Big Data

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Cooling is becoming the constraint: how data centre design is changing under pressure

Data centres have traditionally been designed with a focus on compute capacity, with cooling treated as a supporting system that can be scaled as needed. That assumption no longer holds. As demand for data processing continues to grow, driven by cloud services and artificial intelligence, cooling is becoming a primary constraint on how infrastructure is designed, operated and expanded. This shift is particularly relevant in Australia, where rapid growth in digital infrastructure is being balanced against constraints around energy availability, cost and sustainability expectations. As new facilities are developed and existing sites are expanded, operators are facing increasing pressure to optimise both performance and resource use. One of the clearest indicators of this change is the scale of energy required to run modern data centres. Cooling alone accounts for a significant portion of overall consumption, and total demand continues to rise as compute intensity increases. This is not just a question of efficiency. It is a question of whether existing approaches to cooling can keep pace with increasing thermal loads while remaining viable in a constrained energy environment. The result is a shift in how cooling is viewed. It is no longer a downstream engineering decision. It is a core determinant of performance, cost and scalability. This becomes more pronounced as rack densities increase. Traditional air-based systems remain effective at lower densities, but their limitations become more apparent as heat loads rise. Liquid cooling has emerged as a practical response. By using the thermal properties of liquids, systems can remove heat more efficiently and support higher-density infrastructure. However, this is not simply a technology shift. It requires a different approach to system design, integration and operation. In this environment, performance is no longer defined by capacity alone. It is increasingly defined by control. Cooling systems must operate in dynamic conditions, […]

Do or die: Why “transformation at scale” is now a must for Australian manufacturers

By Paul Eastwood Australian Managing Partner of global management consultancy, Argon & Co Australian manufacturers can’t survive on a BAU basis. The game has changed and it’s no longer about incremental improvements in the world of manufacturing – it’s about transformation at scale. So this is a wake-up call for CEOs: if your factories don’t have key capabilities embedded in their operating model, your business could be obsolete before the decade is out. And the reason for this relates to a number of coalescing factors. Stiff competition from countries with lower labour costs and larger industrial bases – think China, India, and Vietnam – combined with Australia’s high wages, energy costs, and regulatory burdens are creating enormous cost pressures. Only transformative changes like automation, digitisation, or shifting to advanced manufacturing can offset these pressures. Events like COVID-19 exposed Australia’s weak sovereign capabilities, and occurred at roughly the same time that sustainability demands shot up from consumers, investors, and governments. Both of these factors call for reimagined supply chains, not just optimising existing ones. And massive technology shifts caused by the rise of Industry 4.0 and innovations based in AI, robotics, IoT, and 3D printing mean the industry is evolving fast. There’s no time to watch and see. Because in just a short time, the winners and losers within the manufacturing sector will become apparent. But it’s not all doom and gloom. If you want to be a technology winner – one with an intelligent, connected and adaptive factory – there are five pillars that aren’t just operational enhancements but strategic imperatives. Below are the five key elements that separate future-ready enterprises from those still playing catch up – i.e. the losers. Master Data At the foundation of every digital transformation lies one critical asset: data. And not just any data. […]

Two ransomware incidents highlight how attackers target security blind spots

By Barracuda Networks IT security teams are bombarded daily if not hourly with security alerts and events. They need to cut through the noise to piece together the puzzle of potential threats and anomalous or suspicious activity to decide whether they are looking at legitimate actions or intruders with malicious intent. What happens when one or more of the puzzle pieces are missing? Two different, real-life ransomware incidents targeting manufacturing companies and mitigated by Barracuda Managed XDR highlight what can happen to a company when their security cover is incomplete. Incident #1: A Play ransomware attack The security blind spots: compromised domain admin credentials, unprotected server not visible to security cover, the misuse of legitimate, commercially available IT tools At approximately 1:00 a.m. on a Tuesday night, attackers exploited the credentials for a domain admin account to breach an unprotected remote desktop server belonging to their target. The lack of security cover meant that the anomalous activity on the domain controller went unnoticed. The attackers then tried to establish persistence by installing a remote monitoring and management application on the unprotected server so that they could control their target from a distance. The attackers used commercially available tools to try to obtain a list of credentials and move laterally through the network. This activity brought them to the attention of security tools which promptly killed the malicious activity. The attackers then tried to disable and manipulate security measures and delete copies of files – a common precursor to the release of ransomware. This activity was also detected and blocked. At 3:20 a.m. the attackers tried to execute Play ransomware and encrypt several devices. By 3:23 a.m. this attempt was shut down when the targeted endpoints were isolated from the network. With full security cover the attack could have been neutralised […]

