Enterprise IT Made Easy

Which data center facilities have the highest demand for colocation and interconnection? Are there any data center markets, facilities, and trends that we should be paying attention to?In this article, I will highlight the Top 10 Data Center locations in the United States according to Datacenters.com and external data sources. This will give us a solid idea of the data centers that are strategically important. It will also provide us with a sense of the colocation providers that are in the greatest demand and have the highest market share.#1 Equinix DC2 Data Center, Ashburn, VirginiaLocated in the heart of Data Center Alley is the Equinix Ashburn Data Center Campus and the Equinix DC2 Ashburn Data Center at 21715 Filigree Court, Ashburn, Virginia 20147. Equinix DC2 is located just seven miles from Dulles International Airport and 30 miles from Washington, D.C.Ashburn has long been a hot data center market due to the low cost of electricity in the region, the tax cuts and incentives that are offered to data center operators in the region, and the proximity to vital institutions in Washington DC. Loudoun county, where Ashburn is located, has estimated that upwards of 70% of the worlds internet traffic is routed through data centers in the county, making it the most sought after region for colocation in the US.Equinix Ashburn DC2 Data Center offers access to one of the top peering exchange markets and the largest peering exchange in the U.S. east coast. The Equinix DC2 facility provides access to an ecosystem of 290+ connections telecom carriers, ISPs, network service providers, and cloud on-ramps. It is also home to 450 enterprises, technology companies, and IT solution providers.The Equinix DC2 building features 147,600 total square feet, 118,447 square feet of data center space, and 5MW of mission critical power. DC2 is part of a larger Equinix Campus which has more than 1,117,252 total square feet and 37 MW of mission critical power. The data center has single utility feed, and seven power transformers. It has 480V 3 phase AC power, and DC power to customers equipment.From a data center redundancy and uptime perspective, Equinix DC2 meets or exceeds the standards for Tier III classification. It features N+1 power redundancy and N+1 cooling redundancy. Equinix offers a 99.999% SLA on power.Click to Get DC2 Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#2 Equinix NY4 Data Center, Secaucus, New JerseyEquinix NY4 New York Data Center, located at 755 Secaucus Road,Secaucus, New Jersey is just a mere six miles northwest of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Across the Hudson River and near I-95, this Equinix colocation facility is in an industrial part of New Jersey that is downright unsuspecting and frankly ugly highly industrial, trash littered streets, semi-trailers, rundown buildings, and the like.Despite its appearance, Equinix NY4 New York Data Center is probably one of the most important nodes for the U.S. financial system. There are more than 49 different financial exchanges that lease space at NY4 in Secaucus, NJ. More than 6,300 companies interconnect at this location. Its comprised of hedge funds, financial and banking institutions, high-frequency traders, news and data firms.What about the data center facility specs? Equinix NY4 has a total of 338,967 of total square feet, 151,772 data center space, and 18.5MW of mission critical power. As a carrier-neutral facility, NY4 offers low-latency access to a massive electronic trading ecosystem. The facility is classified as a Tier III facility and features N+1 power redundancy and N+2 cooling redundancy.In terms of connectivity, NY4 features 91 ISPs, telecom carriers, network service providers including many industry leaders such as ATT, Verizon, CenturyLink, Zayo, Comcast Business, Cogent, GTT, NTT, Masergy, and Colt.From a certification and compliance perspective, Equinix NY4 offers FISMA, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA-HITECH, PCI-DSS, NIST 800-53, SOC 1 Type 2.Click to Get NY4 Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#3 CoreSite LA1 Data Center, Los Angeles, CaliforniaCoreSite LA1 Los Angeles Data Center at 624 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, California 90017 is located in the iconic One Wilshire Building. CoreSite LA1 Los Angeles is known as the gateway to Asia with multiple subsea internet cables landing at this facility. It is one of the most densely interconnected data center ecosystems in the world with nearly 300 networks, direct on-ramps to the hyperscale public cloud providers.Within the CoreSite Los Angeles