SYSTIMAX® Solutions, the worldwide leader in structured connectivity solutions and services for organizations, has announced the results of a global research study conducted among 2,165 information technology (IT) professionals. The new SYSTIMAX Solutions research report, entitled Meeting the Network Connectivity Challenge, includes responses from IT professionals from 48 countries and shows the important role of connectivity within the network. The fact that high performance cabling is now widely recognized as a good investment is illustrated by the finding that, in addition to 56 percent (Middle East: 60) of respondents who would install Category 6 cabling, 16 percent (Middle East: 18) would opt for the new Augmented Category 6 (Category 6A) cabling. This suggests rapid acceptance of UTP cabling able to support 10 Gb/s even though the standards for this type of cabling are still in development.
“The research findings show that managers worldwide are willing to adopt new cabling technology at an early stage to ensure they have the bandwidth they need,” commented Fiona Nolan, Global Marketing Director of SYSTIMAX Solutions. “Even though development of the new 10 Gb/s Augmented Category 6 standard has just started, one sixth (Middle East: one fifth) of the network managers who responded indicated that they are ready to install 10 Gb/s copper cabling now.”
“IT professionals have learned by experience with existing networks that they must have the best connectivity to realize the full potential of network-intensive applications,” Nolan continued. “As Gigabit desktop connections become the norm and 10 Gb/s is seen as the coming standard, managers now view high quality cabling as an excellent investment rather than just a necessary cost.”
At the other end of the connectivity performance scale, findings suggest that Category 5e cabling is heading for obsolescence with only 17 percent (Middle East: 6) of respondents selecting this option for a new installation.
Commenting on the Middle East results of the global research initiative, Darren Stratton, Regional Sales Director, SYSTIMAX Solutions said, “The research vindicates our views on the progressive nature of the Middle East market. Regional network managers continually illustrate a willingness to invest in new, advanced technologies they believe will deliver clear and far-reaching benefits to their organizations’ operations. This is reflected by a higher number of regional respondents expecting to invest in next generation infrastructure solutions.”
The research confirms industry expectations that the migration to 10 Gb/s is likely to begin in the data center and move on to desktop connections. Forty-five percent (Middle East: 60) of respondents expect to have 10 Gigabit Ethernet in their data center horizontal (server connections) within two years. Ten percent (Middle East: 13) have already implemented it in their backbone (switch-to-switch connections) and a further 54 percent (Middle East: 70) anticipate they will do so within two years.
Outside the data center, most respondents expect to be running primarily 1 Gb/s (53 percent global, 44 percent Middle East) or 10 Gb/s (30 percent global, 47 percent Middle East) over their horizontal cabling within five years. On this subject, according to Stratton, the Middle East results once more highlight the forward-thinking nature of regional network managers. “It is interesting to note that nearly half of the respondents from the Middle East expect to be running 10Gb/s over the horizontal within five years. That is an extremely positive trend and illustrates regional commitment to break-through technologies.” In the same timeframe, 61 percent of global respondents expect to be running 10 Gb/s and 26 percent expect to need 40 Gb/s in network backbones.”
In the three years since the last SYSTIMAX Solutions report on the global status and direction of LAN connectivity, there has been rapid growth in acceptance of laser optimized multimode fiber as an alternative to traditional multimode and singlemode fiber. The latest findings show that 28 percent of respondents would install it now compared with only 4 percent who had done so at the time of a similar SYSTIMAX Solutions survey in 2002.
The research also shows that wireless networking is now widely adopted with 78 percent (Middle East: 84) of respondents either using it now or intending to use it in new installations. Eighty-one percent (Middle East: 80) of respondents see wireless technology as an overlay or extension to their cabling infrastructure compared with just 14 percent (Middle East: 4) who see it as a replacement for a cabling infrastructure.
While the need for high performance connectivity is widely accepted, the research also found that IT professionals generally lack awareness of advanced cable management solutions and their benefits. Although technical performance and the total life cycle cost of solutions were top priorities most often mentioned by respondents, half of them had not considered using intelligent patching to help manage their networks. However, Middle East managers were found to be more advanced in their willingness to consider new technologies, with 65 percent investigating the use of intelligent patching solutions to help manage their networks compared to a global average of 50 percent.
Despite the comparatively positive figures for the Middle East, SYSTIMAX Solutions believes education about and the subsequent deployment of intelligent infrastructure management could help the region’s IT professionals achieve their performance objectives while improving flexibility, deployment of services and management of moves, adds and changes in the network.
“With the size, scope and sophistication of networks continuing to increase within the region, cost efficient yet effective management solutions will become a key priority for regional network managers,” explained Stratton. “We believe intelligent patching solutions will play a key role in alleviating these concerns and, as a result, SYSTIMAX Solutions expects to make a concerted effort to raise regional awareness on this technology.”
Clearly education about and the subsequent deployment of intelligent infrastructure management could help IT professionals achieve their performance objectives while improving flexibility, deployment of services and management of moves, adds and changes in the network. The SYSTIMAX Solutions Survey shows that past education on the benefits of deployment of high performance cabling is well understood, as shown by the acceptance of new technologies, such as Category 6A, even prior to the publication of standards.
Research Methodology
IT professionals in 48 countries were invited to participate in the survey via a Web portal during March and April 2005. Contributors to the research could view the questions in any of 13 languages. The 2,165 IT and network managers who completed questionnaires were a representative sample of SYSTIMAX Solutions and non-SYSTIMAX Solutions customers.
The respondents came from organizations with between 50 and 10,000+ network users in sectors ranging from Education to Finance, and Government to Media.
About SYSTIMAX Solutions
SYSTIMAX Solutions™, a CommScope company (NYSE: CTV), is a worldwide leader in structured cabling systems and provides integrated end-to-end connectivity solutions for voice, data, video and building management applications in both wired and wireless enterprise networks.
SYSTIMAX Solutions supplies its high performance and market-leading range of products through a network of highly skilled BusinessPartners. The product range includes the copper based GigaSPEED® X10D and GigaSPEED XL Solutions, the fiber-optic LazrSPEED and TeraSPEED™ Solutions and the intelligent patching iPatch® System. The SYSTIMAX AirSPEED™ Solution adds a wireless option to the portfolio. SYSTIMAX Labs and the people who have spearheaded these innovations will continue to play an integral role in the future success of SYSTIMAX Solutions. Currently the company’s BusinessPartners install an average of over 1,000 miles (1,600km) of SYSTIMAX cable every day in more than 110 countries worldwide. For further information please visit http://www.systimax.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements that are based on information currently available to management, management’s beliefs, as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results to differ materially from those currently expected. For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a difference, please see CommScope’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In providing forward-looking statements, the company does not intend, and is not undertaking any obligation or duty, to update these statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
