The role of fiber in integrated infrastructure development

In the past, people settled near the banks of rivers. Cities and villages were built on the banks of rivers and oceans. As time went by, cities began to appear where highways passed. But now, in the digital age, everyone will settle where fiber optic cables pass. Fiber optic will always be the preferred way to achieve Internet connectivity around the world.

In order to meet the needs of employees to access enterprise data and applications anytime, anywhere to run business operations, today's CTOs and CIOs tend to build integrated IT infrastructure systems, that is, integrated and hyper-integrated infrastructure solutions. In addition, customers demand customized services and real-time problem solving, which makes hyper-integrated system integration more important than ever.

At the heart of this system integration approach is the modern data center, which in turn is supported by a vast fiber network, fully dense cabling, large bandwidth, and zero-to-minimal loss interconnects. Therefore, to realize the benefits of integrated infrastructure such as 5G, IoT, data centers, etc., fiber deployment becomes critical as it will ensure that system integration services operate in real time and efficiently.

Traditional Model for Integrated Infrastructure

When developing a traditional system integration service model, most companies must spend a lot of time and energy to purchase infrastructure. The steps include:

• Assess the overall requirements of each infrastructure component such as servers, storage, and networks to run IT operations smoothly
• Purchase each component from the right supplier
• Integrate each component to build infrastructure
• Configure each component as required
• Optimize each component to meet the performance standards set by the company
• Follow up with suppliers whenever a problem arises and resolve it promptly

This practice not only increases the cost of purchasing infrastructure, but also risks adding weeks or months to project completion time, leading to unhappy customers and reduced profits. According to a recent IT spending classification report released by Microsoft:

• 53% of spending is on purchasing, building and maintaining existing infrastructure
• 36% of spending is on managing existing applications
• 11% of spending is on developing new applications

It is observed that only 11% is spent on IT innovation, which prompts leaders to ensure more investment in this regard and reduce spending on infrastructure development.

Evolutionary Model of Integrated Infrastructure

By building an integrated infrastructure driven by fiber, enterprises will be able to reduce infrastructure costs by up to 53%. Every aspect of the integrated infrastructure lifecycle, such as purchasing, installation, management, scale, etc., becomes simpler. The advantages of system integration supported by fiber optic connectivity are:

• Easy to scale: Increase and decrease infrastructure spending gradually
• Business agility: Respond faster to business needs
• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO): Lower capital and operating costs.

The role of optical fiber in integrated infrastructure construction

Fiber deployment is accelerating globally as most enterprises seek to digitally transform with the help of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, data centers, cloud computing, etc. Since these are part of the development of integrated infrastructure, they must be given the following capabilities: fast Internet connections, higher bandwidth, lower latency, and affordable tariffs. Most enterprises now work with communication service providers who provide fiber connectivity solutions that provide everything needed to build and drive hyperscale integrated infrastructure. Some of the key trends that make fiber deployment projects gain traction among enterprises that are building integrated infrastructure are:

Fiber is an essential component of fixed and mobile broadband networks. Accelerating fiber deployment is critical to performing large amounts of data backhaul at higher speeds, higher reliability, and low to zero latency. For example, telecom companies are expanding their offerings to businesses and individual users by rolling out new spectrum installations.

Fiber offers scalability, security, and unlimited bandwidth capable of handling the large amount of backhaul traffic generated by integrated infrastructure. The bandwidth levels required to run advanced technologies such as 5G, IoT, data centers, etc. can only be provided through fiber connections. This is because real-time data collection and transmission is essential for running system integration services smoothly without any delays. The launch of 5G will enhance data transmission capabilities and bring lower latency to enterprises operating through integrated infrastructure systems.

Advantages of fiber optics that are critical to building integrated infrastructure

The main advantages of using fiber optics to connect an integrated infrastructure are:

• High Bandwidth: The demand for bandwidth will grow exponentially in the future as integrated infrastructure uses the latest applications to manage every business-related task, such as higher-resolution video, VR, etc.
• Speed: Fiber optic internet outperforms all other modes of internet connection, with data speeds ranging from 5 Mbps-100 Gbps. Also, since the integrated infrastructure system needs to transmit data in real-time and generate a lot of traffic, the data speed should not drop at any time. Therefore, fiber optic is the only way to achieve very low or even zero interruptions.
• Cloud access: Most integration infrastructure will be built on cloud-driven systems. From HR management tools to customer support to data storage, the cloud will be responsible for all operations, which means that most tasks will be done online. In a few years, every organization, regardless of size, will move from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based system integration services.

The speed and bandwidth capabilities of fiber will help employees and customers access data and applications running from the cloud faster. As a result, accelerating fiber deployment has become a top priority for most communications service providers, as they do not want to miss the opportunity to provide connectivity for integrated infrastructure systems that are being launched on a large scale.

• Signal Strength: The signal strength of optical fiber does not drop much over distance as it is not affected by weather conditions or interference. Organizations built on a vast environment will have an integrated infrastructure suitable for large scale. Fiber running data centers will be ideal for maximum efficiency and will not be slowed down by low connectivity.
• Latency: This is a term that describes the delay that occurs when data is processed on an internet connection. By using fiber optics, latency can be largely eliminated, especially when downloading or uploading large files such as HD video. The significant benefits of lowering latency through fiber optics are:

1. Ability to run more applications on the cloud
2. Uninterrupted downloading and uploading of large files
3. Improve communication among employees
4. Provide excellent voice quality and texture for VoIP users

Security: Cybercrime is expected to cause economic losses of up to $10.5 trillion worldwide by 2025. Cybercrime can be controlled to a great extent if fiber deployment is ensured. The only way to bypass fiber internet security is through physical means, such as cutting the fiber causing signal interruption. This can be easily managed by protecting the fiber with 24×7 AI monitoring and repairing fiber cut issues in real time.

Summarize

Integrated infrastructure is not only effective, but also a necessity to reduce costs and provide employees and end users with unimpeded access to data and applications. In addition, the availability of fiber is equally important for creating hyperscale system integration services because it has unparalleled advantages and is the best mode to power them. Therefore, accelerating fiber deployment is not only a top priority for communication service providers, but also a necessity for integrated infrastructure to reach hyperscale status worldwide.