CONNECTIONS PLUS NOV/DEC 2015 by Annex Business Media

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

+ the magazine for ict professionals

Structured Cabling:

WHAT LIES AHEAD? also: Dell World Coverage

The Digital Divide

Look Ahead 2016

Fiber Patch Cord

Backbone Fiber Cable

OLT

FX UHD Housing FX UHD Splice Cassette

FX UHD Splitter Cassette

Distribution Fiber Cable

Telecomm Room

Fiber Patch Cords

FX UHD Housing Distribution Fiber Cable

Faceplate

Fiber Patch Cord

Laptop

Copper Patch Cords

FX Multi-Box ONT

Cellphone

Laptop

Telephone

Wireless Access Point

Television Mobile Devices

Copper Patch Cord

Consolidation Point

ONT Fiber Patch Cord

It can be hard finding your way through the complexities of current Passive Optical LAN (POLAN) techniques. By bridging the gap between emerging POLAN and established traditional structure cabling methods, the Belden FiberExpress (FX) UHD System provides an easy, flexible and modular approach to any POLAN system. Lightweight, compact and easy-to-install Housing and Shelves support plug-and-play Splitter and Splice Cassettes that reduce installation time and allow for rapid field-termination.

Work Area

Implementing a Structured Passive Optical LAN Solution

Main Equipment Room

Bringing Order Out of Chaos

Our End-to-End Expertise • Your End-to-End Solution

POLAN - Connections-Nov-Dec_AD_ECOS_BDC_1115_A_AG.indd 1

11/20/2015 11:50:47 AM

Contents Fe a t u r e s

17 A Bounty of Choices The world of structured cabling is changing dramatically

32 Look Ahead 2016 The future is cloudy, according to our experts

Departments Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note

member of:

Infrastructure Systems

Networks & The Cloud

Mobile Movements

New & Noteworthy

The Back Page

7 I n the N ext Issue

>> Industry 4.0

audited by:

www.connectionsplus.ca

November/December 2015

Connections+

E D I TO R ’S N OT E

Fiber, copper and the

DX Economy y thanks go out to Peter Leupen (see p. 25) and Alex Smith (see p. 28), two structured cabling experts who volunteered to provide a personalized viewpoint on how they see their particular sector evolving. Smith writes about how in the early 1980s, he started a contracting business and explained to his friends and acquaintances that what he did was design and install communications cabling systems. “A number of people said the same thing to me,” Smith recalls, “ which was , ‘you can make a business doing that.’ I quietly explained that yes, I could and could see a future in the industry.” It still looks bright: Society, he concludes, will need the “plumbers” of the Information Technology & Internet Age to install and maintain bigger and better pipes. Leupen, meanwhile, writes that information is today’s currency and “woe be to the person who treats it lightly. He adds that cabling has and for the foreseeable future will be important and “equally important will be the application of standards for is deployment. “Beyond mere aesthetics, proper cabling infrastructure deployment and its appropriate management should be accorded

a priority commensurate with its cost and importance to business.” Other experts echo similar sentiments. In our cover story, John D’Ambrosi, the former chief Ethernet evangelist for Dell Networking and Ethernet Alliance board member, states that everything is so interconnected and the growth in demand for bandwidth is unabated. I’ve never heard anyone say can we go slower. It’s like memory, we always need more.” Jason Wilbur, the vice president and general manager of Fluke Networks, and I talked about that very point during a recent interview (see p. 5). “We like to say there are wires in wireless and with all these sensors collecting data and transmitting data at some point, it has to fall on a wire,” he said. “The opportunities are tremendous in terms of the amount of connectivity and the amount of data consumption by everyone in the world.” That is particularly true in the digital transformation space, which is on every vendor’s radar. Michael Dell is talking about it (see p. 10) as is Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and the firm’s executive chairman John Chambers (see p. 12). IDC predicts that the scale-up of digital business strategies, or DX as it calls it, will drive more than half of enterprise IT spending within the next 24 months, rising to 60% by 2020. “The disruptive impact of digital transformation is about to be felt in every industry as enterprises ‘flip the switch’ and massively scale up their DX initiatives to secure a leadership role in the DX economy,” said Frank Gens, chief analyst at IDC. C+

w w w. c o n n e c t i o n s p l u s . c a

Volume 2, Issue 6 November/December 2015

SPOTLIGHT ON A CHANGING MOBILE WORLD

Editor Paul Barker 416-510-6752 pbarker@connectionsplus.ca Senior Publisher Maureen Levy 416-510-5111 mlevy@connectionsplus.ca Art Director Mary Peligra Production Manager Gary White

President Alex Papanou Editorial Advisory Board Keith Fortune, CET, Western Regional Manager, Electron Metal AIG Inc. Henry Franc, RCDD/OSP Senior Account Manager, Professional Support at Belden

Creative Advertising Services Glenn McEvoy

Brantz Myers, B.Sc Math and Computing Science Director of Healthcare Business Development, Cisco Systems Canada Co.

Circulation Manager Diane Rakoff 416-510-5216 drakoff@annexnewcom.ca

Peter Sharp, RCDD, AMIEE Senior Telecommunications Consultant, Giffels Associates Limited/IBI Group

Print Production Manager Phyllis Wright

Alexander Smith, RCDD President, Connectivitywerx

Advertising Sales Maureen Levy 416-510-5111 mlevy@connectionsplus.ca www.connectionsplus.ca

Rob Stevenson, RCDD/NTS Specialist Communications Division Manager, Guild Electric Ltd.

Head Office Annex-Newcom LP 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9 Tel: 416-442-5600 Fax:416-510-5134 Toll Free: 1-800-268-7742 ext. 3546 (CAN.) 1-800-387-0273 ext. 3546 (U.S.) Editorial purpose Connections+ targets 30,000+ individuals who purchase, design, specify, install, maintain and test structured cabling, networking and telecom products as well as facilities management specialists and senior executives who are responsible for overseeing the implementation and installation of these initiatives.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Canada

Subscriptions Canada, 1 year $44.95 + taxes (HST #815380985-RT0001). United States U.S. $46.95. Foreign U.S. $73.95. Single copy in Canada $8, in USA $10 US, elsewhere $10 US. Printed in Canada All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner(s). ISSN: 2292-2202 (Print) ISSN: 2292-2210 (Online)

Connections+ is published by AnnexNewcom LP, a leading Canadian information company with interests in business-tobusiness information services.

Postal information Return undeliverable mail to Circulation Dept., Connections Plus, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Canada Post Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No.43005526.

Emails published should only be used to contact the company regarding their products. These emails are NOT CASL compliant.

From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods. Phone: 1-800-6682374 Fax: 416-442-2200 E-Mail: vmoore@annexnewcom.ca Mail to: Privacy Officer, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Jan/Feb 2014 Connections+ 4

Infra s t ructure Sy stems

Fluke’s Wilbur discusses

cabling and IoT Also suggests ‘it’s fitting for installers to wrap their heads around the cloud. ’ By Paul Barker

At a time when the transition period between Netscout Systems Inc. and Danaher continues following this summer’s completion of the US$2.3 billion acquisition of the latter’s communication business, Jason Wilbur is the overseer of an entity in which the cloud is as critical as the testing mechanism that a contractor uses while on the job. Under terms of the deal, Westford, Mass.-based NetScout purchased Tektronix Communications, Arbor Networks and parts of Fluke Networks businesses, but certainly not all of it. There was the Versiv cabling certification system, LinkWare Live, a cloud-based cable certification project management service and up until three weeks before the sale was ratified on July 14, the DTX1800 Cable Analyzer. On June 24, Fluke announced it was ending production of the certification tool, the result of a combination of Versiv and the DSX-5000 model, which Fluke said in a release had been outselling the DTX by seven to one. Wilbur told Connections+ in a recent interview Fluke reached the point where a decision needed to be made: redesign the DTX or create a new platform: “We chose the latter and think it was the right decision. What guides us moving forward is the recognition that our contractor customers rely quite heavily on our equipment in their standard processes of executing on an infrastructure implementation and ultimately verifying the quality of their workmanship and finally, submitting documentation in order to get paid.” During a wide-ranging discussion he was asked about a number of topics including the cloud and the need for cabling in an IoT environment. “I think its fitting for installers to wrap their heads around the cloud and how it can enable the things they are trying to do,” he said. “In fact, some of the research we have done has found that the average contractor uses three or four cloud solutions today in their business model. It may be for bidding and quotations, procurement solutions. The cloud concept is very familiar to them. The challenging part of the equation for any organization is when you adopt a new tool or solution; it requires your working processes to change a bit. Technicians have to develop the discipline to once or twice a day to take the time to upload the results to the cloud. There are many advantages to that. www.connectionsplus.ca

“We have been thoughtful about how our contractor customers, in particular, set up projects and get the intelligence of what needs to happen on the job site and into the tester in a seamless way.” As for IoT, Wilbur said, “we like to say there are wires in wireless and with all these sensors collecting data and transmitting data at some point, it has to fall Wilbur: You have to segment on a wire.” The opportunities, he added, the IoT movement into different are tremendous in terms of the pieces. amount of connectivity and the amount of data consumption by everyone in the world. “It is going to put a strain on existing infrastructure. The world is going to store more data, consume more data, transport more data and as wonderful as wireless technologies are in transmitting over the air, at some point that data hits a fiber optic or copper cable and that cable needs to be capable of delivering performance in terms of bandwidth and it certainly needs to be tested.” Other discussion points included the following: On the pace of change: “Any business owner of any size needs to ensure that they are keeping up and taking advantage of the technologies available in order to keep them productive and focused on their core-value add, whatever that might be.” On the overall IoT movement: “We think about it a lot. You really have to segment that movement into different pieces.” On the changing demographics of installers: “Certainly we are trying to keep up with those changes in terms of the user interfaces we have, the touch screens and the mobility that we build into our products and the connectivity that emerging contractors have grown up with.” On standards: “The structured cabling industry could be used as a model. The more we take the example that it has set and utilize it elsewhere would be a wonderful thing for everyone involved.” November/December 2015

Connections+

I nf r a st r uc t u re S ys t e m s

A Tribute To The Retiring

Paul Kish By Stéphane Bourgeois Paul was recognized in the industry as an expert in cable transmission. He always served as a role model, an innovator and a thought leader – but, above all, he served as a gentleman. He always respected others and was always ready to help. He has been very active in the development of cabling standards with TIA, CSA, ISO/IEC and IEEE. He held numerous TIA positions, including chair of TIA TR 42 Engineering Committee, with responsibility for the ANSI/TIA/EIA 568-A “Telecommunications Cabling Standard for Commercial Buildings.” In 1991, Paul initiated the work that led to the publication of detailed specifications for Category 3, 4 and 5 cabling. From there, he was a contributor to the progressive development of higherperformance cabling, from Category 5e, 6 and 6A to the current efforts to standardize Category 8. He also served on the BICSI Technical Information & Methods Committee, and participated in many study groups within IEEE 802.3 for BaseT technology advancements. He has authored many technical papers that have been published in various industry magazines and at technical conferences. He presented numerous seminars at BICSI and other industry forums to promote cabling standards and the need for higher-performance cabling. In 2006, Paul received the Harry J. Pfister Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements and major accomplishments in the telecommunications industry. By enhancing the scientific, technical and educational aspects of the telecommunications industry, Paul promoted the professionalism of the industry. As a gentleman and a team player, Paul was first to share the praise. When he received this award, he said: “In all our undertakings and achievements, we are not alone. We rely on others to help along the way.” I consider myself privileged to have worked alongside Paul for so many years. Above his technical prowess, I want to highlight Paul’s qualities and values: dedicated, kind, humble and always ready to help and share.

Paul Kish has been a key contributor to Connections+ and before that, CNS and Cabling Systems. As the standards columnist, his insight has been invaluable.

