CONNECTIONS PLUS NOV/DEC 2014

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

+ the magazine for ict professionals

Look Ahead 2015 also: WOWClowd launch

CIOs changing role

The M2M Invasion Formerly

Magazine

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CONTENTS 22

Fe a t u r e s

22 Look Ahead 2015 All about agility and speed

26 Rise Of The Machines M2M offers huge opportunities

Departments 26 Editor’s Note Infrastructure Systems

member of:

4 6

Networks & The Cloud

10

Mobile Movements

16

New & Noteworthy

30

The Back Page

34

audited by:

I n the N ext Issue

>> Security & The Cloud >> IP Security 10 www.connectionsplus.ca

November/December 2014

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E D I TO R ’S N OT E

The $5 trillion

high-tech pie n our Look Ahead 2015, Denise Deveau writes that as a result of cloud computing, the Internet of Things and the unprecedented growth in data demand, the current pace of change is behind anything anyone has ever experienced.

Since there will be no slowing down there was some good news on the Canadian front in early November with the official launch of an entity called the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks or CENGN. Its mandate is simple: make sure Canada maintains its position as a world leader in next generation technologies.

The founding members of CENGN are Alcatel-Lucent, BTI Systems, Cisco, EWA Canada, EXFO, Invest Ottawa, JDSU, Juniper, Mistral Ventures, Rogers and Telus. Current educational facilities involved are Algonquin College, Carleton University, Mitacs, University of Ottawa and SAVI (Smart Applications on Virtual Infrastructure).

If it works it will provide the country with a huge economic boost. To that end, Ed Holder, minister of state for science and technology announced in August that the federal government will invest $11.1 million into the entity.

Janet Walden, chief operation officer of the Natural Sci-

I

ences and Engineering Research Council, summed it up best with this observation: “Information and communications technologies are traditional areas of research and business strength for Canada. CENGN has set an ambitious goal of gaining back some of the territory Canada has lost in the telecommunications industry. The centre has the right elements for success and the drive to make the idea work.”

It will work as long as all of the founding members and new members, who are certain to join at a later date, act in a non-partisan manner. This is not about Cisco versus Alcatel-Lucent or Rogers versus Telus, but about attempting to get past the stigma of the Nortel collapse and to a lesser degree that of Blackberry. Say what you will about the Waterloo company, but unlike Nortel, it is still in operation.

CENGN said in a release that it will address the growing demand for content on multiple platforms, make effective use of cloud-based applications and prepare for the Internet of Things, which promises to revolutionize the way people go about their business.

Plans call for the organization to also promote the development of cloud-based applications in the healthcare, energy, education, financial services and environment sectors.

In a release issued by EXFO on the day of the launch, the test and service assurance vendor explained in a headline why it joined up: ensure Canada gets its share of the $5 trillion high-tech pie.

“This provides us a great platform to work collaboratively with other CENGNN participants to drive innovation and deliver highly differentiated solutions for the communications industry,” said Germain Lamonde, the company’s founder, chairman and CEO. Connections+ will be following developments with interest. C+

w w w. c o n n e c t i o n s p l u s . c a

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Volume 1, Issue 6 November/December 2014

Magazine

the mag azine for ict professionals

Editor Paul Barker 416-510-6752 pbarker@connectionsplus.ca Senior Publisher Maureen Levy 416-510-5111 mlevy@connectionsplus.ca Art Director Mary Peligra Production Manager Kim Collins Creative Advertising Services Mike Chimienti Circulation Manager Barbara Adelt 416-442-5600 ext. 3546 badelt@bizinfogroup.ca

Vice President Alex Papanou President Bruce Creighton Editorial Advisory Board Keith Fortune, CET, Western Regional Manager, Electron Metal AIG Inc. Henry Franc, RCDD/OSP Senior Account Manager, Professional Support at Belden Brantz Myers, B.Sc Math and Computing Science Director of Healthcare Business Development - Cisco Systems Canada Co. Peter Sharp, RCDD, AMIEE Senior Telecommunications Consultant • Giffels Associates Limited/IBI Group

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I nf r a st r uc t u re S ys t e m s

WOWClowd ready to roll in Canada Distribution deal in place for cloud-based cable test system B y Pau l B a rk er

The WowClowd offering includes the physical hardware (right) and the WOWTester App that initiates and runs cable tests.

Two distributors are in place and a third appears close to signing on with WOW Insites LLC, creators of the WOWClowd mobile cloud technology system.

WOWClowd utilizes mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets with a specifically designed application and cloud technology to gain access to real-time test results, project management tools and customer floor plans, a recent press release stated. The WOWTester App initiates and runs cable tests allowing onsite technicians to view test progress and results in real time on their mobile devices.

Meanwhile, the WOWTester hardware connects to a mobile device via Bluetooth technology. The WOWTester App is then able to initiate and run cable tests allowing onsite technicians to view test progress and results in real time on their mobile devices.

“Other industries are utilizing the newest mobility cloud technology platform to revolutionize consumer product offerings every day,” the firm said. “We now monitor our homes, our health, order our food, pay our bills, even select driving music all via this new technology now on our smart devices, in our cars, at the restaurant, almost everywhere.”

According to the Omaha, Neb.-based company, the offering eliminates costly time-consuming limitations of a current process that is dependent upon severely outdated methods such as paper floor plans and locally stored test results.

“When researching this we spoke with so many technicians who complained about the clunky testing process, project managers who went on and on about the hassle of hard copies and the pain of lost test results, and most importantly, end customers who are frustrated 6

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November/December 2014

with contractor services that fail to provide any collaboration,” said Carey Gill, the firm’s vice president of product.

“They are in the dark as to project status and they don’t even have access to their own infrastructure records.”

Company CEO Steve Kanne said prior to the announcement of an Oct. 6 launch date, the offering went through the United Laboratories process and a vigorous beta program involving 50+ organizations has now concluded.

“We had Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies and smaller companies, but the majority were the contractors and low-voltage cabling service providers,” he said. “They ranged the gamut from companies who do strictly sub-contract work and thousands of jobs every year to small companies that might do five or six major projects a year and a handful of service calls with five or six techs. It was fully put to the test.” Kannne added that “we don’t want people using this as a troubleshooting tool, but as a workflow management tool.

“When I announced this whole idea in 2013 (at the Fall BICSI Conference in Las Vegas) I could not believe the amount of attendance there was from Canadian companies, mainly contractors coming to Vegas,” he said. “It blew my mind in that they were by far some of the most receptive people to the idea and got it right away. There are people who get it right away, those people who are on the fence and those people who just scratch their head and walk away. Nobody from Canada, not a single person, dismissed it. I am excited to get into that market.”

Kanne said that there will be hardware and software upgrades likely within the next six months.

“Our version 1.0 cloud and test platform was based on our original Functional Requirement Document. This was it. This was the product we were going to build and not deviate from. As you go along though you find several nice-to-have items that we have set aside and put on our roadmap. We may add them to 2.0 or 3.0.”

Accu-Tech is distributing Wow products in Canada either via their website at www.accu-tech.com or from any branch location. www.connectionsplus.ca

Infra s t ructure Sy stems

STANDARDS

EEE 802.3 Ethernet: A beehive of activity:

By Paul Kish

he IEEE 802.3 Interim meeting was held at the Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa recently and I would describe these sessions as a beehive of activity. The IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group is growing in leaps and bounds with so many projects that are on the go.

For this issue’s column, I will review the status of a few of these projects that are focused on the next generation Ethernet Standards for data centres. The following is a list of all the Task Forces that are currently active in IEEE 802.3.

• IEEE P802.3bm 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Fiber Optic Task Force • IEEE P802.3bn EPON Protocol over Coax (EPoC) Task Force • IEEE P802.3bp 1000BASE-T1 PHY Task Force • IEEE P802.3bq 40GBASE-T Task Force • IEEE P802.3br Interspersing Express Traffic Task Force • IEEE P802.3bs 400 Gb/s Ethernet Task Force • IEEE P802.3bt DTE Power via MDI over 4-Pair Task Force • IEEE P802.3bu 1-Pair Power over Data Lines (PoDL) Task Force • IEEE P802.3bw 100BASE-T1 Task Force • IEEE 802.3 Gigabit Ethernet Over Plastic Optical Fiber Study Group • IEEE 802.3 25 Gb/s Ethernet Study Group • IEEE 802.3 Industry Connections NG-EPON Ad Hoc You can find more information on the scope, objectives and timeline for any of these projects as well as the technical contributions on the IEEE 802 web site at www.ieee802. org/3/.

First, let’s look at the IEEE P802.3bm Task Force. The work of this Task Force is nearing completion. It is currently in the Sponsor Ballot stage and the expected date for publication of the standard is about six months away. One of the key additions is a new “Clause 95” that specifies the Physical Media Dependent parameters for 100GBASE-SR4 together with the multimode fiber medium. 100GBASE-SR4 operates over 4 lanes (2 fibers per lane) of multimode fiber (MMF) at 25 Gb/s per lane.

This technology uses 25G VCSELS and is more cost effective than the earlier 100GBASE-SR10, which operates over 10 lanes at 10 Gb/s per lane. 100GBASE-SR4 transceivers using an MPO12 optical interface have been demonstrated in the market and come in a smaller form factor

T

www.connectionsplus.ca

(QSFP28) compared to 100GBASE-SR10. The operating range for the 100GBASE-SR4 is 0.5 m to 70 m for OM3 fiber and 0.5 m to 100 m for OM4 fiber.

Second, there is a lot of excitement in the industry regarding 25 gigabit Ethernet as the next upgrade path for server to switch interconnections. With the 4 X 25G technology already available for 100G, the process to go to a single 25G lane is a simple one that requires relatively minor changes and significantly reduces the cost compared to 40G using four 10G lanes.

