“Power is increasingly a strategic choice for product differentiation in communications, computing and enterprise, and industrial applications,” said John Daane, president, CEO and chairman of Altera. “By adding a power group to Altera, we will bring even more value to system-level designs. Altera’s FPGA roadmap will be enhanced significantly with the addition of Enpirion’s power technologies.”

Ashraf Lotfi, founder and CEO of Enpirion, will serve as an Altera Fellow and chief technologist for Altera’s newly formed Power business unit.

“Joining Altera will enhance the Enpirion team’s ability to solve tough power challenges,” said Lotfi. “Our leadership in high-efficiency power conversion solutions complements Altera’s leadership in FPGAs. Enpirion employees have built an innovative company, and we look forward to building upon this foundation with Altera.”

The post Altera to Deliver Breakthrough Power Solutions for FPGAs with Acquisition of Power Technology Innovator Enpirion appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

The new capabilities leverage Ciena’s field-proven, full-featured SAOS software, which is already available across the company’s packet networking portfolio and deployed on more than 300,000 platforms worldwide. Combined with Ciena’s widely deployed flagship 6500, Ciena customers can now select from a cohesive portfolio of pure packet networking devices as well as converged packet-optical platforms to tailor their networks to meet specific Ethernet service requirements regardless of their operational paradigm. Additionally, with Ciena’s OneControl Unified Management System, customers can now manage their Ethernet services end-to-end from a single management platform, enabling rapid and efficient service turn-up, monitoring and troubleshooting.

Key Facts:

• Ciena’s new E-Suite modules for its 6500 family integrate packet switching and traffic management alongside OTN transport, leveraging the company’s SAOS software, to allow operators to quickly address surging demand for Ethernet services and connectivity. The new E-Suite for 6500 includes both blade-based packet switching modules for small footprint applications and fabric-based packet switching modules for high-bandwidth mesh connectivity.

• The purpose-built packet capabilities combine with the 6500’s industry-leading coherent WaveLogic 3 optics for scale up to 400G, the full range of integrated ROADM solutions for dynamic service delivery, and integrated link planning tools for operational efficiencies. This provides a tailored and cohesive Ethernet service offering that can handle growth demands for years to come.

• Ciena’s OneControl Unified Management System rounds out the solution by providing end-to-end point-and-click service provisioning for faster service turn-up, end-to-end visibility to ensure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met, and the ability to improve troubleshooting in the event of a network outage or alarm.

• The new packet networking capabilities align with OPⁿ, Ciena’s approach for building open, programmable next-generation networks that scale and automatically adapt to quickly deliver new services and bandwidth. Ciena-based packet networks can be deployed in conjunction with the company’s V-WAN Network Services Module, a network virtualization solution that automates the allocation of shared network resources among data centers.

Industry Comments:

•  “The metro packet optical transport market is entering a new phase that focuses much more heavily on the packet side of packet-optical transport, and adds new innovations such as switched OTN and 100G. In this new metro environment, Ciena’s products and technology are clearly resonating well with customers. In our recent Metro Packet-Optical Transport 2.0 survey, Ciena was selected by operators as the global leader in technological superiority and innovation in metro packet-optical transport products.”-Sterling Perrin, senior analyst, Heavy Reading

• “With Ciena’s converged packet optical platforms, we can more easily and quickly scale to support large end user capacity demands driven by cloud computing, virtualization, SDN and video streaming. Deploying Ciena’s 6500 with integrated packet switching capabilities will also help to reduce the complexity of integrating and managing a separate Ethernet and optical infrastructure.”-Jason Koenders, senior vice president of engineering and network planning, Integra

Executive Comments

• “The industry has been talking about converged packet optical for years, but unfortunately for operators past attempts have been more like duct tape than true convergence. By tightly integrating our widely deployed SAOS packet operating system with our industry-leading 6500, we are equipping operators to quickly turn up and deliver customized Ethernet services without compromise. With a purpose-built network infrastructure that is based on a combination of our packet and optical transport capabilities, operators now have a simpler, more cost-effective and more flexible approach to packet service delivery than an all-IP solution.”-Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, global products group, Ciena

