Reducing Network Inefficiencies
February 24, 2009  - Chronicles for the Next Gen Network - Vol. 1

Data Connectivity: Considerations for a Stronger Network – in Any Economy
During these challenging economic times, companies are looking for ways to cut costs, streamline workflow and increase productivity with less. For carriers, municipalities and internet service providers, they are in somewhat of a quandary: they need to reduce spending, but at the same time, continue to invest in network infrastructure needed for future business. 

Spending vs. Saving
Can service providers do both?  If they want to be competitive for the long haul, they have to.  Service providers need to work harder and smarter, but they can not ignore the needs of communications infrastructure – especially now -- where there is so much change happening in the Telecom industry.  To illustrate this point, just look at one of the mainstays of this change: the data center.  

Data Centers: Now and in the Future
The line between the IT world and Telecom is becoming increasingly blurry.  The explosion in video, online gaming and bandwidth-consuming internet applications are pushing service providers toward an internet-based architecture. The burden to process, store and push out this content is being placed solely on the provider’s data center.

The public will continue to put their faith in data centers to ensure privacy and security. Identity theft, online fraud, and internet security – this is the world we live in today. There will be increasing emphasis to secure this data using state-of-the-art encryption techniques and authentication protocols.  Service providers will need to be able to respond quickly to these increased security needs with reliable connectivity – giving customers safe and reliable access to their data.

As fiber to the premise networks (FTTP) are built and realized, consumers and businesses will have access to data at unprecedented speeds. The demand for video and high-bandwidth internet applications is expected to increase exponentially; new data applications will emerge, and the data center will need to be able to respond quickly to meet these applications and services. 

More businesses and internet service providers (ISP’s) are collocating their equipment to carrier data centers to reduce overhead and operating costs. This places increased reliability on the data center, and requires an infrastructure that can respond quickly to next-generation services. Keeping the data center operating properly and efficiently will be critical to keep the services competitive in their respective marketplaces.

These trends illustrate the importance of the data center in future communications. Eventually, we may see the data center as a mainstay of service provider operations. And that beckons the question: how does the service provider plan for these emerging technologies – knowing their future business may depend on it?  And how do they invest in the infrastructure to support these technologies, while proactively lowering expenses?

Reduce Network Complexities, Minimize Expenses
Ultimately, the burden falls on management – with their experience and training - to evaluate their facility’s equipment, network efficiencies and assess their data and voice requirements for the future. To cut expenses and minimize spending for the long-term benefit of the company, management needs to adhere to one basic principal: limit the amount of complexities that exist, and projected to exist, in the network. More complexities results in more troubleshooting and, consequentially, more MACS and increased labor. 

For instance, when accessing the active equipment in the data center, employees can be hindered by poorly designed cable paths, connector access and lack of protection of data and power cables.  Cable paths need proper airflow to keep equipment from overheating and designed in a way that reduces congestion and allows for future growth.  Connectors and cables need to be clearly defined and easily accessible for patching, rerouting, upgrades and other services. 

Simplifying the Network with Plug & Play Data Connectivity Solutions
To minimize network downtime, it is also important to consider the benefits of plug and play (PNP) connectivity solutions. Technicians need to be able to make changes quickly to patch Ethernet panels, swap out back-bone cabling, or run fiber to equipment cabinets. Pre-terminated fiber pigtails solves this problem by eliminating costly on-site splicing and termination; it is also allows for easier handling by technicians in small spaces and helps to reduce attenuation from handling in high density fiber applications.

Future-Proofing for a Stronger Network
With new data-emerging technologies on the horizon, providers need to ready themselves with infrastructure that can respond quickly to these services.  In these challenging economic times, difficult decisions are required by management, and no one solution is a fix all.  But data connectivity products can and should be part of the overall strategy: When implemented correctly by management, they serve to reduce network complexities and curtail labor requirements for maintenance and troubleshooting.  In the long run, data connectivity products hold the most potential for providing cost savings in the service provider’s facility.  Simply put, future-proofing with data connectivity products is a safe, lasting investment for any service provider: it delivers cost savings and ensures network reliability and performance for years to come.

Now Available! Data Connectivity Solutions Catalog Download Now

Getting the “Bend” Out for Effective Fiber Management
Implementing well-planned routing paths is an important facet of cable management. Another important - and often overlooked - aspect of cable management is bend radius protection.

Though singlemode fiber optic cabling has advanced in recent years to allow for improved bend radius, it is still short sighted to handle, route or install fiber without considering its performance limitations.  

Fiber optics, in its basic form, transmits data down a glass core by means of light waves. Light, by its nature, has to travel down a straight path. An ingenious material called “cladding” is used to redirect the light through sharp turns and bends – allowing it to transmit information great distances. Despite this revolutionary technology, there is still a ceiling at which the fiber can perform. Bending the fiber too much can cause light to escape from its core. This can result in insertion loss: degrading the quality of the signal and creating measurable disruptions in the network.

Designing cable paths with reduced bend protection will go a long way in future proofing the network.  Racks, panels and cabinets should be selected that minimize excessive bending, pulling, or other stresses that would otherwise affect fiber performance.

It is also important to consider a storage strategy for fiber. Excess fiber cabling is often stored inadequately, with little regard to the conditions or space requirements needed to prevent damage. Implementing slack storage drawers or cabinets with reduced bend features protects fiber from excessive bends, and ensures the fiber will be in proper working condition when needed.

Finally, what’s important to remember is, each singlemode fiber is directly associated with a subscriber. Affecting the performance of a single fiber, even a small disruption, can affect customer satisfaction and may ultimately trickle down to the company’s bottom line.  Whether in the central office or outside plant, service providers need to take great care in protecting their fiber assets – and that starts with being conscientious of bend radius protection and good cable management.

Though managing bend radius is only one component for effective fiber management, it should be encompassed in the overall strategy for future-proofing your network.

• Discover ADC’s Reduced Bend Radius Fiber (RBRF). Read more.

Want to learn how to maximize productivity in your facility’s data center? Contact an ADC professional today at 800-366-3891 or visit www.adc.com.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Deploy to Win…

I LOVE MY NGF: HTC

Spotlight Company: Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC)

HTC, Inc. is the nation's largest telephone cooperative and the 25th largest telephone company.
A couple of years ago, Network Administrator David Lammers was presented with a challenge: “We needed to upgrade our aging fiber infrastructure, allowing us to better manage our fiber network as it continues to expand with new deployments.  We needed the right infrastructure solutions to make it happen.”

To meet this objective, HTC selected ADC’s Next Generation Frame (NGF).  

“NGF's offer us the flexibility to utilize IFC cable and position panels in whichever way we want. They give us the ability to control our destiny in terms of design and future-proofing.”

HTC has approximately 25 NGF’s in their facilities, with an additional 8 being added by 2010.

Recommended
Readings:

Addressing High Density Fiber Management Issues
Download (PDF, 123k)

Cable Management and Slack Storage
Download (PDF, 166k)

Splicing vs. Connectorization in FTTP Networking
Download (PDF, 302k)