DC TWO

Dude, Where's My Data?

Data is a valuable asset, and it's easy to assume that a cloud provider will be secure and protect your privacy. If your data is hosted outside of Australia, are you confident that it's protected and managed with your best interests in mind?

Data sovereignty is quite a complex issue. To break it down in its basic form, Australian Data Sovereignty means your data remains in the jurisdictional boundaries of Australia.

Why Should you care?

Your data is governed by Australian rules and regulations. For example, things like the US Patriot Act have no impact. This means;

• Your data cannot be subpoenaed by a foreign government
• It can help your business achieve compliance assurance
• You have choice over where your data is stored and who has access to it
• If there is an international link degradation, access to your data is not impacted

Do you really know where your valuable business data is being stored?

Peace of mind and compliance is easy knowing your data is hosted locally

Consider the following hypothetical examples:

Company 1 has data centres across Australia. Their servers reside in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Recently, they have decided to move their customer service operations to an Indian call centre to save costs. This now means that customer information and some of their data is now sent and overseas. Company 1 can now no longer claim they offer data sovereignty as they are sending data outside of Australia.

Company 2 is a cloud provider based in America. They have data centres across the USA, and Australia. Their main office is in Utah, and they have a call centre presence in Sydney. All of the billing operations are handled from the Utah office, which means there is personal data that is sent to the US government and is governed by their laws. As the data is overseas, there is no claim to data sovereignty.

Company 3 is a cloud provider based in Perth. They have data centres in Perth, Brisbane, Hobart and Adelaide. Their call centre is based in Australia. No customer data leaves Australian shores from the data centre. All data is governed by the Australian Privacy Act and Data Protection regulations. Company 3 can claim to offer data sovereignty.

Data Sovereignty vs Data Residency, what is the difference?

It's easy to get these two mixed up. Refer back to our earlier example. You've just uploaded your company data to a server based in the Melbourne office of Company 1 (example above).

Your data resides on the Melbourne server, and will be replicated to other servers across Australia. However, as their call centre is based in India, this does not fall under Data Sovereignty. Your data is residing in Australia, but can still be governed by Indian law.

It's quite easy to mistake the two, but rest assured, DC Two are a fully Australian owned and operated cloud provider. We guarantee 100% data sovereignty, none of our data is sent overseas.

Privacy and Legislation

Recently, there was some controversy around the Australian Government's COVID Safe app. It was shown that the data collected by the app is being stored on AWS (Amazon Web Services). There have been privacy and security concerns raised, with the personal information being recorded being stored overseas. This has forced a rethink into the way that the Government handles personal data that's being recorded. State, local and federal governments are now moving towards securing their data within Australian hosted and provided data clouds.

Being able to guarantee that your client's data is going to only be held within Australian borders will be a strong step forward in building on your reputation and relationships.

DC TWO

What Is A Virtual Machine?

What is a Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine is, essentially, a computer that is encompassed in software. With today's hardware, you can run multiple virtual machines on most computers. Imagine running Windows 10 and Linux on your computer at the same time. Each operating system acts like its own computer. Apple iMacs, with additional software, can run Windows 10 and Windows applications whilst running MacOS.

Businesses have been migrating servers to virtual machines for some time. This allows for a more efficient use of the server hardware, reducing overall operational costs by having less hardware in total, consuming less power and occupying less physical room.

Virtual machines can be highly customisable, high performance and easier to manage.

Benefits of using virtual machines compared to a physical machine

Virtual machines can seamlessly be moved between different hosts while the virtual machine is running. Since virtual machines are simply a set of files on shared storage rather than a set of physical hardware, this allows easy mobility and changing of their compute/memory ownership. They can also be spread over multiple machines in-case of server failure. With a redundant failover, if a server goes offline the backup server can keep going and keep the virtual server running, with minimal impact to business continuity.

The main advantages of virtual machines:

• Multiple OS environments can exist simultaneously on the same machine, isolated from each other
• Virtual machine can offer an instruction set architecture that differs from real computers
• Easy maintenance, application provisioning, availability and convenient recovery
• Easily managed backups and snapshots
• Reduction of operational costs due to reduced physical hardware requirements
• Combine a virtual terminal server with thin clients to reduce the hardware requirements for your staff

What is the difference between a physical and virtual server?

While a physical server is a single-tenant platform with dedicated resources, a hypervisor (host) can support multiple virtual servers, allowing multiple applications to run simultaneously and share physical hardware capacity amongst themselves. Instead of having a terminal server, database server and file server running on different physical machines, you could virtualize them and have them all running on the same physical hypervisor.

Why would you use a virtual machine?