Data Center Campus, customers can access direct connectivity to the CoreSite LA1 facility from CoreSites LA2, LA3, and LA4 data center facilities located nearby. Scalable space and opportunities for interconnection make CoreSites Los Angeles data center campus is a premier option for businesses looking to support digital transformation and mission-critical IT applications.Built in 1966, One Wilshire features 149,000 square feet of data center space and 15MW of mission-critical power. The building was last renovated in 2014 and is considered a Tier III facility. From a data center redundancy perspective, CoreSite LA1 has UPS redundancy of N+1, generator redundancy of N+1, and cooling redundancy of N+1.CoreSite LA1 meets or exceeds the following compliance and regulatory standards: HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, SOC2, and SOC 1 (SSAE-16) compliance standards.Click to Get LA1 Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#4 Equinix MI1 Data Center, Miami, FloridaIf One Wilshire is the gateway to Asia, NAP of the Americas is the gateway to Latin America. Equinix MI1 Data Center is the Miami International Business Exchange (IBX) and provides access to subsea cable landings, the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Telecommunications Service, and 600+ business and enterprise customers.Equinix MI1 Miami is located at 50 NE 9th Street, Miami, Florida 33132. Equinix acquired NAP of the Americas, as well as 29 other data center facilities from Verizon in 2017 and added 1,093 cabinets and 4MW of power capacity, giving it a total of 6,489 cabinets in 2018.As to the specifications for the facility, Equinix MI1 is a six-story building with 750,000 square feet of purpose build data center space. It is classified as a Tier IV data center with fully redundant power (N+1) and cooling infrastructure (2 x N+1). The building was designed to with seven-inch thick steel-reinforced concrete exterior panels which are able to withstand Category 5 hurricane-level winds. It is built 32 feet above sea-level.From a regulatory, compliance and certification perspective, Equinix MI1 has the following: NIST-800/FISMA, SOC 1 Type II, PCI-DSS, SOC 2 Type II, and ISO 27001. As mentioned previously, the facility is a Tier IV data center.Click for Miami MI1 Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#5 Digital Realty 350 E Cermak Data Center, Chicago, IllinoisDigital Realtys 350 Cermak Road Data Center located at 350 E Cermak Road, Chicago IL 60623. This Chicago colocation data center facility is regarded as the premier mission-critical interconnection, multi-tenant colocation, and telecommunications facility in the Midwest.Constructed as a printing press more than 100 years ago, 350 Cermak was retrofitted to become one of the largest data centers in the world. Digital Realty 350 E Cermak Rd features 1,100,000 square feet of data center space and boasts more than 109 MW of mission-critical power infrastructure.This carrier-neutral data center features 95+ enterprise customers, 25+ cloud service providers, 10+ content providers, 35+ IT providers, and 90+ network service providers.Digital Realty offers a multitude of colocation and interconnection options ranging from a single cabinet to multi-megawatt wholesale colocation deployments. For customers wanting less than full rack colocation, there are numerous colocation providers that can offer shared colocation such as INAP, Steadfast Networks, and Colocation America.Click for 350 Cermak Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#6 Digital Realty 56 Marietta Street Data Center, Atlanta, GeorgiaDigital Realtys 56 Marietta Street is the primary interconnection data center facility in Atlanta, Georgia. Equinixs Ashburn Campus in Ashburn, located is 640 miles away, is the only data center facility in the United States that can rival the interconnection infrastructure of 56 Marietta Street. Notable data center facilities with similar infrastructure to 56 Marietta include NAP of Americas Miami, Florida (660 miles), 350 E Cermak Chicago, Illinois, or Infomart Dallas, Texas (780 miles).Located in Downtown Atlanta, 56 Marietta is home to the Southeasts largest concentration of telecommunications companies. There are 190+ ISPs, telecom carriers, and network service providers at this facility including but not limited to: CenturyLink, CBTS, Verizon, ATT, Zayo, Comcast Business, Cogent, GTT, Fiberlight, LUME, Orange Business Services, NTT, and many others.56 Marietta Street has 153,000 square feet of colocation data center space and 10MW of mission critical power. Built in 1917, the building features 12 stories with