The right strategies can help cut cabling costs
Strategically developing data center projects can help companies avoid excess cabling costs.
By Max BurkhalterJune 14, 2012
Data center structured cabling systems are often extremely expensive for businesses, and much of that cost is unnecessary, the Data Center Journal reported.
According to the news source, most of the efforts businesses make to cut spending in the data center are, understandably, devoted to power and cooling issues. However, focusing more on cabling can help organizations reduce their data center spending considerably.
There are a variety of factors contributing to excess cabling expenses in the data center, with a multi-tiered supply chain being one of the most problematic barriers to cost-effective deployment. The report explained that most cabling systems are purchased through a multi-tier distribution channel that deals with multiple manufacturers, distributors and contractors before the cabling actually gets to the buyer. As a result, the cables progressively cost more at each tier because the client has to pay for various services at each level. In the past, such a model made sense because manufacturers did not want to worry too much about sales, but more recent innovations in ecommerce and other efficient buying and selling platforms have made it easier to purchase cables directly from the manufacturer, cutting out millions of dollars in costs.
Choosing a best-of-breed approach to cabling deployment can also pay off for business, the Data Center Journal explained. In most cases, an end-to-end solution using a single vendor has been popular because interoperability has been an issue in cabling systems. However, recent efforts by standards bodies have made it easier to take a best-of-breed approach to deploying their wiring, making it much easier to choose the best solutions for the best price to cut the costs of new installations.
Planning is also key when trying to reduce the costs of a new networking system. The report said many data center operators end up buying cable and starting an installation, but having to buy more cables or a different type of cord to meet an unexpected need. Then they find themselves not able to use some of the wires they had already purchased, wasting valuable resources. It is vital that organizations take a strategic approach to deploying cabling and know exactly what they will need when they purchase it.
Tactical cabling deployment can also support the use of fiber-to-Ethernet media conversion, allowing organizations to get the most for the money. With media conversion, companies can easily switch between copper and fiber. This lets them choose the most cost-effective option to meet performance requirements in any part of the network. As a result, data center operators can maximize the price-to-performance ratio of their structured cabling setup.
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 the news source, most of the efforts businesses make to cut spending in the data center are, understandably, devoted to power and cooling issues. However, focusing more on cabling can help organizations reduce their data center spending considerably.
There are a variety of factors contributing to excess cabling expenses in the data center, with a multi-tiered supply chain being one of the most problematic barriers to cost-effective deployment. The report explained that most cabling systems are purchased through a multi-tier distribution channel that deals with multiple manufacturers, distributors and contractors before the cabling actually gets to the buyer. As a result, the cables progressively cost more at each tier because the client has to pay for various services at each level. In the past, such a model made sense because manufacturers did not want to worry too much about sales, but more recent innovations in ecommerce and other efficient buying and selling platforms have made it easier to purchase cables directly from the manufacturer, cutting out millions of dollars in costs.
Choosing a best-of-breed approach to cabling deployment can also pay off for business, the Data Center Journal explained. In most cases, an end-to-end solution using a single vendor has been popular because interoperability has been an issue in cabling systems. However, recent efforts by standards bodies have made it easier to take a best-of-breed approach to deploying their wiring, making it much easier to choose the best solutions for the best price to cut the costs of new installations.
Planning is also key when trying to reduce the costs of a new networking system. The report said many data center operators end up buying cable and starting an installation, but having to buy more cables or a different type of cord to meet an unexpected need. Then they find themselves not able to use some of the wires they had already purchased, wasting valuable resources. It is vital that organizations take a strategic approach to deploying cabling and know exactly what they will need when they purchase it.
Tactical cabling deployment can also support the use of fiber-to-Ethernet media conversion, allowing organizations to get the most for the money. With media conversion, companies can easily switch between copper and fiber. This lets them choose the most cost-effective option to meet performance requirements in any part of the network. As a result, data center operators can maximize the price-to-performance ratio of their structured cabling setup.
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.