There are many reasons why your company might consider using virtual machines. VMs allow for reduced overhead, with multiple systems operating from the same console at the same time. VMs also provide a safety net for your data, as they can be used to enable rapid disaster recovery and automatic backups. They can also be useful for development and testing, as you can replicate the current state of machines, and quickly provision new machines. Adding new virtual machines for new staff can be done quickly and effectively. Staff or students working remotely from home could access the virtual machines from their existing laptops or desktops, reducing the required overheads for hardware in your organization or school.

Virtual desktops can have great practical applications for students, facilitating in-person and remote learning without disadvantages

What's the difference between cloud and virtualization?

It can be hard to see the difference between cloud and virtualization. Virtualization is a technology to create simulated environments from a set of physical hardware, whereas a cloud is an environment that pools and shares scalable resources (such as storage).

How does virtualization benefit a business?

The biggest benefit of virtualization is lower infrastructure costs. From virtualizing user desktops all the way up to servers, virtual machines can significantly reduce your financial outlay for hardware.

Virtualization helps companies achieve faster and easier backup and recovery of key application workloads and data. It also enables you to more cost- effectively switch to a secondary IT site and restore critical business operations. Additionally, you can easily expand your user base and servers without having to purchase dedicated machines for each change.

DC TWO

Renewable Energy Projects

Each year, as the technology advances, renewable energy resources are getting easier to obtain, more efficient in production and more financially viable for both commercial and residential consumers.

The Western Australian Government have been running programs to promote the update and usage of renewable energy resources. Residential customers have had the benefit of subsidised solar panels and energy buy-back programs for a while. Businesses are also receiving similar incentives to increase the uptake of renewable energy, helping to reduce our carbon emissions.

There's a number of projects that are underway in Western Australia at the moment. Most recently, a $50bn hydrogen project, capable of generating up to 26GW from a combination of wind and solar sources, has been conditionally approved in the Pilbara region.

Solar Projects

In addition to this, the Clean Energy Council reports that there have been 2 projects commissioned to date in 2020, consisting of a 100mw Solar Farm in Merredin and a 7mw Solar Station on a mine site, approximately 360km south east of Kalgoorlie.

Wind Farm Projects

Further to this, there are at least 10 more large scale projects that are scheduled to commence construction this year. The size of these projects vary from a 9.5MW Wind Farm in Eneabba, all the way up to a 210mw Wind Farm located in Dandaragan.

Lots of new renewable projects in Western Australia, including Wind Farms.

Renewable Power Demand in Western Australia

These projects, along with completed projects over the last couple of years, means that Western Australia hit a very admirable milestone with renewable resources. At 11:30am on November 30, 2019, 51% of total system demand was supplied by variable renewable energy. Another notable point was that on Sunday, October 13th 2019, the lowest operational demand ever recorded was 1159MW for the state grid. This was due to a combination of renewable energy supplies being pushed back into the grid, along with lower demand for that day.

How does WA compare to the rest of Australia?

Until recently, Western Australia has lagged behind the other states when it comes to renewable energy resources. Reports have shown that, whilst approximately only 10% of the Australian population lives in WA, around 17% of Australia's carbon emissions come from here. In 2019, the Western Australian Government stated that they have an 'aspirational target' to provide guidance to the energy industry. That target is 0%. Whilst that target seems unattainable today, we can see that there is definite movement towards reducing our emissions and increasing our renewable energy resources.

Our own renewable projects

DC Two is proud to support, and rely on, the state's renewable energy resources for our DC Modular edge data centres. We will be deploying several units soon through-out Western Australia. Our current projects are destined for Collie (Solar Power) and a private location in the states Mid-West (Wind Power).

Our modular data centres harness the excess green energy from existing solar, wind, biogas and other renewable energy sources. This will enable us to provide our clients with globally competitive power rates and lower cost services.

Our modular data centres will enable remote communities, healthcare and mining operations to manage their data more efficiently by providing a cost-effective, transportable solution scalable to suit any size.

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Clean Energy Council reports that there have been 2 new Solar Farm projects in 2020, consisting of a 100mw in Merredin and a 7mw on a mine site near Kalgoorlie.

Fuji X Australia

Camera Enthusiast Page - Now Offline

Hanhel Pro Cube 2 Product Review

Recently, I purchased a new Xpro3. I got it home, unpacked it, and was rather confused. There was no battery charger! A quick Google suggests that this trend is growing, the newer Sony A7 III does not come with a charger either. Surprised, I began to hunt for a battery charger. After all, charging multiple batteries via a USB cable into the camera wasn’t going to cut it.

Enter the Hanhel Pro Cube 2!

This battery charger is excellent value and has a host of features and included accessories in the box. The Fujifilm NP-W126S compatible model comes with several trays, so you can use the same charger for Panasonic batteries. There are other trays available for other brands of batteries too. Also, in the box is a magnetic tray, so the charger can charge 4 x AA batteries. It’s worth noting that the charger cannot charge 2 AA batteries, it can only do 4 at a time. 

