Due to its success, cabling infrastructure is often taken for granted. Dimi Kyriakou discovers a new program for data centres that simplifies the matching of cabling systems to physical security.

In recent years, data centres have come under pressure for strict sustainability, security and performance requirements. From reducing carbon emissions to improving operational efficiencies, the scope of data concerns is increasing beyond storage and speed.

Launched in September 2010, Anixter ipAssured is an infrastructure assurance program that addresses these new pressures. By including the physical infrastructure products and best practices needed to support current and future data centre applications, ipAssured is a simple way to recognise choices based on how technology is applied in business, particularly security applications.

According to Anixter business development manager Barney Tomasich, the ipAssured program is primarily an attempt to put standards for infrastructure back into the security market.

“There are many trends driving today’s security market, but how should the goals of the network IT personnel influence the implementation and support of these applications?” he says.

“The Anixter ipAssured program is an effort to refocus our customers on the importance of the cabling system foundation. It’s an attempt to try to standardise infrastructure based on the length of time that a piece of infrastructure is meant to be used.”

ipAssured attempts to make infrastructure lifecycle choices easier for planners and implementers. It categorises choices based on current application requirements and future advancements expected in these applications; it specifically covers video surveillance for both analogue and networked Ethernet IP.

It considers the addition and integration of other systems or applications such as access control, building and industrial automation, and Power over Ethernet (PoE), which is a practical and effective use of the utility infrastructure.

“As we’ve seen, a 10-year horizon in the technology world is not an over-achievement; it’s just good common sense,” Barney explains.

“However, we realise that many businesses may not be in a facility that long or may not anticipate deploying the full extent of these technologies. That is why we have created three choices for one to five years; five to 10 years; and more than 10 years.”

A brief lesson in Class

For ease of planning, ipAssured for data centres addresses three possible scenarios: Refined (IP-Class 1+), Enhanced (IP-Class 5+) and Advanced (IP-Class 10+). These classes provide users with readily identifiable categories of products and best practices for creating a robust infrastructure that will maximise a data centre’s efficiency, sustainability and profitability.

“Within these categories, we include things like what sort of category cabling is suitable for each different application,” Barney says.

Firstly, if you are implementing video surveillance and access control; have recording and storage requirements; are supporting mostly analogue cameras, stand-alone DVRs and existing access control panels; and have a time horizon for occupying the facility of more than a year but less than five, IP-Class 1+ is sufficient.

“It will provide the extra headroom or margin minimally compliant Category 5e cannot. It will support Gigabit Ethernet, and for many organisations with this timeline, that’s fine,” he says.

If your timeline is five or more years and you are adding IP cameras to your network or building an IP-based security infrastructure, IP-Class 5+ is the starting point.

“As a security network evolves to include networked video recorders (NVRs), analytics or integration with other systems, the many advantages of Power over Ethernet will become even more evident,” Barney explains.

“With the new 25W standard, a larger conductor size not only provides higher bandwidth and headroom margin, but also additional flexibility to use higher wattage PoE standards when they become available and where they might be advantageous.”

Finally, IP-Class 10+ is certainly the choice if planners can visualise needing more than 1Gbps speeds on their local area networks (LANs) within the next decade. IP-Class 10+ is also a consideration if occupancy within a building is expected to last longer than 10 years.

“Given the continued evolution of security networks, multi-megapixel cameras, edge recording, integrated building automation as well as other applications not yet conceived, IP-Class 10+ will provide the additional margin needed to ensure investment protection.”

All of the products available through ipAssured are backed by manufacturers’ warranties and installer certification programs. Also, the Anixter Infrastructure Solutions Lab has conducted certified testing on the products and it meets the company’s purchasing specification.

“The program is designed to present clear lifecycle choices for cabling infrastructures and to provide recommendations to protect investments by supporting existing equipment and migration paths when needed,” Barney says.

“Depending on the type of physical security applications you plan on deploying (analogue, IP or hybrid) the active equipment you deploy and your facilities and technology time horizon, we can recommend the Anixter ipAssured Class solution that is right for you.”

Contact:
Anixter
www.anixter.com.au