two basements. Its constructed with concrete and steel and has a brick faade. The floor load is 185 pounds per square foot.In terms of data center redundancy and uptime, 56 Marietta offers UPS redundancy of 2N, generator redundancy of N+1 and cooling redundancy of N+1.Click for 56 Marietta Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#7 Equinix DA1 Data Center, Dallas, TexasThe Infomart Dallas Data Center is located at 1950 North Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, Texas.It was acquired by Equinix in 2018 from ASB Investments in 2018 for $800 million.As the largest building in Dallas, this data center campus features 1,500,000 total square feet. Infomart is home to four Equinix Dallas International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers (Equinix DA1, DA2, DA3 and DA6). Infomart Dallas is just five miles from Dallas Love Field Airport and nine miles from Downtown Dallas, Texas.Dallas is a major communications hub for the Southern United States, with a high concentration of telecommunications companies. Many of these companies are part of the ecosystem of telecom carriers, ISPs, network service providers, colocation providers, and cloud service providers at the Equinix Infomart Data Center Campus ATT, Verizon, CenturyLink, Zayo, BT, Spectrum, Comcast Business. All in all, there are more than 140 telecom carriers and four cloud on-ramps at the facility.Equinix DA1 Dallas Data Center occupies Suite 1034 at the Infomart Campus. Dallas DA1 features 61,573 total square feet and 30,355 square feet of data center space. It also features N+1 data center redundancy for power infrastructure and cooling. Equinix offers a 99.999% SLA on power.Click for DA1 Dallas Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#8 Digital Realty 60 Hudson Data Center, New York City, New YorkThe 60 Hudson Street Building, formerly known as the Western Union Building, is located at 60 Hudson Street, New York City, New York 10013. Built in 1930, it was one of several Art Deco-style telecommunications buildings designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker.Digital Realty 60 Hudson Street (JFK12) is a 24-story, 371-foot-tall building centrally located in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. This data center facility spans an entire city block between Hudson Street, Thomas Street, Worth Street, and West Broadway. Digital Realty acquired 60 Hudson as part of the Telx acquisition in 2015.From a data center specification standpoint, the building has 1,800,000 total square feet, 164,000 square feet of data center space, and 3.75MW of mission critical power. The power density of the facility is between 80-125 watts/square foot.From an internet and network connectivity perspective, Digital Realty 60 Hudson is one of the most important colocation and interconnection data center facilities in the world. There are more than 200 telecom carriers, ISPs, and network service providers located within the 60 Hudson Data Center facility.Click for 60 Hudson Street Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#9 Netrality 1102 Grand, Kansas City, Missouri The Netrality 1102 Grand Data Center is located at 1102 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. This data center facility is one of the most network-rich, interconnected environments in the Central Midwest. Located in the heart of Kansas City, its far away from natural disaster threats and outside of high-risk earthquake zones. This facility is also outside the 100-year floodplain.From a data center specification perspective, 1102 Grand provides 156,117 total square feet and 5MW of mission critical power. Diverse utility feeds at 13,200v is provided by Kansas City Power Light (KCPL). Backup generator power including N+1 with 4,000kW of backup power. The UPS system features 2N with 2,040kVA of conditioned power. 1102 Grand also features N+1 for cooling redundancy with CRAC units.Netrality offers one partial cabinets, full cabinet, customized caged space, private suites, and tens of thousands of square feet available for build to suit colocation environments.In addition to colocation, Netrality 1102 Grand is a premiere core interconnection data center with carrier-neutral, building owned and managed Meet-Me-Rooms. Customers can choose from 42+ telecom carriers, ISPs, and network service providers at his location.Click for 1102 Grand Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour#10 DataBank Las Vegas Data Center, Las Vegas, NevadaThe DataBank Las Vegas Data Center is located at 7185 Pollock Dr, Las Vegas, Nevada. Boasting over 10,000 square feet of colocation space with access