At the September meeting of IEEE 802.3, the 25 Gb/s Ethernet Study Group quickly completed the work that was needed to define the objectives and the Project Authorization Request (PAR). The key objectives are; 1) define a single lane 25 Gb/s PHY for operation over copper twin axial links with lengths up to at least 3 m and also up to at least 5 m 2) define a single lane 25 Gb/s PHY for operation over multimode fiber (MMF) consistent with Clause 95 of the IEEE 802.3bm Standard This effort has broad support in the industry. One of the key drivers for 25G is cloud computing. Not only are cloud providers looking to decrease cost and improve density, 10G is no longer fast enough. 25G also works from a scalability standpoint. With uplinks migrating to 100G, it makes sense to increase the switch-server speed at the edge to 25G. Third, at the September meeting, the IEEE 802.3bq task force that is developing 40GBASE-T standard discussed the possibility of including 25GBASE-T as part of this development. It was agreed to schedule a Call For Interest (CFI) at the next IEEE 802.3 meeting in November to determine if there is sufficient interest and what needs to be done.

Some considerations will include maintaining backwards compatibility with 10GBASE-T and forward compatibility with 40GBASE-T through auto-negotiation, as well as keeping the power per port low and supporting Energy Efficient Ethernet. In summary, 25G Ethernet has broad market potential for server-to-switch interconnections because it’s both economically and technically feasible. 25G is definitely coming, and it’s coming fast over a variety of media including high speed twinax assemblies, optical fiber and twisted pair. Stay tuned for further developments.

November/December 2014

Paul Kish is Director, Systems and Standards at Belden. The information presented is the author’s view and is not official TIA correspondence.

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I nf r a st r uc t u re S ys t e m s

Dell joins forces with Intel, Brocade in major NFV push

By Lynn Greiner

Austin, Tex. – People do not ordinarily think of Dell as a networking company. PCs, yes. Servers and storage, definitely. But networking?

But you cannot be an end-to-end supplier – Michael Dell’s stated goal for the company - without it, and since its 2011 acquisition of Force 10 Networks, Dell has been solidly in the game. And at its recent user conference, Dell World, it upped the ante again with a series of announcements of products and partnerships, primarily around Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN).

“Networking is going through, for the first time in many years, a tremendous transformation,” said Tom Burns, vice president and general manager of Dell networking and peripherals. “A transformation in the technology, where things are becoming much more simplified and commoditized, even to the point where companies are looking at alternative network operating software, and also transforming what the customer’s expectation is. Customers no longer want a black box; they want something that is easy to manage, easy to configure, and easy to deploy.”

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The November announcements feature a collaboration between Dell, Intel, and Brocade to deliver new Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) offerings for telecommunications services providers. They build on the recent launch of Dell’s NFV Platform and starter kits for telecommunications services providers.

NFV uses virtual machines running specialized software and processes to perform the work normally handled by custom networking hardware. While it is not dependent on SDN, there are benefits to implementing NFV using SDN concepts such as decoupling the network control and forwarding functions to allow programmable network control, and it could be considered a primary use case for SDN in service provider environments.

Dell’s NFV platform is built using its 13th Generation PowerEdge servers, Dell Open Networking, and the company’s NFV software. As part of the newly-announced collaboration, Intel provided the open standards server reference architecture that uses Intel Data Plane Developers Kit (DPDK) and QuickAssist technologies to optimize NFV performance at all three layers of software-defined networking: orchestration, via OpenStack, control, via OpenDaylight, and node, via Open vSwitch.

Brocade’s contribution adds its Vyatta vRouter software to the platform. The Vyatta 5600 vRouter can achieve 10 Gbps throughwww.connectionsplus.ca

Infra s t ructure Sy stems

Michael Dell (right) and Bill Rodrigues, president of North American and Global 500 Sales, answer questions from the media at Dell World.

put per core, scales linearly, and also features advanced routing, a stateful firewall and VPN (virtual private network) functionality. It was designed for high performance, scalable environments such as NFV. In addition, Dell is partnering with Red Hat to co-engineer OpenStack-based NFV and SDN offerings for the telecommunications industry. The partnership is also extending to other open source projects. The companies plan to make NFV test equipment available in their customer labs so prospective users can see the technology in action. “We’ve long recognized the transformative potential NFV and SDN have for carriers as they modernize to meet customer demands and bring products to market faster,” said Radhesh Balakrishnan, general manager, virtualization and OpenStack, Red Hat. “Red Hat and Dell are closely collaborating in many areas related to NFV, SDN, and OpenStack.”

The Dell NVF starter kits are smaller configurations designed for development and proof-of-concept applications. Each includes tested reference designs and configurations, as well as product support. There are two versions, one based on a 1U rack-mounted server, and another based on blades. Both have Dell Networking S6000 10/40GbE Open Networking platform for layer 2 and layer 3 networking, as well as OpenFlow, Dell OpenDaylight-compliant Active Fabric Manager and Dell Active Fabric Controller, Dell Foglight and Dell OpenManage Network Manager, a choice of Linux and OpenStack distributions, and options for data plane acceleration and/or service chaining.

“NFV has the full attention of the telecom industry,” said Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst, Infonetics Research. “I think a lot of operators will be interested in Dell’s handy packaging and simplification of the process via starter kits, and this will help speed adoption.”

The Dell NVF Platform and starter kits will be available in the fourth quarter of 2014. www.connectionsplus.ca

On the hardware front, Dell announced its FX2 converged systems, which include compute, storage, and networking in a single modular 2U chassis. The FN IO Aggregator is the networking module; it connects 8 10G ports internally, and four 10G ports externally, minimizing the number of cables required. Each chassis can hold two modules. “This removes the complexity of networking and allows customers to focus on the deployment of the applications and deployment of the workloads,” Burns said.

The FX2 architecture will be available starting in December.

When it comes to SDN, Dell is hedging its bets. “We’ve always taken the position that there’s not one single path to SDN,” said Burns. “Customers really have to understand what they’re trying to achieve in going to a software defined data centre.”

In addition to its OpenStack offerings, it entered a partnership with Cumulus Networks earlier this year to run Cumulus Linux on its top-of-rack Ethernet switches, and has since expanded it to run VMware’s NSX network virtualization software on its Cumulus-powered switches. Solutions for both enterprise and the mid-market are available. And in April, Dell entered a reseller agreement with Big Switch Networks to offer its OS and SDN controller applications on Dell hardware.

Burns said this approach is seeing acceptance among customers. “There’s a lot of discussion with customers around VMware,” he noted. “And a lot of companies are looking at OpenStack, but are hesitating because of its state of maturity.” Consequently, Dell supports hybrid stacks.

Contrary to some, who believe SDN means less, and less sophisticated, network hardware, Burns said while there may be a little less hardware involved, the real benefits of SDN are in agility, and the flexibility to make faster changes. The opportunity, he said, is in helping customers frustrated with networking’s current complexity.

November/December 2014

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N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

The Changing Role of the CIO The Canadian IT executives deeply involved in the cloud as a strategy pillar are the ones who see themselves as the next COOs and CEOs. B y To ny Ciciretto

Dealing with constant change has been the “new normal� in IT for many years. Now, we are seeing the pace of change accelerate with an onslaught of new enterprise technologies such as cloud computing and mobile-first solutions.

Today, three quarters of Canadian CIOs and senior IT leaders believe their role as an IT decision-maker has changed significantly in the last three to five years, while 60% say their job has changed in that they are providing more strategic input into other business lines or functions. These results from a recent survey commissioned by Cogeco Data Services and hosted on the Angus Reid Forum show that the role of IT leaders has expanded to encompass new areas of responsibility.

Today, IT organizations are looking at a borderless world of seamless communication and collaboration – there are big bets on unified communications and cloud-based services. IT and telecom are con10

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November/December 2014

verging, creating new opportunities (and challenges) for telcos and IT service providers alike.

Location is no longer a constraint for hiring and motivating the best and brightest people. A hardware-centric world has been swept aside by this rising tide of cloud computing and integrated communications platforms, all dependent on software. Whether applications, data and information are kept on premise, hosted in the cloud, or somewhere in between, the life of Canadian and global enterprises, along with their management teams, has irrevocably changed.

In fact, a recent IBM report revealed that most CEOs consider technology the single most important external force shaping their organization.

In Canada we are seeing a shift in how organizational leaders are developing their operations and the tools they are using to advance their business objectives. www.connectionsplus.ca

Ne t wo r ks & The Cloud

According to a recent Deloitte report, advances in technology are inadvertently creating change and are becoming the driving factor for change. The report found that “IT is often the key enabler for business transformation, especially as you consider technology is involved in nearly every aspect of the business environment.” Technology is moving from a business support function to an important strategic business driver.

A new job description These fundamental shifts are transforming the role of IT and creating career opportunities for IT leaders and influencing their career aspirations.

The Cogeco Data Services survey showed that 87% of IT executives in Canada see the growing importance of technology for overall business success as increasing the chances of CIOs and senior IT leaders of stepping into the CEO position or other C-level roles in core business decision-making functions.

And strikingly, the research found that nearly half of them are interested in being CEO of their organization and that 82% of them believe their experience as an IT decision-maker positions them well to take on this role.

The new breed of IT executives understands both the complexities and the potential of technologies like big data or marketing automation. To turn them into business opportunities, they need to combine business, technology and people skills to motivate and propel a shift for IT departments from being viewed as cost centres to profit drivers.

Driving change from the inside out The best way to address increasing complexity is by developing a corporate culture that drives business transformation, and creates the ability to adapt and scale quickly, so that new opportunities can be seized and competitive threats thwarted.

