/vnd/media/agency_attachments/bGjnvN2ncYDdhj74yP9p.png)
Enterprises
across all verticals have witnessed a tremendous explosion in the data usage on
their network. This has made them realize the importance of having a robust
cabling infrastructure to support the increased bandwidth usage. Given the pace
of at which the enterprise bandwidth requirements are increasing, the existing
LAN cabling system stands the risks of becoming inefficient in no time.
Thanks to some
innovative solutions by structured cabling vendors, enterprises are in a
position to take advantage and upgrade their network for better connectivity at
an affordable cost.
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
Some of the common problems that occur during implementation include pair
twists not being maintained in twisted pair cables especially at the modular
plug, too much of the jacket removed from the UTP cable etc. Cable routing is
another common factor contributing to faults. One must ensure that structured
cabling is not laid next to power or telecom lines and does not have too many
bends for this can affect the number of twists in the UTP cable. Extensive
cabling as a result of large and unstructured computer networks can also cause
problems. Also, one should ensure that one has proper documentation of the
entire structured cabling layout.Â
/vnd/media/post_attachments/ac2998fed6e8b1cdb29c4b8b59ee759813eaa15593c845b520339ac2ae37e840.jpg) |
EXPERTS PANEL |
|
Milind Tamhane, VP- |
Within IT, the
adoption of IP as a ubiquitous platform presents itself with an opportunity to
converge all types of media and mediums of communications viz voice, data, and
video. Applications such as VoIP,
IP-based videoconferencing, digital audio and video are bandwidth intensive and
becoming a reality today. Since information plays a vital role and therefore a
successful delivery of information, inter and intra enterprises across world are
an absolute necessity today. And to fulfill that there is a need for a reliable,
scalable, and high-performance structured cabling solution. IT networks in an
organization is being viewed as one of the important assets of the company. The
growth of the organization is dynamic. To add to this, technology is changing
very fast with the speed of computing increasing day by day. The challenges
faced today in a network environment is to do with the technology vis-a-vis ROI
SAN & NAS are turning to become high-end niche applications especially in
BFSI sector. This has driven the data center market, with many global vendors
viewing India as a major base for growth. Unlike work area cabling, which is
fast turning into a commodity, data center cabling needs to be more futuristic
with a high level of redundancy built into the cabling and other general
infrastructure. The product reliability, installation skills, and performance
headroom needs to be of a high order and all of these needs to fall in place at
an affordable cost.
| Buying Tips |
|
Look When Map For Internal Ensure Look Make For |
While Cat-6 is
becoming a de-facto standard for all medium and large networks, Cat-6A the 10
Gig cabling network is being widely accepted in large sized networks. With 10GE
gaining acceptance the question is whether fiber or Copper? The cost of
electronics involved in a copper based solution works out to be cheaper by more
than five times over a fiber-based solution; hence, the Cat-6A is gaining
momentum.
| Before evaluating a structured cabling solution for deployment, the CIO or the CTO should know their network and the future requirements well enough |
Managing large,
multi-location networks are being viewed as a challenge as well.
Today, structured
cabling is supposed to handle traditional voice and data. With IP being a
reality, the bandwidth demands are increasing. Added to the cabling network are
the other applications such as fire alarm, security, HVAC and building
automation systems. These applications in turn demand a share of bandwidth, so
with these applications the enterprise needs to install a robust network that is
futuristic and able to support future technologies as well. ERP, Sarbannes Oxley
being integrated in the enterprise throws an additional challenge.
THE WAY OUT
Education is the first step to marketing. It is the collective
responsibility of all vendors to spend due resources on educating their target
audience on all important issues pertaining to structured cabling such that they
can make informed choices. Prevention is better than cure. Buying decisions
should be made after due deliberations.
| Case Study: Unisys |
|
Implementer: At A The SYSTIMAX |
Before evaluating a
structured cabling solution for deployment, the CIO or the CTO should know his
network well enough. Besides, he should have a fair idea of the requirements
that are going to emerge in the future. Having understood the load that his
network may have to face, say 10 years from now, he should decide on a solution
that best meets his requirements. At the same time, this futuristic solution
(supposed to be the latest in terms of structured cabling standards/categories
available) that he chooses should not cost a lot in terms of purchase,
installation and maintenance. The TCO, which is sum of the cost of acquisition
and recurring costs, should be low at all times.