to 4 MW of power this location is large enough to handle the colocation and data center demands of the largest companies in the city. This facility is minutes away from McCarran International Airport and five minutes from the strip.Las Vegas remains one of the hottest colocation markets in the country. The city offers many advantages as a colocation destination due to its proximity to California, renewable energy options, available capacity, and low cost of power. The demand for this market looks to only increase over time as Las Vegas continues to serve as a major media and entertainment hub. Tax incentives and unique utility pricing continue to entice organizations to the region as well.Compliance and certifications for this location includes SSAE-16 Type 1, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, SSAE-18.Click for Databank Pricing, Schedule a Site Tour

Today, businesses strive to be more efficient and capable of generating actionable insights through data using modern-day technology. Since your network houses vital information that enables you to get more work done, you should manage this valuable asset with the utmost care and focus on upkeep and maintenance.What is IT Managed Services?IT Managed Services enable businesses to entrust their IT operations to third-party organizations with proven IT expertise. The third-party organizations, called Managed Service Providers (MSPs), are in charge of managing a business entire or partial IT operations, depending on their Service Level Agreement (SLA). The IT equipment, however, is usually provided by the client. Depending on the SLA, MSPs may offer around-the-clock monitoring, issue reporting, and resolution, among other things.Specifically, the SLA streamlines the exact services offered, the degree needed to excel with such services, and the criteria for measuring the services success. Additionally, through the SLA, MSPs usually charge a flat fee for the benefits over a definite period.By adopting Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) technologies, Cloud Computing has enabled IT Managed Services to go further than the regions and borders that limit the average break/fix IT. With these feats, IT Managed Services increases and speeds up scalability better than in-house IT operation systems or break/resolve providers.Why is IT Managed Services Important?IT Managed Services enable organizational growth as it aligns the outputs of the organization. IT Managed Services will decrease your organizations problems and ensure services are delivered, as they have KPIs linked to your IT operations.IT Managed Services also provide peace of mind. By leaving the management of your companys IT needs to MSPs, you can devote and focus more of your time on running and growing your business. Instead of constantly fixing IT-related problems, IT Managed Services work to prevent the same problems from happening, thereby keeping your systems up and running.Furthermore, IT Managed Services aligns its services to your companys vision and goals. More than the daily IT support, MSPs provide an IT Manager and a virtual CIO with whom you can strategically discuss how your IT systems can fit your organizational goals.Benefits of IT Managed ServicesWith the rise of IT Managed Services, the cycle of experiencing a problem, calling up an IT expert, and getting stuck in between costly repairs and increased downtime in a reactive service approach known as break-fix, is soon broken. Aside from constant and consistent monitoring, IT Managed Services offer the following benefits:Predictable Low CostUnlike housing an IT team that can drain your budget for frequent and unexpected expenses, IT Managed Services get bundled into a set amount paid on an annual or monthly basis, depending on the SLA.With the predictability and lower cost offered by IT Managed Services, small businesses reap the most benefits as they can dodge the impending costs of hiring and training a team while simultaneously paying to maintain network servers and other necessary equipment. Prior to making a final decision on a provider, be sure to browse multiple options to ensure that youre getting the most bang for your buck.ScalabilityIT Managed Services saves you the monetary resources to hire and train an additional employee to your in-house IT team. MSPs not only absorb the costs of training but keeps your IT experts from jumping ship due to feeling as though the companys evolution is flatlining.Ensuring the scalability of a network takes intense coordination, significant human resources, and new equipment. Partnering with MSPs rids you of these worries as they allow