INDUSTRY NEWS
Survey finds security is the top IT priority
A glimpse into Panduit ’ s new global R & D headquarters and passion for innovation
Panduit recently invited journalists from around the world to visit its new global research and development ( R & D ) centre located in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park , IL , USA , and welcomed them to the company ’ s corporate headquarters and nearby manufacturing facility .
The Jack E Caveney Innovation Centre comprises 18,000ft 2 of laboratory space and accommodates more than 70 members of Panduit ’ s research and development team . The centre is named for the founder of Panduit and will carry on his legacy for innovation that began almost 60 years ago . The labs in the complex include a copper transmission lab , a fibre optics lab , an anechoic chamber , a complete data centre thermal lab , and an industrial automation lab , where the company visualises , tests and develops converged solutions designed to benefit IT migration onto the factory floor .
Panduit has a long term commitment to R & D and solution innovation , spending up to 10 per cent of net data centre revenue on R & D activities . The corporate R & D centre operates 20 + state-of-the-art labs and is responsible for more than 1.1K patents . The centre works in lock-step with corporate business units and in the manufacture of the final product that is delivered to the customer . The centre focuses on innovation rather than the application of the current product . Much of the work that goes on at the centre in research is at the university level and contributes to the forward movement of technology and to standards established by the likes of TIA , ANSI , RoHS and IEEE . Recent industry achievements include an outstanding technical paper award for ‘ Characterization of Modal Dependence of MMF Chromatic Dispersion for Wideband MMF ’ from the 64th IWCS International Cable & Connectivity Symposium .
Panduit gains in-depth knowledge of its customers ’ business and data centre challenges to develop solutions that add value and are a catalyst for business growth . The company looks at how its customers are applying products in their applications to understand the implications on performance of today ’ s technologies to create opportunities for next generation products . These innovations are then brought to market through a network of global manufacturing facilities strategically located close to customers .
Innovations created within the Jack E Caveney Corporate Research and Development Centre are brought to market with precision . Once research is proven in the lab , they are perfected by product engineers armed with the latest 3-D CAD programs and perfected with stereolithography ( SLA ) additive manufacturing technology . Panduit makes over 15,000 of these printed objects / year .
IT security is by far the top technology priority for businesses , according to the annual Business & Technology Priorities 2016 survey from IT solutions and managed services provider EACS .
Their most important business priority is improving efficiency , followed by delivering operating results , increasing productivity and reducing enterprise costs .
The online survey polled CIOs , IT directors and IT managers in businesses of all sizes ranging from SMEs to large enterprises . In-depth discussions with CIOs who participated in the research highlighted the constantly changing nature of the security threat and the growth of targeted attacks as key to their security concerns . Despite the best preventive measures , they accepted that no organisation can be 100 per cent secure – which may explain why disaster recovery was second in the list of technology priorities .
Looking at the business priorities , Mike Dearlove , managing director of EACS , pointed out that this is not a transformational agenda but is all about doing more with less . He said , ‘ Organisations are still under enormous pressure to get more from their existing IT resources , rather than make major strategic changes . It ’ s about doing the basics well and working more efficiently .’
Extreme Networks acquires wireless LAN business from Zebra Technologies
Extreme Networks has agreed to acquire Zebra ’ s wireless LAN ( WLAN ) business in an allcash transaction .
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2016 ( which is the second quarter of fiscal 2017 for Extreme Networks ), subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals .
‘ Combining Zebra ’ s WLAN technologies and marquee retail , transportation and logistics , and hospitality customers with Extreme Networks ’ wired and wireless capabilities , recognised as visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant , creates the industry ’ s number three WLAN enterprise campus powerhouse ,’ said Ed Meyercord , president and CEO of Extreme Networks . ‘ WLAN is the fastest growing segment in the networking industry . Our heritage of delivering innovative and pioneering technology is reinforced with today ’ s announcement , underscoring our commitment to providing customers worldwide with unified visibility and control across their wired and wireless networks .’
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