The post New Products from Ciena Enable Operators to Packetize Optical Networks to Manage Surging Demands for Ethernet Services appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

The QuickTurn Basket Tray System also eliminates on-site fabrication, which reduces worker exposure to potentially hazardous cut wire ends. Both cable tray straight sections and pre-fabricated fittings also feature integrated loops that ensure proper bonding, with no secondary cables, lugs or straps required, and are available in a variety of configurations, sizes, colors and accessories.

“By eliminating the need for onsite fabrication and additional cables, lugs and straps for bonding and grounding, we have reduced installation time for basket tray assemblies by as much as 80 percent,” said Chad Smith, director, product management at Thomas & Betts. “By including a fitting for every need, the assemblies arrive at the site prefabricated, with no need for cutting in the field.”

The QuickTurn Basket Tray System offers additional time saving with one-tool installation. Other features include low-resistance corner plates for quick cable pulling and ensuring minimum bend radii are maintained and post-fabrication powder coating to protect welds, under even the harshest conditions. Available in five colors, as well as stainless steel, they feature easily paintable surfaces. Zinc-free components are available upon request.

QuickTurn Basket Tray is ideal for demanding high tech and industrial applications, and represents a new standard in fast and safe installation for protecting and managing high volumes of data and power cabling.

For more information about QuickTurn Basket Tray System, visit www.tnb.com or call (800) 816-7809

The post QuickTurn Basket Tray System Reduces Installation Time appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

“Supportek is already an industry-leading UPS and Critical Power Sales Representative. This agreement will leverage the strengths of both companies to better serve customers and to drive growth in the Independent UPS service market” said Robert Parrish, Vice President of Channel Development at Unified Power. “This will allow us to re-establish old relationships and build new ones. Supportek’s reputation is strong, making us confident that our customers will continue to receive the highest level of care.”

“Supportek is focused on ensuring our customers’ Critical Power needs are regularly exceeded. The Unified Power partnership brings a new level excellence to our UPS and Critical Power Service offerings” said Robert Harbin, Supportek President.  Supportek’s power protection and critical infrastructure portfolio also includes Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPS), data center power distribution, micro modular data centers and critical and portable cooling. For more information, visit www.supportek.com

The Unified Power brand began in January 2011 when Pfingsten Partners purchased On Computer Services; a national critical power service company located in Terrell, Texas. The company’s vision is to bring together advanced critical power service, sales, and testing capabilities in order to become the premier independent power services company in North America. Other companies under the Unified Power brand include Baltimore, Maryland based Power Protection Unlimited and Sun Sales Company of Albuquerque, NM.

Under its various brands, Unified Power has provided companies across the nation with affordable and reliable Critical Power Services for their UPS and Battery Systems for more than two decades.

For more information, visit www.unifiedpowerusa.com.

The post Unified Power Signs Supportek as Strategic Channel Partner for Critical Power Service Sales appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

The 2013 EC&M Product of the Year competition received a record-breaking 160 entries spread out over 47 categories. These entries were evaluated carefully by a panel of 12 judges, representing electrical professionals from the engineering, contracting, and the plant facilities and maintenance industries. The category winners will go on to vie for the 2013 Product of the Year Platinum, Gold, and Silver awards, which will be determined through an online readers’ poll and announced in the July issue.

“To receive this award from such an esteemed panel of judges is an honor,” said VYCON’s President, Frank DeLattre. “Our mission is threefold: to supply unparalleled power protection for mission critical applications, to provide our users with a smarter and greener approach to power protection, and to eliminate the need for costly cooling. At the end of the day, it’s the safeguarding of crucial applications that facility managers rely on, and the positive feedback we continue to receive on our VDC-XE with HC is a testament to that achievement.”