For CIOs and senior IT leaders, we see four core tenets of creating such an agile organization: Share information – encourage the CIO and other experts to educate the executive team to make sense of complex technology. If IT is to become a business driver, everyone from the CEO to CFO and COO needs to have more than a rudimentary understanding of it.

Obtain the right talent – by hiring and training a team with the right skills, companies can effectively use their people to ensure the strength and longevity of any technology-driven transformations or enhancements of core business functions.

Assess the current setup – with the constant introduction of new technologies, businesses need to assess their current infrastructure to ensure a new framework is the right fit or to create a new path to replace it.

Evaluate new technologies – having a deep understanding of what is currently available and what technologies are up-and-coming can arm businesses with the right tools to achieve their goals and ensure a competitive advantage against their peers.

One of the most prominent new technologies with a strong impact on the role of IT leaders is cloud computing. The Deloitte report asserts what we too are seeing: “cloud computing can play a key role in the success of business transformation through its potential impact www.connectionsplus.ca

on top-line growth, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and business diversification.”

The move to the cloud opens up a wealth of opportunities through a more dynamic, agile and scalable IT environment. At the same time, organizations are assessing cloud solutions with strong interest in factors such as security, privacy and compliance. We often see companies evolve through a three-tiered progression of cloud adoption: Cloud as technology – where a mission-critical event makes a move to the cloud imperative. It could be a shift in priorities or maybe just the observation that legacy systems are at the end of their lifecycle. In this scenario, IT is still a traditional cost center, and cloud is viewed as a way to save costs or outsource non-core functions.

Cloud as category – here, the conversation is shifting and specific use cases are considered. Different types of cloud solutions – public, private or hybrid – are considered and the actual use moves beyond test and development scenarios. IT is now working together with specific business units deploying the first pilot programs. It is a step from IT as cost center to partnership.

Cloud as strategy – something fascinating happens here: the cloud is not just technology after all. The cloud is a business strategy.

It is a smart, flexible, and ultimately affordable enabler of the company’s business model. Now, fully cloud-enabled business leaders can view IT infrastructure as a means to drive their business forward.

Development projects can be quickly carved out and scaled up so that programs and products can be rapidly put in the market with little financial risk. Companies are no longer constrained by infrastructure – they can compete now solely on their ingenuity, speed and execution.

According to our research, half of the Canadian IT professionals believe that IT now has a bigger role in driving profit for their companies, with a similar percentage echoing the belief that they now play a substantially bigger role in strategy development. Importantly, the Canadian IT executives deeply involved in this cloud as strategy pillar are the ones who see themselves as the next COOs and CEOs.

A new frontier The capabilities and knowledge required to lead successful companies in the current marketplace have changed and the opportunity for IT executives to play a leading role in shaping and driving their company’s strategy has never been greater.

Increasingly senior-level IT professionals are receiving recognition for the growing prominence of their role in the evolution and success of their companies. As we speak, more and more IT professionals are breaking down silos and stepping up to the task as information and communications technology becomes an essential part of creating a competitive advantage.

As president and CEO of Cogeco Data Services and Peer 1 Hosting, Tony Ciciretto is responsible for overseeing Cogeco Cable’s enterprise services business. Combined, the companies deliver data centre, cloud infrastructure, managed hosting, managed IT and connectivity services to approximately 12,000 customers in a variety of industry sectors in North America and internationally.

November/December 2014

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N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

VMware Forum explores the

changing world of IT

By Paul Barker

An aerial view of the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus.

Six years ago an assessment took place of the University of British Columbia’s IT department and the results were not good. Mario Angers, manager of systems at UBC, recalls that the biggest complaint came down to the fact end-user organizations were not satisfied with the services they received.

“We had to look at a different way of fulfilling those,” he said at the recent VMware Forum Toronto 2014, a one-day session that explored many of the fundamental shifts that are currently underway when it comes to how IT services are built, run and delivered. “That is what kicked off a transformation” that would result in massive change to the entire IT infrastructure.

Angers, who joined UBC after the review was conducted, has since turned over 50% of IT personnel – some were reassigned, while other simply left the university – and implemented a three-tier approach.

Individual faculties or departments can either build their own IT department, “consume services” from UBC IT or hire a consultant or contractor to provide their IT services.

“We needed to be able to deliver,” said Angers. “The important thing here is that we are building a service-oriented organization.”

Greg Davison, regional director at VMware Canada picked up on that point, in an opening speech.

“We used to deliver a server in 37 little cardboard boxes that took about three weeks to put together and then put the operating software on,” he said. “Today it is so much more about just that infrastructure and very much about people and about process.

“One of the most famous Henry Ford quotes was that if ‘I had asked people what they wanted they would have said, a faster horse.’

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Old ways, he added, are giving ways to new ways.

Keynote speaker Chris Wolf, chief technology officer for VMware, talked about the company’s vision for the so called software-defined data centre.

“I have been challenged by some who say you are describing Utopia and can you call us when you get there,” said Wolf in an interview with Connections+. “My response is: It’s here.

Look at what Amazon Web Services (AWS) does today. They are already doing this. We are just bringing the same type of approach to the data centre. What we are after is not something Photo credit: Russ Heinl that is science fiction. It’s fact and it’s going to happen.”

AWS is defined by Wikipedia as a collection of remote computing services (also called Web services) that together make up a cloud computing platform, offered over the Internet by Amazon.com.

In a blog posted on the VMware Web site in September, Wolf discussed the value of this model: “In short, we spend far too much time building and maintaining commodity IT services, To many IT decision makers, commodity means non-differentiating, which equates to the services that every organization in the world must deploy and maintain.

“That includes tasks like server, storage, network and security, provision and maintenance. The thought is simple: If you can get commodity services delivered in a software/hardware stack that’s maintained by a vendor, opex costs can be dramatically reduced and IT operations are freed to focus on what really matters.”

That, he concluded, affords more time for improving the agility and efficiency of critical business applications. The security administrator that previously spent too much time manually writing firewall rules now has more time to research emerging threats and association response methodologies, he wrote.

Change, said Wolf in his speech in Toronto, is everywhere: “Look at something like Uber, which has completely disrupted the transportation industry.

“This is a company that came out of nowhere. Another example is Netflix, which put Blockbuster out of business. This happens all the time in every industry in the world, which means to us as innovators our job is not just to drive our current company vision, but we have to have the infrastructure in place that allows us to turn on a dime so whatever happens in the industry we are prepared to pivot.”

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In the Networked Society, connectivity will be the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socializing. It’s about creating freedom, empowerment and opportunity, transforming industries and society while helping find solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing our planet. ericsson.com

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Your Guide in the Networked Society

N et w o r ks & T h e C l o u d

SDN Is An

Open Source Game Most of the fundamentals have already been laid down by the data centre giants of today.

By Scott Hoot

There is a natural human inclination to stand aside and watch before taking a leap, and a number of data centre operators will have this same hesitancy when looking to incorporate Software Defined Networking (SDN).

Often that hesitancy is prompted by reliance on practices of the past, but the truth is that networking is exploding so fast with the addition of audio, video and mobile data that there are no simple solutions left today, and overreliance on past networking practices are quickly turning networks into a hodgepodge of poorly connected proprietary solutions.

But just as in the infancy of the Internet, when network providers were wondering what protocol would win out in the end, there seems to be a great deal of anticipation over whether SDN offerings will be truly open, or if there will be a “winning protocol.”

The answer is that Software Defined Networking will continue to be a truly open source and open standards system because it has to be: most of the fundamentals have already been laid down by the data centre giants of today.

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but the price of adapting to those appear to be far less than staying with traditional network strategies, believing that a mass hardware switch in the future will save money.

From a business manager’s standpoint, a great deal of the trepidation in moving toward SDN comes purely from a language barrier.

On a basic level, SDN means replacing dedicated data controllers such as hardwired routers and switches with processors that can be more highly controlled or even automatically changed to handle different network functions.

That is what is meant when SDN experts say the “network plane is decoupled from the data plane” or network control is decoupled from forwarding. We are actually allowing software interfaces to control these previously static devices, software interfaces that we can control from central software management.

Along the way, this allows for more robust networking strategies, such as: 1) Agility: The ability to remotely change network devices means that traffic flow can be adjusted to changing needs, such as an increase in mobile traffic. www.connectionsplus.ca

Ne t wo rksNe&t wo T he r ks Cloud & The – NEWS Cloud

2) Central management: SDN controllers can overlook the entire work operations as tightly within their grasp as possible. But already view of the network, and management can be programmed, config- vendors are seeing that they will have to adopt – and adapt to – open software and standards to remain viable in the marketplace. The ured, optimized and secured from that central management.

3) Support of uniform APIs: Control of network services, such as largest cloud providers are already all in when it comes to open bandwidth management, routing, security and storage optimization systems, and no vendor will be able to compete without being able can also be controlled through common APIs across different as- to sell to the largest consumers of their products.

The open systems approach to SDN is not just theoretical at this pects of a network, implementing the same standards, for instance, point in time. Moving to SDN is a priority across the board, from the for a campus’ wired and wireless access.

While deployment of SDN services will initially be seen as costly, best engineering and software at tech giants like Google and Faceit’s important to note that overall savings in network deployment are book to the smallest details in hardware development.

Part of the Open Networking Foundation’s charter is to standardeasily attainable. For instance, instead of covering network demand ize products through OpenFlow, which requires in one area, such as web traffic, by over installing technical working groups. Essentially, these hardware, an SDN deployment allows for another technical groups are responsible for the proaspect of the network to be deployed for web traftocols and configuration that allows interoperfic during key intervals. ability between all network devices and control For most of the networking world, these stratesoftware from different vendors. gies will only be attained if implemented through The ability to In turn, infrastructure vendors see the widely adopted open standards or a single proadoption of OpenFlow standards as a fairly prietary set of standards. But for most of the data remotely change straightforward implementation that ensures centre giants – Facebook, Google and Twitter, all markets for their products in SDN deployments. leaders in the Open Networking Foundation – that network devices At the most basic level, there is now a healthy ship has already left the dock. business in managing bare-metal switches Compared to most enterprise networking techmeans that traffic through open source, down to the semiconducnology most of these data giants have already tor manufacturers. made significant moves to SDN. Importantly, they flow can be In the x86 world of processing that domiare also already driving the market, assuring that nates the server industry, this helped bring hardware and software providers will have to proadjusted to about a profound change in thinking at both vide open solutions.

