Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1327492
22 I ICT TODAY • CONVERGED FUTURE-PROOF ARCHITECTURE: Convergence is over one SMF so that when applications for higher bandwidth requirements emerge, whether 10G or 40G, end electronics can be swapped out easily while leaving all fiber cabling in place. • SECURE NETWORKING: This network supports AES-128 advanced encryption. The use of this technology is widespread among the U.S. government and Department of Defense, which were also some of its earliest adopters. Because of its secure PON applications, this technology enables monitoring of the fiber cabling infra- structure to protect against intrusion, as well as minimizing possible network downtime by rapidly flagging and locating optical fiber problems. DECIDING FACTORS BETWEEN COPPER CABLE UPGRADE AND POLS IN THE ENTERPRISE Having identified the benefits of POLs when deployed and tested in the enterprise, it is important to note that the POL is still at an early stage of deployment. The POLs use a mature technology (e.g., GPON and XGS-PON yet to come) in a legacy network type–LAN where traditional copper Cat 5 and Cat 6 have been deployed long before PON was introduced. For a network upgrade where copper cables are already embedded in the walls of an enterprise and the required new network elements can be supported with existing cables or even upgraded copper cabling, copper would have the advantage over PON in terms of cost. An added benefit in that scenario is that the IT team would be familiar with the technology and would already be trained and certified, which would not be the case if the enterprise chose to adopt an optical LAN network. Upgrading to optical can present a challenge to IT managers once the system is installed, as new optical test tools are needed to check and maintain the optical cables and to repair or replace broken fibers. It also means that they will need to be trained to do their own network maintenance or use external contractors for repairs, potentially resulting in increased expense compared to relying on an existing copper-based network. The challenge of upgrading to optical and potential associated expenses must be weighed against the constraints of copper cables that typically have limited bandwidth and, therefore, shorter lifespan. If existing cabling needs to be upgraded anyway to Cat 6A or 7, for example, it may be an opportunity to instead deploy optical fiber. Ultimately, when having a future-proof enterprise network capable of supporting growth and next- generation technology is important, POLs are a viable solution. In legacy networks where cost and ease of management are paramount, copper cabling may still be the best choice, especially where bandwidth is sufficient to support network requirements. DESIGN OPTIONS FOR POLs For applications where POL is the chosen solution, flexible design choices for in-building and site-to-site connectivity can optimize the enterprise network architecture for advanced applications like IoT, cloud, network-as-a-service, and wireless. Those design consid- erations include how the OLT, passive optical splitters, and ONTs will be deployed within the enterprise. Setting up global profiles and increased automation of end points ensure more secure communications and better machine- to-machine automation, thereby reducing the opportunity for human error. Along with the flexibility inherent in POL deployment comes the opportunity to ensure doing "first-time-right" installation and enhancing network quality with advanced test protocols. Both legacy and next-generation POL systems can benefit from best practices in testing to enable technicians to achieve faster system deployment and optimize the enterprise LAN's performance. Critical elements of POL deployment include: • Meeting target implementation dates • Ensuring transmission system requirements are delivered • Avoiding costly delays during system turn-up • Ensuring optimum performance end-to-end