Choosing the right words to summarize Paul Kish, director of systems and standards with Belden, his career and contributions to the company– and also to the industry – is not an easy task. As he looks forward to retirement, we recognize Paul’s profound impact on today’s structured cabling standards. Thousands of businesses and millions of people can thank him for doing what was often predicted as impossible: transmitting highspeed signals over twisted pairs. It started in the range of 10 to 16 Mb/s in the late 1980s, then jumping to 100 Mb/s in the 1990s, and then to 10 Gb/s at the turn of the millennium, and soon up to 25 and 40 Gb/s. Looking back at his 42-year career in the cabling industry, first with Northern Electric, then Nortel, then NORDX/CDT and finally with Belden, Paul has been one of the founding fathers of our industry. 6

Connections+

November/December 2015

Stéphane Bourgeois is the director of technology – enterprise networking with Belden. www.connectionsplus.ca

Ne t wo rk s & The Cloud

The Spectacle That is

Dreamforce Annual event has morphed into the ‘largest software conference on earth.’ By Paul Barker San Francisco – What began 13 years ago as a small user event for San Francisco-based CRM software vendor Salesforce, has over the years morphed into something completely different. Dreamforce, as it is called, has grown to the point where the company can now lay claim to holding the “largest software conference on earth” complete with all the trappings you would expect from an organization that currently has a market cap north of US$50 billion. At Dreamforce 2015 recently, Stevie Wonder played prior to chairman and CEO Marc Benioff’s lengthy keynote speech, the Foo Fighters, The Killers and Gary Clark Jr. played during a benefit concert that raised an estimated US$10 million for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, and the “largest book drive in history” also took place for students K-12. By the end of the event, one million books had been collected for students in San Francisco and anywhere else on earth including “newly constructed schools in Nepal.” www.connectionsplus.ca

There were a multitude of product announcements before and during the show as well as topics ranging from wearables in the enterprise to “misplaced optimism” among SMBs. Deals got done and new initiatives were launched. On the product front, the company introduced its next generation of Salesforce Analytics Cloud. It said “new Wave Actions will enable Salesforce users to take actions directly at the point of insight from within any Wave Analytics dashboard. In addition, Salesforce will deliver Wave visualizations across the Customer Success Platform. “For example, after getting real-time operational insights into current closed deals and performance against quota, a sales manager would turn to a Wave Analytics dashboard to do a full pipeline analysis and determine whether she needs to reset forecasts or identify which deals need to be accelerated to hit key targets.” On-premise analytics software and niche visualization tools, the company said in a release, “deliver static, outdated reports and November/December 2015

Connections+

N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is shown during a ”fireside chat” with Wired magazine’s Jessi Hempel at Dreamforce. Nadella talked about how technology is transforming the way people live and work.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff (left) and Travis Kalanick, co-founder and CEO of highly successful Uber are shown in conversation. Kalanick shared his thoughts on leadership and technology trends.

often have complicated graphical interfaces with steep learning curves – separating business users from the insights they need.” Two weeks prior to Dreamforce, Salesforce announced what it called the next generation of Service Cloud – Service Cloud Lightning Console. “Today’s consumers are more connected than ever before, across mobile phones, wearables and other devices,” it said in a release. “In fact, by 2020 there will be over 50 billion connected devices. For companies, it means they need to deliver a seamless experience to these ultra-connected consumers during each and every interaction, across every channel. “For service agents to be able to support new channels and make sense of all the data being generated, they need new, smarter solutions that allow them to better respond to customers. However, companies struggle to deliver on these expectations because legacy technologies are disconnected from products and new channels, and agents aren’t equipped with the tools they need to deliver answers quickly.” For Vivek Kundra, vice president of emerging markets for Salesforce and the former CIO of the U.S. government, the cloud is the critical technology piece and Dreamforce a pivotal event. “You get to sit down with customers who are conceptualizing the future,” he said. “As an example, CIOs from a number of major U.S. cities were in attendance. Among the topics discussed was what does a connected city mean? How do we build that? How do we make our infrastructure intelligent so that the parking meter can talk to a person about red lights, green lights, traffic volumes? “You get to meet these amazing entrepreneurs who serve very much like the artist who is painting the future. At the end of the day, it’s about customers and putting them at the centre of the universe. Frankly, they are showing us the future in areas such as cloud, mobile, social and data science and IoT.” The core responsibility of Cindy Bolt, senior vice president, manufacturing and consumer goods industries with Salesforce,

revolves around the oil, manufacturing and energy sectors. While each of them view front office technology, slightly different, she says, the one “thing they have in common is that they are all looking at the transformation of that front office. “I talked to one customer during a lunch who, said, ‘we have been collecting all of this data and we have to figure out how to monetize it.’ How we make it a value-added service is a common conversation I have been having over the last few days.” Organizations, added Bolt, are asking for systems of engagement: “The clear direction when it comes to transforming manufacturing is how do you tighten the relationship with your customer.” Doug Wotherspoon is not involved in Bolt’s space, far from it in fact, but he certainly can relate to that sentiment. The vice president of international and strategic priorities at Algonquin College in Ottawa, bypassed his IT department completely and created his own recruiting application based on the Salesforce software platform. “In Canada, the 17-25 year old target market, which is our key market, is actually going to be in decline for the next 15 years,” he says. “You factor that with a decline in funding from the government and you have a recipe for disaster. “We have had to start thinking about how we go about doing business differently and become more efficient. The best place to look at is the industries and organizations that are doing it well using the most modern of technologies. According to Wotherspoon, CRM and cloud technology are the “only things that are going to allow me to innovate in this really tight market. I am not going to get new people. If I get the technology platform I can reorganize and re-think. “When we did marketing and recruitment, we did not get any support from the college other than permission to do it. We used our own money and within three months had our own CRM system implemented. We have been able to create so many efficiencies from that we used the money we saved from that and the people who were re-purposed to build the team out.

Connections+

November/December 2015

www.connectionsplus.ca

Ne t wo rk s & The Cloud

No expense was spared at Dreamforce: Prior to Benioff’s keynote, the iconic Stevie Wonder performed.

“We used to have brochures for what at the time was 240 programs – it’s now up to 270. That’s two people whose only job was to data enter and mail. Nobody comes to Algonquin because of the way we lick the envelopes – it just doesn’t happen. On top of that there are massive inefficiencies. “We had recruiters going out across the country and the province who would be on the road for up to a month. They would be collecting all these hand-written lead cards and it could be upward of two months before a potential student would receive any type of information. Now, as a result of a Salesforce app on an IPad, two hours after a presentation, students receive an alert. Meanwhile at a Canadian media panel discussion at Dreamforce, the company released survey results that explore the attitudes and experiences of more than 500 Canadian small businesses (SMBs) regarding expansion of their businesses into the U.S. and other global markets. According to the survey, 81% of Canadian SMB owners have considered expanding their company beyond the Canadian border, and almost half (49%) said they are likely to expand in the future. Upwards of 51% of those who are very/somewhat likely to do so, plan to do so in the next 11 months. Alternately, 70% plan to do so sometime within the next two years, with the most desirable market being the U.S./Mexico. The survey shows that 40% of small businesses who plan to expand across borders do not believe they require any funding, and many intend to use existing Canadian revenue (30%), personal savings (39%), or bank loans (36%) to fund growth. Showing remarkable confidence, Saleforce said, only 15% of these SMBs are concerned about finding new customers, 10% are concerned about customer retention and 6% are concerned about running their business remotely. When it comes to how SMB owners feel about future growth, the general attitude is optimism, indicating that they’re not only eyeing www.connectionsplus.ca

international expansion, but exhibiting pride about their global prospects. The company also wondered if all this optimism is misplaced? According to the survey, almost a third (30%) of businesses with expansion plans agree that information on expanding beyond Canadian borders is conflicting, and one in five (19%) respondents doubt they have the proper tools and resources to expand. The survey revealed that 84% of SMB owners that plan to expand do not use a customer relationship management solution, and more than a third (37%) do not use a digital marketing platform, custom mobile application, a data analytics tool, a sales tracking/lead generation tool or accounting software. While the survey shows that Canadian small business owners are eager about international expansion, it’s clear that many are lacking the knowledge and necessary technology to achieve this growth, Salesforce said. The company added that to be “successful in today’s ever-expanding and changing global economy, it’s important that Canadian small business owners develop a detailed plan and use the right business tools. Being hungry and aggressive can take entrepreneurs a long way, but without relevant and timely insight into their business and target markets, small business owners with an eye towards expansion could be setting themselves up for disappointment. “In the year ahead, smart entrepreneurs will be wise to utilize all the technology and expertise available to them before looking to expand. While it’s true that international markets provide endless opportunities for Canadian small businesses, only those armed with the proper knowledge and tools will grow and thrive. “The Canadian economy has been built on the backs of driven, savvy and determined entrepreneurs. Industry Canada indicates that small and medium-sized enterprises (fewer than 500 employees) make up 99% of business in Canada and employ 64% of workers in the private sector. “As borders shrink and global markets open, all eyes are on the success of these Canadian entrepreneurs – but international success can be tricky. Traditionally faced with legal, financial and governmental challenges, the road can be long and bumpy.” Just how influential the company has become was evident with the release of a white paper conducted by IDC, which concluded that Salesforce, its ecosystem of partners and customers will create more than 1 million jobs and add US$272 billion to local economies in the next four years as a result of cloud computing. “Cloud computing generates these benefits primarily from permitting and increase in IT innovation, which in turn supports business innovation leading to accelerated development schedules, faster project completion, shorter time to market for new products and lower operational costs,” IDC noted. In Canada, IDC is projecting 11,517 direct jobs will be created and the contribution to the country’s GDP will be an estimated US$3.5 billion. November/December 2015

Connections+

N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

‘Go Big Or Go Home, Baby Michael Dell says purchase of EMC will create a technology ‘powerhouse.’ By Paul Barker

Austin, Tex. – To call reaction to the US$67 billion blockbuster deal in which Dell Inc. purchased EMC Corp. decidedly mixed is not surprising. As an example, a sprinkling of headlines on Google News from Nov. 17-20 included the following: Dell’s $67 billion buyout of EMC won’t save either company (Business Insider), Amazon rises while Dell, EMC and HPE face challenges (Fortune Magazine), Dell, EMC customers love the pending merger (Business Insider) and finally, Poll: Execs expect positive results from Dell-EMC deal (Virtualization Review). Meanwhile, Ronald Grui, emerging telecoms director with Frost and Sullivan, described it this way: Recent telecom industry upheaval such as Dell’s EMC acquisition, HP’s split and the Nokia/ALU merger, clearly demonstrates the need to rethink some of the old guard posturing and to consolidate or partner as stand-alone vendors face increased threats to their positions as newer and leaner competitors disrupt their business As for Michael Dell, he is more than fine with the acquisition despite the fact he and other investors have assumed upwards of US$50 billion in debt for financing purposes. “We are tremendously excited about the combination,” he said at a press conference here at Dell World in October one week after the deal was announced. “It gives us a world leading company in four significant areas of IT today: Servers, storage, virtualization and PCs. “And it gives us an incredible position in the IT of tomorrow: digital transformation, converged infrastructure, software-defined data cen10

Connections+

November/December 2015

tres, hybrid cloud, security and mobile.” In a keynote speech the following day, he told the audience, “we made a little news of our own recently. If you think back to when we took Dell private (in 2013), I kept getting asked if we could still do acquisitions. Well, go big or go home, baby. “I started this company 32 years ago, just a few blocks from here in my dorm room, building PCs. As I speak to you here today with the agreement in place, Dell is set to become an enterprise solutions powerhouse. “You are going to cure cancer, you are going to feed and water the world. You are going to create jobs, hope and opportunity on a global scale. “According to a recent Fortune Magazine survey, 84% of CEOs believe it would be easier to manage a private company. Or as I like to say, ‘EMC: $67 billion. Being master of your own destiny: Priceless.’” Prior to his speech, a voice over in a Dell produced video pointed out there are two ways to approach the changing technology revolution – either with uncertainty or view it as an opportunity: “New technologies are giving us the power to not only navigate the chaos, but define the future ourselves. “A future that is flexible and open, scalable and secure and fueled by cloud, mobility and big data to empower new ways of working so that the cancer researchers in Arizona can shorten genetic testing from two months to 10 days using advanced analytics to rapidly identify the most effective treatments. So that students in a primary school www.connectionsplus.ca

Ne t wo rk s & The Cloud

in Lesotho, Africa can have access to cutting edge technology giving them the opportunity to build the great businesses of tomorrow.” Dell Inc. and EMC Corp’s ultimate destiny will likely be decided by the Internet of Things and all of the data it will create. “IDC estimates that 85% of today’s devices are not connected, but they will be and a whole lot more of them,” Dell said. “The explosion in devices is only just beginning. Sensors are getting smarter and much less expensive all the time, bandwidth costs are down 40 times, processing costs are down 60 times. “The Internet of Things is a thousand times more devices multiplied by a thousand times more applications multiplied by a thousand times more data. All of that data has to be analyzed in real time. 44 zettabytes in total by 2020: A zettabyte is one with 21 zeroes after it. “Machine-to-machine communications, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, drones, enormous numbers of sensors. It’s a digital universe and it’s the next trillion dollar opportunity for growth and productivity. Dell said that the key to “realizing this opportunity is being able to make sense of all of this new machine-generated data and information. I believe that the ability for a business to compete, will be based on its ability to process and analyze that information. “Product industries will be transformed through smart devices all connected leading to the Internet of Things. Competitive advantage will be based upon analyzing vast quantities of information, often in real-time and being able to deliver new insights and business opportunities.” When these technology shifts occur, he added, and they have in the past, “those who haven’t moved fast have not done well. Since 2000, 52% of the names on the Fortune 500 list are gone.” As for the CIO, all of this creates a huge problem, he said. “The business must become digital, but it’s a huge transformational task and that comes at a cost. At the same time the existing applications and infrastructure have to keep running, but at a dramatically lower cost, there by helping to fund the digital transformation. “How do you drive out cost from the existing infrastructure underneath and all those applications and data centre apps. It’s all about a more efficient infrastructure and reducing both CapEx and OpEx.”

