With on-demand services such as grocery delivery and remote working becoming the norm today, the importance of digital connectivity to organisations big and small needs little reminding.

What does need highlighting, however, are the fast-changing trends and usage patterns of both consumers and businesses in a smart nation, which necessitate a renewed focus on one's digital infrastructure.

For many businesses, the shift towards remote and hybrid working has highlighted the importance of an agile network, ready at short notice to cater to staff connecting securely from anywhere, at any time.

In keeping with safety measures, factories have turned to smart machines and sensors to continue manufacturing with fewer on-site staff.

Leveraging 5G connectivity for data centres

The key to these setups is 5G connectivity, which offers a fast, ubiquitous network that also features low latency to enable near-real-time remote control not possible previously.

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Fifth generation technology (5G), especially the standalone (SA) version will enable new solutions that power businesses ahead in the so-called new normal.

With digital connections becoming more prevalent in all aspects of everyday life, businesses have to be able to cater to growing volumes and velocity of data that 5G can deliver.

More smart devices will be connected, from Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that enable smart factories to manufacture with minimal manpower, to autonomous vehicles that help logistics companies deliver their goods.

The massive data growth expected is one reason some forward-looking businesses are looking to data centres as game changers in a digital economy.

They are critical building blocks, just as 5G connectivity, IoT and cloud services are key to the digital transformation of businesses everywhere.

With over 175 zettabytes of data expected by 2025, data centres will continue to play a vital role in the ingestion, computation, storage, and management of information, according to CB Insights.

A high-performance data centre would be able to handle the increasing amounts of data that needs to be processed and analysed to provide real-time insights, which in turn are needed to deliver the real-time experience that customers desire.

A data centre partner to meet changing needs

If you need to scale your business operations quickly to get to market ahead of rivals, think of a data centre partner that could extend that flexibility to you at the snap of a finger.

Can your data centre bring one-stop managed services that deliver all the capacity you need, to reduce complexity? How well connected is it to your offices and customers in Singapore and around the world?

These are key questions for many businesses.

The good news is that Singapore is one of the top ideal markets for data centres across the globe, according to independent reports.

The challenge, though, is making sure that there is the capacity to meet the complex needs of new apps and uses that will proliferate when 5G comes fully online. In particular, multi-access edge computing will be important because this will feed the computing and data needs of apps that deliver near-real-time experiences to users.

It is also important to balance the need to build more data centres with long-term sustainability in the land-scarce city-state. In late 2020, Singapore authorities nudged data centre players to stop building new ones, The Business Times reported.

According to the report, there are currently 60 data centres here, and the Government's challenge lies in ensuring that businesses can keep growing at a steady pace while data centres become more energy efficient.

CB Insights reports that 3 per cent of all electricity consumption globally currently comes from data centres - and that number is only set to grow. In Singapore, this value is at 7 per cent.

Data centres are a crucial part of an interconnected ecosystem that is built for businesses to innovate and scale up for the digital economy. As such, businesses can consider working closely with a telecom operator that can not only provide islandwide 5G connectivity, but also connection to hyperscale data centres across the country.

An interconnected ecosystem that provides secure and direct connectivity to offices islandwide and Tier-1 public cloud providers is crucial. This way, businesses will always have access to the data centres where they store their data.

What to look for in a digital partner to mitigate technical challenges

While much focus has been, rightly, on the user interface and experience of front-end apps and services in recent years, what should not be forgotten is the back-end infrastructure that enables and empowers them.

Ideally, it should be one that not only provides access to data centre facilities and network capabilities but also has the expertise, knowledge and experience to deliver a complete solution.

That way, end-to-end managed services are provided to help take technical challenges out of the equation, enabling a business to concentrate on its core operations.

StarHub's comprehensive network coverage, islandwide data centres and its hyperscale data centre at Loyang offer a suite of advantages for enterprises in their digital transformation.

The data centre, located at AirTrunk SGP1 hyperscale data centre campus, is built to the industry's highest security and quality standards. It is carrier-neutral and situated strategically close to Changi Cable Landing Station, Singapore's largest cable landing station and a critical gateway for several major submarine cables connecting Singapore to the rest of the world.

Furthermore, AirTrunk SGP1 was built with sustainability in mind. With its use of green materials and best practices in its construction, as well as achieving high air quality, energy and water efficiency, AirTrunk SGP1 has earned the Green Mark Platinum certification - the highest in the scheme.

The impact of StarHub's ongoing sustainability efforts were acknowledged by Corporate Knights' Global 100 as the world's most sustainable Wireless Telecommunication Service Provider, the world's third most sustainable Telecommunications Company, and Singapore's most sustainable telco.

Such data centre features will be increasingly important to businesses that are proactively looking ahead to meet requirements for their digital-first and sustainability strategies. Those finding the right infrastructure partner will be the ones that successfully ride the digital wave.

Click here to contact StarHub for more information.