You can simplify power distribution by going with the vendor's recommendation. Must each rack be plugged into a single power source? Can you split the sources? Do your racks need to be hardwired, or can you daisy-chain them? What brand of UPS do the racks work with by default? Although you can force most configurations to work, a bad decision can mean a nightmare of incompatible thread designs and off-center holes.
And beware of the cable demon (go to our previous Last Mile to see a particularly menacing mess of wires). Most cable demons are not as unstoppable as the one we show, but you should be sure the racks you purchase have cable-management provisions, such as cable ducting, cable tie points and cross-rack ducting.
Accessorize!
The humble wheel deserves consideration. How mobile must your racks be? Even an occasional rack move makes wheels mandatory. You have to be careful, however, when loading rolling racks. The wheels should be lockable or have some other stopping mechanism. In addition, heavier equipment up top could make the rack tip, putting you and your staff in danger.
Heat buildup is a big deal in rack environments, especially with 1U servers. Dense storage arrays and blade servers add heat as well. You'll almost always need tools for keeping your racks cool. Look at air-distribution units, such as those from American Power Conversion (which also manufactures racks), that mount to the bottom of the rack and force air from the floor up the front of the rack to provide additional cooling.
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.
