New Ethernet standards are just around the corner

The IT community is pushing for 25 Gbps as the new minimum Ethernet standard for data centers. The new protocols have become a necessity as data centers are tasked with increasingly larger amounts of data to store and transfer, and the 25 Gbps standard is deal for operating quickly within the larger network framework.The new standard will help to push the entire industry toward greater efficiency.

Meeting modern data center needs
Much of the push toward 25 Gbps is being driven by practical reasons, says PC World. One of those reasons is the recent development of 100 gigabit connections, which are typically comprised of 25 Gbps wires bundled together. This production process could easily be utilized to produce 25 Gbps solutions cheaply and easily. This manufacturing advantage is a big incentive for industry leaders to back the new standards. Google and several other companies in favor of the standards have even banded together as the 25 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium.

The next level of Wi-Fi
The latest set of Ethernet standards will include new minimums for wireless networks as well. Supporters of the measure argue that wireless access points are becoming more advanced, and that a faster wireless standard would help to keep the company's wired infrastructure on the same technological playing field. Faster Wi-Fi would have plenty of supplementary benefits as well, including making it easier for employees to transfer large volumes of data to or from their BYOD devices at rapid speeds. The 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps standards for wireless are currently under development, but many developers admit that there is a limit to how high they can push the standard before companies are forced to purchase new cables.

Adoption strategies
Targeted upgrades are one way that companies can stay current with the new Ethernet standards without breaking the annual budget. New fiber-optic cables will greatly increase a company's ability to transfer massive amounts of data, but not every section of the data center will require 25 Gbps connections. Companies can save money and space in the data center by retrofitting existing copper wires with fiber-to-Ethernet solutions. Replacing replace legacy copper with fiber optics better positions a company to meet future demands and has the added benefit of taking up less space than copper wire. Upgrading a data center's connections and streamlining the facility's infrastructure are great ways to support the company's performance.

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 160 km.