BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
People in business have reached out to one another since the first telephone line was strung between two poles . That ability to connect has become even more important as the pandemic has kept people apart .
But the ability to communicate — to move voice and data commands in the digital age between two or more points — is vastly more complicated than it was in the days of the old-fashioned party line . Phones have become pocket-sized computers . Mountains of data , from analytics and sales projections to just-in-time supply orders , must be moved in a matter of seconds . And people and systems need to seamlessly interface to increase productivity and meet goals .
“ This year has been really unique and connectivity has been a hot topic ,” says Greg Kiefer , CEO of IT solutions firm Kiefer Consulting . “ It is important for companies to move information efficiently ,” which is primarily accomplished by cable — the backbone of the information superhighway that transports data hundreds of miles at the speed of light .
Connecting People and Systems We have come a long way since the first transatlantic telephone cable was laid between Gallanach Bay and Clarenville , Newfoundland , in 1956 , and even further still since the opening of the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe ( FLAG ) in 1997 , which connected Europe and Asia with more than 17,000 miles of fiber optic cable . Since then , it seems the globe has become encircled with cable like a ball of old rubber bands .
The stock market analytics company Benzinga estimates that the $ 6.5 billion global fiber optics market will grow by 4.6 percent by 2025 , driven by the demand to move more data at faster speeds as the number of phones and other data-generating devices explodes . “ We all love our devices ,” says Chad Hodges , executive vice president of Enterprise Networking Solutions , Inc . “ So the amount of data is ... expanding .”
“ All of these devices talk to each other on one system and that makes your work more productive and easier .”
Daniel Lowndes , District Manager , Anixter
In the past , data systems were built on their own unique , proprietary platforms , creating a technical Tower of Babel that made it impossible for systems to communicate with one another . To solve this , computer scientists developed the Internet Protocol , a common technical platform that can transfer data across network boundaries .
“ Systems that previously were in silos now all speak the same language and share the same infrastructure ,” says Jeff Frydenlund , executive vice president of Valley Communications , Inc ., which has designed modern cabling systems for such diverse projects as the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity ( formerly Powerhouse Science Center ), the Golden 1 Center , Vision Service Plan ’ s Rancho Cordova campus and the three new state buildings under construction on O Street in downtown Sacramento . “ Because they are integrated , these systems make up the heartbeat of an intelligent building .”
Building the Future So-called intelligent or “ smart buildings ” have grown in popularity in recent years due to their use of integrated systems that increase efficiency and reduce costs . Lights , for example , automatically dim based on the time of day and sensors adjust the temperature in a room , reducing energy waste . Building software can monitor activity and identify an under-used conference room , allowing a company to make more productive use of the space and recapture millions of dollars in real estate and energy costs .
Cars are also starting to use integrated systems to optimize performance . Mayank Sikaria , co-founder and chief technology officer of automotive technology startup Sibros , says his firm ’ s Deep Connected Vehicle platform uses the cloud to combine software updates with real-time data logging and artificial intelligence analytics that allow car makers , insurance adjusters , fleet managers and even individual owners to manage a wide range of vehicle operations remotely . Sikaria predicts that in the next two years , “ a vehicle will be part of your digital ecosystem , just like your phone ( or ) smart watch .”
As the demand for smart technology grows , so , too , does the demand for sophisticated hardware . Hodges of Enterprise Networking Solutions says that the material in newer cable systems is lighter and higher quality than previous generations and able to run on low-grade 110-volt power , which reduces the heat the cables generate and the power they
42 comstocksmag . com | January 2021