Dell study shows ICT investment equals healthy ROI In October, Dell released its second annual Global Technology Adoption Index (GTAI 2015), revealing that organizations actively using cloud, mobility, big data or security technologies are experiwww.connectionsplus.ca

encing up to 53% higher revenue growth rates than those that have not invested in these technologies. Despite this strong link between technology use and revenue growth, cost was cited as a main barrier to implementation or expansion of these technologies. “We’re enthused to see more organizations recognizing the strategic importance of technology investments,” said Paul Walsh, Dell’s chief information officer. “We believe this new research will help companies see the correlation between technology use and revenue growth, improved efficiencies and organizational growth.” In 2014 and again in 2015, the GTAI surveyed IT and business decision makers of mid-market organizations around the world to understand how they perceive, plan for and utilize four key technologies: cloud, mobility, security and big data. Dell is releasing the first wave of global results, with additional industry-specific data to follow in several chapters throughout 2016. The company said four major global trends emerged from the first wave of findings. • Investment in cloud, mobility, big data and security is correlated with revenue growth • These technologies also fuel company benefits, including efficiency and organizational growth • Cost joins security as a chief barrier to technology adoption, use and expansion • Business leaders are the drivers for big data and mobility adoption, but they partner with the IT team for cloud and security. The GTAI 2015 reveals that the companies who have allocated budget for meaningful investments in technology have seen overall company growth across several important measurements of progress, Dell said. November/December 2015

Connections+

N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

The Great Digital Divide Cisco execs say the choice will soon be clear for all firms: Digitize or perish. By Paul Barker “That is an invitation for us to help them think about what is possible with technology,” he said. “We don’t have to evangelize. All of our customers realize they have to do something.” If they do not, many simply will not survive, according to one study released by Cisco at the conference, which revealed that upwards of 40% of today’s leading companies will be displaced from their market position by digital disruption in the next five years. As for the 75% of these companies who have yet to address this risk by prioritizing their digital strategy, according to research conducted by the Global Centre for Digital Business Transformation, Cisco announced four new offerings for industries -– manufacturing, transportation, utilities, and oil and gas. Additionally, it announced a new, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) security initiative. To remain competitive, industries like manufacturing, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins: At this point, only 25% of the company’s customer base utilities, oil and gas, and transportation need to increase indicate they have a strategy to take advantage of the digital revolution. productivity, deliver more value, and create better experiences for customers and end users, it said in a release. San Jose, Calif. – The key theme of the 2015 Cisco Global Editor’s Conference (GEC) was set before the first coffee break during a pre- “Some of the greatest obstacles to efficiency are operational silos. sentation by company CEO Chuck Robbins: The pace of technology Silos separate people, machines, systems, information, and comchange and the disruption it has created is unprecedented. plete areas of a business; they separate information from operational Robbins talked about how the perception of the IT organization technology,” the company said. “Breaking through silos with a more has also changed and used some personal reflections to illustrate holistic and connected architecture connects people, streamlines how acute it has been. communication and drives a more agile operation.” “When I started in IT I was an application programmer,” he said. The five offerings include: “Yes, I wrote code. I worked for a company that was based in downConnected Machines for Digital Manufacturing: This enables town Charolotte, N.C. They didn’t put us in downtown Charlotte be- standards-based, repeatable machine connectivity, and global faccause that was too expensive, they put us out somewhere else where tory integration while enabling OEM digitization and new business it was cheaper because we were IT guys. We always ended up in models – including secure remote access, monitoring and serviceability of machines. FANUC America and Cisco announced that they some basement. “Well, the IT discussion has moved from that basement to the intend to implement it to enable robot connectivity and analytics for boardroom. For the first time, customers are fundamentally more proactive maintenance. Meanwhile, manufacturer Flex outlined how concerned about the operational costs of their IT infrastructure than it is already using Connected Machines solution FANUC Robots to the CapEx. I can tell you in our history that has not been the case.” drive efficiency and quality in its operations. While the need to digitize is obvious, Robbins said that only 25% of Smart Connected Pipeline for Digital Oil and Gas: A connectthe company’s customer base indicate they have a strategy to take ed architecture that allows oil and gas companies more control over advantage of the digital revolution. “The remaining 75% say we know their pipelines, helping to protect assets from accidents or cyberwe need to, but we don’t have a strategy. attacks. Schneider Electric and Cisco are collaborating to bring the 12

Connections+

November/December 2015

www.connectionsplus.ca

Ne t wo r ks & The Cloud

Hilton Romanski, Cisco’s chief strategy officer: Every aspect of society today is being impacted by the pace of technological change.

Cisco executive chairman John Chambers: Organizations that fail miss market transitions.

Smart Connected Pipeline system to market. Substation Security for Digital Utilities: A connected architecture that enables highly-secure power grids for reliable, more efficient service across the utilities industry. Connected Mass Transit for Digital Transportation: A connected architecture that Cisco said will enable the delivery of greater safety, mobility – and a better passenger experience. “Through a converged network architecture that is based on the Cisco IoT System, transit systems can enhance automation, collaboration, video, cloud-to-fog agility and business intelligence,” the company said. IoT System Security: The Cisco IoT System Security product portfolio includes IoT-specific security with the introduction of a new, dedicated security appliance (ISA-3000 for application visibility, policy enforcement and threat defense) and a Fog Data Services security initiative. Chet Namboodri, Cisco’s global lead for the manufacturing industry, wrote in a blog posted on the day of the launch that research suggests that a significant number – as many as 40% of incumbent manufacturers – will be left wounded, probably mortally, by digital disruption over the next five years. “In the face of these pressures, CEOs recognize that those companies who can leverage digital technologies and business models will come out ahead. For forward-thinking manufacturers, digital transformation is not just a new challenge, but a major opportunity – maybe the most significant in decades – to pull ahead of competitors.” The business outcomes and benefits of going digital, he added, are clear and include improvements in operational and productivity, increased supply chain flexibility and reduced downtime. On Day Two of the conference, former Cisco CEO and now executive chairman John Chambers, said companies have to re-invent themselves if they want to be successful. Organizations that fail, he added, miss market transitions: “They can be technology transitions, they can be economic transitions, they can be changes in how customers purchase.” Chambers added that doomed companies “get caught doing the same thing too long, forget about the need to “re-invent themselves” and they “get too far away from their customers. www.connectionsplus.ca

They need to redefine how to build, buy and partner, he said. An example of that for Cisco occurred earlier this year when it announced a technology partnership with Apple in which its networks and IOS devices will be optimized so that they “work together more efficiently and reliably” in corporate environments. “Together, we are going to help teams achieve higher levels of productivity and effectiveness,” Chambers said at the time. That was followed by an announcement in November that Ericsson and Cisco had formed a global business and technology partnership to “create the networks of the future.” Those networks will require news design principles to ensure they are agile, autonomous and highly secure, the two companies said. Ericsson president and CEO Hans Vestberg said that “foremost, we share the same vision of the network’s strategic role at the center of every company’s and every industry’s digital transformation. Initially, the partnership will focus on service providers, then on opportunities for the enterprise segment and accelerating the scale and adoption of IoT services across industries.” Robbins added that with the pace the market is moving, the successful companies “will be those who build the right strategic partnerships to accelerate innovation, growth and customer value.” Other speakers at the GEC included Hilton Romanski, Cisco’s chief strategy officer, who said that “next-generation partnerships and co-development are going to be critical to us. “Every aspect of society today is being impacted by the pace of technological change,” he said. “It is totally pervasive, it is totally all consuming and it touches every aspect of society in a way that is unprecedented in human history … Literally, companies are defining their strategies and business models based on the technology itself. “10 years ago, in the Internet start-up space it cost roughly $5 million give or take to launch. Today, that total is about $5,000, which is a 1,000 times improvement in the cost alone. Forget about whether the equitability of the solution has increased, which we think it has. “It’s a case of not only knowing where the puck is going, but also understanding how many shots on goal there are. There are many more pucks flying.”

One working group that will soon come face-to-face with the changing reality are the nurses and other medical staff of the new Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, who will leave the old facility, which is being mothballed, on Dec. 13 for the last time. That same day, the

November/December 2015

Connections+

N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

The new hospital will open for business on Dec. 13. Everything from nursing equipment to clocks are tied to the facility’s extensive and sophisticated network.

new hospital complete with 128 kilometres of fiber, 1,200 kilometres of Cat 6A cable and 24,000 active data ports will open for business, heralding what Rick Huijbregts, vice president of industry transformation with Cisco Canada, called recently “the business of health in a very cutting-edged building. “The technology allows solutions to solve business problems in a very different way than we have been able to do in the past,” he said. “Everything that makes a building tick – heating, cooling, lighting, security – now becomes networked and provides opportunities to redefine how we think about real estate. “It allows us to redefine how we think about healthcare.” Stephen Foster, director of information communications technologies with Ellis Don, who along with Carillon Canada Inc. were the general contractors for the build, said that literally everything, even clocks, are now tied into the network. Technology enhancements include the following: • An integrated electronic patient record will have the ability to communicate patient information to other facilities in surrounding communities in order to ensure accurate record keeping. In addition, new wireless technology allows medical equipment to update the electronic patient record automatically, and send alerts to clinical staff. • Wireless technology will be used in lieu of individual pagers and overhead paging to provide a quiet environment for patients and staff. Overhead paging will still be available for emergency purposes. • Hospital officials say the facility will use the most current and progressive technologies, such as closed circuit video cameras and controlled access throughout the building, to support a safe and secure facility. The hospital will also use state 14

Connections+

November/December 2015

of the art IT/Security systems, with 1,100 security cameras. As for wireless duress, when tags are pressed, location shows on a Cisco prime map and alerts are sent and received in real-time, avoiding the need to rely on voice communications. • Laboratory robotics will provide accurate processing of specimens and quicker delivery of lab results. • Integrated bedside terminals are being planned to have options for patient access to the Internet and television will support intelligent patient beds; ceiling mounted patient lifts; and control of lighting system • An enhanced infection prevention and control program will allow the new hospital to respond promptly and effectively to a new era of infectious diseases including an appropriate number of rooms that will be used to triage, register, assess, treat or provide recovery for patients with suspected or confirmed infections. • Major changes to the existing pharmacy program will include the automation of the drug dispensing system. Gwyneth Cheesman, a clinical analyst with Halton Healthcare, who paticipated in a rcent media tour of the facility, described the facility as “really impressive,” but with one minor caveat. “There is a lot of technology for the nurses and for them it generally is not their focus so coming in it will definitely be overwhelming.” That said, she added, there are so many advances that it will make the job of a nurse on duty a “lot easier. They can be down the hall when their patient rings and it will go right to their phone,” which will mean less steps need to be taken She predicted that the “younger ones will embrace it much quicker, but in the end it will be a win-win for all the nurses.” •

www.connectionsplus.ca

M o bile Movemen ts

Genband, Kandy & The RTC Factor By Paul Barker It is not surprising that David Walsh continuously talks, muses and thinks about the future. As CEO and chairman of Genband Inc., staying in the present is simply not acceptable when the company’s entire existence revolves around real-time communications (RTC). For many it represents the new frontier in which people’s personal habits, needs and wants will dictate what sticks and becomes popular, which is contrary to how the entire telecommunications industry has worked in the past. It is, says Walsh, who spoke in June at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto, a consumption-based model. “You only pay for what you consume, which is completely different to the way the industry worked in the past,” he told Connections+. “In the past, the carriers would say we want to build a service, we would all bid, they would select a supplier and hope people sign on. That is not the model anymore. “The model is far different. We provide the ability for carriers or anyone for that matter to build an application or enhance an application.” Genband as a company has certainly evolved. While Walsh has been at the helm for five years, the company was founded in 1999 as General Bandwidth, a media gateway vendor and over the years has bought the following as a lead up to where it is today: Siemens Digital Central Office business (2006), Tekelec’s switching solutions group (2007), Nokia Siemens SURPASS hiG fixed line trunking media gateway product line (2009), all the assets of Nortel’s Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions Business (2010), integrated switching platform vendor Cedar Point Communications (2011) and Aztek Networks, a vendor whose hardware allows for a smoother transition from legacy to IP networks. They were a prelude to the acquisition of an Over-the-Top offering in 2013 called fring and the launch of the Kandy Platform-as-aService last year. The latter is defined by the company as a disruptive real time communications software development initiative, “designed to help companies build communications that are more integrated an immediate – built right into the way their customers interact with them and their employees work. “Kandy combines the simplicity of the Web and mobile applications with enterprise-grade real time communications capabilities, making it more cost-effective and expedious to enable communications applications.” Paul Pluschkell, founder of Kandy and executive vice president of strategy and cloud services for Genband, says it is designed to allow anyone from IT to business owners to embed real time video, voice, presence and text into their Web and mobile applications. Kandy, according to Jim Lundy, founder and CEO of Aragon Research, “represents a catalyst in the move towards cloud-based embedded communications – conversations will happen without dialing a phone number. Contextual, embedded communications will www.connectionsplus.ca