| Wired or Wireless? |
|
Advantages: Disadvantages: |
“There is no harm in
having bandwidth that's more than required for a couple of years before the
network starts experiencing the real load it is scaled for”. Secondly,
enterprises should compare the solutions offered by different vendors
feature-by-feature. This will help understand what fits his scenario the best
and where all can he protect the existing investments. A close look at the track
record of the system integrators or certified installers empanelled with the
structured cabling vendor is also important for the solution may be good in
terms of features but the way it has been deployed also matters. What's
unfortunate is that the awareness levels amidst users and decision-making
community is low enough. They are not aware of the latest standards and
ratifications. It is crucial to ascertain issues such as system performance,
redundancy, diversity, modularity, and warranty and after-sales service before
deploying any structured cabling solution.
| There is no harm in having bandwidth that's more than required for a couple of years before the network starts experiencing the real load it |
New networks, new
ways. Network architecture is evolving based on new complex environment and
future proofing demands. Within a converged network, unless the expectations of
cost, speed, performance and reliability are met, an optimum return on
investment (RoI) cannot be realized. While the design and engineering of the
product contributes to cost and speed, it is the customer experience that
defines performance and reliability. It is therefore essential that solutions be
designed to deliver the desired quality of service (QoS) consistently. /vnd/media/post_attachments/cac08111e1afa5c96ec870f12bdddb9b79692232f18878ecb9810978368ddac2.jpg)
| Power-over-Ethernet-Growth Drivers |
|
Power-over-Ethernet Also, The The IEEE While
|
A resilient cabling
that can be designed taking into account the various aspects of the enterprise.
It is important to understand the needs in terms of the applications that will
be deployed. The growth rate, the churn rate, the future plans, the occupancy
time frame of the building has to be factored, while designing a network. It is
always good to install a cabling network that is latest in technology as
re-cabling involves huge cost and inconveniences associated with relocating the
staff. It is always good to install a backbone that can be on fiber and copper
that can cater to 10 Gigabit. Design the data center that can also be on 10 Gig
copper and fiber. With intelligent cabling you can manage the network and can
also manage the IT asset. The intelligent cabling can also be used for security
purpose wherein intrusion in a network can be easily identified.
DEPLOYMENT TRENDS
Cabling systems are increasingly getting intelligent especially the ones
deployed in the enterprise space. These systems provide for real-time management
of the physical layer, which enables immediate troubleshooting of problems, if
any, besides optimum utilization and efficiency. The intelligent structured
cabling is able to track IP-based devices such that the network manager can
access, control, and manage them from one central location. This is more
critical considering the today's distributed computing environments and the
acute need to troubleshoot them remotely. There is a scarcity of network
management staff and, therefore, remote access and management of devices is
logical. For this, use of an intelligent structured cabling system is a must.
Besides this, there is a growing trend towards interoperability and providing
higher security to the user as well. /vnd/media/post_attachments/3ddaeb6750be0b6d06f54df6add07758b76f5d1213a25785a4a4056c5c478d7d.jpg)
| Build Networks with a Vision |
|
As It's It's Why?
Hence, |
The industry has
experienced steady growth over the years but the last fiscal (2004-05) was
special as it witnessed a very large deployment of networks across all
verticals. 10 GE on copper is
gaining importance and is being widely installed. Apart from this intelligent
cabling is making its way in large enterprises. The enterprise is also
installing both wired and wireless network to derive maximum benefit of both
bandwidth and mobility. POE is another technology that will be deployed more
than expected. An integrated
cabling network is also catering to the other applications such as security,
fire alarms, HVAC, and building automation systems.
| Case Study: PNB India |
|
Implementer: Punjab |
In a corporate
environment, which involves multiple locations, distributed work force and
deferring time zones the cost of managing these is an important element that
ensures efficiency within an organization. The desire for cost efficiency is
driving decision makers to consider introducing intelligence and automation into
the building management. It is in
such a scenario that the IP platform enables one to integrate voice and data
communications, but also the other elements viz security systems, access
controls, CCTVs, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, (HVAC) etc. While the
introduction of automation and intelligence is beneficial from a technology
standpoint, the crux of the decision lies in the need for saving cost, achieving
higher speeds and better performance.
