facilities for SCinet and SC07, an international conference on high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis, being held in November in Reno, Nevada. Through the agreement, AFS will deploy fiber optic access directly into the Reno Sparks Convention Center (RSCC) to connect the center to major network nodes located in Reno.

SC07 is not your typical trade show and SCinet is not your typical network.  Held November 10-16, SC07 provides the ultimate environment for network researchers, scientists and industry leaders to showcase high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis. Attendees will see firsthand how these advances are directly impacting the progress of research, education and commerce.

SCinet serves as the technical platform for show exhibitors to demonstrate these advanced computing resources from their home institutions and elsewhere by supporting the most advanced supercomputing and grid computing applications and experiments. Designed and built entirely by volunteers from universities, government and industry, SCinet will use the fiber facilities provided by AFS to create and connect multiple 10-gigabit per second (Gbps) optical circuits to the show floor, thereby linking the center to the most powerful research and commercial networks around the world.

"The AFS private optical network has been built to support the latest technologies like those exhibited at the SC conference,” commented Mike D'Angelo, VP of Sales and Marketing at AFS. “Our company is driven by the desire to remain the clear choice in the west for any organization running high bandwidth applications." D’Angelo added, "AFS is proud to be associated with a conference of this caliber."

In addition, the network facilities and fiber optic access infrastructure that will be deployed by AFS to support SC07 will remain in place at RSCC to enable the city to continue to attract conferences and shows that require advanced networking for its exhibitors and attendees.

“The partnership with AFS and the SCinet team has resulted in a long-term benefit that will help us continue to attract conferences and shows that require advanced networking for exhibitors and attendees,” said Knud Svedsen, RSCVA vice president of sales and marketing.

FiberLight Engages NEF to Utilize and Expand Optical Network Solutions in Eight Markets


Framingham, MA / October 23, 2007—NEF Inc., a leader in dark fiber and lit service solutions, has partnered with FiberLight, LLC, a key leading provider of network infrastructure solutions, to create and design optimal communications networks for enterprise clients and telecommunications carriers in eight metro markets: Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Tampa, South Florida, and Washington, DC.

NEF empowers clients with both network information and professional services to create robust, scalable and affordable networks.  FiberLight designs, constructs and maintains an extensive fiber optic infrastructure for a diverse customer base. This partnership will allow clients to build end-to-end connectivity solutions, including data center integration and network design and deployment, through the expertise of NEF in designing efficient optical networks using FiberLight’s robust lit and dark fiber networks. Providing customers with the first all private fiber interface for DS-3 through OC-192 and GigE capacity, FiberLight's new product line, LightSource, allows customers to scale dark fiber to meet their bandwidth requirements.

Michael Murphy, President of NEF, offers, “Our partnership with FiberLight enables us to create and deploy stable, secure networks, higher speeds and competitive rates. With FiberLight’s metro optical network solutions, we can provide our customers cost-effective alternatives to the local exchange carriers in these eight niche markets.”

“NEF’s FiberLocator network database combined with their vast experience and knowledge has enabled companies like ours to expand our distribution well beyond traditional channels,” says Kevin Coyne, COO of FiberLight.  “NEF and FiberLight combined turn not only fast reliable quotes, but the most quality carrier grade services in the industry.  FiberLight’s footprint also expands to over 20 tier two and tier three markets.”

Companies need robust, scalable and affordable networks. By utilizing or creating a dark fiber network, companies can realize many benefits, including: affordable cost, freedom and flexibility, control of service and maintenance, and scalability limited only by the pace of technology and innovation.


About NEF
NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting firms, offering 25 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF can provide a broad spectrum of products from dark fiber solutions to high bandwidth, fully managed optical services. Through their partners, such as FiberLight, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides access to over 50 fiber providers in 48 states, 3.5 million miles of metro and national fiber and over 60,000 lit buildings.

About FiberLight, LLC
FiberLight, LLC is an Atlanta-based company with fourteen years of experience in creating networks for some of the most demanding customers in the Telecommunications industry. Since its inception in 1993 as American Communications Services Inc. (ACSI), they have installed over 400,000 duct and fiber miles with over 5,300 access points, as well as hundreds of laterals off their backbone. As a leading provider of network infrastructure solutions and strategic network design services, FiberLight designs, constructs and maintains an extensive Fiber Optic Infrastructure for a diverse customer base including local and long distance telecommunications carriers, Internet Service Providers, municipalities, utilities, Fortune 500 companies, school systems, local, city, and Federal Government entities. FiberLight fully owns a robust dark fiber network throughout eight primary metro markets – Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Dallas/Ft.Worth, TX; Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX; Tampa, FL; South Florida; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit the FiberLight website at FiberLight.com.


