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Companies Examine IP Transit Needs as Cloud Computing Pressure Mounts

Cloud computing, which is projected to be a $45 billion industry in less than two years, is changing the way companies are operating their data centers. Within three years, around one-third of all data centers will be cloud-based. This move to the cloud will continue to press the industry to look at the IP transit infrastructure that makes fast and efficient cloud computing possible.

Many are curious, according to this AMEinfo post, about the quality of security, performance and reliability of cloud-based data centers, and what IP transit needs there are in cloud computing now and in the future. Companies that have made a successful jump to the cloud undertook a painstaking IP transit design process that ensured there was enough bandwidth in the network to handle the traffic.

Organizations are no longer taking the silo approach with their data centers. Instead, they are looking at their data centers as another important piece of IT infrastructure, which means it is a part of the cloud rather than a stack of servers kept in-house. A successful cloud deployment results in the ability to transfer data not only securely, but quickly as well, and not just on laptops and desktops, but on mobile devices, too.

One of the biggest discussions surrounding cloud computing is the cabling that’s needed to allow organizations to effectively work in the cloud. Most organizations will need a cabling infrastructure that can deliver 40 to 100Gbit speeds. The cabling has to be stepped up from Cat 6 copper to Cat 6A cables to maintain a proper flow of traffic. In some areas, fiber optic cables are bringing the necessary capabilities to deliver the higher speeds for IP transit.

Most of the growth in the cabling industry has been driven by data centers being deployed around the globe. The growth in this area is due to the digitization of data, which has industry experts talking about “zetabytes” now instead of gigabytes. Access to this data through the cloud will require continued monitoring of the cabling infrastructures providing the right about of IP transit.

Cloud computing is still young. It’s because of the newness that many organizations are slow in moving their services to the cloud and are negotiating the IP transit services required for the cloud as they go. Planning the IP transit infrastructure includes looking ahead at what might be needed in the future, including more on-demand services, which many believe will help lessen the overhead for management.

As companies increasingly adopt the opportunities in the cloud, the agility and cost benefits associated with its use with give early adopters a competitive advantage that others may struggle to match. This competitive drive may be the key element that will spur cloud adoption as opportunities improve.

Want to learn more about cloud communications? Then be sure to attend Cloud Communications Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct 2-5, in Austin, TX.  Stay in touch with everything happening at Cloud Communications Expo. Follow us on Twitter.

Edited by Rachel Ramsey

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