Huawei's Ultra-Resilient Multi-DC Solution protects financial networks

Huawei showcased its advanced data center network solution at GITEX in Dubai earlier this month, aiming to strengthen financial institutions' operational resilience and eliminate downtime.

The "Xinghe Intelligent Ultra-Resilient Multi-DC Network Solution," released earlier this year at MWC Barcelona, has seen rapid adoption as financial firms seek to strengthen their defenses against data loss and service interruptions.

The solution combines Huawei's advanced "Xinghe" AI algorithms with its CloudEngine network equipment - the latter continuing to achieve numerous industry-firsts. The firm reports over 21,000 customers worldwide have implemented the solution.

This surge in demand comes as the financial sector faces increasing threats from both cyber-attacks and physical disasters.

Financial services accounted for 27% of all data breaches in 2023, up from 19% the previous year, according to risk advisory firm Kroll. About three-quarters of financial services organizations have experienced at least one breach over the past five years.

A single breach can paralyze an entire data center, crippling operations for days on end. Many of these incidents result in damages exceeding $5 million, as per the 2024 CDW Cybersecurity Report. And that's not to mention the reputational damage, loss of customer trust and regulatory penalties.

Physical infrastructure risks pose equally serious challenges. A 2022 fire at a data center facility in South Korea resulted in days of interrupted services and $20 million in insurance payouts. Yet, the real risk far exceeds a hefty payout. Gartner reports that 60% of companies face potential bankruptcy if they lose all data and experience service interruptions.

It's precisely this type of catastrophic risk that Huawei's solution aims to eradicate. Its network design can keep financial services running even if an entire data center fails.

"If a fire occurred at a Huawei-equipped data center, our setup can immediately redirect traffic to unaffected sites," a Huawei spokesperson said. "This allows financial institutions to keep services running even if one data center is compromised."

This resilience stems from Huawei's novel approach to data backups. Traditional data centers use two main backup methods: cold storage, where data is saved but not instantly available, and active-standby, where a backup center stands ready to take over.

Huawei's solution goes beyond these traditional approaches, offering a distributed solution known as "active-active." In this setup, Huawei's data centers work together like a neural network, operating simultaneously and sharing information. This approach is mirrored in the smaller equipment within the data centers, further reducing the risk of failure.

All this is made possible by Huawei's unique algorithms, running on the company's CloudEngine switches. As a result, the system can process up to 400 billion bits [Z(5] per second per port, enabling data transfer between network segments in just 3.5 microseconds. This ultra-fast connectivity forms the backbone of the solution's rapid response and data-handling abilities.

Huawei's CloudEngine 16800-X series, which offers the highest density of 400GE ports in a data center core switch, is also compatible with this solution. This compatibility ensures the solution is future proofed for about 10 years, according to the company, allowing it to meet evolving bandwidth demands well into the next decade.

Another key benefit of the solution is how it transforms complex network management into a surprisingly simple task. Through Huawei's iMaster NCE platform, administrators get a comprehensive yet easy-to-navigate digital map of the entire network. The platform's AI-powered analytics detect and resolve network issues within minutes, all without interrupting service, while administrators can handle everything from routine daily operations to complex multi-cloud deployments through a single, intuitive interface.

The solution works seamlessly with equipment from different vendors, aligning with Gartner's forecast that 80% of companies will need multiple strategic vendors by 2025. [JIB6] This compatibility allows financial institutions to integrate the solution without replacing existing infrastructure, potentially saving millions in equipment costs. This multi-vendor approach can help reduce the total cost of ownership by 15% to 25%, as per Gartner.

Huawei reports that some of the world's largest financial organizations have already adopted the solution. As regulatory pressures increase and digital transformation accelerates, ultra-resilient network solutions like Huawei's are expected to attract increasing attention from industry leaders seeking to enhance their operational resilience and data protection capabilities.