With data center infrastructure evolving to meet the changing needs of endusers – including the incorporation of IoT devices – data center managers can no longer rely on basic cabling testing . It ’ s critical that they have the tools available to be able to test and troubleshoot issues quickly , to ensure Business Continuity . Lisa Schwartz , Director of Business Development and Product Marketing at AEM , talks us through some of the challenges data center teams are encountering and how they can ensure they have a comprehensive testing strategy that meets users ’ growing demands .

Why must businesses always be on the lookout for ways to improve data center ( DC ) performance and reliability ?

Because data centers must constantly evolve to meet the growing needs of the businesses they serve . If a business fails to keep this in mind it will be very problematic when the growth surpasses the capacity of

Why are data center trends that leverage power over Ethernet ( PoE ) for various IoT purposes on the rise , and what ’ s the impact ?

There are many smart building IoT devices such as access controls , sensors , lighting and cameras which require reliable data and power connections and these requirements place more demand on the data center .

What challenges does the varied layout of data center plants create in terms of cabling requirements and troubleshooting ?

There are three typical layouts for data center plants – centralized , End of Row ( EOR ) and Top of Rack ( ToR ).

Centralized layout is typical in a small or older data center . The under-floor or overhead cabling pathways can become overwhelmed and removing / replacing cabling can be difficult . Re-use of cabling can be confusing without first determining if the existing cable will support a new application .

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