Genband’s Walsh: Millions of apps are going to evolve, but not in traditional ways.

change how we get things done.” The fring Alliance, meanwhile, which was formed in February, is a platform that enables Communications Service Providers to provide instant messaging and voice and video to their subscribers. “A lot of effort went into developing the components to real-time communications,” says Walsh. “The way of the world is embedding it in business applications such as SAP or Salesforce. With Salesforce you are in that application all day long. Why would you ever leave that application to make a phone call? You want it integrated. “When you see real-time communications embedded in an SAP app versus not, the difference is so stark. To be able to have this functionality, the experience is so different that it’s hard to imagine how anyone lived without it before.” To that end, Walsh adds, millions of apps are going to evolve, but not in traditional ways. “Former software developers are out of work and have missed the boat completely,” he says. “We have these hackathons and just average people come up with really cool applications. “You almost can’t keep track of what is going on. Every minute there is a new application that is using location, real-time communications. An example of that is Waze, a navigation system that Walsh says has become a de-facto standard. “Waze combines real-time communications, social, navigation and GPS. It is like Google in terms of maps, but people are rewarded to participate. It is way more accurate when it comes to time between two locations. It is deadly accurate. Even in New York where it is congested, you will rarely be off by a minute on any drive “On the social aspect, it encourages people to tell you where potholes are, were cops are, where speed traps are … everyone is reporting in on this stuff.” November/December 2015

Connections+

Mo b i l e Mo v e m e n t s

How IT Departments

Lose on IT Training By Louis Trahan

”

When searching online for such a course, Though at first glance external IT training may What most you’ll find the major vendors and a large number seem like a straightforward proposition, it’s an of smaller independent companies. How do you area in which a great many IT organizations lose organizations get through them all? You either choose a vendor money, time and even production capabilities. overlook are the you know, which may or may not provide the best Take the following case, for example: an IT hidden costs course for your needs, or you spend a lot of time employee in need of a skills upgrade on BYOD on the phone with companies you don’t know, comes across a training firm offering a free tabassociated with finding out more about them, whether or not they let as an incentive for enrolling in the course. external training have public classes, what their schedules are, His IT organization gives him the go-ahead and that a good broker and so on. It’s not unusual to spend a great deal he signs up – nothing too unusual about that. of time on the phone only to find out that there’s The employee gets his freebee and the IT org is can minimize or some reason the course isn’t a good option – for saved the bother of researching and booking a eliminate example, it’s unauthorized and will not enable course. A win-win, right? completely. the employee to become certified. Not so fast. There could be a big loser in this Then there is the cost of cancellations, which scenario, and that loser will be the IT organizacan be surprisingly large. Finding the right course tion. It has just ponied up full price for the course can take a fair bit of time, and having to do it twice – say $2,500 – while a training broker may have is an added cost that can go far beyond sheer booked it at a 20% discount. This doesn’t amount to much for a single course, but if 15 employees need training, the time. Consider the implications of a cancellation when you are domath tells a different story. Total cost of the training then amounts to ing a rollout and the training you need in three weeks is suddenly $37,500 while the discount results in a savings of $7,500, or to put it not available for three months. What is the cost of that delay in terms of potentially having to postpone the rollout, or of having untrained another way, free training for three more people. At this point you may have a question: what the heck is a train- employees in the midst of an important implementation? As well, what are the costs associated with arranging a credit, ing broker? It’s not surprising that you may not have heard of them; there aren’t a lot of them around and they come in different flavours. cancelling a purchase order and reissuing a purchase order? A Some merely function as sales reps, pushing courses on behalf of good training broker has an eye into the training world and can tell a specific vendor, but the true training broker is a full service com- you what courses are confirmed to run and which are likely to cancel, pany that provides access to a myriad of IT courses from a large enabling you to avoid such problems. Consider, too, the cost of booking into an inflexible training organumber of vendors. These companies use knowledgeable agents that will help you find your best training options in the least amount nization. If you don’t know that the training provider requires 16 days of time, and they have insights into the marketplace that can be cancellation notice then you could have a problem when you need to cancel or reschedule training. A good training broker can alert you highly beneficial to clients. to issues like this and point you to training firms with much shorter cancellation policies. The Value that IT Orgs Miss The bottom line is that if your IT organization books even a modest Aside from the obvious savings gained from preferred pricing, training brokers also bring savings in ways that often don’t even get con- amount of external training, it is simply a good business practice to sidered by IT managers. What most organizations overlook are the explore the training broker option. It can save you time and money hidden costs associated with external training that a good broker while helping keep your IT commitments on track. can minimize or eliminate completely. For starters, there is the cost of the time invested in finding the Louis Trahan is founder and president of LastMinute right course. This involves knowing whether or not the course has the Training.ca. Based in Toronto, he has spent the past right content, fits the budget, and is available at the right time. How decade helping IT leaders in both the private and public time-consuming can that be? Let’s look at the example of a course sectors improve their training purchasing process. providing specialized training for VMware.

”

Connections+

November/December 2015

www.connectionsplus.ca

COVER STORY

A BOUNTY OF CHOICES The world of structured cabling is changing dramatically. By Denise Deveau

here was a time when cabling choices were simple. But with the complexity of today’s data centres and the plethora of technology choices, the consensus among industry experts is that there’s no longer such a thing as a one size fits all solution. Multimode and single mode fiber and copper all have a role to play; and each has its pros and cons. There is no question the world of structured cabling is changing dramatically, says John D’Ambrosia, former chief Ethernet evangelist for Dell Networking in Hershey, Pa. “Everything is so interconnected and the growth in demand for bandwidth is unabated. I’ve never heard anyone say can we go slower. It’s like memory, we always need more.” Today’s decisions may be dictated by budgets, personal preferences and most importantly, future plans. Is 40 gigabit enough for your foreseeable needs, or do you already have your eye on 100 gigabit,

T www.connectionsplus.ca

November/December 2015

Connections+

”

COV E R S TO RY

Everything is so interconnected

and the growth in demand for bandwidth is unabated. I’ve never heard anyone say can we photo courtesy of siemon

go slower. It’s like memory, we always need more.

Today’s decisions may be dictated by budgets, personal preferences and most importantly, future plans. Is 40 gigabit enough for your foreseeable needs, or do you already have your eye on 100 gigabit, 400 gigabit or even beyond that?

400 gigabit or even beyond that? Is your data centre due for a refresh in the near future, or do you need to build a migration path for the long term? “As we move beyond 10 gigabit, there’s a mushrooming cloud of possibilities,” says Mike Connaughton, market segment manager, data centres for Berk-Tek, a Nexans Company, based near Research Triangle Park, N.C. “But that’s a great thing because instead of having to make available solutions fit, users can simply choose what works best for them.” In fact things have gone full circle in light of the fact that escalating east west traffic is driving more end of row/middle of row architectures, he explains. “That’s happening largely because of the need for more direct communications between servers and adjacent racks. Whereas the focus recently had been on top of row to minimize cabling; we’re now seeing it go back the other way, which means getting more cable and using switch ports more efficiently. That’s the most noticeable impact.” As far as upgrade paths go, planning tends to stop at 100 gigabit … for the moment. Yet 400 gigabit to 1.6 terabytes is not completely off the radar. “Ten and 40 gigabit is happening in data centres now,” Connaughton says. “Beyond that it gets tough. Almost no one is investing in 400 gigabit pipes today; 100 is real enough in people’s minds.”

The fiber question But time will change that. As it stands today, operations are typically switching to fiber at the 40 gigabit level if they hadn’t already, says 18

Connections+

November/December 2015

”

Maurice F. Zetena III, vice president, data centre technology network solutions for Leviton. A key reason is that it will start you on a migration path to bigger and better things. “It is essential to understand your migration strategy and overall system design. The reality is, speeds aren’t going to stop at 100 gigabit. Efficient infrastructure designs will allow segments of the network to migrate to higher bandwidth requirements as system needs dictate. So the question you need to ask is, how will the choices you make today fit into your long-term ecosystem view.” As bandwidth needs escalate, there is an underlying desire to convert to single mode, Connaughton notes. However, an overwhelming majority of businesses see it as an expensive option. It’s simply not economically feasible because it drives up the costs of electronics and lasers. The new wideband multimode fiber shows a lot of promise, because it can theoretically offer four times the amount of bandwidth, he adds. “But that’s not cast in stone. We believe it will ultimately be a success in the marketplace. However, significant issues such as backward compatibility, have to be resolved before we can actively promote it. Standards will need to in place, which we expect to see in about a year to 18 months.” That being said, Adrian Young, product marketing engineer, Fluke Networks in Everett, Wash., says 400 gigabit will come out on single mode before multimode, on the assumption there will be a multimode variant. “If a data centre manager is planning beyond 100 gigabit, it might be a good idea to start looking at single mode today.” With data centre fiber applications, the choice between single Continued on page 23 www.connectionsplus.ca

advertorial

CaTECH

FEATURE

CONNECTING THE PLANET

FUTURE READY– a CaTECH core competency

For the past 25+ years, CaTECH has delivered to its Canada Wide customers, quality solutions matched with best-in-class service, which has helped CaTECH galvanize a reputation as one of Canada’s largest and premier nationwide IT infrastructure providers. Being future ready for its customers is a core competency at CaTECH and a key contributor to CaTECH’s success. CaTECH’s future ready discipline and high standard of quality and service is what triggered its evaluation of the Fluke Networks Versiv copper and fiber cable certification system, and as a result of CaTECH’s assessment, Versiv is now the exclusive standard at CaTECH for its IT Infrastructure customers nationwide.

Customer infrastructure challenges today

CaTECH has seen a rapid evolution in infrastructure requirements posing challenges for many customers. Bandwidth and speeds are, as always, on the rise, but the curve is much steeper. Installation density requirements are increasing overnight while realestate is shrinking at a rapid pace. Project timelines are short, while the mission criticality of the environment has never been so stringent. Devices attaching to the wired and wireless infrastructure today are beyond anything anyone imagined just 18 months ago, and this will continue to morph. Security and cyber resilience are no longer infrastructure features, but a requirement. All these elements mated with the evolution of TIA and IEEE standards are front and centre for all infrastructure environments today.

CaTECH invests in the Fluke Networks Versiv Cable Certification System – a commitment to its customers

As new standards are adopted and new cabling products introduced, it is imperative that organizations ensure that the hardware platforms utilized for testing, keep pace with the advent of technology. To this end, CaTECH has recently made a significant investment in the nationwide standardization of its hardware and protocols for testing and certifying of all copper and fiber installations, more specifically the Fluke Networks Versiv copper and fiber cable certification system. Versiv is a revolutionary test and certification solution that is powerful, reliable and comprehensive. The Versiv system offers interchangeable modules for copper, fiber and OTDR testing. With a new touch screen user interface, the introduction of ProjX™, a best-in-class project management software that equips the Versiv system and cloud capabilities via Fluke Networks’ LinkWare™ Live cloud-based cable test and certification management solution, CaTECH will have access to instant test results, by customer and job along with test management features built to suit IT infrastructure requirements today and tomorrow.

By Fluke Networks www.connectionsplus.ca

Jan/Feb 2014

Connections+

advertorial

Introducing the Fluke Networks Versiv Cable Certification System •The DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer: The most advanced copper certification tester in the industry •The CertiFiber Pro OLTS: World’s leading fiber certification tool •The Optifiber Pro OTDR: Built for the Enterprise, delivers breakthrough fiber troubleshooting and certification

ProjX™, the Versiv project management system ensures projects are done correctly the first time and assists in managing and tracking progress from set-up to systems acceptance, assuring all tests are completed correctly for all media and test limits, providing direct, unmatched benefits to the customer.