Digital service transformation trends

Five ways to stay competitive in 2024 and beyond The digital transformation sweeping the world is revolutionising how we live and work, fuelled by new technologies such as AI, machine learning and automation. Accounting for more than 70 per cent of GDP and 4 in 5 jobs, Australia’s service sector has become a focal point in this change, spurred on by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Queensland (UQ) Business School’s Service Innovation Alliance (SIA) Research Hub is at the forefront of research in this space. Led by internationally recognised experts Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy and Associate Professor Christoph Breidbach, the SIA brought together a roundtable of 64 academic and industry representatives in November 2022, spanning finance, retail, medicine, hospitality, tourism, transportation, construction and more. So, how can leaders refine customer experiences, create service innovations, grow their businesses and effectively manage their workforce through emerging digital technologies? Contributors to the White Paper share their strategies for 2024 and beyond. #1 Maintaining humanness in the age of digitalisation SIA Research Hub Co-Lead, Professor McColl-Kennedy firmly believes that at the very core of every exciting new technology and bold digital transformation, there must beat a human heart. Preserving a human element is a key consideration for service sector organisations, one that’s critical to human and economic wellbeing. Professor McColl-Kennedy said clear boundaries and human oversight were crucial for the responsible implementation of new digital technology. “We’re arguing that humans and not AI should be at the centre of business activities; that humans need to be in charge, directing and shaping the future,” she said. As AI learns from humans by observing and repeating their actions, it can be used to perform mundane and repetitive tasks, such as answering frequently asked questions or filtering email spam, and taught to undertake dangerous or dirty activities […]

Q&A:Dr Paul Flachskampf, CEO, INFORM Australia

AI – It’s been around for a while now. What is all the fuss about? Dr Paul Flachskampf: AI is indeed not a new concept, INFORM has been leveraging these advanced tools to optimise business process for decades, but the excitement and “fuss” we see today stem from the significant advancements made in recent years. AI has evolved to become more sophisticated, capable, and accessible than ever before. It can potentially revolutionise various industries by offering powerful decision-making tools, data-driven insights, and automation that were previously unimaginable. As a result, businesses now have a new tool to optimise their operations, achieve higher levels of efficiency, and gain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving landscape. What are the benefits for businesses using AI? Dr Paul Flachskampf: Businesses using AI can reap numerous benefits, particularly in manufacturing processes. AI tools offer serial manufacturers (in industries like food, pharma, cosmetics, etc.) precise demand planning, robust production schedules, and realistic plans. By planning against limited, real-world capacities such as materials, machines, and personnel, AI optimises the process order, leading to shorter lead times, higher on-time delivery rates (crucial for contract manufacturers), and improved customer relationships. Leveraging the power of Operations Research, Business Intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence, INFORM empowers Australian and New Zealand businesses to streamline operations, resulting in increased efficiency, enhanced sustainability, and improved profitability. With data-driven decisions enabled by AI-driven solutions, businesses experience improved resilience, agility, and productivity. Do you understand the doubts that exist around the technology? Dr Paul Flachskampf: Absolutely, it’s entirely understandable that doubts and concerns surround the implementation of AI technology. AI is indeed a transformative force that can lead to job changes rather than outright job displacement as is so often depicted in the media. Many job roles will evolve, while others might undergo modifications. For instance, […]