Intel and AMD. In essence, x86 processing, Google’s cloud services have actually gone changing needs. including basic chip initialization, must bebeyond SDN solutions for individual data centres, come available to open source and systems, or by actually sharing resources across its data centhis market will be lost to processors with tres through a fiber backbone, said Amin Vahdat, more open architectures, such as ARM-based a distinguished engineer at the company, during processors. the 22nd Annual Symposium on High Speed InterAs the dominant microprocessing manuconnects in August.

While Google’s cloud services appear to be individual applica- facturer in the server industry, Intel, obviously has the most to lose, tions running in a single network with dedicated IP space, they are but has responded quickly with the Intel Firmware Support Package actually often shared across data centres, a trick that requires data (FSP) that allows open source developers to access the chip architecture through an abstraction layer. centre quality bandwidth across the 12 known Google locales.

While relatively new to the embedded development market, the Compare that with traditional network technology that relies largely on discrete sets of protocols, each defined in isolation, to FSP is already enabling hyper-streamlined chip initialization through open source code, such as coreboot, that will be essential to the SDN solve specific problems and deal with proprietary hardware.

Compared to the more moribund networking employed in most marketplace.

In essence, the open standards solutions that are now required at enterprise systems, the Google system is rapidly accelerating and doing so in a much enhanced networking environment. Without the top of the networking food chain, have already found their way to the benefit of fundamental abstractions provided by open systems the very basic hardware levels. SDN technology will continue to infiland architectures, most network systems have necessarily grown trate data centres. We anticipate that healthcare and financial sectors increasingly complex, requiring physical and software-based inter- will be the next industries to transition to Software Defined Networking. action with multiple switches, routers, firewalls and authentication Scott Hoot is president and CEO of Sage Electronic Engineering portals, to update or change the simplest of devices.

This, in turn, has created an inability for most network operators to (www.se-eng.com), an engineering design, product development, create more optimized solutions, fearing the downtime that disrupt- and training firm specializing in open source firmware development for embedded, COTS, and custom hardware platforms. He can be ing even relatively simple systems could create.

Obviously proprietary solution vendors would love to keep net- reached at scott.hoot@se-eng.com.

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Why people embrace BYOD and what to do about it

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The actual hidden costs of BYOD There are a number of BYOD related costs that will eat into the IT budget.

First, are higher per-user costs – because individual employees will not get volume discounts on their devices; this mostly impacts companies that reimburse their employees.

Second, is a much heavier strain on the help desk – because the IT

By Chris Thierry

16

Today, IT budgets are not growing fast enough to fully keep pace with technological evolution. That’s a primary reason why BYOD has been considered favorably by some IT managers.

They see BYOD as a fast, easy way to overcome the following challenges: • Allocation of appropriate hardware to employees – since employees themselves chose the device • High cost of infrastructure upgrades – since employees bear the cost of device purchase • Getting adequate ROI on IT investments – since the IT department is spending less to get the same amount of work out of employees The problem with this line of thinking is that it doesn’t take hidden costs into account. The savings to be had from BYOD disappear or are even outweighed by the insidiously-sprawling costs associated with BYOD.

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department does not have all the documentation for every devices employees would conceivably bring into the workplace.

Finally, BYOD brings higher costs of security – because it takes more effort to monitor the multitude of different platforms that now access the company’s network.

The hidden costs of BYOD are no small matter. Research firm Aberdeen performed an analysis into the true cost of BYOD and found that companies which allow 1,000 BYOD devices into the workplace will spend an extra $170,000 per year in extra device management fees.

So why consider BYOD at all?

The answer to that question is that far too many employees embrace the idea. Let’s look at the factors driving employee support for BYOD It has partly to do with an increasingly mobile workforce of technophiles. According to Gartner, mobile devices are a firmly-entrenched part of employees’ ownership habits. Note the following figures: • 58.7% of employees use a smartphone • 57.7% use a laptop • 33.1% use a tablet These figures are all expected to rise as cloud computing becomes ever cheaper and more available. The large install base, coupled with the push towards popularizing cloud computing by industry heavyweights such as HP and Microsoft, further emphasize employees’ views of BYOD advantages. Perceived advantages include: • Increased productivity from being able to use platforms and environments with which they have greater familiarity • Reduced usage costs (if the company reimburses their usage plans) • Greater freedom to customize their work environment(s) • Less governance since (theoretically) the company has no real say in how they manage their personally-owned devices As an IT manager, it’s your responsibility to educate employees on the true cost and impact of BYOD on their workplace. To fulfill this responsibility, you have to recognize several distinct factors in designing and implementing a proper BYOD policy.

Five MUST-HAVES for any BYOD policy BYOD is popular for its apparent freedom of choice in workflow, but it cannot be allowed to degrade into an anarchic free-for-all in the workplace. Here are some guidelines that you’re going to have to consider when you design your BYOD policy.

1) You MUST manage your employees’ BYOA The main functional reason for employees’ embrace of BYOD lies with the availability of Bring Your Own Application (BYOA). After all, they want to make use of apps that they find familiar and/or intuitive.

That means that you will have to manage their apps. To do that: • Install a Mobile Application Management (MAM) solution that manages software delivery, policy enforcement, licensing, maintenance, and usage tracking. Make sure the solution has a software developer kit (SDK). This way, you’ll be able to implement additional insert security features that address specific needs of your company.

This is known as app wrapping. www.connectionsplus.ca

• If you have the resources to do so, create an enterprise app store. The best way to secure user apps is to become the gatekeeper.

Create an in-house app store that enables self-service distribution of apps to employees while maintaining a set of role-based corporate security and data protection rules that makes sense to your organization. This way, employees will be able to purchase and install apps that they want to use, even as you retain the power to revoke them in the event of a sudden security threat.

2) Require standardized core features You don’t want to restrict the freedom of your employees, but you can’t compromise on security either. There has to be a set of core security and configuration features in place to make your job of securing BYOD manageable. To minimize the long-term effort you’ll have to put into maintaining this aspect of device management, devise and implement a single standardized configuration of necessary elements and security measures. This will help mitigate your risk and reduce support requests.

3) Mandate minimum levels of device functionality Freedom of choice should not mean having the freedom to be hobbled at work. Make sure that you devise a BYOD policy that demands a level of device performance that at least meets the minimum requirements of employee job descriptions.

4) Create an environment of interoperability As mentioned earlier, the restrictions that you are going to establish are designed solely to protect your company, not hinder its business. With that in mind, the solution is to adopt a cross-platform approach. Cross-platform allows employees to access corporate applications regardless of operating system (OS) or device adopted.

Fortunately, the newly-developed HTML5 makes cross-platform activity both possible and easy.

5) Understand the scope Addressing the four previous factors serves as the foundation of your BYOD policy. The implementation requires a higher-level framework that includes: • Overall applications management: Implementation, monitoring of usage levels, maintenance of updates, and verification of status (i.e., approved, retired, etc.) of apps are all activities that must be undertaken on an ongoing basis.

• Corporate applications management: The integrity of the corporate applications environment must be maintained – these are the tools and the environment that are essential to the functioning of your company, after all. You must be constantly vigilant for the possibility that any BYOA can compromise your essential assets.

• Governance policy administration: Governance and security policies aren’t static. It’s an ongoing process to ensure that policies address the latest technology trends (and threats).

Despite its popularity BYOD can be risky and costly. Hopefully these tips help you build a policy that works for your organization.

Chris Thierry is president of Etelesolv, the creator of Cimpl, fee-based monitoring service that helps organizations connect complex information IT and telecom and IT assets.

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Mobility, cloud sending security into the modern era: Citrix exec

By Paul Barker

According to Citrix, employees today are working from a variety of locations, accessing multiple networks and using personal and corporate devices. That, in turn, is forcing IT to rethink how they ensure the security, availability and quality of experience when delivering content to employees.

IT has always had to evolve” said Murphy.

“The big difference is that the people who challenged the status quo before were technology guys – geeks who had some compute savvy. They didn’t work in IT, but were technically sound and astute and could do things on their own. Today, everyone in an organization is a so-called expert.”

Kurt Roemer, the company’s chief security strategist, outlined the new realities in a presentation in which he said cloud and mobility are moving security into the modern era in a hybrid and hyper-connected world.

“We have to redefine our boundaries,” he Security was a key discussion point at Citrix Mobility Toronto, a one-day symposium that said. “Personal networking, mobile-to-mobile, the was the first event of its kind in Canada for the organization and only the second held in Internet of Things – just wait it is going to get more North America. hyper.

“There is the old way of interacting with IT: You Stacy Banerjee, the director of solutions marketing for Citrix Systems Inc., recently wrote in a blog that the company’s definition of a go to the office, you have a company-issued laptop, they put this “quadruple bypass,” is a BYOD user on a consumer-grade device monolithic software suite on it, they assign you a VPN which you have to remember to turn on and turn off and it doesn’t work in cerusing sensitive enterprise data and going directly to the cloud.

“IT policies and user education can only go so far to prevent tain places. All of this was pre-defined for you. I don’t miss it at all. the quadruple bypass,” suggested Banerjee. “Realistically if it’s the I have been a BYOD user for years and getting away from this has best solution for someone’s needs and it seems unlikely that IT will been very transformational.