you to expand or upgrade systems when you need to while simultaneously freeing you of the need to hire and train employees you wont be needing later on. IT Managed Services can ensure your business flexibility to accommodate swift changes, something that might be difficult to do with an in-house IT team.Experienced MSPs such as Equinix allow you to integrate everything and fully realize the benefit of bringing all of your data applications to the digital edge. Theyre experienced in solving enterprise network, security, data, application, and multicloud challenges.Decreased DowntimeDowntime usually results from equipment issues, such as server failures and computer malfunctions. Additionally, system attacks are also probable causes for rest, especially among small businesses that are vulnerable to cyber attacks. Human errors also account for a portion of downtime. Whatever the reason is, it is important to employ a strong protective system to reduce potential risk.IT Managed Services can cut down costs due to downtime by preventing it in the first place. Since MSPs constantly and consistently monitor your companys IT system, downtime instances are controlled, and thereby, minimized.Partnering with proven experts such as Databank provides you with a robust team of implementation, security, and support specialists to your environment which allows you to focus on innovation. Entrusting your network to organizations with experience securing complex, high performing environments will pay dividends for your business. Preventive ApproachThe appropriate reaction after breaking something is trying to fix it. With networks and data, this is easier said than done. And not to mention, very costly.Unlike the break-fix approach, IT Managed Services employs a preventive approach. Instead of rushing to call in experts in instances of problems, MSPs constantly monitor your systems for issues and resolve them right away before turning into full-blown disasters. This monitoring does not only save you from downtime but from the impending big dent in your companys budget as well.Industry leading MSPs such as Tierpoint deliver best in class technology and skill sets which free your IT staff for strategic projects, as opposed to burning time on reactionary tasks. Having a team that provides day to day management, monitoring, security, and maintenance allows problems to be mitigated prior to them affecting business operations. Proven ExpertiseOne of the foremost challenges in developing an in-house IT team is that it is expensive and time-consuming. You cannot know for sure how good your team is until they encounter a serious network issue. Although some may pass and do an outstanding job, others may not be able to solve the problem at all, causing you good money that should have gone somewhere else.However comfortable you are with your IT team, it is only a matter of time until you find that they are not well-equipped to operate or maintain brand new equipment or procedures as you add them. With IT Managed Services, an MSPs large team can add specialized services to your teams expertise. Specifically, an MSP offers you easy access to a group of IT experts whose skills you would not have access to otherwise.As markets and industries grow more competitive each day, it would only be wise to use a proxy agency. Instead of wasting a reasonable sum of money and a significant amount of time coming up with questionable IT operation systems, its safer to trust experts and turn to IT Managed Services.

What is AppSmart Unleash? Why Should You Register? And, What About a Drone? I had the opportunity to dive into these topics and more with Brian Leonard, VP of Marketing at AppSmart.[Kyle] Tell me a bit of the thinking that went into creating this event. What was the driving force?Technology Advisors are 100% the driving force for AppSmart Unleash. This digital event is the premier gathering of Technology Advisors and business experts united by one mission: Growth. These Technology Advisors include technology consultants, trusted advisors, telecom agents, MSPs, VARs, integrators and IT solution providers of every kind. These individuals are highly skilled at working with companies to understand their goals and IT challenges and helping them find, buy and manage some or all of their business technology services.AppSmart Unleash is simply the best place to hear exactly whats working when selling in this post-pandemic world. Just as importantly, theyll learn whats NOT working so they dont waste their time and money. AppSmart Unleash, scheduled for April 20 -21, is all about empowering Technology Advisors to sell more, earn more and scale their businesses through industry best practices.