Network performance key to enabling the cloud
Investing in the network is emerging as one of the most important aspects of supporting cloud deployment.
By Donna DonnawitzFebruary 21, 2012
The enterprise sector is quickly moving to the cloud, with small businesses and government organizations also adopting the technology at a rapid pace. This is leading to many operational changes for companies, but none of them may be greater than the way the cloud affects the network. Typically, the network is purely a facilitator that allows data and services to travel to end users. However, the cloud is overwhelming networking systems, turning connectivity into a critical enabler.
According to a recent report from Vox Telecom, the rising importance of the network is becoming especially evident when it comes to management, as more businesses are striving to invest in technologies and tools that help them better handle their infrastructure setups.
Christopher Burrell, VPN manager of Vox Telecom, explained that the demands established by cloud computing are changing the network so much that a new generation of management and general operational tools are becoming essential.
"Network performance is the single biggest factor that determines end-user experience and productivity. But finding the source of a network problem is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. It's made worse by the fact that the issue may not be on your local network; it could be with your ISP, or with their upstream service provider, with an overseas link or even with the application itself," said Burrell.
This dynamic is creating an environment in which more companies are investing in advanced networking technologies, including management tools and other hardware that helps them make the most of the bandwidth and networking systems available. It is especially important that companies invest in technologies that help them track data packets throughout the network so they can identify bottlenecks and other issues that may be impacting performance, the report said.
Optimizing the cabling setup can be key to ensuring consistent network performance when working within the cloud. For many businesses, copper cabling alone will not be enough to handle the cloud's demands, especially over longer distances where electromagnetic interference comes into play. At the same time, optical connectivity is too expensive to use exclusively. In such circumstances, media conversion pays major dividends because it allows organizations to use copper where it is most effective while also using fiber-optic cabling options where needed.
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.
According to a recent report from Vox Telecom, the rising importance of the network is becoming especially evident when it comes to management, as more businesses are striving to invest in technologies and tools that help them better handle their infrastructure setups.
Christopher Burrell, VPN manager of Vox Telecom, explained that the demands established by cloud computing are changing the network so much that a new generation of management and general operational tools are becoming essential.
"Network performance is the single biggest factor that determines end-user experience and productivity. But finding the source of a network problem is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. It's made worse by the fact that the issue may not be on your local network; it could be with your ISP, or with their upstream service provider, with an overseas link or even with the application itself," said Burrell.
This dynamic is creating an environment in which more companies are investing in advanced networking technologies, including management tools and other hardware that helps them make the most of the bandwidth and networking systems available. It is especially important that companies invest in technologies that help them track data packets throughout the network so they can identify bottlenecks and other issues that may be impacting performance, the report said.
Optimizing the cabling setup can be key to ensuring consistent network performance when working within the cloud. For many businesses, copper cabling alone will not be enough to handle the cloud's demands, especially over longer distances where electromagnetic interference comes into play. At the same time, optical connectivity is too expensive to use exclusively. In such circumstances, media conversion pays major dividends because it allows organizations to use copper where it is most effective while also using fiber-optic cabling options where needed.
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.
