Addressing the IT needs of Universities

The needs of a multi-site University are not unlike those of a large office environment but with the addition of some highly specific demands and challenges when it comes to data networks.

The distances involved can add up quickly and access points may be spread across multiple locations. It is important that networks can scale up easily, with regards to footprint as well as number of users. High-speed, reliable wireless access is becoming more and more important, with many portable devices needed to connect directly to the network. Truly vast volumes of data may be generated, especially at research facilities. Of course, even the slightest downtime must be avoided at all costs. And preferably, cables and hardware should last for decades and be capable of supporting both new and legacy equipment.

To deal with large distances and high-performance requirements Fibre To The Office (FTTO) could be a suitable solution.

How can FTTO help?

Fibre To The Office combines passive fibre cabling and active switches to provide Gigabit Ethernet to end user devices. Large distances between buildings, campuses or industrial sites can be easily bridged. Distances of over 550 metres can be covered with no signal attenuation. Floor distributors and signal repeaters are not required. The solution saves on installation space, power usage, cooling and active components and supports VOIP, Power over Ethernet (PoE/PoE+) and extensive security features. Furthermore, management is easy and efficient.

FTTO grows with the user’s needs and may easily be adjusted to new technologies and applications. An optical fibre network has a very long operational life expectancy. It helps protect your investment, while accommodating future demands.

Add ports, bandwidth and power as you need

Fibre offers high bandwidth reserves, ready for more ports requiring increased bandwidth and power.

Upcoming Wireless standards will require a move to higher speeds, combined with higher power levels. With traditional cabling, larger cable bundles lead to a marked increase in heat when delivering PoE, which affects performance. With FTTO, however, this is not a problem. Adding ports is easy. Availability of a single fibre bundle with up to 144 connections ensures you will be prepared for future growth. Short link lengths of three to five metres between switch and end devices, and the absence of cable bundles, make all the difference to efficiency by reducing power and heating losses.

Depending on topology, you can simply add more zone distribution boxes or extract cabling to expand the network. There’s only one type of switch to manage, and no other active equipment. Just install and connect the switch and Nexans LANactive zero-touch configuration is doing the rest. This means moves, adds and changes can be carried out with minimal administration work. Furthermore, downtime is avoided, as there is no need to shut down the network whilst adding capacity.