Data Centre Occupies Pivotal Role
The concept of the data centre as important to IT management enjoyed a surge in popularity during the dot.com era, only to subsequently crash in the wake of the downturn. During this period, the data centre evolved from functioning as a basic secure server room, to more of a mission-critical base. The pressure facing many enterprises has seen the data centre enjoy a renaissance over the last two years, mainly in North America and Europe. Although expectations about the role of the data centre have increased in recent years, in many cases data centre design has not altered to reflect either the leap in technology that the industry has been making, or to cope with added demands placed on disaster recovery management, which has become a much higher priority for businesses in the light of major incidents like 9/11.
Internal or External Data Centres
There are two principal types of data centre: (a) the Corporate Data Centre, which is located in-house and managed by the company’s own internal staff; and (b) the Internet Data Centre, typically owned and managed by an external third party, such as an Internet Service Provider. An enterprise may choose to rent data centre space from such an external provider, so as not to have to get involved with management and maintenance of the facilities. This practice is referred to as co-location. Both types of data centres are required to operate within a very strictly controlled environment, keeping temperature and humidity within a limited range, whilst being equipped to respond to hazardous weather conditions, power cuts or breaches of security. The high power output of the electronic equipment concentrated in a data centre means that efficient cooling systems are essential to maintain a consistent temperature.
Location of Data Centres
Security considerations have had an impact on the location of data centres. Thus banks, with major head office locations in financial centres such as the City of London, where there is perceived to be a small but significant threat of a major incident that could disrupt communications and risk loss of vital data, may need to establish a corporate data centre in an alternative location where the threat is considered to be lower.
Consolidation of Data Centres
As was mentioned earlier, many enterprises are choosing to follow a centralised route. This is forcing many of them to reassess and ultimately consolidate their fragmented data centre stock, which invariably leads to establishing a series of larger, but dedicated, operational buildings. The model data centre will ideally house high-speed, “always on” networking systems of very high reliability. The high-speed concept has meant that even equipment purchased only four years ago can be considered as legacy, and perhaps not completely up to the task required.
Greater Alignment Between Active and Passive LANs
In terms of IT budgets, the highest proportion has traditionally been invested in the active part of the network, which houses the electronic equipment such as routers, hubs and switches. In very basic terms, these are often referred to as the traffic wardens on the data network. In contrast, the passive network or datacom highway, of which LAN cables are a part, has typically not been given anywhere near the level of recognition it merits. Whilst a personal computer will on average be upgraded every 5 to 7 years, and an active switch every 7 years, the structured wiring system (comprising LAN data cables and connectivity) is replaced on average only every 15 years. In overall network budget terms, cabling has typically represented between 5% and 7% of the total.
Enhanced Networks Required
The resurgence in interest in all things related to the data centre is benefiting suppliers of LAN cables, as the changes to the network made at the active level need to have equivalent support at the passive level. The proportion of the IT budget relating to the data centre can account for at least 50%, now affording the role of LAN cables a much higher profile. In comparative value terms, they continue to represent a small share over active products, but they are being factored into the overall solution, rather than being an afterthought. In view of anticipated growth in demand for higher network speeds, it is strongly believed that applications developed for the data centre environment will eventually migrate to the desktop. Structured cabling products will provide this support.
