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Growing Demand Calls for Customized Fiber Solutions

The need for bandwidth is not restricted to one industry. Healthcare, financial, enterprise and media are industries experiencing surges in their broadband fiber requirements, writes Herb Boynton of Lightower.

Herb Boynton is Vice President of Strategic Partners at Lightower Fiber Networks, with over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Prior to Lightower Fiber Networks, Mr. Boynton has held various sales management positions.

HerbBoyntonHERB BOYNTON
Lightower

The need for bandwidth is not restricted to one industry. Healthcare, financial, enterprise and media are industries experiencing surges in their broadband fiber requirements. Finding a reliable solution is critical and a provider with multiple network solutions and scalability is a partner all industries need.

Capacity demand will continue to rise and companies cannot go out and build their own networks – neither time nor budget allows for that. The hours that go in to network procurement, research and development and implementation of actual infrastructure are not able to be absorbed on an individual company basis. Internal IT departments are looking to outsource a variety of solutions in order to become more efficient, streamline communications projects and to meet ever-pending deadlines. To select a random network provider won’t do. As such, off-the-shelf solutions are no longer feasible, no matter the business size.

Fiber Requirements

Today’s fiber networks must provide low latency, diverse routes, scalability and reliable service in order to remain competitive. Offering high capacity solutions such as 100G services increase a network’s capabilities and what they can deliver to their customers. From electronic medical records (EMR) to high definition video, the applications streaming across the networks continue to push the limits and it is up to the providers behind those networks to guarantee demand can be met. Network providers must provide a wide variety of options that can be customized to meet unique client requirements in order to address the ever-changing demand for high-end applications and services.

Access to the Data Center

Direct access options back to data centers, key carrier colocation facilities, and client locations take your network to the next level. It opens up options from simply providing local company-based connectivity to a platform that has extensive reach. Becoming an on-net location creates lines of communication and growth opportunities that ultimately can offer your business significant competitive advantages. There was a time when SMBs could have a single dedicated closet within their office space to store data and that would suffice to meet all network needs. No such luck today, but that is not such a bad thing.

Again, it goes back to accessibility. Regional network providers are now more accessible and willing to build out customized network solutions. Outsourcing has become much more cost-effective and businesses do not have to sacrifice security or reliability at these prices. Industry standards have been set to provide reliability with SLAs up to 99.999% across all solutions. Network providers are entrenched in the networks they build, looking to manage customer needs in an array of designs, from fully managed to hybrid, from small steps to deep dives, businesses are in control of how they want their network services. Companies do not have to fall victim to limited network options.

Network providers take heed, the networks of today and the consumers of these networks are growing accustomed to certain high levels of service, increased customization and the ability to leverage the latest in technology. If a provider isn’t offering what customers need, they will move on to another one as fast as the data they are looking to stream. While ensuring growth that maximizes opportunities and keeping up with demand is important, insight into the customer base remains the utmost primary concern. To develop relationships with customers and identify needs proactively makes for a true network partnership.

Industry Perspectives is a content channel at Data Center Knowledge highlighting thought leadership in the data center arena. See our guidelines and submission process for information on participating. View previously published Industry Perspectives in our Knowledge Library.'

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