Tested and compatible with all major brands of three-phase Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems and available from VYCON’s channel partners including, ABB, Eaton (Powerware), Chloride, Emerson (Liebert), Schneider (MGE-APC), Mitsubishi, GE, Toshiba, Riello & Socomec, the VDC-XE with HC is the ideal solution for protecting power dependent applications ranging from 40kW to megawatt installations, and features a 20-year life without a major service interval. Presenting optimized power electronics for significantly improved power density, the new energy storage systems replace traditional lead-acid backup batteries used with UPS systems, providing users with a smarter, greener and more cost-effective approach to power protection.

VYCON’s innovative VDC backup systems are energy-saving high-speed flywheels that provide clean ride-through back up power that is fast, predictable and seamless.  Providing a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than traditional battery-reliant UPS systems, data centers, hospitals, broadcast facilities and other mission critical applications around the globe are depending on VYCON’s innovative flywheel systems to provide reliable and environmentally friendly on-demand power.

For more information on VYCON’s innovating green power solutions, contact VYCON at 562.282.5500 or visit VYCON’s web site at: http://www.vyconenergy.com.

The post VYCON’s Clean Energy Storage System Wins EC&M Magazine’s 2013 Product of the Year Award in Power Conditioning Category appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

DataCenter Insights 2013 (DCI) is an invitation-only, hosted summit designed for senior IT and business executives who want to understand how current and future technology trends will impact their data center vision and strategies.  DCI is not a trade show or traditional conference.  Rather, it’s a world-class, three-day networking and business information exchange where a limited group of 75-100 guests from leading Fortune 1000 companies are invited.

DCI’s unique format provides sponsors with Boardroom meetings, case studies, and 1:1 meetings with executives intimately involved with data center strategy, purchasing authority, and purchasing intent across major industry verticals.

According to John Collins, global data center segment director at Eaton, “Eaton’s goal is to engineer data centers that help customers meet critical challenges – today and in the future. At Data Center Insights, we look forward to engaging with senior level executives to demonstrate the business value of viewing your data center as an integrated system, and how this approach helps ensure interoperability, reduce risk and provide a safer, more reliable environment.”

The agenda will be driven by industry expert Jerry Murphy, Worldwide Director, Enterprise Computing for Cognizant and a team of key advisory board members and speakers.  They will provide the depth of knowledge and expertise that meets the requirements of data center professionals across disciplines.

“We are thrilled to be once again working with Jerry Murphy.  He has provided valuable insight as a past attending analyst at several of our summits and now as Worldwide Director, Enterprise Computing for Cognizant, we feel that he brings an even deeper understanding of the Data Center landscape. As DCI Conference Chair, Jerry will frame the discussion and provide the roadmap for our audience to have a greater understanding of what it takes to truly transform and optimize today’s data centers”, said Paul Samargedlis, Senior Vice President, nGage Events.

The agenda addresses today’s issues, trends, technologies and solutions.  Your peers will tell about the successes and challenges you will encounter when implementing new technology and services.  Some topics that will be covered include:

• Enterprise mobility
• Cloud computing issues and strategies
• Managing data storage and innovation
• IT operational excellence
• Virtualization
• Cost optimization
• Servers and operating systems
• Business Continuity Management (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) Issues

“DataCenter Insights Summit is a select gathering for IT industry executives and suppliers committed to building relationships and developing solutions that work.  Attendees learn from experts, suppliers and most importantly their peers on how to approach new technologies and services and ultimately be successful.” commented Philip McKay, President at nGage Events. “Our event format accomplished this and is truly a win-win for both sponsors and attendees.”

DataCenter Insights is scheduled to take place November 3 – 5 at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.  For more information visit http://www.datacenterinsights.com/ or email David Pesko at dpesko@ngagevents.com .

