In the early to mid-2000s, the traditional software model began to move to software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud-based delivery, which began to shift local IT thinking in how they support end users. As storage and application left local servers and began to be hosted in data centers, less equipment and on-premise device management was needed but more emphasis was needed on ISP service delivery and infrastructure ability to handle the speed and payload needed for applications to be supported.

That trend has continued, virtually eliminating the software-in-a-box delivery to entirely cloud-hosted model. This change in local delivery to data center-hosted and delivered service, coupled with mobile device proliferation and rich media content consumption, drove data center expansion and the need to architect the data center for faster delivery moving from 10Gbps to now 40Gbps and 100Gbps.

As the core network infrastructure changes so too must the local area network follow, if end users and the overall enterprise are to receive safe, reliable, and high-quality of service for all their application needs. To receive the benefits of the evolution, data centers moving to 40 and 100Gbps require a fiber-rich environment in the LAN as well. Whether you are a hospital that requires assured and secure bandwidth for your ER telemetry system or an enterprise that is conducting live HD video conferencing between their remote product management and development teams – latency, capacity limitations and an inability to ensure dedicated bandwidth at a port are serious considerations in designing and building your network infrastructure.