Network infrastructure investments being prioritized

Cloud computing and other emerging technologies could be contributing to a growing network infrastructure investment landscape.

By Max Burkhalter
May 17, 2013

If you put an IT department from a decade ago next to a contemporary one, a few things will be immediately clear. Besides the changes in fashion, you may notice that the technologies in the background don't even look the same in many cases. Sure, servers, network solutions and other technologies are still, essentially, just a bunch of wires and components put together in shiny metallic boxes. However, the way all of these systems are combined and configured to form a data center has changed so much that the contemporary IT department would barely resemble one from just a few years ago.

This is especially clear in the results of a recent CompTIA study, which found that IT is changing so much, even over the next 12 months, that many businesses are increasing their budgets and hiring more staff members to keep up with new technological demands.

Looking at the shifting IT climate
A variety of technological changes are underway in corporate IT departments, leaving the data center potentially unrecognizable. The study found that, during the next 12 months, companies will prioritize investments in security, data storage, web systems, new computers and network infrastructure. In many cases, these upgrades are coming in conjunction with heightened interest in the cloud.Tim Herbert , vice president, research for CompTIA, explained cloud computing is one of the emerging technologies taking a firm hold in the enterprise.

"Emerging technologies such as cloud computing continue to see adoption gains as well," said Herbert. "More than half of responding companies say they are either experimenting with or fully using cloud computing solutions."

There could be a major connection between cloud computing and network infrastructure upgrades, as many experts agree that cloud computing puts a major strain on the network.

Cloud computing and the data center network
Cloud computing is built around delivering data and applications to end users through the web. As companies invest in public cloud solutions, this means they often need to upgrade their WAN infrastructure. However, the private cloud creates an entirely different dynamic, as its dependence on virtualization and east-west data center traffic creates major bandwidth challenges in the corporate data center. In many cases, companies depending heavily on internal cloud systems need fiber-optic cabling solutions in the data center backhaul network, and sometimes for storage. Furthermore, the WAN upgrades needed can lead to dependence on MAN infrastructure for some companies. In either of these scenarios, fiber to Ethernet media converters are integral to supporting network demands created by the cloud.

Perle has an extensive range of Managed and Unmanaged Fiber Media Converters to extended copper-based Ethernet equipment over a fiber optic link, multimode to multimode and multimode to single mode fiber up to 160km.

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