When it comes to increasing data center efficiency and generally optimizing data center performance, enterprises are looking to upgrade their existing infrastructures to be able to accommodate the higher bandwidth applications of today. Many are looking to deploy 10 Gig fiber connectivity solutions to replace their existing copper infrastructures, but recognizing that 10 Gig is only likely to address their short-term requirements, they are also looking to ensure they have easy and cost-effective migration paths to even higher throughput solutions, like 40 and 100 Gig.
According to Robert Reid, Product Development Manager, Fiber Group, at Panduit, the driving force behind investment in
high speed data transport (HSDT) solutions is, “The value proposition for plug and play fiber solutions, meaning modularity, scalability, and future-proofing the data center for 40 and 100 Gig.”
Understanding that customers today are looking for more than just a product vendor for their data centers, Panduit has invested considerable time and resources in researching both 10 Gig solutions as well as how they can best be deployed to ensure compliance with current standards and also a migration path for the future.
Ian Brown, Division Manager of the Fiber Division at Panduit notes that the consultative approach embraced by Panduit is really what differentiates it in the market, which helps build valuable partnerships between Panduit and its clients, who are assured their investment will carry through into the future.
“We’ve spent a significant amount of time and effort addressing the prerequisite capabilities of the media and the connectivity solutions to truly carry the required data rates,” he explained in a recent
podcast with TMC (
News -
Alert). “We’ve spent significant resources to have the requisite equipment to be able to fully validate 10 Gigabit compliance, as well as 40 and 100 Gb compliance.”
According to Brown and Reid, validation is the key to Panduit’s success. In fact, Reid likes to call on a catchphrase he feels exemplifies Panduit’s position: “When our competitors approach a customer with hope, we arrive with data.”
Validation is critical, because the data center is the heart of the enterprise, certainly in the financial industry, but by and large across all verticals. That’s why Panduit has taken care to be able to validate their claims and produce hard data to corroborate it can truly provide the
media and solutions that are able to perform the data center tasks its customers require.
With the market moving rapidly toward 10 Gig connectivity solutions, to enable higher bandwidth, increased capabilities, and greater flexibility in design, in addition to looking at options for meeting today’s needs while future-proofing the data center, the other key factor is how much value can enterprises get from their existing infrastructure. In other words, how much can they recycle and how much will they have to discard?
The simple fact is that most data centers don’t approach their data center upgrades from a greenfield perspective. Rather, they are looking to gain maximum return on their existing investments, while still moving to a next generation data center infrastructure.
Whereas in the past, the technical model might have been enough to move forward with development plans, today’s environment requires reconciliation against a financial model as well. As such, enterprise decision makers are increasingly considering for consultation from companies like Panduit on how they can minimize waste while ensuring a feasible migration path as they move to higher data rates in their data centers.
According to Brown, businesses are not looking to design a data center for today, but are looking to deploy
tomorrow’s data center today, which requires a solid understanding of today’s requirements and future plans.
“Customers are looking for more than simply hearing about the product catalog,” he says. They are looking for support for their internal consultants and they are looking for vendors who will provide consultative advice. No longer can a supplier answer a bid request with merely parts and components.”
In fact, even as data centers migrate to 10 Gig solutions, they are doing so with a keen eye on the future, specifically 40 and 100 Gig solutions. Helping its customers understand how their immediate investment plans will play out over the next five years is what Brown and Reid say is paving the way for Panduit’s connectivity solutions.
To hear all of their thoughts on 10 Gig fiber, and how it plays into Panduit’s entire HSDT solution set, listen to the
podcast on the
Smart Data Centers community.
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Erik Linask (News - Alert) is Group Editorial Director of TMC, which brings news and compelling feature articles, podcasts, and videos to 2,000,000 visitors each month. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Erik Linask
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