Operations | Monitoring | ITSM | DevOps | Cloud

As John Lennon once said, another year over…and a new one just begun. As we head into 2024, it’s important to reflect on what we’ve seen and where we need to focus in the year ahead.

Computer vision: digital understanding of the physical world From face recognition to fire prevention, autonomous cars to medical diagnosis, the promise of video analytics has enticed technology innovators for years. Video analytics, the processing and analysing of visual data through machine learning and artificial intelligence, is perceived as a significant opportunity for edge computing.

2023 was the year of Artificial Intelligence (AI). 2024 will build on the incredible momentum of the likes of ChatGPT, Google Bard, Microsoft CoPilot, and others, delivering applications and services that apply AI to every industry imaginable. A recent analysis piece from Schroders makes the point well: “The mass adoption of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) …has sparked interest akin to the Californian Gold Rush.”

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, a new frontier has emerged in the world of networks - the automated edge. But what exactly does this mean for business and why does it matter? In simple terms, automated edge refers to self-configuring, self-optimising, and self-healing capabilities being built into edge devices and software.

By 2030, the world will look very different, not in the least because of new technological innovations. Many will expect to see a proliferation of next-generation technological solutions from smart cities, to augmented reality, to autonomous cars, to the metaverse. Service providers have a role to play in ensuring that the underlying network that we have across the UK (and beyond) has the capacity and scalability to support these solutions.

For those who remember the tech world before the COVID digitalisation gold-rush, the 2019 assertion by Gartner that 'The Data Centre Is (Almost) Dead, ruffled feathers. The report warned that by 2025, 80% of enterprises will shut down their traditional data centres. In fact, 10% of organisations already have. Then the pandemic hit and the global demand for world-class user experiences (for workforces and customers alike) exploded.

While some businesses operate entirely in the cloud, some still have IT infrastructure they need to house. Others are moving from solely cloud environments to a colocation model. From air conditioning systems to networking facilities, there is a lot that goes into looking after IT infrastructure.

As businesses continue to expand their digital footprints, the demand for efficient and secure data management solutions has never been greater. Colocation, the practice of housing servers and IT infrastructure in third-party data centres, has emerged as an attractive option for enterprises seeking enhanced scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. However, before making a decision on colocation, it is vital to carefully assess the financial aspects associated with this service.

The Edinburgh South Gyle colocation data centre is the largest and most connected in Scotland, and one of the most connected north of London. In fact, there are 27 carriers available at the centre — more than double the number that any of our other data centres have. In fact, it’s so large and well-connected that we refer to it as the UK’s Northern Connectivity Hub. But what does that mean for your business - and how can you benefit from the colocation services available?

From the science fiction fantasies of the mid-20th century to today's reality, AI's journey has been a blend of innovation and apprehension. As we contemplate the future of AI, it’s interesting to look back at the early days of AI, how far it’s come and what we might yet expect. AI has the potential to be of huge benefit but could be disruptive in the wrong hands, particularly in the realm of cybersecurity. A Brief History and Development of AI.