Hi ,

Modern data center architecture is changing at incredible speeds. Even a basic understanding and overview of data center architecture evolves rapidly. However, a general, foundational understanding can be achieved through looking at structure overall, and the common elements that remain the same even as the applications change.

Cable management is a large part of that picture. Developing agile cable management plans is just as important, if not more so than the rest of your data center architecture. This whitepaper identifies the common elements of modern architecture that are likely to remain the same going forward and to define how they relate to a cable management plan and considerations that will support those changes.

Effective cable management allows technicians to simply unplug and plug in cables that are necessary to the action they are taking. Disorganized cables may involve “troubleshooting” steps that really involve determining what is plugged into what before work can begin.
Effective airflow prevents overheating, fire hazards and even cable breakage that can cause serious issues – or at worst, an outage.

Cables that are too long and disorganized can also quite simply be a tripping hazard, increasing the risk of workplace injuries. In addition, there is a risk of electric shock.
With the internet of things, the rise of VR and AR applications, and even the adoption of 5G networks, speed has become ever more critical, and will continue to be so over time. That means you need to have the ability to add to your server stacks quickly and easily.

But congested cabling can make this problematic. You’ll have to untangle and organize what you have before you can safely add more. A simplified, organized and effective cable management system is an important element of IT infrastructure scalability, and will make future expansion that much easier.

That means putting some thought into planning.

all of the data types out there, all share this common trait. This intelligent infrastructure comes from not only understanding the data center trends of both today and tomorrow but from the application of that understanding.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at current trends and architecture, and then we can tackle how cable management supports this modern data center architecture.