Requirements for data center networking infrastructure are rapidly evolving. Emerging technologies continue to focus on automating and simplifying operations within today's data center. Density and size are the core factors in determining the network infrastructure of a data center. Consolidation, virtualization, and the use of cloud services are three primary examples of how evolving technology can affect data center bandwidth requirements. As recently as five years ago, a data center may have had 10 physical servers occupying 20U in a cabinet, but today that 20U is occupied by two Blade centers comprised of 32 blades servers acting as 640 virtual servers.
As commercial, corporate, and government data centers continue to strive for greater efficiency, the need for greater flexibility with network architecture becomes a critical component for every facility.
The important question becomes: does the same infrastructure that supported your needs five years ago support your needs today?
Quickly evolving network architecture requires the information transport systems that it runs across to grow with each company's growing needs. As commercial, corporate, and government data centers continue to strive for greater efficiency, the need for greater flexibility with network architecture becomes a critical component for every facility. You might need to re-visit your data center strategy, given how fast data center infrastructure is evolving. As you identify opportunities and vulnerabilities in 2014, ask yourself: how flexible is my infrastructure? Can I support the increasing requirements placed on information technology moving forward? If the answer to either of these is "no," a peace of mind consultation with a data center strategy and design expert could be the difference between whether you ride the emerging technology wave or whether you get swept under the current.