“From an IT perspective there are a couple of problems. When find out, it’s going to happen. That makes it essential to provide people with an incentive to work with IT and use its infrastructure, espe- IT looks at this they say, wait a second we are losing control – we cially when it comes to sensitive data and apps. The best incentive have to have control – it’s a way we can contain cost, a way we can is a superior user experience, delivered proactively and designed provide support, the way we can provide security.

“As we move from the old IT- controlled model into a more moto meet peoples needs better than the unmanaged alternative.”

Security was a key discussion point at Citrix Mobility Toronto bile model that embraces cloud and mobility first, a lot of people in October, a one-day symposium that included Citrix executives, thought that security was going to be this big blended nightmare and we were going to lose tons of data on all the mobile devices company partners and a customer list that topped the 500+ mark.

“This is the first event of its kind in Canada and the second in and cloud was going to be the end of security.

“Aside from a few leaked celebrity nude pixs we haven’t heard North America,” said Michael Murphy, regional vice president for Citrix Canada. “Having well over 500 attendees tells me that the of a whole bunch of cloud issues. Most of the issues are still people idea of mobility is resonating with people and they are interested in losing laptops, a lot of bad enterprise security practices, issues with cash registers and things like that. We have security problems no how to mobilize themselves, their teams and their companies.

“Today’s office is changing and employees are wanting the flex- matter what and that is something IT hasn’t recognized.

“It’s not that mobility and cloud are going to be the end of secuibility to work from wherever they want and with whatever device they prefer. Companies are having to address this transformation rity,” he said. “They are going to be the start of security and moving it into the modern era.” or risk being left behind in today’s growing mobile environment.”

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Study reveals why most UC, collaboration projects fail

The market potential for unified communications (UC) and collaboration is vast, as 45% of organizations do not have an integrated offering for voice, video and data, according to a study by Softchoice, a North American technology and managed services provider.

However, 89% of IT managers at these same businesses do not see new UC tools as a priority. Softchoice’s recent study, Working Hard or Hardly Networked, found that a majority of employees feel disconnected from their workplace’s decision making on technology, which has significant negative implications on user adoption, productivity and even job satisfaction.

As a result, IT managers are not seeing as much of a return on the tools they have invested in, contributing to their hesitation to invest in new ones.

“Employees are the most invested group in the adoption of a new office communications tool, but they have the least say in choosing which tools to adopt,” says Erika Van Noort, Softchoice’s director of consulting. “Far too many organizations jump right to making technology decisions without first consulting with employees, and understanding how they work and why. In doing so, they are setting themselves up to fail.” www.connectionsplus.ca

Some highlights from the study: • 45% of businesses do not have an integrated offering for voice, video and data. Among those businesses; however, only 11% are currently considering it.

• 77% of employees say their organization does not consult with them before selecting a new office communications tool.

• Employees who are not consulted are three times as likely to not see themselves at their current employer long term.

• 72% of employees who are consulted feel their communications tools make them more productive (compared to 54% of those who are not).

“Successful implementation of a new communications tool is not just about choosing the right technology for your business needs, it is about discovering how that technology empowers employees to collaborate and be more productive in their daily lives,” Van Noort says.

“Equally important is ensuring your employees get the necessary training on the new tool, so they not only understand how it works, but how it integrates into your overall unified communications strategy.”

The full study is now available online at www.softchoice.com/ collaboration.

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New Ericsson reports probe impact of

ICT on city life

Ericsson recently published its latest ConsumerLab report, entitled “Smart Citizens: How the Internet facilitates smart choices in city life.”

The study, which covers nine cities worldwide – Beijing, Delhi, London, New York, Paris, Rome, São Paulo, Stockholm and Tokyo – concludes that as citizens become smarter, so do the cities they inhabit.

The report explored different concepts that will enable people to take a more proactive and participatory role in city life, from digital health monitoring to interactive navigation and social bike and car sharing.

“Citizens want current players to Internet-enable their services,” said Michael Bjorn, head of research at Ericsson Consumer Lab. “This means for example that city authorities are expected to provide ICT services related to traffic, public services and water quality. Interestingly, for all the concepts tested, citizens who live in the central parts of the cities are more interested in the concepts than those who live in suburbs.

“Also, the young and full-time workers are those with the overall highest predicted daily use of the concepts, and the ones who will most actively push cities to grow smarter.”

The study was conducted online in September with 9,030 iPhone and Android smartphone users aged between 15 and 69.

Ericsson recently also published its latest Networked Society City Index. The index ranks 40 cities and measures their ICT maturity in terms of leverage from ICT investments in economic, social and environmental development: the “triple bottom line” effect. No Canadian city is currently part of the index.

The company said that one of the key findings from the report is the fact that cities with a low ICT maturity tend to be improving their ICT maturity faster than high performing cities, indicating a catch-up effect.

Many cities also have the opportunity to leapfrog others by avoiding expensive and increasingly obsolete physical infrastructure and 20

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instead moving straight into innovative applications using advanced mobile technology, it said.

Patrik Regårdh, head of Ericsson’s Networked Society Lab, added that cities will be the major arena in which ICT can bring solutions for economic, social, and sustainable growth, The top five cities (Stockholm, London, Paris, Singapore and Copenhagen) remain the same from last year, though Paris has now surpassed Singapore to take the number three slot. The nine new cities have been added in this year’s report are Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Athens, Rome, Warsaw, Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Among these, Munich enjoys the highest ranking, followed by Berlin and Barcelona.

Also new in this year’s report is the inclusion of three predictions about the urban future derived from new technology and ICT solutions and applications: Smart citizens: People rather than institutions will drive urban progress to a larger extent, with more open public services and governance approaches characterizing this power shift.

GDP redefined: By moving toward a more collaborative and sharing economy, ICT solutions will provide opportunities to create more value from fewer resources, therefore necessitating an adjustment of GDP to mirror the values important for a sustainable society.

Power of collaboration: Tomorrow’s networking organizations will be more flexible and efficient thanks to collaboration. Therefore the prevailing conditions of city management will also evolve, requiring changes in legislation and governance.

Both reports were issued at the company’s Business Innovation Forum in Stockholm held in November.

Upcoming coverage of the press and analyst event will appear on the Connections+ Web site and in the Jan.-Feb. 2015 issue of the magazine. www.connectionsplus.ca

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COV E R S T ORY

Look Ahead 2015:

All about agility and speed The pace of change is beyond anything anyone has ever experienced

By Denise Deveau

alk to industry experts today about the key trends for the coming year and there is one underlying theme that drives it all.

Whether it is data centre design, network architecture, industry standards, Wi-Fi or mobile, the pace of change is beyond anything anyone has ever experienced. The common drivers of that change are, not surprisingly, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and the unprecedented growth in data demand.

“The pace of change has transformed the industry,” says Jeff Seifert, chief technology officer for Cisco Canada in Toronto. “You used to have to wait two to three years for a new feature or product.

Now project lifecycles are shortened considerably.”

The need for speed and agility is becoming paramount, “In the past infrastructures used to have to last 10 to 15 years and cablers designed around that,” says Henry Franc, solution specialist for Belden in Mississauga, Ont. “Now we are seeing that shrink sometimes down to five years because of changing business models and more importantly technology evolutions, especially in the data centre. Whereas you once had years to get used to technology change, now it is months. The amount of churn is significant which makes for a different dynamic.”

Within this seeming tidal wave of change, following are details on

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some of the key trends industry experts are talking about these days.

The fluid data centre/networks One trend that will dominate data centres and the enterprise industry in general will be open networking through SDN (software defined networking), says Arpit Joshipura, vice president of product management and marketing at Dell Inc. “These will drive serious disruptions in network design.”

Moving forward, networks will be designed and built on a disaggregated model. As such, SDN adoption will accelerate in the coming year, he notes. “Most deployments will happen in 2015. When that happens it will change the way enterprises and carriers build their networks.”

He likens the concept to air traffic control for airplanes. “Imagine if you had an air traffic controller sitting in every plane and all the planes are communicating with each other. That’s today’s network.”

A centralized SDN controller will move network management to a centrally managed air traffic controller-type model, in which software is used to view specific traffic routes and congestion, and make adjustments. “Instead of managing networks manually you can change and orchestrate all the adjustments automatically and www.connectionsplus.ca

COVER STORY

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Imagine if you had an air traffic controller sitting in every plane and all the planes are communicating with each other. That’s today’s network.

more efficiently. What you had to do in the hardware will be done in the software.”

Given the load demands, Joshipura also expects to see a lot of hardware integration as it moves to the next-generation converged infrastructure. “Next generation workloads require the redrawing of the lines between areas.

Why should the server start here and the network there? Why can’t we move storage close to compute power or the networking closer to the backplane?”

This fluid capability is even more pressing as industry moves to different combinations of cloud computing (private, public, hybrid, etc.), says Nick Di Pietro, senior director, data centre and cloud infrastructure technical sales for Cisco Canada in Toronto. “You want to be able to scale and have some form of orchestration around it.”

As customers continue to virtualize applications to enhance scalability and reduce costs, SDN will be key, Seifert notes. “Typically organizations have some cloud service where they route traffic through the data centre as the connection point to the internet. The key question; however is how do you bring firewall and intrusion detection and distribution closer to the end user? Rather than having to build a dozen interconnections to a dozen campus locations, you can use software virtualization to create one internal connection that provides a holistic security view so you can configure devices based on policy engines.”

Software-based data centre information management will also enable managers to move workloads to other areas if a switch or air conditioning system is compromised, says Bernie Oegema, solution representative for IBM data centre services in Toronto. “This is being further enhanced with the availability of sensors that enable manages to react predictively and in real time to events, whether it’s a temperature, device or load issue.”