Other items in the box are multiple AC adapter heads, ideal if you’re travelling. You also get a car charger cable, which I know is something I will get a fair bit of use out of.

The charging unit is a small cube, made of aluminium and coloured a very nice shade of blue. It feels very well made. There is a LCD screen on the front of the charger, which shows you current charge status of your camera batteries as well as a numerical mah readout. One thing to keep in mind, it does not show the percentage of charge in AA batteries. The LCD screen is animated during charging and then just displays a battery full icon when AA batteries are charged. There’s no indication of percentage.

The charger boasts a charge time of 1.5 hours for a single NP-W126S or two hours for two batteries. There is a USB port on the back of the charger, so you can also charge your phone or connect a wireless charger if desired.

Overall, this appears to be an excellent product, and I can highly recommend it. It would be an excellent addition to anyone’s camera kit, regardless of if your camera came with a battery charger or not!

Fuji X Australia

Camera Enthusiast Page - Now Offline

Peak Design, Peak Customer Service

I use a Peak Design 20L Everyday backpack for my camera gear, and it comes with me to work, and everywhere I go. It’s a fantastic bag, it features enough pockets for spare batteries, filters and cables. Inside the main compartment, there are 3 adjustable folding shelves. These are fantastic!

They are held in by Velcro, and can be folded up to help secure lenses, or provide a different configuration of storage space so you could fit a small tripod or a longer lens down the side of the bag. The other killer feature is the fact you have 3 spots you can access the main compartment from. The sides unzip, and there is a very secure latch on the top flap of the bag, giving you easy access to the top shelf and your camera. It’s weather resistant too, without needing to put a custom fit rain jacket over the bag.

I recently noticed that part of the stitching had given way on one side. Not a huge deal, it was only a couple of stitches at the top of a side pocket. Definitely not a show stopper.

I logged onto the Peak Design website and logged a warranty claim on a Friday, expecting that I would either be told its general wear and tear and nothing could be done, that I would have to post it off to get it fixed, or to get it fixed locally at a tailors / boot makers and request reimbursement.

Amazingly, Peak Design responded within a few hours, and they dispatched me a brand-new bag as a replacement. It was sent Monday morning via air express from NSW, and arrived at my doorstep in WA a day later. To say I am impressed is an understatement. Peak Design also state they do not want the old gear back and encourage you to recycle it / donate it to help be environmentally aware.

Peak Design provide a lifetime warranty on their products. If you have any of their gear, I strongly suggest you should register it on their website. You will still need to upload the proof of purchase separately for a warranty claim should the need arise, but it is handy to have a full list of your gear to refer to.

I use a few bits of their gear, the 20L everyday backpack, the slider neck strap and the wrist strap. I was happy with the quality of their gear, my experience with their customer service and warranty has left me happy to recommend their gear to anyone.

Fuji X Australia

Camera Enthusiast Page - Now Offline

My Camera Journey

From my recollection (at the time of writing), I’ve had 11 cameras in the past 14 years. This isn’t including the multitude of film and instant cameras I have bought, used and sold over the past few years.

My original DSLR was a Canon 1000D. This was a gift from my mum when I was going through my divorce. My dad was also very sick (and still is) at the time, and I had been keeping myself busy helping her and him, whilst dealing with lawyers and working full time. I was going on a two week holiday to Walpole, Western Australia and she insisted buying me the camera I was looking at in JB Hifi.

That little 1000D served me well for a couple of years, until the shutter started jamming. I went to just have a look at the latest sales and ended up with the Canon 550D. That suffered a grisly end, bouncing down limestone steps and landing in a broken heap. The 70D was the next upgrade, thanks to insurance, and was probably the first camera I sold that I regretted getting rid of. I changed up to full frame, to a 6D. That stuck around for ages until my new wife and I started going through fertility treatments, so I sold it to help pay for that.

A Panasonic FZ1000 was next. Whilst it was a good camera, the smaller sensor and built in lens meant it was lacking a bit in the image quality, and I sold it after a couple of months. I considered going back to Canon, but most of the pro and semi pro photographers that I knew were using Nikon. I opted for a used D7100 kit, which was fantastic. I loved that camera. Then it died. Being second hand, it had no warranty unfortunately, so I had to save a few pennies, and managed to get a D7200 second hand. That too, died, and it was only after a few months. The repair costs were astronomical, essentially it suffered a CPU / board failure and was going to cost a packet to repair. I was annoyed. I sold all my Nikon gear, determined I would get something brand new.

But… what to choose?

Enter Fujifilm! I was skeptical about mirrorless at first. EVF instead of an OVF? The camera is so tiny compared to a DSLR! Can this be any good? 