Globally, structured
cabling trends get guided by the bandwidth crave in all the three media. There
are newer products with higher transmission speeds in the market today. Copper
accepts Cat6 Augmented and 10G over copper range, fiber gets low water peak
fiber compatible for CWDM transmissions and Wireless already has products with
100Mb/s speeds. However, while all new product range is available for us in
India the installation investments are largely governed by price.
| Case Study: Cognizant |
|
Implementer: Cognizant PremisNET The |
GROWTH DRIVERS
In the recent past, what has been most noticeable is the introduction of
standards such as 10GE-over-copper. There have been many early deployments of
10G-over-UTP and Cat 7 as well, which augurs well for the times ahead. Another
new technology that has emerged is the Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), but it is
still too early to see some significant deployments of this. Initially, there
was a lot of hype over 10G-UTP structured cabling solution but the good thing is
that it is fast gaining acceptance. The hype is getting translated into market
orders, fortunately! More and more vendors are introducing their own brands of
this technology. This is also a sign that Indian businesses are embracing
what's new in the market in an attempt to protect their investments in
technology for the years to come.
| There is a scarcity of network management staff and, therefore, remote access and management of devices is logical |
There have been one or
two model Cat 7 deployments as well, but they account only for a miniscule
percentage of the overall structured cabling systems market in the country.Â
Once the IEEE, which is currently working on the 10G-UTP standard,
ratifies this, it will be called Augmented Cat 6 or Cat A6. It will witness far
more deployments than today. Businesses
may deploy this even at the backbone level and this is where it will compete
with the fiber. Even if you compare it with fiber in terms of cost, it is going
to be cheaper when it comes to the cost of acquisition, installation and
maintenance. The total cost of ownership (TCO) will be lower than fiber.Â
/vnd/media/post_attachments/30cd20a40a8c64207215a27eaf5fb73e71fd912b7015c9e05140c43de60a2a13.jpg)
Definitely the
deployment of 10G on copper networks will drive the growth. The campus networks
on fiber will also play an important role with educational institutes,
manufacturing enterprises getting networked. Intelligent cabling will also fuel
the growth in the days to come.
| Gigabit Connectivity-Fiber Vs Copper |
|
Cat The As Fiber's |
Industrial Ethernet
will also gain importance as automation has increased. The latest machinery at
the shop floor today provides an Ethernet port for the data management. SCADA
applications in large establishments such as power, cement, steel mills will
ensure that the opportunities are ever increasing for the cabling world.
Metro Ethernet will in
turn also fuel the growth of the cabling in the enterprise as this means that
the pipe will be large at the backbone that will challenge the enterprise to
pump more data on the backbone. There would be more and more applications of 10G
over copper that too through more robust SFTP cables, thanks to the
ever-increasing electro magnetic noise. There comes yet another area, PoE, which
would use existing cable infrastructure to provide power to host of equipments
through same data ports. Fiber medium would see more of FTTX applications.
THE PRICING
One may like to keep in view here that the 10G-over-UTP solutions will be
costlier than Cat 6 solutions as of now and buyers will have to pay a premium
for having the new technology. Estimates, however, vary from vendor to vendor
over the premium. According to an estimate, a pre-standard Cat A6 installation
could be up to three times costlier than a Cat 6 installation. Another claim is
that customers can expect to pay upwards of a 30% premium on material to deploy
10Gig solutions to a full 100m.
What does that wide
gap in estimates mean? Two things. One, vendors are ready to negotiate on
material prices. Two, service and support components are going to be pretty high
as compared to Cat 6 installations.
Yet another way of
estimating Cat A6 costs, could be a comparison with 10G fiber. It is understood
that 10G copper networks will be approximately 50% cheaper than 10G fiber
networks. This approach assumes that it's still early days to compare a 1G
copper network to a 10G copper network.
Ultimately, although
the initial offering will be expensive to deploy, increased volumes will bring
the cost of 10Gig-over-copper down relatively quickly. In particular, the
deployment of 10G on a larger scale will only be possible if the cost of per 10G
port comes within the buying capacity of corporate customers. It may take
another year for these products to start gaining some ground in India. Till that
time the technology itself will continue to mature./vnd/media/post_attachments/b1622bb1bd5f34c3cf534d1e579276ee7916279074d17bd58fe9b14199c3cdd1.jpg)
| Intelligence Ahoy! |
|
An Intelligent Every These
|
THE COMPLIANCE FACTOR
The whole point of setting standards is to ensure that the user is able to
access the best available and suited technologies within each segment-UTP cable,
connecting hardware, patch cords, and other equipment. Further, it ensures that
users end up with fully standards-compliant solutions.