The limiting factor for sensor deployment to date has been cost and the fact they had to be wired, he adds. “We’re seeing more use of wireless sensors to create a mesh network within facilities.”

Energy efficiency is an increasingly prevalent component of any data centre infrastructure conversation, says Daniel Péloquin, president of Schneider Electric Canada. “Data centres account for 3% of the electricity generated on the planet. With the amount that data is increasing, that means bigger and bigger data centres that will www.connectionsplus.ca

demand more electricity and increase Co2 emissions.”

The growing power density within data centres is pushing more operations to design in-row cooling that feeds cooling to each rack separately as needed rather than the entire room. Another option is bringing in air from outside for cooling equipment, which can save up to 40% of energy usage. “The message to the universe is that data centres will continue to grow in size and number and can’t keep using the same design criteria as in the past,” Péloquin says.

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The cabling conundrum Speed, density and cloud migration is putting significant pressure to design networks that are scalable and adaptable, Franc says “There is no one design fits all anymore. Now designers are looking at modular, portable approaches. It’s not so much about cost but the speed to change required while on site and the connection quality, especially on the fiber side.”

This includes among other approaches, a growing demand for pre-terminated cables, because they cut down installation and testing time by at least half and provide performance that cannot be duplicated in the field.

The biggest changes with regards to cabling will be in the LAN and mega data centre side, says Harley Lang, director of marketing for Fluke Networks in Everett, Was. “All this data coming off phones [and other devices] ends up in huge data centres that are really challenged if it were not for some new technologies and cabling systems for handling that.”

Ongoing growth trends will be evident in the fiber optic and high end copper space, Lang believes. New cabling technologies include parallel optics in the data centre environment to support 10 or 40 gigabit Ethernet. “The move to 10 and 40 gigabit Ethernet requires some innovation so that installers can test and certify those cabling pipes in a productive and efficient way. New devices can test up to 12 fibers on a single connector at a time and reduce testing time by up to 95%.”

There are also advances on the twisted copper side as Cat 6A is expected to finally take hold in a big way. “Cat 6A adoption has been slow until recently,” Lang explains. “But the bandwidth demands are November/December 2014

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”

In the old world you kept data in your data centre and built a firewall around it. That’s all falling apart as data goes to the cloud and is pushed to mobile devices.

starting to change that. One reason has to do with Power over Ethernet (PoE), which is aligned very closely with the Internet of Things. That’s where Cat 6A cabling offers unique benefits because it is able to support PoE.” On the telco side, Lang reports a growing interest in passive optical LAN technologies. “We are not seeing a lot of deployment, but there is a lot of talk around fiber optic technologies that do not use optoelectronic switches because of the bandwidth demands and drop in price points.”

Wave division multiplexing (WDM) is also a hot topic within standards discussions. “It will probably compete with parallel optic deployments we see today. WDM has been around for some time for long haul use. The question is can carriers redevelop it to deploy in the enterprise, campus or data centre environment? The choice will ultimately come down to cost.”

The power of free movement From a plethora of new standards to huge leaps in LTE deployment and accompanying technologies, enterprises of any sizes will soon have the option to function in a completely wireless environment.

Franc says 802.11ac is expected to have a big impact as the acceptance of wireless in the enterprise market becomes greater. “The growing demand for high speed, reliable wire-

less and mobile type apps means changes in the way wireless networks need to be designed.”

Because the cell size for802.11ac is far smaller than 802.11n, multiple spatial streams become more complicated in order to achieve higher traffic flows. Franc also anticipates more requirements for Cat 6A cabling in this scenario. “Eventually it will be moving to 10GbaseT (or something greater than 1GBaseT) which will require higher power and/or mission critical medical grade wireless with multiple connections.”

A smaller cell with multiple connections could require up to four Cat 6A cable for a 60X60 foot grid. “People think there will less need for cabling, but in fact more cabling is going in,” Franc says. “While fewer cables may be needed at the workstation, the number and density of connected devices is increasing for such things as intelligent building systems.”

The wireless and mobile world is turning security and data centre architecture upside down, says Alan Dabbiere, chairman for AirWatch in Atlanta. “In the old world you kept data in your data centre and built a firewall around it. That’s all falling apart as data goes to the cloud and is pushed to mobile devices. Because of this, the archi-

”

Standards to watch Activity on the standards front has been fast and furious these days, says Paul Kish, director of systems and standards, product management group at Belden in Montreal. “The industry has never been so busy. The activity is largely being driven by the rapid advancements in data centre, networking, cloud and wireless environments.

Here are some highlights of standards that will be making news in 2015.

• 802.11ac – This standard is expected to hit its stride next year which will bring more efficiency, speed, coverage and capacity to WLAN environments.

• HDBaseT for HDTV promises to gain a lot of traction as video broadcasting increases.

• The yet-to-be published TIA Physical Network Security Standard will address two levels of security: the technology products used to secure an infrastructure and overall securing of an infrastructure that is critical to business.

• Documents 4994 and 5011 are up and coming sustainability standards for information communication technology. (The former addresses ICT processes, 5011 is specific to component manufacturing.)

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November/December 2014

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COVER STORY

tecture is punching all kinds of holes in firewalls to get data moving in and out, which is driving very deep conversations around data flows and compartmentalization of data.”

Video has become another key driver in network evolution for Wi-Fi and cellular, Dabbiere says. “Carriers tell us 50% of their traffic is now video. We’re seeing network infrastructure providers looking at much smarter systems that can jump between Wi-Fi and cellular networks to avoid clogging and optimize network flows. We’ve been hearing about it for the last one to two years. It’s just coming on line now.”

The mobile evolution is also placing increased focus on centralizing mobile security. “Enterprises started out with phone lockdown, and e-mail, calendar and contact configuration. Now they have to manage a broad set of requirements, such as geofencing, cost avoidance strategies, and app configurability,” Dabbiere says.

The increased bandwidth requirements are also putting the spotlight on LTE, he adds. “It’s opening up and changing the whole architecture of phones and apps and requires much more thoughtful planning in terms of where data resides.”

“We’re are in an interesting and exciting time for both LTE and WiFi,” says Dragan Nerandzic, chief technology officer for Ericsson in Mississauga. “In fact, many higher speed mobile services can match the speed of fixed network deployments.”

LTE is in fact the fastest growing technology in the history of the mobile industry, he adds “By 2019 it is estimated that 85% of all mobile subscribers in North America will be on LTE.” With video content growing faster than all other classes of mobile traffic, traffic optimization will be critical, Nerandzic notes. “Mobile data traffic is basically carried thought our existing network infrastructure. But there is a limited number of cell sites, and a limited number of connections within them. It will be important to have high performance technology to carry that traffic efficiently.”

Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is an up and coming technology to watch closely. “It will enrich communication services by adding many IP capabilities to voice communications,” Nerandzic says. “It’s much more efficient from a spectrum standpoint.”

That does not mean; however Wi-Fi will be displaced, he says.

“Wi-Fi will remain an integral part of the heterogeneous networks, especially in smaller areas that generate huge amounts of data traffic, such as shopping malls, railway stations or airport terminals.” www.connectionsplus.ca

”

The growing demand for highspeed, reliable wirelss and mobile type apps means changing the way wireless networks need to be designed.

”

Developers are working extensively on capabilities to switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and LTE in a “smart way”, he adds. “It may go from good LTE coverage to Wi-Fi when it’s very congested and back to LTE as conditions change. Putting intelligence in the network will allow operators to coordinate Wi-Fi deployment with LTE to give the best performance in a seamless way.”

And what about 5G? Nerandzic says that will be the one to watch as the Networked Society takes hold. “The long-term vision is that there will be more than 50 billion connected devices by 2020. With the acceleration we’re seeing that number could be achieved even sooner. 4G and LTE work to the same protocol and have certain latency, speed and battery limitations which will be overcome with 5G.” Ultimately, all this change is driving unprecedented standards development and R&D work on the part of all the players. As Seifert notes, “Everyone is under pressure to deliver solutions very, very quickly.”

C+ Denise Deveau is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at denisedeveau@bell.net.

November/December 2014

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TR E N D I NG

Rise Of The Machines M2M connectivity offers huge opportunities for enterprises, vendors and governments, but the real value lies in the aggregation of data.

By Dave Webb

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November/December 2014

You leave the office and head for the parking lot. You start the car. Since it’s your regular quitting time, your home comfort system takes that as an indication you’re on your way, and turns on the air conditioning that’s been idle all day to save money. Traffic is clogged on the highway, so turn-by-turn instructions for the most efficient route home are sent to your car’s heads-up display. Since you’re going to be a few minutes late, the oven delays starting its pre-heat routine, making sure it’s just the right temperature when you walk in the door and pop in the lasagna.

That’s the sexy, consumer face of the promise of machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity – the Internet of Things (IOT), as it has become known. But much of the impact of M2M is going to be felt in the enterprise – on shop www.connectionsplus.ca

TRENDI NG

floors, heavy manufacturing equipment, in harsh resource industry wide application across verticals.

“There is not a vertical that’s not being touched (by IoT),” says environments – and in public sector applications. It’s an opportunity that network company Cisco Systems Inc. has famously pegged at Geoff Bellew, a consultant who leads M2M work at Communitech, a hub for the commercialization of technologies from Waterloo, Ont.$19 trillion and 50 billion connected devices by 2020.

Research firm Gartner estimates that market is about $300 based companies. Founded in 1997, Communitech now represents million. But regardless of where the number falls, where are those more than 1,000 companies with $30 billion in annual revenue.

Consider just a few of the M2M companies under the Communiopportunities?

