SYSTEMS

Siemon has announced that its network cabling solutions can now be implementedas a part of IBM's enhanced Enterprise Modular Data Centre (EMDC) programme. EMDC is a large data centre design concept which uses pre-engineered design strategies, allowing customers to meet unpredictable business and IT demands. By building to a design that allows customers to increase density and footprint as required, clients can scale their data centres when needed without disruption to existing operations.

To bring this vision of large modular, plug and play data centres to the market, Siemon will work collaboratively with IBM and its global ecosystem of the world's leading data centre physical infrastructure providers.End-to-end Siemon network cabling systems that complement IBM's EMDC solution include high-performance Z-MAXcategory 6A and TERA category 7A twisted pair copper, plus 10, 40 and 100-Gigabit-ready fibre optic cabling, the MapITG2 Intelligent Infrastructure Management System and super density VersaPOD data centre cabinets.

Siemon's full network cabling infrastructure solution set, as well as their expert support network and global footprint, fully aligns with IBM's vision that data centres can be constructed in a flexible way with the ability to scale on-demand. This, they claim, can significantly reduce initial capital and operating costs. In addition to Siemon's network cabling and data centre infrastructure capabilities, the IBM EMDC collaboration includes existing and new partners in power, cooling, monitoring and management, working with data centre architecture and engineering to help clients design, build and operate modular data centres.

"More than 60 per cent of CIOs around the world are expecting significant change brought by soaring data volumes, increasingly complex analyses and ever larger populations of users. The struggle to respond to changing IT requirements to fit business demands is outdating a classic approach to building large, monolithic data centres which have to last 20 or more years." said Steven Sams, vice president, Global Site and Facilities Services. "By working with Siemon to deliver innovative data centre infrastructure, IBM enhances its global ability to lead data centre innovation and meet changing requirements with a very flexible plug and play approach - allowing data centre capabilities to be added - and paid for - when and where they are needed."

As part of a supplier agreement between IBM and Siemon and based on IBM client requirements, EMDC solutions may be deployed with Siemon's high-performance cabling systems, including the IBM-branded FTS I-Line. Launched globally as part of IBM's Fibre Transport System (FTS), theIBM FTSI-Line is a specialised offering of high-performance plug and play pre-terminated fibre cabling, developed specifically under Siemon's strict quality guidelines. Constructed of laser optimised multimode and singlemode fibre optic cable and components, the IBM FTS I-Line provides IBM's global customers with future-proof support of critical data centre links including 10 Gb/s, as well as future 40 and 100 Gb/s applications. Utilised within the EDMC, theIBM FTSI-Line offers a highly flexible and scalable cabling infrastructure, capable of supporting a wide range of vendor equipment configurations with simple plug and play implementation.

IBM's EMDC may also be supported by Siemon's high-performance twisted pair copper cabling solutions, including end-to-end shielded and UTP copper cabling systems, ranging from category 5e to 10Gb/s category 6A and to the highest performing fully shielded category 7A TERA system. Global access to Siemon's comprehensive line of copper cabling systems allows IBM to ensure that its EMDC solutions are outfitted with the a high quality, high performance cabling infrastructure to help maximise their clients' return on investment and deliver best in class products to supports their clients' requirements, anywhere in the world.

IBM's Enterprise Modular Data Centre is one member of the IBM data centre family of solutions to drive greater advancements in energy efficiencies by making data centres more flexible in matching IT needs to capital and operating costs.