Key Points
- Indian datacentre infrastructure market projected at $2 billion in 2016 per Gartner
- Gartner predicted 25 billion devices connected to internet by 2020
- Microsoft launched commercial cloud services from local datacentres in India
Cloud computing, mobility and virtualisation have moved from emerging trends to mainstream enterprise technology in India. As businesses expand beyond geographical boundaries, data generation and consumption have grown sharply, creating demand for storage capacity and security infrastructure.
Srikanth Karnakota, director, server and cloud business, Microsoft India, spoke to TechObserver.in about how datacentres are evolving to meet enterprise demands, the role of software-defined infrastructure and the challenges facing the segment.
Edited excerpts:
What impact will cloud, mobility and virtualisation have on the datacentre space in India?
Cloud, mobility and virtualisation are no longer technology trends that enterprises seek; they have become mainstream. With this technological advancement and most businesses expanding beyond geographical boundaries, the generation and consumption of data have increased significantly, creating a strong need for storage capacity.
Additionally, the growth in software adoption with the proliferation of the cloud has made the concept of software-defined infrastructure, where software controls hardware resources rather than physical configurations, another business reality. Businesses are adopting this model in the quest for efficiency, scalability and security.
Datacentres here play a crucial role as they not only provide adequate space to securely store data but also effectively utilise it for business benefits. The advent of digitisation across sectors and the convergence of the digital enterprise have further fuelled the demand for datacentres.
What is the outlook for the datacentre segment going forward?
As governments, enterprises and individuals are warming up to new-age technologies, it has widened the scope for advancements with smarter solutions being created to address advanced business needs. The datacentre will have an enhanced role to play in the coming years in integrating with several requirements at the infrastructure, ecosystem and end-user level.
First, integration with IoT, the network of physical devices that connect and exchange data through the internet. External impacts from IoT are creating newer demands on the datacentre. Gartner predicted that by 2020, 25 billion devices would be connected to the internet, creating greater external demand for storage and communication with the datacentre. IoT will also increasingly become part of operations within the datacentre for purposes like asset management, using sensors to monitor temperature and physical security.
Second, virtualisation, the technology that allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine. Businesses will continue to strive for simplification of infrastructure. This will aid virtualisation and act as a driving force for hyper-convergence, where compute, storage and networking are combined into a single system, especially as virtualisation exposes the inefficiencies of SAN storage, the dedicated network that provides access to data storage. As convergence becomes a growing trend, there will be a need for converged infrastructure management platforms that can provide an integrated unified view to bridge the gap between virtual networks and physical infrastructures.
Third, software-defined infrastructure. Scalability will continue to be a key driving force for infrastructure enhancements. Infrastructures that enable building-block scale, with the same level of redundancy and resiliency using software-defined approaches, will become more popular. Open standards for networking and storage will also impact datacentre facilities in the future.
How is Microsoft positioning its cloud services for Indian enterprises?
Microsoft recently introduced Microsoft Azure Stack, a hybrid cloud platform product that enables an organisation to deliver Azure services from its own datacentre. It extends the Azure vision by bringing the cloud model of computing to every datacentre.
From a software and services point of view, businesses will look out for services hosted through local datacentres to overcome security concerns. Microsoft made its commercial cloud services available from datacentres in India, becoming the first global cloud provider to offer local cloud services, according to the company. Microsoft’s cloud services deliver higher levels of security and availability while lowering overall costs for customers. It provides enterprise-grade performance and reliability, coupled with reduced network distance and lower latency, thereby addressing data residency concerns.
What are the spending trends you see in India’s datacentre infrastructure?
In 2016, datacentre modernisation will continue to be a key driver for infrastructure spend in India. Automation and orchestration are becoming high priorities for Indian CIOs. Software-defined infrastructures and an increased focus on disaster recovery and business continuity will also lead to increased spending on infrastructure.
Which verticals are likely to propel the demand for datacentres in India?
According to Gartner, the Indian datacentre infrastructure market will total $2 billion in 2016, a 5.2 per cent increase from 2015. This market is fuelled by demand across businesses and verticals. Microsoft is focusing on the government‘s Digital India initiative, the ecommerce industry and the BFSI segment with its local cloud services.
By the numbers
Key figures from this story- $2 billion
- Indian datacentre infrastructure market projection for 2016
- 25 billion
- Devices Gartner predicted would connect to internet by 2020
- 5.2%
- Year-on-year growth in Indian datacentre market
What are the major challenges that the datacentre segment faces today?
Mobile and the proliferation of data have had a dramatic impact on the supporting infrastructure and operations. This influx of data is having a dramatic impact upstream on servers, storage, networking, facilities and IT operations, in addition to the concerns regarding security.
How is Microsoft addressing security challenges for enterprise customers?
To address security challenges, Microsoft announced the availability of its commercial cloud services through local datacentres in India. This allows customers to keep their data within the country while benefiting from enterprise-grade security controls.
Your Questions, Answered
How is virtualisation changing Indian datacentres?
According to Microsoft India's Srikanth Karnakota, virtualisation is driving hyper-convergence in datacentres by exposing inefficiencies in traditional SAN storage. This creates demand for converged infrastructure management platforms that bridge virtual networks and physical infrastructures.
What role does IoT play in datacentre operations?
Karnakota said IoT creates external demand for storage and communication with datacentres. It is also becoming part of internal operations for asset management, using sensors to monitor temperature and physical security within facilities.
Why are enterprises moving to software-defined infrastructure?
Businesses are adopting software-defined approaches for scalability, allowing building-block scale with redundancy and resiliency. Open standards for networking and storage are becoming more important for datacentre facilities.
What is the outlook for India's datacentre market?
Gartner projected the Indian datacentre infrastructure market would reach $2 billion in 2016, representing a 5.2 per cent increase from 2015, driven by demand from government, ecommerce and BFSI sectors.