The EIA/TIA Cat 6
standard underlined the need for 'interoperability' or, in other words, for
component-level compliance. This simply means that each component in the passive
network must individually meet the standard set for it, apart from the channel
(all components put together) meeting the overall requirement. When each
component meets the standard, customers can virtually pick and choose products
from different vendors based on the technology strengths of each vendor. This is
the evolved 'mix and match' philosophy that is prevalent in most developed
markets. This dynamics allows users to cherry-pick, ie access best-in-class
technology in each product family. More significantly, it puts pressure on
vendors to keep improving the qualities of their end-to-end solutions or else
face the prospect of the user eliminating a low-performance portion and picking
it up from elsewhere.
Component-level
compliance became more important with the emergence of Cat 6 because the
objective of Cat 6 was to provide headroom for future applications much over Cat
5e. This implies that the best technology should be made available to users.
Some vendors adopt the easy way out by not revealing component-level performance
to customers. They bundle their Cat 6 offering under 'channel compliance'
and get away. The customer realizes this only when new applications do not work
very well with the solution. The safeguard for users is to insist on detailed
component-level specifications of the products being evaluated by them.
In 10G applications
one has to assure that the system meets information carrying capacity. All this
obviously leads to emphasis on component-level compliance as per the standards.
WIRELESS NETWORKS A THREAT?
There are discussions about the threat posed by wireless networks to
structured cabling. But on a closer look, it would appear that wireless networks
are not a threat to structured cabling in any way, form or manner whatsoever.
Indeed, they are an opportunity for integrated functions. They are for users who
are mobile and need to access the main network while on the go. In case of large
corporate/enterprise implementations not just everything can be turned wireless
for it has some limitations as against a traditional network with structured
cabling. A wireless network can run into issues like security, bandwidth/speed
and capacity of data transmission etc. These can become a bottleneck as and when
the users grow beyond a certain point.
| FAQ |
|
What is the  When will The  Will 10-gigabit  Does a Early  Could I use 10-gigabit  Why should It's all  What does If you have  Is this a No, this is  Why won't This is  Where will |
Wired and wireless
networks are complimentary to each other. The wired networks offer a dedicated
high bandwidth for the ever growing need for speed of a network whereas the
wireless network offers a shared and low speed bandwidth. The advantage with
wireless is the mobility that it can offer. It is worth mentioning that even the
wireless access points need a wired connectivity. This goes to prove that
wireless and wired are complimentary to each other.
/vnd/media/post_attachments/e2c27f8f4c5423bb1631c975946b35a7099f035b6d8a05361aad6112e2c73851.jpg)
Over the next few
years, both the wired and the wireless networks will coexist and cohabitate.
With its ability to support feature-rich applications, organizations are
realizing that wireless is a viable option to run enterprise-wide applications.
Today business benefits have compelled organizations with small offices and the
SOHO segment to be the first movers in adopting wireless as a standard against
structured cabling. However, large enterprises will continue to have a hybrid
solution for the next few years. Wireless
will help service providers drive broadband in the home and small office
segment.Â
All the three media
for information transmission-copper, fiber, and wireless (radio frequency)
would coexist. They complement one another due
to their inherent strengths and
weaknesses.
PREFERENCE FOR CAT6
A survey of networking and IT managers conducted amongst 2,165 network and
IT professionals in 48 countries (including India) by Systimax revealed 72
percent favoring the deployment of Category 6 copper cabling for next
installation. This includes 16 percent of the total who would install cabling
conforming to the proposed Augmented Category 6 (Category 6A) standard for 10 Gb/s
connections over copper cabling.
| It would appear that wireless networks are not a threat to structured cabling in any way, form or manner whatsoever. Indeed, they are an opportunity for integrated functions |
Results of new global
research study also revealed that these professionals are willing to adopt new
cabling technology at an early stage to ensure they have the bandwidth they
need. As Gigabit desktop connections become the norm and 10Gb/s is seen as the
way ahead, managers see high quality cabling as an investment rather than a
cost.
The report, titled
Meeting the Connectivity Challenge, covers technology trends for the physical
layer of enterprise networks. The respondents across wide ranging verticals,
gave details of their current and planned connectivity, with particular
reference to 10-gigabit networking, intelligent infrastructure management and
wireless connectivity.
| Standards and Categories |
|
ISO/IEC Â Cable Category Category Category |