Node4 Blog

The Federation of Communication Services (FCS), the Trade Association for the communication services sector, urges Ofcom to rapidly analyse the costs and ensure the benefits outweigh the costs following Ofcom’s announcement on Monday 13 October that it has set aside its policy for a new number portability regime. Ofcom is reviewing its policy for the UK following the successful competition appeal by Vodafone.

Dave Dadds, chairman of the FCS VoIP Group speaking at the FCS Comms Provider event today said, “ Ofcom’s proposal for a Central Data Base of numbers is central to an efficient customer migration process for fixed and mobile services and should be introduced as soon as practicable. Number portability via the database with direct routing is an important step in creating a truly competitive market place. The UK does not want to fall behind internationally because it cannot get its act together.”

FCS members have identified major problems with the current number portability processes. Fixed line processes are cumbersome, error prone and can take too long. Mobile companies seeking to enter the mobile market cannot yet port a mobile number with all of the larger mobile operators.

“We urge Ofcom to work with industry, to set reasonable timescales that will reduce the cost barriers and involve UK plc and the consumer. We urge industry to come together in a collective forum once again and agree cost effective processes that will be of benefit to every company”, concluded Dave Dadds.

http://commsbusiness.co.uk/Latest_News.cfm

http://www.comms-dealer.co.uk/green-telecoms/green-factor-rises-agenda-ict-buyers

The Green factor is rising up the agenda for ICT buyers with 64% confirming that reducing their firm’s carbon footprint is a key requirement when purchasing new IT equipment.

A market survey by Extreme Networks and Data Integration also found that only 20% of respondents actively measure IT-related energy spend. “The green issue is important in today’s society, especially for organisations looking to reduce their carbon footprint,” comments Extreme Networks’ Regional Director for UK and Ireland, Paul Phillips.

“The fact that 78% of organisations recycle their IT equipment suggests that there is a high level of awareness of the WEEE regulations that were introduced at the beginning of 2007. However, it is essential that businesses measure the amount of electricity required for powering and cooling their IT systems. Currently only a fifth of businesses do this, and it is just important to measure the success of Green IT initiatives rather than going green just for the sake of it.”

Data Integration’s Managing Director, Garath Lauder, added: “The number of customers demanding evidence of our suppliers’ green credentials in RFPs has increased markedly in the past 12 months and we are now more cognisant of the issue of power consumption when designing networks.

“Many customers do already recycle old IT equipment, but it is essential that businesses measure their IT-related energy spend in order to know whether their purchasing decisions are helping to meet their green goals.”

Additional findings from the joint survey undertaken by Extreme Networks’ Platinum Partner, Data Integration included:
• 49% of organisations cited reduced operational costs as the main driver for greening IT operations. Organisations are increasingly looking for network technologies that will reduce energy consumption and empower the business take control of the network through intelligent measures.
• 43% of businesses cited Green IT as important to their organisations
• 78% of participants say they recycle their IT equipment
• 51% of respondents say they are unsure whether their organisations have sustainability goals for Green IT, suggesting that not all organisations are aware of the benefits and return on investment of their Green IT equipment

Hosting providers, Node4 have this week launched a brand new website devoted to dedicated servers, serversupermarket.net. The site was created in response to an increase in requests for dedicated servers in their state-of-the-art data centre.

Using pre-built, high specification DELL kit, the servers are ready to be switched on as soon as the customer places an order through the website. There are three options of specification depending on the customer requirements; starting from an entry level server, which is a DELL PowerEdge R200 and includes 10Mb of network connectivity with a range of operating systems and back up options for a monthly or annual fee. Colocation space can also be ordered through the site for the businesses who would like to keep their existing servers. For more details please visit www.serversupermarket.net . Technical support is provided through a ticketing system on an online portal, along with ordering and billing, creating a whole one-stop service.

For the next three months, Node4 will donate £25 to a local RSPCA shelter for every server sold on the new site.