“

Tangerine Bank acknowledges CaTECH’s investment and commitment to being future ready

CaTECH has proven time and time again that they are the right partner for our business. As an online and direct bank we have a great internal team at Tangerine that stays ahead of the curve when it comes to IT, and Technology infrastructure. We rely on CaTECH as a partner to service our day to day and project requirements across multiple service categories (project management, distributed cabling, AV, electrical coordination). CaTECH invests in their people and equipment and because of this we are comfortable working with them on projects of all complexity. We are confident CaTECH will remain a valuable, future ready technology partner that will continue to meet our needs. Scott Dorion Head of Real Estate, Facilities and Procurement Tangerine Bank

CaTECH CONNECTING THE PLANET

”

“

CaTECH, raising the bar with Versiv from Fluke Networks

When we bring a best-in-class approach to the market, the customer wins, and we also see it as a way to positively impact the industry. We associate being one of Canada’s largest nationwide providers of IT Infrastructure solutions and services as a privileged position we never take for granted and we feel it comes with both micro and macro responsibilities. By continuously striving to raise the bar of our service and quality, we see us helping to raise the pedigree of our 30+ year old industry. Upon evaluating the features and benefits of the Fluke Networks Versiv test and certification platform, we understood that this solution was going to drive a generational shift in the IT infrastructure industry, and we rushed to the opportunity to move to standardize exclusively on the Versiv platform by Fluke Networks. Our efficiency and diversity has increased from a service and project commissioning perspective, as well as from a knowledge exchange perspective internally amongst our team and with our customers. Quote from Scott Forrestall, CaTECH Founder and President

”

About CaTECH: Now celebrating 25 years in business, CaTECH Systems Ltd. Is one of Canada’s largest infrastructure providers of innovative, high quality solutions for Data Centres, Networking, Converged Media & AV, Business Telephony, Security and Electrical. Represented by hundreds of professional, certified staff and service delivery partners, and with offices and service locations across the country, small, medium and Fortune 100 companies rely on CaTECH’s long-standing reputation for quality, service and integrity to provide customized, end-to-end solutions that build and maintain the communication backbone of their business.

For more information, visit www.catech-systems.com About Fluke Networks: Fluke Networks is the worldwide leader in certification, troubleshooting, and installation tools for professionals who install and maintain critical network cabling infrastructure. From installing the most advanced data centres to restoring service in the worst weather, our combination of legendary reliability and unmatched performance ensure jobs are done efficiently. Based in Everett, Wash., the company distributes products in more than 50 countries.

For more information, visit www.flukenetworks.com

By Fluke Networks

CaTECH

Celebrating 25+ Years!

CONNECTING THE PLANET

FUTURE

READY. . .

Being Future ready is a CaTECH core competency and a commitment to its customers. Small, Medium and Fortune 100 companies rely on CaTECH’s long-standing reputation for quality, service and integrity to provide customized, end-to-end solutions that build and maintain the communication backbone of their business. CaTECH’s end-to-end solutions will keep your mission critical systems and communications infrastructure moving 24/7/365, coast to coast. Delivering the results you need for today’s data-rich environment.

Call CaTECH today to learn how they can help you be future ready. CaTECH sErviCEs inCludE: • Data Centre Solutions • Infrastructure Solutions • Networking • Converged Media & AV.

• Business Telephony • Security and Electrical

1-800-267-1919 www.catech-systems.com

”

COVER STORY

It is essential

to understand your migration strategy and overall system design. The reality

photo courtesy of siemon

is that speeds aren’t going to stop at 100 gigabit.

”

As far as upgrade paths go, planning tends to stop at 100 gigabit … for the moment. Yet 400 gigabit to 1.6 terabytes is not completely off the radar.

mode and multimode is driven primarily by the cost of equipment, confirms Betsy Conroy, global marketing communications manager for Siemon in Watertown, Conn. “With multimode fiber channels, one concern is insertion loss budgets. As we migrate to 40 or 100 gigabit, they become a lot more strict, which means you have to use low loss fiber connections if you want to have multiple mated pairs for flexibility over a wide range of distances and configurations.”

Making the connections Moving to higher fiber counts is also driving the demand for MPO/ MTP (multiple-fiber push-on/pull-off) pre-terminated components, Zetena explains. “Today you can create an entire MPO to MPO structure utilizing cassette modules at either end that house 12 or 24 discrete connectors such as the LC duplex. When the day comes to upgrade, all you have to do is replace the module to adapt to a different connector or termination scheme. That means you can keep your cabling infrastructure and have the infrastructure adapt to your equipment.” The same 24-fiber MPO can support 12X10 gigabit channels, 3X40 gigabit channels or a 1X100 gigabit channel when implementing today’s SR4 and SR10 standards. This is particularly advantageous in a migration strategy as users can implement current and emerging standards by adapting their installed infrastructure without the need to re-cable, Zetena says. LC connectors can also simplify the management of cable migration up to 100 gigabit, Connaughton explains. “You can have an upgraded fiber plant in place and the connectivity would be left alone. www.connectionsplus.ca

That’s very attractive from an end user’s perspective.”

A place for Cat 8 One question on many people’s minds on the cabling side of the equation is: will there be a role for copper as bandwidth demands grow? Connaughton is one of many who believes there is, saying it will play a part in top of rack switch environments because users can still benefit from the cost savings. “Migration with copper is also much simpler than fiber. If you have Cat 8 built into your migration path, all you have to do is switch out equipment when the time comes. As long as there is a copper solution that allows people to migrate upwards, there will be a significant market for it. Cat 8 does that.” The merging Cat 8 standard is still viewed as an ideal solution for inter-rack cabling inside data centres, despite the distance limitations, Zetena confirms. “When you look at data centres, 30 meters provides a sufficient length to address both inter-rack [within cabinet rows] and intra-rack environments within the majority of today’s data centres. Beyond that segment, fiber is the predominant choice for increasing overall bandwidth. But Cat 8 will provide a cost-effective solution within a row of racks or in the rack itself.” There are some concerns that come with using top of rack configurations. Some top of rack switches may require a proprietary cable assembly, Conroy cautions. “The beauty of using standards-based category 6A cable for 10 gigabit today and category 8 for 25 or 40 gigabit in the future is the ability to maintain backwards compatibility and interoperability while having the reach to support a broad range November/December 2015

Connections+

COV E R S TO RY

of switch-to-server architectures.” Cat 8 on an RJ45 form factor (Class I) offers a lot of benefits on that score, Zetena notes. “Not only is it backwards compatible, it still allows you to use things like energy-efficient Ethernet; and it’s much easier to get to the next level of performance without having to switch connectors away from the globally utilized RJ45 form factor. Given that the Ethernet installed base is massive, it will not be going away any time soon, D’Ambrosia states. “As much as everyone would like to rip that out, they’re not going to do that. People who have that installed base today are looking at what they do to provide more capacity over that infrastructure. And we can’t forget PoE (Power over Ethernet) over traditional twisted pair cabling. When you start to talk about what can be done with PoE, it’s fascinating.”

Cabling for the wireless world D’Ambrosia also sees interesting developments in cabling requirements in the realm of higher speed wireless applications, since they demand an infrastructure that can drive more bandwidth. In fact structured cabling is already playing a key role within IoT (internet of things). The more bandwidth built out in the wireless sphere means the more the data centre is getting hit, he says. “It’s a mind boggling ecosystem. You build up your core to enable end stations to build out. Then you have to go back and build out your core. It’s a never ending battle. On top of that, we have to pay attention to the development of Base-T applications for automotive.” 100Base-T is already on track in that quarter, he adds. “It’s also looking at longer reaches at lower speeds, which makes it attractive for IoT applications. Sure, the higher speed is the sexy stuff. But it’s the higher volume, lower speed applications that will pay a lot of bills.”

Taking a big picture view With all that’s happening on the data centre and wireless space, planning means looking at the big connectivity picture, D’Ambrosia says. “You have to look at that ecosystem and how it gets connected: Base-T over optics, optics over backplanes; they all have a place. Everyone has their own idea of how to make their networks run. Some are latency centered; others are cost sensitive. These are all justifications when making your choices.” Zetena agrees that no one infrastructure can meet all requirements perfectly. “Everything is changing. When looking at data centre or enterprise cabling, the key is to understand all your options while keeping in mind where you want to drive to in seven to 10 years. You have to make certain assumptions and hedge your bets as much as possible. There’s no crystal ball to help you.” He advises planners to think of 40 gigabit as a stepping stone to 100, not as an end point. “There’s a vast array of information coming from physical layer vendor companies that is forcing facilities managers and CIOs to examine the overall picture, up to and including the lifecycle of the building. The best advice I can give is to reach out 24

Connections+

November/December 2015

Putting more thought into MPO testing With the increased fiber density, there has been a growing move towards MPO (multi push-on) 12-fiber connectors, says Adrian Young, product marketing engineer at Fluke Networks. “We are really seeing it in the next-generation data centre environment, where some are approaching 100% MPO connectivity. Others will follow as they move to 40 gigabit; but if you want to get there you have to get a grip on those connectors.” He adds that 40 gigabit is typically parallel transmission with eight fibers. Attempting to work with it using traditional fiber optic connectors will create huge density issues very quickly. “Many think they can get away with cleaning, but not inspecting. But that’s simply not true with MPO. It will force you to rethink your inspection practices.” Despite the fact that installers will have to learn how to test MPO trunk cables, very few have done it before. “Recently I was presenting on MPO testing and when it came to break time, nobody left the room,” Young says. “They kept asking questions on how to test this stuff. There’s a big shortfall in knowledge and information out there right now.” When it comes to test tools there are two options available. A technician can try using a traditional duplex field tester to test two fibers at a time. However the process is labour intensive and requires that cables be broken out for testing. “If you’re going duplex there’s a whole lot of plugging and unplugging and making sure you are going in the right order. Setup is very involved and aggregating results is a pain. You also have to understand polarity.” The preferred alternative is a dedicated MPO tester. The Fluke MultiFiber Pro for example can perform a test for 12 fibers at a time in less than 10 seconds. “Because setup up is minimal, fewer things can go wrong,” Young says. Given the prevalence of MPO connectors in today’s cabling environments, project managers need to put some time and effort into researching how to test MPO links, he adds. “If it’s a small job you can probably get away with a duplex tester. If you’re bidding on a larger job, it’s not a question of economics, but whether you can finish on time or not.”

to companies with expertise on the infrastructure side and seek out the most flexible, adaptable and most efficient migration strategy.”C+ Denise Deveau is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at denisedeveau@bell.net.

www.connectionsplus.ca

SPECIAL R EPORT: CA BLI NG

‘Lowly Cable Is The King Of Connectivity’ Every organization today requires infrastructure cable on some level. Without it, they simply would not exist. By Peter Leupen

h yes, The Internet of Things, the much ballyhooed phrase that would have us all believe that by the time 2020 rolls around, every man woman and child on the planet (on average) will be the proud owner of seven or more Internet connected devices. Whether or not this will unfold as predicted remains to be seen; however, past estimates on metrics for any number of quantifiable statistics from the increasing speed of microprocessors over time to the simultaneous miniaturization of storage devices as their increasing ability to store ever more data has made liars of even the most well informed prognosticators in the tech space. Everything we look at tells us that all things IT related are growing at a rapid pace in the Information Age. Information is today’s currency and woe be to the person who treats it lightly.

www.connectionsplus.ca

November/December 2015

Connections+

S P E CI AL R E P ORT: CA B L IN G

”

Without throwing any specific potential clients under the bus, suffice it to say that the cabling we’ve seen in entrance facilities, telecom rooms and distribution closets across all sectors both private and governmental are beyond description.

