Associate technology editor Steven J. Schuchart Jr. covers storage and servers for Network Computing. Previously he worked as a network architect for a general retail firm, a PC and electronics technician, a computer retail store manager, and a freelance disc jockey. Technology editor Lori MacVittie has been a software developer, a network administrator and a member of the technical architecture team for a global transportation and logistics organization. James Hutchinson is Network Computing's director of editorial content. Write to them at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected], respectively.
Avoid vendor up-sell. Settle on a network architecture that meets your business needs for the next two years and try to forgo the extra bells and whistles until you really need them.
Servers with preconfigured OSs save no time. You'll reinstall anyway.
Default cable management isn't acceptable.
Measure elevators and doorways before ordering equipment. You might still need to remove elevator roofs, but at least you won't be surprised.
Don't forget maintenance. Things break, so make sure to figure out what your business exposure is. If you're a 9-to-5 business, maybe 24x7x365 coverage is overkill.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