About Thermo
Thermo Capital Partners LLC, a majority investor in FiberLight and an owner operator, is part of the Thermo Companies, based in New Orleans, LA, and Denver, CO, a highly successful group of privately held companies focused on opportunities in the telecommunications, power generation, natural resources, and real estate industries. For more information, visit the Thermo website at ThermoCompanies.com.



For more information, please contact:

NEF:
Michael Murphy, CEO
508-663-1677
mmurphy@nefiber.com

FiberLight, LLC:
Mark Taylor
(678) 347-9277
mark.taylor@fiberlight.com

LEED Buildings Have Become Big Business
The primary measure of “green buildings” today is the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard. Though originally designed for the construction industry without data centers in mind, a growing number of new data centers are being designed and built with the intent of qualifying for LEED certification. Several early LEED data centers have included office components designed to simplify the LEED certification process.

In spite of its critics, LEED has built significant momentum in recent years. The Green Building Council (USGBC) has grown from seven to 116 paid employees in large part from the fees for awarding silver, gold and platinum certifications. This also accounts for 95 percent of USGBC’s $50 million annual budget. Market acceptance of LEED has been a primary growth driver.

A whole new commercial arena, LEED certified buildings are marketed to high-end clients and governments, garners free publicity for architects and builders, and entices builders to buy new products, materials, and systems. In many major metropolitan areas, developers must have an LEED rating in order to advertise their property as being Class A [the highest-quality commercial building]. Regardless of ambivalent moral sentiment about the green building issue, people throughout the construction industry are finding that it's a marketplace necessity.

Has the USGBC simply benefitted from being in the right place at the right time? Perhaps.

According to LEED critics, alternative green approaches have produced greater energy savings than LEED, such as guidelines from Architecture 2030. Wisely, the USGBC shifted its focus in 2004 when talking about LEED from leading with the environmental story to leading with the business and financial case.

There are currently 6,500 LEED-certified projects, and more than 42,000 LEED trained and certified professionals. The ability to promote a "green building" has often been a publicity outpouring for corporations.

Having your building project with its LEED Gold plaque, green roof and photovoltaic system featured as the lead story on the local network news in your city will certainly get attention from the public. The results could be that dozens, possibly hundreds of clients, prospective employees, and others in your industry will see your company.

NEF can help you find a data center to meet your needs. Contact NEF today for more information.




More to come in the next post… In the meantime, if you are looking for a data center to meet your security and redundancy needs, contact NEF today for more information

The Data Center Cooling Set Points Debate, part 2
Scheduled to launch next year, a key goal of Hewlett Packard's Dynamic Smart Cooling product is raising the set point. This is accomplished by incorporating CFD, a sensor network, and a central server to monitor and adjust cooling. Another readily-available product with a similar approach is DegreeC's AdaptivCool solution.

Equipment from HP, IBM, Sun and Cisco are all warranteed to work in environments up to 95 degrees. Though 95 degrees is an impractical set point, most facilities can raise the temperature without compromising reliability.

Several concerns around this issue have been raised. A higher set point leaves a shorter window of opportunity to address cooling failures. A typical data center running at 5 kilowatts per server cabinet will experience a thermal shutdown within three minutes during a power outage. Higher density cabinets with 10 kilowatts will shut down in less than a minute. Instant data loss and lost revenue are the dangers of thermal runaways. If the data center is well managed, the benefits of raising the set point outweigh the risks. If you experience a thermal event, you will have to recover quickly.

The impact of higher temperatures on data center humidity can be an important issue in the data center environment. Excessive humidity can cause condensation on electronic components in a data center and too little can damage equipment from static electricity.

The raised floor isn't the only area of the data center where temperature settings are being scrutinized for energy savings. Raising the chilled water systems from 45 to 55 degrees could improve chiller efficiency by 15 to 25 percent.

Are you ready to evaluate your options for data center location, security and protection? NEF can help you find your best options. Contact NEF today for more information.