As we enter the last quarter of the year, businesses begin or continue to plan and budget for the coming year. This could mean new investments, new equipment purchases, and other upgrades to technology or infrastructure to support and position the company for competition and success in the coming year.
For fiber testing labs, just like other departments, this is a great time to not only gather budgets and needs for the next year, but also to spend some time examining and evaluating the current configuration of fiber in the lab, With an eye toward future testing. As configured today, will the lab be able to meet the business needs of the coming year? Need an upgrade, addition or change to test with the precious fiber you rely on?
When looking at fiber lab setups, the following areas should be important to consider:
A review of fiber types. Does the lab currently have the appropriate mix of fiber types (older/newer, singlemode patch cords, multimode patch cords, dedicated) to support current and future testing needs? Are there any new fibers on the market that might be of interest? In addition to being able to use traditional bare-metal, simplex format fiber, did you know that you can now use coiled 12 fiber strips to simulate short data center cable links for 100G and 400G test applications?
Review installation efficiency. Many labs face the daunting challenge of maintaining a comprehensive test environment in a limited space. Are spools taking up too much space in the lab? Have you reviewed new cabinets and setups that can pack higher density fiber in a more space efficient manner? Is it easy to identify the various fiber types and lengths, and is the overall arrangement of the spools easy to use?
Looking to the future While it is always difficult to predict future needs, based on your company's overall strategic vision and commitment to customers, is there enough time internally planned for future needs or upcoming projects?
We often find ourselves talking to engineers trying to meet company testing requirements on a very short timeframe and/or with limited resources. Although fiber is an absolute necessity for simulating a network or latency, it is often the last item planned on the equipment list. However, we can share from experience that when engineers in the lab regularly review and plan their fiber needs ahead of time, they will be better able to meet their test goals - not to mention removing the stress of last-minute fiber acquisition!
Get in touch to help evaluate your fiber setup in your current lab environment as you start budgeting and planning for the coming year. Whether you have questions about a specific fiber type, a better way to manage your existing spools in the field, or have an upcoming requirement and want to customize a new setup, our team is here to help.