[Kyle] Can you elaborate a little on the role of Technology Advisors?Sure. As business technology buyers embrace digital transformation, they really want and need guidance from technology experts who have their best interests in mind. Their only other alternative is to rely on the sales team from the provider, and we all know that while they may be talented, theyre biased towards their own company and solution.Customers want help around how to find, buy and manage hundreds of technology solutions including their data centers, connectivity, mobility, software, infrastructure, managed services, devices, and energy services. Thats where AppSmart excels and where our top Technology Advisors are thriving. We want them to continue doing so while also achieving next-level business growth.[Kyle] So what can attendees expect at AppSmart Unleash? Technology Advisors can expect to hear anything and everything about business technology services, including top technology trends, proven sales strategies, and hyper-growth tools - all shared from top-performing Technology Advisors. Theyll also learn the latest approaches to lead generation, solution selling, cross-selling, customer retention, project management and business negotiations.[Kyle] You mention customer engagement, which is key in the sales cycle. How does this event differ from other events?The best Technology Advisors build trust with clients and provide value to the customers after the sale. But this is really hard to do as you grow, and many Technology Advisors see churn as a result. On top of sales strategies, at AppSmart Unleash, advisors will also learn what all the chatter is about surrounding the AppSmart WorkSpace and how it drives customer engagement. Theyll see a demo on the AppSmart platform functionality and learn how to leverage them both to engage customers. Theyll learn how the platform drives efficiencies to promote customer engagement and, in turn, drive growth. Its time well spent for Technology Advisors that want to grow in 2021.[Kyle] Who are some of the speakers that attendees can expect to hear from at the event?There are so many valuable sessions at AppSmart Unleash. One panel provides a step-by-step guide to nurturing current customer accounts to maximize cross-selling opportunities. Theres also a business growth panel where industry trailblazers reveal lessons learned. You can check out the full speaker Unleash lineup here.Unleash also features keynotes from industry masterminds, such as Chris Voss, Founder and CEO The Black Swan Group Ltd. Chris is a former lead international hostage negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Talk about learning negotiation skills from the best of the best!Also speaking at Unleash is an industry- powerhouse Aaron Ross, a former sales superstar at Salesforce who helped grow Salesforce from $5 million to $US 100 million.Aaron also co-wrote a book with Jason Lemkin, diving into the idea ofcreating predictable revenue and driving long-term value with customers. The bookcovers a lot, but it centers around 7 Ingredients of Hypergrowth.[Kyle] What made you decide to partner with datacenters.com to promote this event?We think the team at Datacenters.com is putting these innovative selling and customer success strategies into practice every day - and with great success. Since 2011, their audience and target market has remained clear - organizations that need access to a highly accurate and reliable data center directory, all delivered from providers and Technology Advisors they can trust. We like their business model and how theyve targeted a niche, and how theyre executing.[Kyle] Is there anything else you want to mention? Whats on your mind?At AppSmart, we see a tremendous opportunity out there for Technology Advisors looking to digitally transform and to help their customers digitally transform. Those advisors who drive efficiencies through digital platforms and deliver tailored customer interactions are in the best position for growth.Thats why were so thrilled about the AppSmart Unleash event! Its a one-of-a-kind lineup of top-performing Technology Advisors who are sharing their strategies for achieving next-level growth. Not to mention some of the cool tech we will be giving away, like the DJI Mavic Air 2 drone.Attendees will have a chance to win the sleek and powerful Mavic Air 2 drone that captures HDR video for next-level content. All they have to do is register now and attend the event. Cant wait to see you there, friends!Review the full speaker Appsmart Unleash lineup and register today!

