Data throughput demands rising quickly - get the core network in shape

The network, as we know it, is changing. In the data center, organizations need to deal with east-west traffic that is taking up a higher percentage of the bandwidth, even though north-south bandwidth needs are just as heavy as ever. For telecoms, backhaul demands are rising and the network must be able to support mobile signal towers. All told, complexity and new performance demands are a common theme in the contemporary network.

A recent AutomatedTrading report detailing how much the network has shifted and is changing explained that even though just about every aspect of connectivity infrastructure is shifting, the core network could be the most important area of adjustment.

Understanding core network challenges
If you've spent much time thinking about how networks work, you probably understand that a company's core network is influenced heavily by two key areas - telecom infrastructure and end-user demands. Telecoms establish a set of limits, to some degree, on what internal networks can do. If a telecom cannot offer the backhaul/access transit capabilities an organization needs, upgrading the core network will not have a major impact on overall performance. At the same time, end users also have a major affect on whether an organization needs to make strategic improvements.

The news source explained that cloud computing, mobile device use and video streaming are the primary drivers behind the need for core network upgrades.

These drivers are all end-user tasks that organizations need to keep in mind when establishing network strategies.

According to the report, many telecoms have already made major strides in upgrading their networks to support new requirements coming from end users. For businesses, the end result is a situation in which they have an opportunity to make strategic network upgrades to their core infrastructure in order to more effectively meet end-user requirements.

Using fiber as the foundation for better networks
Fiber-optic cabling systems are instrumental to future-proofing the network and, in many cases, meeting contemporary demands. However, using fiber is not always easy because it is expensive and not interoperable with copper infrastructure. Fiber to Ethernet media converters become a key tool in this situation.

Media conversion solutions simultaneously ease any compatibility problems in the network and add a layer of cost efficiency to the infrastructure. Organizations that use media converters effectively can strategically switch between copper and fiber based on performance demands in different parts of the network, optimizing the cost-to-performance ratio.

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.