INTELLIGENT CABLING
Moving automated infrastructure into mainstream procurement
With a number of standard based resolutions , automated infrastructure management is moving into mainstream procurement according to Osama Abed at Nexans Cabling Solutions .
Automated infrastructure management systems are not new . They have been around in one shape or form since the early nineties . They also polarise opinion in the structured cabling world like possibly nothing else . The range of opinions is extreme . At one end are those who will pay almost any premium to have what they see as must-have technology , and on the other are end users and IT consultants , who would not have an AIM System even if it was for free .
AIM systems , previously known as intelligent infrastructure management systems , are a combination of hardware and software used to manage structured cabling and are all based upon the ability to detect the insertion or removal of a patch or equipment cord . There are multiple methods employed for this detection by various manufacturers of AIM systems and few , if any are interoperable at hardware level . Some require special cords , others special patch panels , some employ RFID technology .
The ability to detect the removal or insertion of a patch or equipment cord may not seem exciting , and on its own does not add much value for an organisation . The key thing is that it is an event , and there are multiple other types of events that occur in any given network infrastructure . The arrival of a new MAC address , a cabinet door being opened , a power threshold being exceeded , amongst others .
In fact , most of us could populate a list of examples in a short period of time . Simple AIM systems do not really do much more than manage the detection of patching . The more developed examples are able to relate all of the events described above to the cabling infrastructure , and it is these that become management tools for an organisation .
For years , a key barrier to widespread adoption of AIM has been the difficulty in specifying or scoping an AIM system and this situation has multiple facets . The scope of any AIM deployment needs careful thought and clear documentation . There is a requirement for the end user or consultant to clearly set out what is wanted and for the integrator to understand these requirements and quote accurately for their delivery .
There are plenty of examples of scope creep and expectation gap in the time between award of a project and delivery where this has not been done or not understood . Couple this with a tendency in some quarters to oversell the capabilities of AIM , including making tea and turning on the aquarium lights , and there is a clear recipe for a dissatisfied end user .
To get it right takes time and commitment , it is easy to get stuck in a vicious circle of what can it do , what do you want it to do conversations , and it is here that we hit another barrier .
34 Issue 02 INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS