In business, there are a few areas you can skimp on costs without degrading performance or productivity. Stationery, for example. Are state of the art staplers a necessity or will an ordinary one get the job done? Would a standard issue ball point pen write any worse than a sleek roller ball? (Ok, if you're a bit of a stationery person, you may be against me on this point!)
But there's a critical area where penny-pinching should simply never be considered, ever!
And that's your data centre.
As the heart and hub of your business operations, infrastructure and processes, safety and security are critical concerns. A starting point to help keep data secure is to install fibre cabling. The initial outlay is more costly than its copper counterpart, but the long-term benefits warrant the additional investment.
What are the advantages of fibre cabling? Let's have a look at a few.
The Advantages of Fibre for Data Centre Cabling
1. You'll Get Boosted Bandwidth
Fibre cabling trumps copper in the bandwidth stakes, offering a standardised performance of up to 10Gbps, depending on the cable used. It's also able to carry far more data with greater precision, and is perfectly suited to meeting the ever-increasing demands on modern day networks.
2. It's More Reliable and Immune
Fibre has a core made from glass, making it impossible for electrical current to flow through it. This makes it immune to electrometric interference, crosstalk, impedance issues and radio-frequency interference. It can be run alongside industrial equipment with no hassles, and can also be submerged in water. It's less prone to temperature fluctuations and is immune to many of the environmental factors that affect copper cabling. Basically it's more reliable and flexible with regards to installation and location criteria.
3. It'll Go the Distance with Low Signal Loss
Fibre cable uses a signal comprised of light, which means data transmission happens faster over greater distances, with little signal loss. It offers an impressive range of distance, depending on the type of fibre cable used, of between 300 metres up to 40 kilometres, and the signal requires far less boosting than copper cabling.
4. It's More Secure
Fibre cabling doesn't radiate signal like copper cabling, and is much more difficult to tap. Because the signal is light-based, any attempt to tap into the cable will result in the loss of light due to leakage, often causing an entire system failure. This makes it simple to detect intrusions and monitor your data centre's security.
5. It's Designed to be Tough
Despite being lightweight and thin, fibre cabling is more durable than copper, with a pulling specification that can be up to ten times greater than that of copper. It's also easy to manipulate and handle, as it takes up less space in a cabling duct, and is easier to test than copper cabling.
6. It's Forward-Thinking and Futureproof
Even though it remains more costly to install than copper cabling, fibre cabling saves costs by being capable of handling the growing expectations and demands made on a modern data centre, without the need for upgrades in hardware. It's cheaper to maintain and has far less downtime.
Choosing fibre as your data centre cabling solution is a smart decision, as you will be well-equipped for optimum performance, both in the present and the future. Your data centre is an investment, and fibre cabling is the best way to ensure its success.
Photo credit: Monster Cable cables. Fiber optic. S-Video. 12AWG OFC. via photopin (license)
