Cost is always a key factor in determining data center design and construction. Any business wants to support the longest term business growth by having the lowest possible cost of ownership. While the cost of a cabling system represents about 5% of the total cost of a data center, it is the longest-lasting network element.
Typically, cabling systems are required to have a lifecycle of up to 10 - 15 years or more. In contrast, network equipment typically needs to be replaced in 3 - 5 years. This leads to the conclusion that the cabling system must be planned to support 2 - 3 generations of active equipment replacement. This is not only related to the overall cost savings to the user, but will also contribute to saving more energy and available resources.
Secondly, uptime is an important measure of network reliability and refers to the amount of time users have access to critical business services. 70% of service interruptions are caused by moves, additions and replacements during data center cabling system maintenance.
Therefore, the decisions IT managers make about cabling systems will have a direct impact on the ability to minimize network outages and maximize business continuity. If the uptime requirements are defined and the associated equipment is identified, the bandwidth, power and cooling loads required can be estimated and the space required for the data center can be determined.