”

Data has gone from its simplest form as a largely text document not too long ago to pages including graphics, then pictures, then videos and now HD and 4K videos. A single piece of information that used to be a few kilobytes in size might now be one of the hundreds of millions of video clips posted to various social media sites with each clip being several megabytes of data. It’s estimated that YouTube alone posts 300 hours of video for every minute of the day. Imagine the amount of data! Portable memory devices have gone from several hundred dollars for single digit megabytes 20 years ago to a fraction of this cost for a million fold and more increase in memory capacity. The transmission of data has gone from the speed with which a telegraph operator could tap out the message or how quickly a flagman could flap his arms while sending a message with semaphore flags to current speeds that travel literally at the speed of light. Gartner Consulting, a leader in the IT consulting space worldwide, regularly reports on industry trends in the IT space. In the 26

Connections+

November/December 2015

fourth quarter of 2014 Gartner reported a growth of 4.8% in server shipments worldwide. Unit sales of servers worldwide including major manufacturers such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, Huawei, Inspur Electronics and others were 2,706,080 up from 2,591,812 the prior year. By now the number is almost assuredly 15 million units annually. These hardware sales increases are impressive on their own. Even in the face of thoughts from some in the artificial intelligence (AI) community that eventually machines will take over the world, for now at least, humans are still needed to make these machines useful tools in today’s businesses and for society in general. Jones Lang LaSalle IP (www.jll.com) is a professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services to clients. In a 2014 Data Centre Outlook report for North America they identify that employment in the data processing and hosting services industry will increase by 17% from 2014 to 2019. www.connectionsplus.ca

SPECIAL R EPORT: CA BLI NG

In summary, we have more devices collecting data, more servers processing data, huge amounts of data to process, more people managing the machines that process the data and more money than ever being spent on all things IT related. What do all of these things have in common? To make it all work, it all has to be connected together. Enter the lowly cable. Connecting IT all together is the ubiquitous cable. We’ve gone from Category 3 at Category 5 copper twisted pair cables to Category 6, 6A and we’re now in the process of creating the standards for Category 7 and 8 cables. Each generation of cable is better than the last, allowing for the transmission of greater amounts of data over longer distances in shorter time frames. The fiber optic cable business is an industry onto itself now with hundreds of millions of kilometres of single and multi-mode cables being produced and deployed worldwide annually. With explosion of FTTX worldwide, these numbers are not likely to get smaller any time soon. You’ve no doubt heard variations on the three biggest lies being told these days. Two of the most oft quoted are: 1. I’m from the government, I’m here to help 2. One size fits all A popular completion to the trio, coming from the IT world is that: 3. Wireless is wireless While wireless may well be wireless for the last 10, 20, 30 metres or more, at some point that wireless access point has a cable of some type attached to it. Apple is leading the charge on smart phone sales globally and along with its tablet products the “wireless” nature of their connection to some end point, be it a cell tower through a local telephone service provider or a home/business router there is still cable involved. In the course of Fancom’s work, prior to creating a proposal for consideration, we often attend site visits to see that state of the current project so that we can make an assessment of with IT or electronic security design work has to be done. Without throwing any specific potential clients under the bus, suffice it to say that the cabling we’ve seen in entrance facilities, telecom rooms and distribution closets across all sectors both private and governmental are beyond description. We have all this seen this image and likely worse in the com-

”

munication’s infrastructures of our clientele. Our clients are not to blame and maybe they don’t care, as in most cases they think this is the norm; an absolute sea of spaghetti-wires that somehow all works together … and while it all works, this might be OK. But if something goes wrong, where does the IT manager begin to look for the fix? No labeling, no cable management, just a mess with the president’s Internet connection on the fritz. A head scratcher for sure. The registered communications distribution designer (RCDD) is the professional of choice for IT infrastructure design. The RCDD is to communications infrastructure design as the P. Eng. is to mechanical and electrical design. In this way, the RCDD is very much the custodian of the “4th utility” as the P. Eng. community rides herd on air, water and energy requirements in any given building. No Fortune 500 company or any other commercially viable company these days does not require infrastructure cable on some level. Google, Amazon, Facebook and others are at one end of the extreme, while the local Mom and Pop retail shop with one credit card reading device is at the other, but both require cabling on some level. The RCDD is the person who puts into practice the myriad number of standards and best industry practices that are written by ANSI/TIA, BICSI and others to manage and make use of cabling infrastructure to the betterment of business and IT communications in general. Application of the standards are regrettably not mandatory. We can only hope that the universal application of standards such as TIA-942 Data Centre Cabling Standard or TIA-568 and its various iterations for commercial building cabling along with the TIA 606 labeling standard gives rise to more telecommunications connectivity that looks more like this. Cabling has and for the foreseeable future will be important. Equally important will be the application of standards for its deployment. Beyond mere aesthetics, proper cabling infrastructure deployment and its appropriate management should be accorded a priority commensurate with its cost and importance to business. C+

You have no doubt heard variations on the three biggest lies being told these days. Two of the most oft quoted are I’m from the government, I’m here to help and one size fits all.

www.connectionsplus.ca

”

Peter Leupen is head of business development with Fancom Connects Ltd., a Mississauga firm that specializes in areas ranging from IT communication installations to electronic security design. He can be reached at peter.leupen@fancomni.com.

November/December 2015

Connections+

photo courtesy of siemon

S P E CI AL R E P ORT: CA B L IN G

Communications cabling –

‘You can make a business doing that? By Alexander Smith RCDD

hen I started as a young technician installing communications cabling in the late 1970s it was a field with a small number of specialized contractors that required cabling technicians to have specialized and training and special precision tooling and testing procedures, demanded by the computer industry for proper operation of their systems. Each system whether, IBM, Wang Digital or others, required unique cable and connectors, with a whole alphabet soup of connectors, BNC, TNC etc., Dsub, twinax and some with colorful names like vampire taps and terminators. Most of the cabling systems were quite unforgiving if you did not use the right cable, the right connector, improper tooling for crimping the connector, improper or no testing and did not know or ignored the cabling system limitations in regards to maximum cable length and number of terminals supported on each bus connection. In the early 1980s I started a contracting business and explained to friends and acquaintances that what I did was design and install communications cabling systems, a number of people said the same thing to me, which was “ You can make a business doing that? I quietly explained that yes I believed I could and could see a future in the industry. On my card I had `Communication Networks` and quite a few people asked `what is a communication network?

Connections+

November/December 2015

Readers should keep in mind and some of you will remember that in late 1970’s and early 1980’s, step by step and crossbar phone systems with manual switchboards were still in use. Readers familiar with Lily Tomlin’s Laugh-In character Ernestine the Telephone Operator would know what these are. Computers at the time were terminals connected to mainframe computers in large corporate and government offices, point of sale terminals were just starting to replace old style manual cash registers in large department stores and the first generation of personal computers, such as the Apple II, products from other makes such as Commodore, Sinclair, Tandy Radio Shack, NEC and the of course the IBM PC were just coming on the market and networking technology was in its` infancy. As the networking technologies developed, with such names as ArcNet, Token Ring and Ethernet, Thicknet (10Base5) and Thinnet (10Base2) these all required specialized coaxial or shielded twisted pair cabling and were very unforgiving to poor cable, connectors and installation practices Later networking technologies in the 1980s such as PhoneNet, DECnet, and pre-10BaseT technologies such as StarLAN, LatticeNet and 3-Com Pair Tamers, were designed to operate over regular twisted pair telephone grade cable twisted pair cable, and saw the www.connectionsplus.ca

VERSIV

â&#x201E;˘

Cable Certification System

Versiv saves you money every time you use it Eliminate mistakes and wasted time that add up to 47 hours to every cabling job. The Versiv system streamlines every step of the certification process. Learn about Versiv and how it can help you simplify and grow your business at www.flukenetworks.com/versiv.

Certify

Manage

Report

Unsurpassed speed for fiber and copper certification, with troubleshooting features that find problems instantly.

Set up and track the status of the job from any smart device using LinkWare Live.

Transfer test results directly from the field and generate reports faster

Own the legacy DTX CableAnalyzer? For a limited-time, purchase Versiv, trade in your old tester, and get up to $5,500 cash back! Learn more at www.flukenetworks.com/go-versiv.

S P E CI AL R E P ORT: CA B L IN G

beginning of the structured cabling industry. IBM standardized Type 3 cable for 4 MB Token Ring and Anixter developed their “Levels” Program. When 10BaseT was finally ratified by IEEE, we started on the road to Category type cabling that most readers will be familiar with, starting with Cat3 for 10MB Ethernet,16MB Token Ring and 100 MB VGAnyLAN, 100MB Ethernet (100Base-T4), the short lived Cat4 and the ubiquitous Cat5 for 100Mb Ethernet (100Base –TX) during the 1990s.As we entered the new Century Cat5e (enhanced Cat5) was ratified to support 1GB Ethernet and (POE) Power Over Ethernet technologies. The advent of UTP cabling systems lowered the barriers to the cabling installation industry such as expensive tooling and specialized training, The market exploded through the 1990’s with many manufacturers developing cabling system lines and a whole multiple of innovative products from connecting hardware, higher performing cables and cable management products to better tools and testers. IBM’s “IBM Cabling System” was developed and widely deployed during the 1980s and 1990s and provided a single cabling system to support IBM’s various mainframe systems, including Token Ring networks, telephone systems and even 10MB Ethernet later on with the use of baluns. This was a 150 Ohm media 2 pair and with Ethernet and 100 Ohm Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) becoming the de-facto industry standards, it quickly fell out of favour in the industry. The development of structured cabling systems have now become the technical “enabler” for the promise of convergence, becoming the system neutral transport media of converged and multiple communications technologies. The same holds true for Fiber to the Home (FTTH) where the explosion of social networking, gaming and the downloading of music and videos is putting stress on the existing broadband networks. Research analysts are projecting the Internet will soon have to handle Exabytes of traffic (1 Billion Gigabytes). With 40 MB to the home coming with 100MB close behind, FTTH is the only viable media to be able to deliver all these converging technologies. Google has developed several FTTH community networks with network speeds of 1Gbs to each home and other service providers announcing 1Gb/s service. Cat7(ISO/IEC Class F) and the later developed Cat 7A(ISO/IEC Class Fa) which are shielded twisted pairs cables have been accepted and widely deployed Internationally, (ISO/IEC11801) for over a decade, but was never ratified in North America due to the lack of consensus by the EIA/TIA committees and as a result not widely accepted in the North American marketplace. With Cat8 which appears will be a shielded cable scheduled to be ratified by ISO/IEC and TIA/EIA in 2016, this represents in my view the evolution of the next generation of cabling (Cat 6A being the minimum entry level Cable) systems supporting 10 gigabytes and beyond. In North America there is still debate about shielded versus unshielded cabling but with the deployment of Cat6A cabling and the adoption of 10 gigabit systems in its early stage, users should look at the facts. The main issue and the case for shielded media versus UTP is alien crosstalk (AC). In plain English this is interference between two cables. With a Cat 6A UTP cable system the design relies 30

Connections+

November/December 2015

on separation techniques to try to mitigate AC. Installation practices such as excessive conduit/pathway fill, exceeding bend radius and over cinched tie wraps or anything that deforms the cable can compromise AC performance. Once you go to a Cat 6A shielded systems such as Cat 6AF/UTP (Overall foil shield) or Cat6S/FTP (Individual foil shields on pairs and overall braid shield) the cable system designs reduces AC to virtually zero. Testing also raises additional concerns in that with UTP systems, testing for AC is done by sampling using “victim” and “disturbing” sample cables. Also, there are no testing requirements for AC as shielding virtually eliminates Alien Cross Talk. Considering also that it looks like Cat 8 will be a shielded media it indicates the future direction of cable media for 10 gigabit plus systems. When I started out as young tech I had the benefit of excellent mentors and teachers who taught me the importance of quality cable system installations, learning what I call the cable installers mantra “ Label, test and document, label, test and document” and will never forget one telephone system installation trainer that said “ make sure your cabling is installed correctly and you are 33% toward a successful installation, power another 33%, your grounding another 33%. This training has served me well for many years, confident the installed cable system I designed and/or installed would operate 100% error free. With CAT6 UTP cabling I am not satisfied testing is 100% comprehensive and therefore recommend Cat6A shielded systems. Today, we see more and more technologies becoming Internet Protocol (IP) centric, from IP CCTV cameras, paging and audio systems to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone systems. The building and plant automation industries are moving away from proprietary interfaces to IP based interfaces and communications protocols. Where 10 megabit and 100 megabit Ethernet were relatively forgiving systems on poor quality and/or poorly installed Category 5 and 5e cabling systems, the same cannot be said of VoIP phones systems and 1 gigabit Ethernet systems that now use all four pairs. As 10 gigabit Ethernet and POE++ become more broadly deployed, the importance of having cabling systems professionally designed and installed by skilled professionals, only increases in importance. The cabling industry has gone through the typical cycles that all new industries go through, to reach the maturity stage from introduction-innovation through the growth stage. In the maturity stage we see industry consolidation with large players in the manufacturing and installation side of the business, dominating the marketplace. As to the final stage of the typical cycle decline, I do not see that happening in the foreseeable future, especially since we are starting to see the adoption of the next generation of copper cabling systems supporting 10 gigabit and beyond being Category 6A, which will make Category 5e and 6 obsolete, save for slower speed applications as Cat5e and 6 are only designed to support 1 gigabit. Although the cabling industry is in a mature stage there are many challenges I see, from attracting the younger generation into the trade to harmonizing and acceptance of technical training amongst various jurisdictions and organizations. www.conn www.connectionsplus.cam