I picked up a brand new XT20 with the 18-55, 50-230 and 27mm pancake lens. It wasn’t good… it was fantastic! It came with me everywhere. Everyday into work. Out for photo walks every lunchtime. I loved it after just a couple of weeks. I loved it so much, I sold it.

Wait… what?!

I went into a camera shop to look at getting a new lens, I was keen on getting a 50-140mm. I tested the lens out on my camera, it was fantastic! I was just about to put the money on the counter, and something caught my eye. The XT3. I knew I shouldn’t, but I tried it out. Next thing I knew, I was standing outside with a brand-new silver XT3 in my hand, and a significantly lighter wallet.

I used that camera for just over a year, building up a few extra lenses and bits and pieces, but I always had an eye on the other mirrorless brand I had considered originally, Sony.

An opportunity came up for me to pick up a new Sony A7RIII at a ridiculously cheap price through work. I just couldn’t say no. The catch was, I had to sell my Fuji gear. I figured that, given the high cost of Sony lenses and gear, it was a fairly low risk move. I had also been seeing some issues with my XT3 (which, as it turns out, was a warrantable issue… doh!) so I decided to take the chance. 

I had the Sony for about 3 months. During the that time, I took far less images than I normally would. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very capable camera. The images it produces are sharp, and the battery life outperforms Fuji by a fair bit. But… it wasn’t fun. It was lacking that special something that makes you want to use the camera. The images too, whilst crisp and detailed, were very ‘clinical’ / cold feeling. Almost, soulless. It felt more like a machine than a camera in use. It’s quite hard to put it into words, but at the end of the day I wasn’t enjoying the camera as much as I enjoyed my fuji gear. 

My family and I were on our way back from a weekend at Jurien Bay for my skydive, which was a present to me for turning 40 (spoiler: It’s awesome! Totally do it!) My wife and I were discussing our hobbies in the car, and I mentioned about the Sony and how I wasn’t enjoying it as much. Turns out, she had noticed already. “Why don’t you sell it and go back to Fuji then?” she asked. So, I did! A friend of mine bought all of my Sony gear, and with the funds from the sale I picked up a shiny new Fujifilm camera.

My Xpro-3. Oh, and lenses. The 27mm, the 56mm and the lovely 35mm 1.4. It’s taking a little getting used to the different style of shooting, however given that I love rangefinder film cameras I figured this was an easy choice to make.

There’s still additional lenses on the list, but lets face it, do we ever have all the lenses and camera gear we want?

As one of my fuji shooting friends put it to me… I’m home!

EFTel Internet

Roomba Product Review

I hate housework. After working all week, I can't think of anything worse than cleaning, and I am sure that many of you feel the same! Renovations were recently completed in our home, including the installation of wooden laminate flooring, resulting in an increased amount of sand and dirt throughout the house. We also own three cats and two dogs, so animal hair is everywhere!

Recently, I found an excellent device - a robotic vacuum cleaner! It's called the iRobot Roomba Discovery, and has to be one of the best ideas ever!

The Roomba is a disc shaped object that has two sweeper brushes and a built-in vacuum. It has two main drive wheels and a front wheel to help with balance. It features three different cleaning modes:

1. Spot - cleans in increasing circles up to three feet in diameter

2. Clean - cleans from the centre of the room and concentrates on areas where dirt was detected during the cleaning phase

3. Max - full cleaning power for up to two hours continuous use

The size of the Roomba means that it can get to the places that you can't with a normal vacuum. It easily fits under tables, sideboards and cupboards. It has infrared sensors that detect stairs, which prevents the Roomba falling down them, and the sensors also help to guide the Roomba around larger appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers. If the Roomba runs into a solid object, it will simply turn and try to continue in a new direction.

To watch the Roomba in action is a little frustrating, as it appears to simply move around the room in a random style. However, when it's left alone to get the job done, the end result is fantastic.

At the time of purchase, the Roomba came with two infrared barriers, and a remote control. The barriers can be programmed to prevent the Roomba from entering certain areas. I used the barriers to prevent the Roomba from entering our lounge room, and the barriers have been successful so far. Although the remote control doesn't feature any additional functions, it is useful to have nevertheless.

So now you might be thinking 'well, that's great, but what about the battery'? The battery can last for up to two hours of constant cleaning, which should be more than enough to clean your hard floor areas. The Roomba also cleans carpeted areas, however the robot must put more effort into moving around, and consequently the battery drains at a faster pace. When the battery gets flat, it automatically finds the way back to the charger and recharges itself. Amazing!

I cannot recommend this product enough, and I am hoping to get another robot soon to handle the mopping of our floors. It's called the iRobot Scooba!

The iRobot Roomba Discovery is available at Harvey Norman for approximately $400, and in my opinion it is worth every cent!