The post DataCenter Insights Summit, Transforming IT through Sponsor—Attendee Collaboration appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

As part of this partnership, Wayin will implement ViaWest’s KINECTed Cloud service to host its employee and social engagement platforms, Wayin Enterprise and Wayin Hub, thereby connecting users globally in real time. In addition, ViaWest is launching Wayin’s enterprise engagement solution, which enables the human resource department to gather employee feedback and sentiments on various questions, surveys and company initiatives.

Migrating from a global mass-market cloud provider, Wayin selected ViaWest’s cloud platform because of its customizable solutions and personalized support. ViaWest’s industry leading colocation and managed hosting services can be combined with pay-as-you-go and reserved resources public and private cloud services to form hybrid solutions, providing the right balance of cost, reliability and security.

“With ViaWest’s long history in this region, we know we have a dependable partner to pool resources,” states Tom Jessiman, CEO of Wayin.  “ViaWest’s best-in-breed infrastructure powers our applications and we have immediate access to live technical experts when needed. As both companies are Colorado-based, ViaWest shares our commitment to serving the Colorado business community, making the partnership a truly collaborative effort.”

“Utilizing Wayin’s innovative platform inside our company speaks to the very essence of ViaWest’s service-centric culture and commitment to employee engagement,” comments Margie Sims, General Manager of Colorado for ViaWest.  “Our strategic relationship with Wayin bolsters Colorado’s reputation as a leading technology hub.”

In addition, as part of the partnership, both companies will contribute to key events throughout Colorado, assisting the Denver executive community to create more technological awareness, strengthen customer relationships and promote the state’s business community on a national stage.

With 24 enterprise-class data centers, ViaWest’s services include a comprehensive suite of fully compliant environments, premium wholesale and retail colocation, private and public clouds, and managed services. ViaWest’s KINECTed Cloud service leverages best-of-breed technology leaders Cisco and VMware, offering a reliable cloud platform that maximizes performance and availability.

The post ViaWest and Wayin Join Forces to Promote Colorado-Based Business Leadership in Cloud Computing and Social Engagement appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

“Today’s IT leaders are constantly challenged by the need to find new avenues for meeting their organizational goals faster, better, and more cost-effectively. Ethernet is a prime example of an evolving technology capable of delivering optimum operational performance. The Ethernet Alliance’s interoperability demo illustrates how incorporating the latest Ethernet advancements into network constructs can enable enterprises to take full advantage of its flexibility, scalability, and interoperability,” said Chauncey Schwartz, Interop 2013 project lead, Ethernet Alliance, and senior technical marketing manager, QLogic Corporation. “Interop 2013 attendees will have an unparalleled opportunity to speak with industry experts, and through the Ethernet Alliance’s demo, experience what’s new, what’s next, and how Ethernet can help them overcome business challenges.”

The centerpiece of its presence at Interop 2013, the Ethernet Alliance’s live demo illustrates how organizations can aggregate and de-aggregate 10GbE from both copper and fiber media to 40GbE. This unique multi-vendor interoperability demonstration will feature a real-world Ethernet converged infrastructure including FCoE and DCB-enabled ISCSI, interconnected via 10GbE, based on 10GBASE-T and SFP+ modules using 10GBASE-SR and copper twin-ax technologies aggregating to QSFP 40Gb core switches. Multiple 40Gb core switches will also be used to simulate WAN interconnected cloud data centers. Additionally, media providers will demonstrate and display current copper and fibre optic cables and connectors.

The Ethernet Alliance’s interoperability demo incorporates technologies from multiple Ethernet Alliance member companies that span the breadth of the Ethernet ecosystem, including Aquantia Corp.; Avago Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: AVGO); Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO); Dell (NASDAQ: DELL); Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR); Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ); Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC); QLogic (NASDAQ: QLGC); and Volex plc. (LSE: VLX).