SPECIAL R EPORT: CA BLI NG

CATEGORY CABLE COMPARISON CHART Attribute

Category 5e

Category 6

Category 6A

Category 7/7A

Category 8**

Frequency

100 MHz

250 MHz

500 MHz

1000 MHz

2000 MHz

1000Base-T 1000Base-T 10GBase-T 10GBase-T 25GBase-T Maximum Data Rate 40GBase-T Distance

100 Meters

30 Meters

Number of Connectors in Channel

Cable Construction

UTP or Shielded

Shielded

RJ45 RJ45 RJ45 Non-RJ45 Connector Type

Class I: RJ45 Class II: Non RJ45

* Category 7/7A ISO/IEC Class F/Fa is not a recognized category by TIA/EIA ** Pending Ratification by ISO/IEC & TIA/EIA in 2016

Other challenges include harmonization of low voltage permit requirements as there are some jurisdictions that have permitting requirements and some have none, trade (communication cable installer) certification and mandatory trade requirements where only certified trades people, in this case cabling techs, perform cabling work on construction projects. One of the most pressing issues facing the cabling industry is the influx of substandard and counterfeit cable and connecting hardware and scam products, such as aluminum wire with a copper coating and lead weights to simulate at box of solid copper Cat5e or 6 cable entering the North American market from oversees. Substandard products usually have certification marks from independent certification bodies such as CSA, UL and ETL, which are used illegally and do not meet industry standards for electrical performance or codes for fire rating of the jackets. Counterfeit products can be the same substandard products, but are packaged to look like well-known brands. Aside from the technical problems of a network working poorly due to excessive communications errors or not at all, the biggest issue is life safety concerns, from the aforementioned copper coated aluminum cable which could potentially cause a fire with POE systems to cables with non-certified fire ratings, which in the case of a fire, could cause a fire to spread faster to other occupied areas of emit more smoke and toxic fumes than the regulations specify. There have been cases of a major retailer and a major distributor being caught with these products in their inventory not to mention the numerous online Web sites and retailers selling these products. The industry including the Communications Cable & Connectivity Association (CCCA) cccassoc.org and cable and connectivity product manufacturers are addressing the problem by educating the industry and instituting holographic labeling but it is not enough. Even the humble Cat5e and Cat6 patch cables are not immune. Unless the patch cables are supplied by well known manufacturers or cable assembly houses that actually can “certify” cables, the majority of nicely packaged cable you see in retail outlets and sold by many distributers are substandard. There have been a number of studies and a number of white papers, which we have validated by our own internal tests, that 90 – www.connectionsplus.ca

95% of the types of patch cable do not meet the minimum industry test parameters. The last but not least challenge for the cabling industry, I characterize by joking that cable designers and installers are the Rodney Dangerfields of the construction and engineering industries in not getting respect. The reason for that I believe is threefold, firstly that we are a relatively new industry, secondly that the value of cable installation on any given construction project is small when compared to other systems such as electrical and mechanical and thirdly that cabling is around 10% of the cost of the IT systems they are connected to and those costs are not included in the construction budget being supplied by the end user of the space constructed. Information technologies have become a vital utility like electricity and plumbing for the orderly and efficient operation of companies and society at large. Slowly the importance of IT and a quality cabling infrastructure is being recognized. The cabling industry has come full circle, from the early 1980s where designers had to have very specialized knowledge and installers needed specialized training and tooling through the 1990’s where anyone with a punch down tool and a ladder got into the cabling business to now, where again designers have to have very specialized knowledge as well as training and installers need specialized training, tooling and now very sophisticated and expensive testers. And to the question “You can make a business doing that? I chuckle now when I see the multibillion dollar global industry the cabling industry has become and I still see a future in the industry. With the advances in technology is the past 30 years and with further advances sure to come, society will need the plumbers of the Information Technology & Internet Age to install and maintain bigger and better ”pipes” driven by technological developments and the demand from business, government and the general public for greater bandwidth. C+

Alexander (Alex) Smith, RCDD, is president of Connectivitywerx and a member of the Connections+ editorial advisory board. He can be reached at alexsmith@connectivitywerx.com.

November/December 2015

Connections+

LO O K AH EA D 2 0 1 6

The future is bright, the future is cloudy 2016 promises to be the year when cloud becomes the fundamental basis of IT planning for most businesses.’ B y Lyn n G re in er

Connections+

November/December 2015

e live in interesting times. Keeping up with the trends in technology and elsewhere is becoming more and more difficult, as the pace of change increases. But that doesn’t mean we still won’t try to figure out what’s going to happen, not because we enjoy fortune telling, but because correctly anticipating a trend can give a competitive advantage to companies who can hop in ahead of the crowd. So let’s peer into our crystal balls and see what the industry may hold for us in the next 12 months. The future is cloudy, according to our experts. Michael Argast, director at Telus Security Solutions, says “cloud adoption is going to accelerate. The ability for business units rather than IT departments to go out and procure solutions directly to solve their problems is probably the most seismic shift in IT in the last 20 years.”

www.connectionsplus.ca

LO OK A HEA D 2016

Technology analyst Carmi Levy agrees. “The cloud is no longer something that hangs out somewhere in the future with vague promises of someday reshaping the business and technology landscape,” he says. “This year, it arrived in spades as technology spending crossed over the tipping point and cloud became the eminent infrastructure choice of our time. In 2015, cloud became real to most of us. We’re finally at the inflection point where cloud is moving from theoretical to very real, and 2016 promises to be the year when cloud becomes the fundamental basis of IT planning for most businesses.” However, notes Walter Andri, president and managing director, Avaya Canada, it won’t be the cloud of yore. He believes that hybrid and private clouds will become more prevalent, not the muchtouted public cloud. In fact, he sees the term “cloud” disappearing entirely, as businesses simply assume a cloud delivery model for certain services. That model won’t have as much special sauce as vendors claim it has today, according to Rowan Trollope, senior vice president and GM of Cisco’s IoT and collaboration technology group, who thinks that the world is turning into a place where cloud is simply a commodity. “We’re moving to a place where people are moving to containers (for their apps), rather than pick your own platform,” he says. And, says Paul Lewis, CTO of Hitachi Canada and head of analytics for Hitachi Americas, it will not be about “cloud first” or “cloud only” either, as is often suggested today, but “cloud when it makes sense. “Most CIOs manage hundreds if not thousands of applications that are on individual lifecycles,” he explains. “New apps might be SaaS or built and deployed in public clouds or upgraded in existing data centre schemes. Exiting applications may be rationalized or simplified or modernized into a new deployment model like Cloud, or not.” “Cloud is becoming over-hyped,” adds Andri, “not because we aren’t adopting it, but because we have already been doing it for a while (depending on definition). Private, public and hybrid models are in place today in every level of government and enterprise.” Even companies with compliance and data sovereignty requirements are looking at the cloud, says Neil Bhattacharya, mobile delivery lead at Accenture Digital. “It’s been here for a while, and most companies are adopting it,” he notes, adding that companies don’t necessarily use the public www.connectionsplus.ca

”

The ability for

business units rather than IT

departments to go out and procure solutions directly to solve their problems is probably the most seismic shift in IT in the last 20 years.

”

cloud for their most sensitive data, even if they use cloud technology. Mobility is intimately tied to the cloud. But, says Lewis, it won’t be the same mobility that we’re used to, where devices are king. “The definition of mobility will broaden dramatically, moving from user/ client centricity (mobile apps and mobile devices) to data centricity as the CIO elevates the value of data in the organization,” he says. “Data centric mobility would identify investment around mobilizing data from places, mobilizing data to places, mobilizing data for places.” Why? Because, he says, “for the most part, data created by an application is the side effect or by product of the application’s functionality, not an asset in and of itself. Abstracting the data from the application makes that data accessible to other applications, and allows it to be consolidated with other sources of data.” This, he says, leads to new ways of using the data. “Investments would be in integration with many application and cloud storage vendors,” he explains. “Open APIs to build new, potentially comNovember/December 2015

Connections+

LO O K AH EA D

plex custom integrations; automated data movement and policy enforcement; and scalable destination infrastructure.” Up to now, Levy notes, mobile has been a lot of same old same old. “Barely seven years after Apple first decided to open up its mobile infrastructure to third-party developers and create the basis for the app economy we know today, most smartphones and tablets continue to run evolved versions of those initial apps,” he says. “Namely, single-purpose offerings that do little to change the basic model of mobile use.” But that is about to change. “2016 stands to be the year where mobile apps emerge from the shadows of their full-blown ancestors and define new mobile-first and mobile-only services in their own right,” he predicts. “As more powerful devices combine with more capable and robust networks, the capacity of apps to deliver outsidethe-traditional-mobile-box capability will expand over the next year.” Andri agrees. He sees increased movement to mobile and tablet, with clientless applications becoming a more common way to integrate into the backend. “Context and continuity – any service, on any device regardless of location, that’s what’s coming,” he says. “There will be continuity of session over device, location and modality.” “We can’t just run on phone or computer,” Trollope adds. “My world – my aggregation points – is any place where an app or agent can express itself to the world or a user.” In fact, Argast says, “In mobility and networking, the big story will be around the Internet of Things (IoT) – adoption continues to accelerate, and the technology problems, outside of security, have been largely solved. This means more applications and solutions. “Every new Web site, business, or app starts on mobile. In many cases, they aren’t even developing traditional Web sites. At Telus, wireless is a key growth driver – more and more traffic at faster and faster speeds.” Which brings us to the future of networking. And that future is tied to IoT and the traffic it will generate. “Whether we like it or not, the Internet of Things is coming,” Levy says. “Fast. And networks of all types, terrestrial and wireless, need to be prepared for the expected onslaught of devices that will be clamoring for connectivity before long. “Unlike the multifunction computers, mobile and network devices that currently dominate network traffic, IoT will introduce legions of single- or otherwise-limited-function hardware to our day-to-day personal and professional lives. And the networks that currently underpin connectivity will need to adapt not only by fattening their capacity, but in also ensuring end-to-end security no matter what classes of devices happen to be connected at either end.” Part of the change has to be simplification, says Andri. Currently, the sensors and other Things on the IoT all use different communications protocols, and that, he thinks, will change. Regardless, he says that networks have some growing to do. “Networking will accelerate across the board to support a mobile first world,” he says. “Much of this will be based on Wi-Fi, however, every Wi-Fi access point and cellular tower is connected with wires of some type. Corporate infrastructure will have to catch up to make connecting over wireless and wired transparent from both a security 34

Connections+

November/December 2015

”

IoT bridges Information Technology (HR, ERP, and Financial) and Operational Technology such as mining equipment, oil rigs, and robotics to create new business value such as predictive maintenance, autonomous machinery, and lights out operations.

”

and performance perspective.” All this needs an ecosystem, Bhattacharya says. He predicts large mesh networks with localized aggregators to cope with the volume of data from the IoT. He also predicts that there will be different camps forming around standards – no surprise, given the squabbling that ensues among interest groups every time a new technology needs standards. And, says Lewis, depending on the industry (for example, energy, manufacturing, or oil and gas), the Internet of Things will be the reason for many investments. “IoT bridges Information Technology (HR, ERP, and Financial) and Operational Technology such as mining equipment, oil rigs, and robotics to create new business value such as predictive maintenance, autonomous machinery, and lights out operations,” he notes. But there’s still a lot of work to do, and Trollope thinks that these changes will take time to complete. “What worked for the first billion devices won’t work for the next trillion,” he says. “We have to ask ourselves, how much would we pay to build this thing, given the amount of value. The experience we have now is not enough for the next wave – we have to think about the next 15 years, about embedding the Internet into everyday life.” Meanwhile, Levy says that beyond making the “firehose bigger and faster, network engineers will have to build to a level of robustness and redundancy that past generations could only dream of, “With major and minor vendors alike rushing new solutions to market, 2016 is already shaping up as a massive year of transition where IoT rapidly evolves from infrastructure of the future to everyday reality. But only if the networks that make it possible are able to keep pace.” C+ Lynn Greiner is a freelance writer based in Newmarket, Ont. She can be reached at lynn@itwriter.com.

www.connectionsplus.ca

New & Noteworthy

4 3

1.MICROCARE

2. LEGRAND

3. XPLORETECH

4. PLATINUM TOOLS

MicroCare Corp.’s Sticklers CleanClicker push-to-clean tools are designed to clean SC, FC, ST, E2000, LC and MU and MPO type connectors in any size and for any scale fiber optic network. The tools deliver the lowest cost-per-cleaning with more than 750 cleaning “clicks” per tool and can clean both male jumpers and female ports, the company says. Available in three sizes: for the 2.5mm configurations, the 1.2mm configurations, and the increasingly popular MTP/MPO design often used in data centers, central offices and cable TV head ends, the tools work gently to perfectly clean fiber connectors without scratching or damaging the end-face and connectors in any way. www.microcare.com.

