By Jim Curran
Jim Curran, VP Enterprise Sales MEA, CommScope, provides insight into what he expects will be the biggest enterprise network trends in 2015
It’s hard to fathom that 2015 is already upon us, but what many people do not realize is that it also signals the midway point of the decade. That’s right, 2015 will mean that we are going to be as close to 2020 as we are to 2010. We’re closing in on the mid-point of the decade, but are we as an industry any closer to comfortably handling the continuing “data deluge”?
Progress has certainly been made on many fronts, and some organizations are in much better shape than others in addressing bandwidth and network intelligence requirements. However, I don’t have to tell you that the pace of industry and technology change is unrelenting, and will require a high level of agility and speed just to keep up.
So get ready to kick it up another notch. Here is a summary of what I believe will be some of the key trends influencing enterprise networks in 2015:
1. The Internet of Things is Upon Us
Infrastructure providers play an increasingly critical role in enabling the Internet of Things (IoT). Whether providing wired or wireless connectivity to devices, or software-based solutions coupled with connectivity, providers play an increasingly important role. The IoT is evolving to meet the customers’ needs for better data in real-time.
2. The Importance of Sensor Networks in the Building
As buildings become more intelligent, we see the use of sensors coming into play. A sensor-based network, like the kind used with intelligent lighting solutions, is powered through structured cabling and plays an important role in making buildings increasingly intelligent. The sensors collect data that help facilities managers make better decisions on space utilization and energy usage, as well as provide a security feature through motion and thermal tracking.
3. Crowning of Category 6A
2014 saw Category 6A making its way out of the data centre and into the building. This trend can be attributed to a few factors:
a. New generations of Wi-Fi access points are requiring more and more bandwidth. This will continue to have a positive effect on getting consumers to think about going to a higher grade cabling. In 2014, the IEEE approved the 802.11ac wireless networking standard that provided high-throughput wireless local area networks. This is one driver that I believe will create an uptick on Category 6 and 6A, also resulting in a significant decline in Category 5E. We are also witnessing higher education and healthcare organizations requiring high-bandwidth and deploying Category 6A per the TIA recommendations.
b. Category 6A is also a viable carrier for next generation indoor cellular wireless solutions as well as Wi-Fi. Wireless coverage is considered by many as the next utility within the building and Category 6A can provide the infrastructure for Wi-Fi as well as next generation in- building wireless systems.
4. Continued Adoption of Fibre Solutions
When it comes to high grade multimode optical fibre, as well as pre-terminated solutions, the move towards OM4 has accelerated. OM4 is being used in 40G and 100G networks around the world and that is driving users and manufactures to ask for higher grade cabling. We are working with industry standards groups on next generation fibre – like the TIA TR-42 group discussing the proposal of a wide band multimode fibre solution.
5. The Unleashing of Category 8
You might already know about the 40G standard debate that has been ongoing since its first concept demonstration in late 2012. In 2015, I think the standard will take a step closer to the light of the market with manufacturers getting ready to either put Category 8 into pre-production or provide a limited availability in anticipation of a standard which might be completed in 2015 or early 2016. Pre-standardization can be referred to as a manufacturing phase that provides a limited availably of a product to allow for customer trials and sampling – this phase will probably be the first sighting of Category 8 in the market.
6. The Modular Mix
Multitenant data centres, or Co-Los, are still the growing force in the market as well as the hyper-scale, cloud and service providers of the internet data centre segment. They are the biggest energy consumers and have the largest appetite for data centre connectivity and monitoring solutions.
With that said, the modular data centre is getting into the mix as a viable solution for increasing data centre capacity. As the data deluge continues, companies can get a modular data centre installed and operational within less than a year. This certainly brings a rapid deployment capability that can be a good solution for companies who may not have realized how quickly they would need to expand when seeing capacity running low.
7. A Better Understanding of DCIM
The market has been slower to implement data centre infrastructure management solutions but we are seeing that customers have a better understanding of the value in DCIM to optimize data centre performance over time. A DCIM solution enables organizations to monitor power and understand and plan asset refreshes and placement. I think DCIM software providers are trying to help the customer see an ROI sooner than later. Solutions providers need to engage customers on the front end to understand their problems and choose a solution that will solve those problems. So when the “go-live” takes place, the user is prepared for what they will see and how to work with it. The go-live needs to be favourable and if the planning isn’t carefully thought through and executed, the result won’t be optimal.
Look for DCIM solution providers to place more emphasis on striving to make the user experience more beneficial.
One of the points that I made last year is worth repeating—organizations can help ensure success in the year ahead by proper planning, asking the right questions and making sure to stick to a roadmap. This will go a long way to alleviating the challenges that come with evolving technology and increasing bandwidth needs in the foreseeable future.