“Spurred on by Ethernet’s continuing evolution,  advancement, and deployment, the next generation of networks, fueled by 10GbE and 40GbE technologies, is rapidly emerging,” said John D’Ambrosia, chairman, Ethernet Alliance, and chief Ethernet evangelist, Dell. “Ethernet’s pivotal role in networking continues to shape the world around us. As we celebrate the historic milestone that is Ethernet’s 40th anniversary, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the sky’s the limit for this critical technology. The Ethernet Alliance is committed to and pleased to be a part of Ethernet’s continued growth and expansion, and we look forward to playing an essential part in the next chapter of its history.”

The Ethernet Alliance will be in booth number 2358 on the Interop 2013 expo floor, May 7 – 9, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, please visit http://www.ethernetalliance.org, follow @EthernetAllianc on Twitter, visit its Facebook page, or join the EA LinkedIn group.

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According to a recent study, Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) cost defendants and licensees $29 billion in 2011. Small to medium sized businesses have borne the brunt of PAEs’ efforts, making up 90% of defendants sued by PAEs and bearing 37% of the aggregate costs from 2005-2011. 

This is particularly troubling to our industry and to our membership because we are often the target of these frivolous lawsuits which can cost a single company millions of dollars to litigate. Many tech companies – specifically startup companies – are particularly susceptible to extortion by PAEs because they know that the company cannot afford the high costs of patent litigation and, thus, has no choice but to settle. Some go out of business altogether. As a result, the broader effect is to hamper innovation, which is exactly the opposite of what the patent system was designed to encourage.   

Any proposed amendment to the U.S. Patent Act should protect end users from patent infringement claims. This protection is needed because PAEs harass the numerous end users of a common product or service rather than sue its manufacturer or provider – all of which drives up the cost of settling lawsuits. Further we need to clearly define an “end user item” to encompass any product that is sold publicly and that is used without modification and as intended by the manufacturer or provider, as well as any processes that those products use. The end user should not be required to pay for damages for using this kind of product or risk being enjoined from using the product. And finally the amendment should be narrowly focused to protect the true end user.

i2Coalition looks forward to working with Chairman Goodlatte on reforming the U.S. Patent Act in such a way that will promote innovation in the United States and restore customer confidence in patent systems. Read the full letter here.

The post i2Coalition Sends Letter Urging Legislative Action to Defeat Patent Trolls appeared first on The Data Center Journal.

“Eaton worked closely with facility managers and engineers with the goal of making it easier to manage data centers more efficiently,” said Patricia Matwijec, large systems product manager, Eaton Power Quality Division. “The touchscreen further enhances the award-winning 9395 UPS as an integrated, agile system that delivers data center performance and extensive energy usage information at a glance.”

The intuitive, industrial-grade color interface allows users to view important system conditions and operating statistics, including detailed kilowatt hour (kWh) energy consumption and savings information, in real-time graphical form to help users identify important energy usage trends. Users are also provided with simple touchscreen navigation access to event, data and service logs for a detailed system history.

Additionally, the display works seamlessly with the internal modularity features of the 9395 to allow users to retrieve information at the local UPS level, for the individual modules located within a single UPS, or for an entire system of paralleled UPSs.

Customers can also utilize the display to monitor the performance of their backup power system with access to a detailed battery log and available backup battery runtime. The display’s features compliment Eaton’s eNotify Remote Monitoring service, which provides 24×7 real-time monitoring of UPS and battery systems by trained Eaton product technicians. eNotify allows users to identify problems before they may become load loss events, which can save money, increase power reliability and reduce the risk of critical system downtime.

The energy-efficient 9395 UPS provides backup power and scalable battery runtimes in a small footprint for large data centers, healthcare applications and other critical systems. With the Eaton Energy Saver System, the 9395 is designed to operate at 99 percent efficiency, which can enable a complete return on investment in three to five years.

The new touchscreen is available as a field upgrade for existing models. To learn more about the 9395 UPS and interact with the touchscreen, visit www.eaton.com/9395.

To learn about Eaton’s line of power quality products and services, visit www.powerquality.eaton.com.

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