Fast Track

On solid ground

Russell Julius

Office automation systems have a typical lifecycle of up to three years, while telecom infrastructure typically has a lifecycle of up to five years. Cabling infrastructure is expected to last between 10 and 20 years. In such a scenario, it’s essential to invest wisely in a reliable and scalable cabling infrastructure; this is often referred to as horizontal, since it forms a solid foundation for a network upon which you can run your business.

“The three things that go into the making of a good network are preparation, preparation and preparation,” remarks Russell Julius, Technical Director, Systimax Solutions, Asia Pacific.

CIOs have to first assess the needs of the business and systems required over a period of 10 to 20 years. This will help them identify the kind of infrastructure they have to put in place. Elaborate planning and evaluation processes follow. After these actions, they can finally begin to deploy a suitable infrastructure with the help of a reliable service provider.

“Managers worldwide are willing to adopt new cabling technology at an early stage to ensure they have the bandwidth they need,” says Julius quoting from online research conducted among 2,165 respondents in 48 countries on global technology trends for the physical layer of the enterprise.

Around 72 percent of the respondents were willing to adopt Category 6 and Augmented Category 6 solutions. The research also confirms that migration to 10 Gbps is likely to begin in the data centre and then move on to the desktop.

CIOs should keep themselves upgraded about the latest advances in cabling technology so that they may make an informed choice when selecting the products. Since the solutions provide the foundation for a good network and are not expected to be replaced very often, it is even more critical for CIOs to devote a lot of attention to it.

—Soutiman Das Gupta