Legrand recently introduced its newest Evolution Series 10-inch poke-thru device that offers eight individual gangs of communication, audio video and power capacity, eliminates the need for junction boxes and is designed with a durable, aesthetically pleasing cover assembly. Users can mix and match devices, ports and receptacles to configure each of the eight gangs to suit their individual requirements. The Evolution 10-inch poke-thru installs easily, making it an ideal choice for both retrofit and new construction applications. And, for service additions and changes, simply lift the unit out of its installed position in the floor. The poke-thru devices are designed with spring-loaded, patented, slide egress doors that not only accommodate the space required for cables to exit the device but also shut automatically when the user closes the cover. www.legrand.com.

Xplore Technologies Corp., a manufacturer of rugged tablet computers, is now shipping the XSLATE D10. With 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and an Intel CPU, the XSLATE D10 pushes the boundaries of what is available on Android devices, the company says. The XSLATE D10 provides customers with a full set of ports that can’t be found on other Android devices, including two USB 3.0, RJ-45, and an optional HDMI input, and more, the company says. “Every day, we see more and more customers turn to the Android platform for their rugged technology needs,” said Mark Holleran, company president and COO. The D10 is designed to meet and exceed the needs of customers across vertical industries. www.xploretech.com.

Platinum Tools Net Prowler Pro Test Kit (P/N TNP850K1) is now shipping with an MSRP of US$999.95. A tester only kit (P/N TNP700) is also available with an MSRP of US$799.95. The Net Prowler combines network testing (physical layer and link), IP device address mapping, cable troubleshooting and PoE voltage testing in a handheld tester with a full-colour display. It will display wire map, numbered ID remotes, and any faults, including shorts, opens, miswires, split pairs, and reverses. Net Prowler measures cable length (using TDR technology) and generates tone levels for signal tracing and cable identification on all pairs, a selected pair, or a selected pin. www.platinumtools.com.

www.connectionsplus.ca

November/December 2015

Connections+

L it e rat u re R eviews

Your Essential Guide to the Data Center of the Future

New In The Rittal Technology Library

The average data center is 18 years old. After 7 years, it’s obsolete. When updating your infrastructure, cost, performance and physical footprint come into play. Learn how best practices can help you migrate to new technology with Forsythe’s Essential Guide to the Data Center of the Future.

As the business processes grow, so does the physical IT infrastructure. The aim becomes to construct and modernize Data Centre infrastructures on a sustainable, scalable, modular & efficient IT infrastructure solution. Rittal’s “The world of IT infrastructures” guide aims to help you understand and determine your needs for your IT infrastructure.

info.forsythe.com/datacenterguide. Tel: 1-877-Anixter

For more information contact: marketing@rittal.ca Tel: 1-800-399-0748

www.anixter.ca

www.rittal.ca

PoE in the POLAN We all know that fiber cable doesn’t have the capability to deliver power. So how do optical network terminals (ONTs) in a POLAN provide power over Ethernet (PoE) for phones, wireless access points (WAPs) and other PoE-enabled devices? Check out our recent blog to learn more about this technology Visit: http://bit.ly/PoE-POLAN or call 1.800.BELDEN.1 (800.235.3361)

Free Siemon INNOVATE digital magazine In this quarterly electronic magazine, Siemon provides educational information on high performance infrastructure solutions for Data Centers, LANs and Intelligent Buildings. Featuring the latest new product innovations, industry standard updates, trends, technical articles, case studies and more. To access your free copy visit:

www.siemon.com/innovate

www.belden.com

Graybar Canada Wholesale Distribution Solutions

Connections+ 2016 MEDIA KIT

The Graybar Canada Complete Wholesale Distribution Solutions Brochure is a new publication that describes who Graybar Canada is and how we exceed customers’ expectations in delivering a complete solution. It has information about the value offering that sets Graybar Canada apart from its competitors. Find it under Publications on graybarcanada.com

The magazine for ICT professionals, Connections+ readership targets individuals who purchase, design, specify, install, maintain and test structured cabling, networking and telecom products as well as facilities management specialists and senior IT executives who are responsible for overseeing the implementation and installation of these initiatives. For more information contact Maureen Levy – 416-510-5111 or mlevy@connectionsplus.ca

www.graybarcanada.com

www.connectionsplus.ca

Connections+

November/December 2015

www.connectionsplus.ca

s r or

Editor

Complimentary subscription request form Your job function (check one only)

• • • • • • • • • •

THE MAGAZINE FOR ICT PROFESSIONALS

Business Information Group 80 Valleybrook Drive On M3Bprimary 2S9 YourToronto, company’s business activity (check one only) Phone: 416 510 6752 Network (LAN/WAN) Installation/troubleshooting Email: pbarker@connectionsplus.ca www.connectionsplus.ca Cable/Wire/Electrical Contractor Transportation

• • • • • • • •

• • • •

Paul Barker

does aim ze Data able, ad of lp you eds for

‚

• • • •

Utilities Broadcasting/Communications Health Services Government Wire/Cable Wholesaler Legal Services Education System Integrator/Network Design Financial/Insurance Engineering Manufacturer _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Data Processing/Information Services Other _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

MIS Mgmt., Network/Comm. Mgmt. Structured Cabling Designer Cabling Systems Installer Information Syst./Technology Spec. Facilities/Property/Project Mgr. Corporate & Plant Mgmt. Purchasing, Sales/Mktg. Technical/Electrical Installer Electrical/Consulting Engineer Comm. Specialist Electrical Contractor Other Engineering & Consulting

• •

Do you purchase or influence the purchase of ICT products and/or services for your company?

Number of employees at this location 1 1-19 2 20-49 3 50-99

Do you?

4 100-199 5 200-499 6 500+

• • •

Buy Install Test

• • •

Specify Maintain Design

•

yes

•

Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Title: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Company: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ City: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Province: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Telephone: (

Do you wish to:

) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

•

receive

• • • • •

•

Digital

Signature: R E Q U I R E D

) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

E-Mail: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

continue to receive

A Please use my e-mail for subscription renewals or publisher’s updates. yes no

B I permit the publisher to pass along my e-mail address to carefully screened companies for relevant trade shows, training courses, and product or service offers. yes no

CONNECTIONS+ Magazine FREE?

Select your format:

Fax: (

Postal Code: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

yes

Both

• •

Date: M / D / Y

Publisher reserves the right to determine qualification for free subscription. Offer valid in Canada only

To register... Fax: 416-510-6875 Or mail to: CONNECTIONS+ Magazine, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9

I n d e x Companies

Pg.

Belden

C I permit the publisher to pass along my mailing address to carefully screened companies for relevant trade shows, training courses, and product or service offers. yes no

o f

• •

A d v e r t i s e r s

Phone

Website

2 ppollack@adtrack.com

1-800-235-3361

www.belden.com/enterprise

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)

ADM@smtp.gc.ca

1-613-231-0443

www.csiscareers.ca

CaTECH Systems Ltd

info@catech-systems.com

1-800-267-1919

www.catech-systems.com

Fluke Networks

19-21

canada@flukenetworks.com

1-800-363-5853

www.flukenetworks.com

Fluke Networks

canada@flukenetworks.com

1-800-363-5853

www.flukenetworks.com

Hyperline Canada

info@hyperline.com

1-866-634-9737

www.Hyperline.com

www.connectionsplus.ca

November/December 2015

Connections+

TH E B ACK PAG E

The perpetual cycle of

Windows upgrades By Dave Webb

have very good friends at Microsoft. I hope they’re not offended by this. But when I leased my new laptop, I actually paid extra to have Windows 7 installed on it rather than Windows 8. A number of factors played into this, including the fact that the lovely people who sold me the box had to go out of their way to produce a Windows 7 laptop. That accounts for why it cost more. But why did I take a pass on Windows 8? The short answer is I thought it was not particularly suitable for a device that didn’t have a touchscreen, and since I type for a living – or what I call a living, anyway – a touchscreen wasn’t what I needed. The slightly longer answer is that, in my previous place of employ, before I made the possibly pathological decision to become a freelancer, I’d become accustomed to Windows 7 as my everyday operating system. It took a while, I must confess. The ribbon interface – which someone at MS told me users found easier – took some getting used to. The Office applications I’d been using for years needed re-learning. But, at the end of the day, I found Windows 7 as navigable as XP, which I’d been using with great satisfaction for roughly a hundred years. The slightly even longer explanation goes a long way back into my computing history, and could easily be dismissed as a superstition. I encountered the first version of Windows working at a newspaper in southwest Ontario. I had been working with Macs (hated them), command line interfaces (got along with them), and proprietary typesetting systems (loved them). Then someone put a PC with Windows on my desk. I tried to get it to work, but I just didn’t get it. This was the first iteration of Windows. And it may have been just that I was a command line guy, but I hated it. I resolved this issue by quitting my job. Of course, in my next job, I was thrust into the world of Windows 3.1. I’d missed Windows 2, and whichever variations on Windows 3 made it actually work. And it did. Thus were planted the seeds of a superstition; every second version of Windows would be awful. Every other second version of Windows would be amazing. I interviewed a senior Microsoft Canada executive many, many years ago. Windows 95 had become a safeas-houses operating system. But Microsoft was introduc-

Connections+

November/December 2015

ing a new OS, Windows 98, that turned out to be at best mediocre. I had only one question: Why? You have arguably the most solid operating system in Windows 95 on the market. Why are you replacing it? ME and 2000 were awful. They were followed by XP, which was… actually, very good. In fact, if there was an Oscar for Best Operating System Ever, XP would get my vote. Everything worked, even on computers that didn’t really have the processing power to run such a sophisticated operated system. I hung onto XP as long as I could. Vista was a catastrophe, though it made it quite easy to rip my CDs to my hard drive. There’s a lot involved in upgrading an operating system across an enterprise. Before you undertake such a, well, undertaking, consider a few things. • A forced upgrade is rarely a good idea, whether it’s an operating system or an application. It’s become increasingly common in the world of mobile apps, but as an IT department, there’s a lot to evaluate. Do applications have to be replaced for compatibility reasons? Does a hardware upgrade come with the trip? Timing an upgrade to a refresh window might be your best bet. • What’s the learning curve for the average user? Your power users might adapt quickly, but Windows 7 was a gobsmack of a change for the rank and file, and the Metro interface on Windows 8 provoked many a user to poke at his or her nontouch screen and wonder why it didn’t work. Are there going to training costs associated with the upgrade? • How long will it take to get to a homogenous environment? How difficult will it be, in the meantime, to deal with support on a variety of platforms? • With the challenges comes an opportunity. Rolling out a new OS at scale is an opportunity to consider moving a virtual desktop infrastructure, wherein future upgrades can be centralized to a common image for common users, saving resources when compared against going desk to desk to upgrade PCs. C+ Dave Webb is a Toronto-based freelance writer. He can be reached at dave@weebmedia.ca. www.connectionsplus.ca

New Brand, New Game New beginnings with traditional values

Copper Cables

Copper Patch Cords

Cable Managers Modular Plugs Patch Panels

Modular Plug

RJ-45

RJ45 Vertical Type

Cat 5e RJ45 110 IDC PLUG-8P8C-SV-C5-SH

Modular Plug

Cat 5e RJ45 110 IDC PLUG-8P8C-SV-C5-SH

RJ-45

Modular Plug

Easy Keystone Jack

RJ45 Vertical Type

Cat 5e RJ45 110 IDC PLUG-8P8C-SV-C5-SH

Cat 5e RJ45 110 IDC KJNE-8P8C-C5E-90-BL

Easy Keystone Jack

RJ45 Vertical Type

Cat 5e RJ45 110 IDC KJNE-8P8C-C5E-90-BL

HDMI Patch Cords

Modular Plug

RJ-45

Coaxial Cables

Cat 5e RJ45 110 IDC KJNE-8P8C-C5E-90-BL

Keystone Jacks

Visit us in Orlando for the 2016 BICSI Winter Conference and Exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Booth #801

www.hyperline.com

United States (888) 497-3748

Canada (866) 634-9737

RECHERCHÉ : PROFESSIONNELS EN TI

carriereauscr s.c .ca a s er

auscrs.ca - csi e r sc rie r ar e ca

WANTED: IT PROFESSIONALS

CSIS. SMART CAREER CHOICE SCRS. UN CHOIX DE CARRIÈRE JUDICIEUX .ca crs us

- csiscaree r s .ca

carriereauscrs.ca

csiscareers.ca