“The $19 trillion is what we call the ‘value at stake,’” says Victor tech umbrella and the verticals they cover: GSTS. A port authority and logistics management startup that Woo, general manager of Cisco Canada’s IoT practice. “It really is realizing the potential of M2M or IoT applications across both the recently received federal funding, GST S’s solution tracks signals from shipping containers aboard maripublic and private sector. And really what time traffic that indicate position, content, it looks at is use cases such as asset uticondition and quality position of freight. lization, worker collaboration, innovation Miovision. Monitors traffic to make in terms of driving the top line, improving What we are seeing is more efficient decisions regarding trafprofits, or lowering costs in terms of driva new generation fic routing, traffic light patterns and road ing efficiencies.” construction in connected cities.

Cisco polled 7,000 customers about of ecosystems being Blue Rover. Among its many applicathe impact connecting unconnected detions in industry and transportation, the vices, people and processes, Woo says. developed. As much as company recently turned every fire hy“You look at industries that have these we are getting into the drant in the city of Guelph, Ont., into a dark assets that can be connected, such self-monitoring smart hydrant to detect as heavy industry, oil and gas, retail,” Woo Internet of Everything or expensive water leakage. says. “Those are some of the areas that IMS. Best known for technology that are ripe for opportunity in terms of driving a ‘things economy,’ we’re monitors driver performance and behavefficiency and reducing costs.” entering an applications ior, allowing insurance companies to apU.K.-based Ovum research defines ply discounts or penalties and parents to M2M as rule-based (for example, time economy, where people monitor their teens’ driving behavior. interval or environmental trigger), autoClearpath Robotics. Creates autonomated communication between a remote can pull this data from mous devices to do dangerous jobs in the device and a centralized backend infradifferent sources and oil and gas industry, like measuring methstructure, according to principal analyst ane or the composition of tailing ponds – Pauline Trotter. essentially create new jobs too hazardous for humans.

That communication can also be indiResource companies can particularly rectly or unknowingly triggered by a hubusiness models. drive efficiencies from M2M connectivity, man. M2M connectivity isn’t billed to an given often harsh conditions, geographiindividual, but rather a business-to-busically large operations and the amount of ness or business-to-business-to-consumheavy equipment onsite. Dundee Precious er service provider. Ovum is forecasting Metals is a Toronto-based international gold mining company with 162 per cent growth in M2M connections by 2019.

“M2M ‘subscriptions’ are really ‘connections’– discretely paid-for operations in Central Europe and Africa. Given a mission of conconnected devices that feature an embedded modem,” Trotter wrote tinuous improvement, creating efficiencies and optimizing operain an e-mail interview. discre. “They may be end-point devices that es- tions, corporate director of IT Mark Gelsomini has implemented a tablish a point-to-point connection, or hub/gateway/router devices that variety of technologies – radio frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi, aggregate and backhaul data from multiple local area network (LAN) vehicle tracking, monitoring of machinery, real-time data capture – devices.” That connection can take place over cellular, satellite, fixed- “a whole slew of technology you wouldn’t normally find in a mine,” line or new public mobile networks including Neul (Gaelic for “cloud,” he says.

Visibility into the operations of an underground mine is inherit uses very small slices of spectrum to deliver low-power, low-cost wireless networks for devices) and Sigfox (which complements cellu- ently difficult. Performance against plan, mechanical problems, the number of loads moved – all these conditions would be reported lar networks by providing only small message exchanges).

These devices can be implanted virtually anywhere – in cars, in writing or verbally to the mine captain, who would reallocate in pavement, in thermostats, in heavy machinery. That gives them resources and revise the plan accordingly.

”

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November/December 2014

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TR E N D I NG

With M2M technology below the surface, Dundee has better vis- particularly attracted to the emerging B2B2C market, which they see as broader and less specialized than the B2B market and clusibility into mine operations.

“We’ve taken the lid off the mine,” Gelsomini say. “The variation tered around related applications and verticals, for example smart cities and smart cars.” of ‘did it happen or didn’t it happen’ is eliminated.”

If aggregating M2M data and turning it into useful applications Sensors in-mine and on machinery feed a control room dashboard displaying planned production versus actual production, ve- is where the real value is, who’ll do the aggregating? Technology hicle location and maintenance state. If a vehicle goes into a main- companies like Apple and Google, who already have a strong foottenance state, the control room can reallocate workloads. Plans print in mobile and vast big data resources and experience? The telcos themselves, with an infrastructure suited to the necessary can be revised on the fly.

Above and below ground, seismic sensors measure the effects of ubiquitous coverage and unique business and billing models?

“It’s going to be all of the above, says Woo. blasting; gas sensors monitor air quality; water “What we are seeing is a new generation of level and the draw from power stations are all ecosystems being developed. As much as we fed into the dashboard. The goal is to take the are getting into the Internet of Everything or a operation to two million tons (OF WHAT AND Much of he impact ‘things economy,’ we’re entering an applicaOVER HOW LONG?). economy, where people can pull this data “We have clear business objectives, clear of M2M is going tions from different sources and essentially create business guidance,” about what performance metrics have to be improved, Gelsomini says. to be felt in the new business models.”

Daniel Ko, research manager, information The automotive sector may be most wellenterprise – on management for Info-Tech Research Group, known for penetration of M2M technology, and a variety of aggregation models developon that front, Waterloo-based BlackBerry is in shop floors, heavy sees ing. the driver’s seat. In 2010, BlackBerry – then “M2M innovation requires three ingrediknown as Research in Motion – acquired QNX, manufacturing ents: endorsement, budget and innovative a micro-kernel operating system with a long equipment, in harsh minds,” Ko wrote in an e-mail interview.” No list of customers in the automotive space: Ford, organization can put together all those BMW, Chrysler, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota and resource industry single ingredients. What we will see is an alliance General Motors (QNX is the operating system GM’s OnStar feature runs on). According to environments – and among governments, Fortune 100 companies and the crowd sourcing community partnering IHS Automotive, QNX owns half of the in-car in public sector together to innovate.” infotainment market.

Governments will provide top-down enBut that’s only part of the in-car equation, applications. dorsement for M2M technologies, naming Bellew says. There’s a migration toward diagthem as strategic priorities. But many are budnostics – sensors monitoring the condition of get-challenged, and will be looking to partner various components. with Fortune 100 companies, who can allocate This could allow your dealer to push an offer if, say, your alignment is out of whack. Alternatively, it could allow funding for M2M research, and will have to work collaboratively a repair chain, or Canadian Tire, to do the same. “Everybody wants with other companies to develop standards and protocols.

M2M technology development depends on expertise across a to play in that space,” Bellew says. “There’s a lot of money in that.”

Then there’s the technology to monitor the car’s interaction with variety of technical backgrounds – artificial intelligence, big data, its external environment– other cars, potholes, road conditions – communications networking – as well as more sociologically oriand respond autonomously to those, whether it’s to automatically ented disciplines like behavioural economics and interface design, generate an e-mail to highway services or simply slow the vehicle Ko says.

The wild card in M2M development may be the crowdsourcing accordingly. Ultimately, the entire transportation web can interact electronically to guide signal management, road management, community, Ko believes.

“The crowdsourcing community is very autonomous in nature traffic routing – virtually the entire transportation infrastructure.

Cost savings and environmental impact could be huge, Bellew says. and they don’t have traditional boundaries such as policies, politics and power struggle (like their) government and corporate counterWho will aggregate?

Simply connecting the unconnected is not a lucrative strategy in parts to limit their innovations,” Ko says.” Without the boundaries, the long term, says Ovum’s Trotter. the sky’s the limit and innovations will go wild, sometimes.”

C+ “Telcos recognize that the main source of revenue in future is not going to be in connectivity, which can only commoditize,” he says.

“They are excited by the big data opportunity and they see this as Dave Webb is a Toronto-based freelance writer. He can be reached a way of growing their M2M revenues significantly. Operators are at dave@dweebmedia.ca.

”

”

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November/December 2014

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Leviton’s Intact Intelligent Port Management System, which detects physical connections at the network switch or patch area, now provides asset management capabilities by extending monitoring beyond the telecom room to the desktop, detecting the presence of active equipment throughout the channel.

The software update allows IT managers to access end-to-end channel circuits, view graphical view of selected channel circuits, manually enter device information and receive automatic detection updates for specified circuits and devices. www.leviton.com

Cable manufacturer Helukabel Canada’s latest cable gland technology quickly and simply relieves stress and strain on cables, the company says. Using a patented spring/snap system, the HELUTOP Easy allows for quick and easy installation in hard-toreach areas and spaces with no access for locknuts. No tools are required for installation; however, disassembly requires the use of a special tool that will not cause damage to the cable gland.

Rittal’s RiLine60 shrouded busbar system has been developed to distribute power up to 1600A and with an extensive range of adaptors allows design engineers total flexibility, the company says.

To assist in reducing design and installation time Rittal’s RPE design software has been developed for the design and creation a parts list for a distribution system. Extensive testing has provided heat loss data for the following manufacturers: ABB; GE; Hager; Mitsubishi; Moeller; Schneider; Siemens and Terasaki. www.rittal.ca

Para Systems Inc., a provider of power protection products has released the Minuteman ERS1500RTNC, a UPS designed to provide protection to support traffic control and monitoring equipment, servers, telecom equipment, VoIP systems, security systems and a variety of other applications. The ERS1500RTNC is a line-interactive unit with a capacity 1500VA and 1050W. With versatile rack/tower/ wallmount options and its ability to withstand extreme temperature environments, the ERS1500RTNC is optimal for a wide range of installations spaces. www.minutemanups.com

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November/December 2014

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The MT1100A Network Master Flex from Anritsu Company is a multiprotocol transport tester. Combining light weight and portability with high performance -– including support up to 400G (4 x 100G) -– the MT1100A Network Master Flex is equally adept in the field during installation and maintenance of optical networks, as well as in the R&D lab and on the manufacturing floor to test transport equipment, the company says. The GUI also supports a variety of languages such as English, Chinese, and Japanese. www.anritsu.com

Power management company Eaton has announced new management capabilities for data centres and colocation facilities with its ePDU G3 platform that features 1% revenuegrade power monitoring for enhanced accuracy and efficiency through its ePDU G3 managed models. The offerings are designed to help data centre and facility managers control energy costs, enhancing business value with capabilities for pinpoint accuracy in monitoring power consumption, the company says. They are optimized to work with Eaton’s Intelligent Power Manager software. www.eaton.com

FiberBox from Om6 Technologies Inc. is used to inspect and measure the length of optical fiber cables with an OTDR. If ordered in the precision version, it can also be used to simulate a given fiber length.