Computercable managementis an important task but often gets neglected or overlooked. From your very own office desk to the tens or hundreds of servers in a data center, disorganized cabling can eventually lead to a spaghetti mess - a phenomenon not only hurtful to the eyes but one that can lead to a wealth of serious problems. Thus, it is salient to get cable management right.What is Data Center Cabling?Data centers usually use three main kinds of network cabling: AC/DC power, ground, copper, and fiber optic. To determine which type of cabling should get equipped, you may refer to the interface available on the equipment used in the data center. Additionally, you may also determine specific network data cabling needs based on the data center equipments bandwidth requirements.Data Center cabling may fall under either of two categories: structured or unstructured. When predefined standards based on design, with preset connection points and pathways, are employed, it follows a structured cabling design. Specifically, structured cabling enforces a cabling design based on the bandwidth requirements of the system. After testing to ensure good performance, the cables will then get organized and labeled. While a structured cabling system may take longer to install and may initially pose a higher cost, in the long run, the operational costs will significantly be lower, and the systems lifespan will remarkably be longer than that of an unstructured approach.Contrarily, cabling systems that do not utilize predefined standards, connection points, or pathways are known as Unstructured cabling, also called Point to Point cabling systems. Because of airflow restrictions, this cabling system might lead to cooling issues and higher energy costs. Given that unstructured cabling does not use preset plans or designs, managing system growth will be more challenging since there is no guide to guide changes in cable locations or run new cabling. Although it may take less time to install and pose fewer initial costs, ultimately, unstructured cabling will end in higher operational costs and a shorter system lifespan.Why is it Important?The connectivity provided by cabling infrastructure is the foundation of every data center enabling the transactions that help businesses make mission-critical decisions every day. All data centers have various cabling types, ranging from all-copper installation to all-fiber installation and everything in between (depending on your equipment and requirements). Whether the cables in question are for power or data, failure to properly manage this critical part of data center infrastructure can cause serious issues, from increased operating costs to more expensive outages. Cable management cannot be an afterthought.The network and connectivity brought forth by cabling systems are the core of every data center. Cabling infrastructures enable transactions that make it possible for businesses to make crucial decisions daily. Data centers enforce various cabling, varying from all-copper installation to all-fiber installation and everything in between, depending on the equipment and its requirements. Whatever the cables under consideration are for, overlooking and neglecting this critical part of data center infrastructure can cause serious problems, from higher operating costs to more costly outages. Cable management must be handled by foresight or run the risks of a series of issues on hindsight.To get data center cabling right, like many other life practices, thorough team planning and thinking through the installation in advance is always best. Simultaneously designing a cabling infrastructure and the data center, using system requirements and physical layout to ascertain the types and quantities of cables needed might be the optimum solution to data center cabling. The time spent planning the infrastructure will save time. When you plan the infrastructure out, you dont have to waste time identifying which equipment is connected to which cable for troubleshooting, repair, or replacement in the future.Best Practices: Data Center Cable ManagementAside from the aesthetic satisfaction from looking at an organized data center cabling system, planning out cabling infrastructures saves peoples time, money, and many other resources. Disorganized cabling installations only result in unnecessary headaches for data center owners and operators for using up time and resources to mitigate problems that never would have happened had they given enough attention to cabling management.Proper cable management is not an option. It is a must. It is mission-critical. To ensure that cabling infrastructure meet your data center needs, follow these best practices:ANSI/TIA-942-B-2017 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data CentersBICSI 002-2019 Data Center Design Implementation Best PracticesInstallation Best PracticesTesting and Certification: To ensure that the infrastructure is working and will support your bandwidth and system needs.Documentation: To record the types of cables used and the locations and connections of each cable to ease future troubleshooting or maintenance.Measure: To ensure that the cables are of proper length. This measurement prevents unforeseen downtime to critical IT equipment caused by loose wires getting tangled or disconnected.Growth plan: Make sure your system is appropriate for the foreseeable future. Ensure that racks and cable trays get ergonomically designed to accommodate anticipated growth.Organization Best PracticesRun cables to the sides of server racks to ease adding or removing servers from the shelf.Bundle cables together to conveniently connect the next piece of hardware down to the floor in data centers with elevated floors or up to the ceiling in data centers with wires that run through the ceiling.Plan in advance for installing additional hardware. Disorganized cabling can interfere with air circulation and cooling patterns. Planning prevents damages due to quickly rising temperatures caused by restricted air movement.Label cables securely on each end. This labeling process enables you to conveniently locate cables for testing or repair, install new equipment, or remove extra cables after equipment has been moved or upgraded, which saves time and money.Color code cables for quick identification. Choose a color scheme that works for you and your team. It may be wise to put up a legend signifying the meaning of the colors of each cable. You may also color-code the cables destination, especially for larger installations across floors or offices.