Enterprises are increasingly leveraging virtualization, edge computing and complex private, virtual private, hybrid, and multi-cloud configurations to not only manage their data centers but also address budget limitations and compliance requirements. The distributed and complex data center landscape presents significant challenges in connecting the disparate on-premise, private, public, and edge colocation facilities that enterprises leverage, especially when multiple regions and vendors are involved.
As such, modern enterprises need ubiquitous, high-speed, low-latency and ultra-secure connectivity to integrate multiple data centers into a virtually unified and cohesive environment. Nokia’s Cloud Data Center Interconnect (Cloud DCI) supports various DCI applications including private/virtual private clouds, storage area networking, real-time business continuity, disaster recovery, synchronous/ asynchronous data replication and cloud backup.
Powering high-speed optical networks
Nokia Cloud DCI leverages Nokia’s optical DCI solutions, designed to cater to the varying performance, scalability and security needs of enterprise-grade DCI applications. While IP connectivity helps connect data centers in private deployments such as linking enterprise own data centers, optical networks take on the enormous role of bridging these connections for worldwide access – a requirement that is becoming increasingly important for today’s cloud-driven global enterprises.
Nokia optical DCI connects long-distance, even intercontinental data centers and clouds using optical transport, delivering high-capacity, high-speed optical networks over submarine cables. The key product within Nokia’s optical DCI solution portfolio is the 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS). The portfolio also includes the 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect – Modular (PSI-M) and 1830 PSS-x P-OTN switching. This extends upon Nokia’s data center fabric solution which enables customers to build modern and truly open data center networks powered by SR Linux, and automated at scale by the Fabric Services System (FSS).
The 1830 PSS-8
The 1830 PSS is a family of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) multiservice, multilayer P-OTN platforms. These platforms are optimized for complex and multi-faceted connectivity requirements of large enterprises and governments across metro, regional long-haul and ultra long-haul subsea distances. It is compatible with a wide range of client interfaces including Ethernet, fiber channel and InfiniBand. The 1830 PSS offers remarkable ultra-high capacity, accommodating up to 88 DWDM channels. This versatility, efficiency and virtually unlimited scalability allow seamless data sharing and workload distribution across diverse data centers and cloud service providers for any application, fiber type and geographical distance.
APAC leads the DCI market
Nokia’s cloud DCI solution plays an important role in supporting the growth of both regional and global DCI markets. The global DCI market is expected to reach USD 17.0 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14.5% [1] over a five-year period. The highest CAGR is projected in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, where fast-growing economies like China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India and Indonesia are experiencing a continuous surge in demand for data storage, processing, and connectivity. Emerging data center markets in the Southeast Asia region are also key contributors, with an expected CAGR of 13% between 2019 and 2024 [2].
The APAC region currently features 9.7GW of operational data center capacity, with an additional 3.3GW under works and 8.5GW in planning stages [3]. On top of global CSPs and hyperscalers, regional telecom operators are also keen on expanding their enterprise portfolios to include data center services, supporting 5G and edge computing applications. Recently, SingTel, a leading communications technology organization, has collaborated with KKR, a global investment firm, to accelerate the expansion of its regional data center business across Southeast Asia [4]. Several other telecom operators and data center players in the region are expected to follow suit to boost their monetization streams.
Tackling data sovereignty, governance and security concerns
Data sovereignty has various security, privacy and economic implications, and hence requires the governance of local data. As a matter of strategic interest, countries today are actively involved in ensuring that data produced by their citizens, government agencies and corporations is safeguarded and stays within the domains of authorized parties. For example, countries like the US, India, and China have enacted strict regulations to protect their citizens’ data. Similarly, in the European Union, GDPR compliance is mandatory for any organization storing or processing citizens’ data. The increasing emphasis on data sovereignty has led giants like Microsoft, Google and Amazon to collaborate with local data center providers and telecom operators to offer services that enable companies to meet their data residency and localization requirements. Certain regulations also necessitate cross-regional backup and disaster recovery.
Data sovereignty brings its own unique set of challenges under the current distributed computing model where data must move across enterprises’ global presence, necessitating secure and reliable data transmission across multiple regions. Nokia’s cloud DCI solutions powered by 1830 PSS support secure, real-time business continuity and disaster recovery of business-critical data and applications across multiple data centers. They also provide secure synchronous and asynchronous data replication and recovery over metro, regional and long-haul distances, helping organizations meet their BCDR and compliance requirements. Nokia’s cloud DCI itself enables fault protection contingency plans by allowing network operators to re-route traffic through another undersea cable via integrations with its terrestrial network.
Data sovereignty laws also require that organizations implement encryption and adequate data breach prevention mechanisms. Nokia cloud DCI supports “quantum-proof”, low latency, and bandwidth-efficient AES 256-bit symmetric encryption. To ensure key integrity, encryption keys are generated and managed by a centralized and certified key authority — the 1830 Security Management Server (SMS). In addition, Nokia’s cloud DCI solutions leverage wavelength tracking and optical intrusion detection through Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) for subsea infrastructure protection, particularly for ultra-long haul DCI. In addition to detecting physical network intrusions, these techniques help locate potential issues like fiber cuts, making it ideal for business-critical cloud DCI that demands high security and reliability.
The role of super coherent optics in powering DCI
The growing demand for DCI underscores the need for not only connectivity, but also performance and efficiency. Latest advancements in its super coherent optics enables Nokia to bring breakthrough networking performance across its 1830 portfolio. Nokia’s photonics engine PSE-6s, deployed across the 1830 portfolio, delivers a remarkable 2.4Tb/s coherent transport solution with up to 3x more capacity per linecard, allowing massive scalability across any distance. The PSE-6s also reduces the power per bit by 40%, allowing over 60% reduction in network power consumption for a greener cloud DCI. Moreover, The PSE-6s can be deployed on several existing optical transport platforms, including Nokia’s integrated WDM/transponder, compact modular and P-OTN platforms, for seamless upgrades.
Superior performance at any mile
The rise of digital enterprises and digital nations, on the back of trillions of dollars of investments in data networks and infrastructure, points to a future where unimpeded access to any part of the world is a crucial necessity. As a leader in DCI, Nokia not only offers the solutions needed to connect the complicated web of data centers across the globe, but also boasts long-standing presence and leadership in many markets, including the fast-developing APAC region. Enterprises and telecom operators can thus leverage Nokia’s expertise and experience to deliver high-performant and reliable end-to-end connectivity for data centers at any scale, for any distance.
Sources:
- Data Center Interconnect Market: www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/data-center-interconnect-market-40733195.html
- Rapid Rise: Growing Data Center Proliferation in the SEA Region: southeastasiainfra.com/rapid-rise-growing-data-centre-proliferation-in-the-sea-region/
- APAC Data Center Update: H1 2023: www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/singapore/insights/apac-data-centre-update
- KKR to Acquire 20% Stake in Singtel’s Regional Data Centre Business Valued at S$5.5 Billion: www.singtel.com/about-us/media-centre/news-releases/kkr-to-acquire-20-stake-in-singtel-regional-data-centre-business