Available with adaptors on the front panel or with 3mm cable version, most types of fiber and in many lengths can be ordered. FiberBox is sturdy, compact and weatherproof, therefore ensuring several years of use, even under adverse conditions, the company says. www.om6.com

AFL’s Interconnect Premise MicroCore is a plenum-rated fiber optic cable designed for MTP and MPO terminations.

Using Spider Web Ribbon (SWR) technology, the outer diameter of this cable is minimized, enabling the most efficient use of space and materials, the company says. The cable consists of aramid strands and 12 to 48 multicolored fibers packaged in a high performance PVC jacket. It covers a diverse set of applications including data centres, central offices, 40GbE and 100GbE architecture. www.AFLglobal.com

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November/December 2014

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TH E B ACK PAG E

In praise of human

Intervention

By Dave Webb

ell, we’re entering the world of machine-tomachine connectivity. The Internet of Things, or the economy of things, or many other epithets.

It is inevitable, and in many ways very useful, and can render efficiencies like we’ve never seen before.

But I have to be a little suspicious of all this machine autonomy.

Those of you who are of my vintage – creaky, with a hint of my-back-hurts on the nose – will recall when the talk was of machine-to-machine commerce, not just connectivity. Back in 2000, I was editing a magazine called eBusiness Journal. Our major competition, which outlasted us by many years, was Backbone Magazine, edited by my friend Peter Wolchak.

One month, we both ran cover features on M2M commerce. On my cover, in huge type, was a oneword headline: “WHEN?” Backbone’s headline: “NOW.” I laughed myself sick.

This was in the days when visionaries predicted that our refrigerators would order our groceries. And companies made these refrigerators (I’m looking at you, LG). As you took items out of your refrigerator, you would scan the bar code, and your fridge would helpfully assemble a shopping list. In theory, your fridge would then send the shopping list to Webvan, who would then deliver the groceries to your door and charge your credit card, and you would say: “What?

Who ordered this crap?”

Webvan, of course, became one of the most spectacular dot-com flameouts, thus saving many smart fridge owners from huge inventories of quinoa and radishes.

Fact is, though: I travel in pretty technologically sophisticated circles. I rub shoulders with people who are on the Cutting Edge of Technology. I’ve never met one who lets his or her fridge order the groceries.

Even ironically.

On the enterprise side, there was – probably still is – the connected copier. I don’t know how many companies have bought into this. Your copier can sense when it needs toner replenished, or a service call, and, if connected to your vendor, will order said supplies or said maintenance call without bothering you. Call me a bit of a Luddite, but doesn’t letting your copier order its own supplies sound a little like

W

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November/December 2014

leaving your eight-year-old alone with your credit card in a comic book shop?

Now, when we talk about M2M connectivity, the Internet of Things, the Internet of EVERYTHING, we’re talking more applications than commerce. Of course, commerce is behind it all. But it’s an applicationbased economy we’re moving to. Connecting things is all well and fine. But it’s collecting the data that these connections generate and aggregating it into useful applications that holds the real value for M2M connectivity. Or wait. Is it M2M commerce again?

Autonomous machine-to-machine decision-making, in conjunction with large-scale analytics (oh, please, don’t make me say “big data” again) has a lot to offer in terms of efficiencies.

Quick story: The city of San Mateo, Calif., installed sensors and cameras to monitor parking spots in the downtown. These are connected to on-street signage to direct traffic to available parking spots. Not only that, but the data collected helped revise parking policies to maximize parking revenues. The city only charged for on-street parking during peak hours.

But it was charging for two hours in the morning that were underused, and had two hours in the evening that were slammed, but the city wasn’t charging for parking. Adjust the window for paid parking, and hello, revenue.

There are two elements to that story. In Part A, we’re looking at an autonomous network that can direct traffic for a better experience for people driving into the downtown. Part 2 is human intervention: Someone looking at the data and saying, “Hey, we’ve got something here.”

And this is the risk of relying too heavily on “things” to make your decisions. Networked sensors and applications can make efficient adjustments to processes in real time. And that’s great. But it’s human intervention that makes those adjustments to processes, to policy, that brings the power of all that collected data and analysis to bear on real business issues. All hail the rise of the machine. But it’s meaningless without the human understanding of process and purpose.

C+ Dave Webb is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

He can be reached at dave@dweebmedia.ca. www.connectionsplus.ca

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Start Saving Money Today Up To $4,250 Cash Back!

Trade in your old copper certification tester for a DSX-5000 and get it right the first time!

Don’t throw away your old testers. Trade them in for cash when you upgrade to a Fluke Networks Versiv™ DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer™. Buy between August 25, 2014 and December 31, 2014 and Fluke Networks will payFluke you $2,000 for each qualifying tester you trade in, and an additional Networks willcable pay you $2,000 for each$250 when you purchase a Distributed GOLD support contract.

qualifying cable tester you trade in, and an Want to double your money? Trade-in your fiber modules with your qualifying tester and you can earn additional $250 when you purchase a GOLD $4,000. If you buy a DSX-5000Qi, DSX-5000QOi, or DSX-5000NTB and trade in your fiber modules with your support (until December DTX-1800, or othercontract. qualifying tester, we’ll give you $4,000 cash 31, back. 2014) The only requirement is that you must

by:

fication tester for a first time!

purchase a kit with a quad fiber module, and trade in two sets of fiber modules.

Networks Versiv™ uke Networks will hen you purchase a

Step 1:

1.800.GRAYBAR Purchase an eligible DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer™ tester between August 25, 2014 and www.graybarcanada.com December 31, 2014.

Step 2:

Print out the rebate claim form online at www.flukenetworks.com/copper-on

d you can earn r modules with your ment is that you must

Step 3:

Want to double your money? Trade-in your fiber you can earn $4,000. If you buy a DSX-5000Qi, DSX-5000QOi, or Eligible products to trade in: Eligible products to purchase: DSX-5000NTB and trade in your fiber modules with Fluke/Fluke Networks DSP-4000, DTX-1800, DTX-1200, DTX-LT, DTX-ELT DSX-5000, DSX-5000/GLD your DTX-1800, or other qualifying tester, we’ll give you Microtest/Fluke Networks OMNIScanner, OMNIScanner 2 DSX-5000QI, DSX-5000QI/GLD $4,000 cash back. The only requirement is that you Psiber WireXpert DSX-5000QOI, DSX-5000QOI/GLD must purchase a kit with a quad fiber module, and trade JDSU 40G Certifier DSX-5000NTB, DSX-5000NTB/GLD in two sets of fiber modules.

Step 4:

25, 2014 and

per-on

y 31, 2015.

with fiber modules,

Ship your eligible trade-in units and form to Fluke Networks by January 31, 2015.

Fluke Networks pays you back up to $2,000 for your old tester, $4,000 with fiber modules, modules with your qualifying tester and and an additional $250 if you purchase a GOLD support contract.

IDEAL LanTEK, LanTEK II

DSX-CFP-Q-ADD-R

Agilent WireScope Pro, WireScope 350

DSX-OFP-Q-ADD

Wavetek LT8600 Eligible products to purchase: Any other Copper Cabling Certification tester with a frequency range of 250MHz or greater DSX-5000, DSX-5000/GLD

For more information and a list of eligible products, please is subject to change at any time.

Fluke Networks reserves the right to substitute a Canada tool of equal or greater representative value. This promotion may not be used or combined with any other promotional contact your local Graybar or visit our DSX-5000NTB, DSX-5000NTB/GLD offer from Fluke Networks or its distribution partners, including Lifetime Buyback. Rebate checks will be shipped 8-10 weeks after receipt of the dated invoice and trade-in product. A dated invoice with a completed rebate form be included in the submission to be eligible for the rebate. It is the responsibility of the customer and not the DSR or distributor to website atmust www.graybarcanada.com/copperoncashin DSX-CFP-Q-ADD-R DSX-5000QI, Terms DSX-5000QI/GLD and Conditions:

Offer good DSX-5000QOI/GLD in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico only. The Fluke Networks’ qualifying tools must be purchased between August 25, 2014 and December 31, 2014. This promotion DSX-5000QOI,

complete the rebate claim form. All submissions are subject to verification and audit. Submissions received after January 31, 2015 are void and will not be processed. Any taxes/fees

DSX-OFP-Q-ADD are the responsibility of the receiver. This offer is not available to Fluke Networks’ distributors, Fluke and Fluke Networks’ sales staff, or Fluke Networks’ service centers. Fluke Networks, its distributors or its service centers are not responsible for late, lost or misdirected submissions. Visit www.flukenetworks.com/copper-on for a full list of qualifying products and to download your rebate submission form.

greater Contact your local Fluke Networks Distribution Sales Representative or Authorized Distributor with questions, or call 1-800-283-5853.

ased between August 25, 2014 and December 31, 2014. This promotion This promotion may not be used or combined with any other promotional 8-10 weeks after receipt of the dated invoice and trade-in product. A

©2014 Fluke Corporation. 8/2014 6003520