D ATA C E N T R E S
Reliability must be considered
through numerous scenarios. It
is a mix of diverse disciplines:
mechanics, electronics, physics
and chemistry. Additionally, other
important parameters come into play:
temperature, humidity, vibration,
thermal and mechanical stress,
corrosion, degradation in performance
and integrity of components. In many
ways, frustration manifests as one of the
main enemies of reliability - failures at
the reliability test stage can be expensive
and sometimes it is impossible to identify
the root cause. Ultimately, a failure in a
very small part of an otherwise flawless
product can kick a project back to the
drawing board and it is for this reason
that every department of a transceiver
company must contribute to the
reliability of the device in order to give a
true measure.
Reliability
Reliability testing, however, isn’t just a
process – it must be measured at every
step of a product’s development. I
strongly believe that what differentiates
the companies providing reliable
products from those that don’t, is that
for the former, reliability is a conviction
– deeply embedded in the culture of
the organisation itself. Reliability stems
from the company’s values and from the
way in which products are conceived
and designed. In short, many can
offer a working transceiver, but only
a few can offer a reliable one. It’s an
edifying process that queries every step
of the testing process; from where the
basic materials are supplied, the origin
of the tools and equipment used to
manufacture the product, to the design,
the handling and workmanship and the
environment in which the products are
manufactured. No matter how many
hoops a product successfully jumps
through, without the conviction and
commitment exhibited by the company
as a whole, reliability will never be
guaranteed.
Customers perceive OEMs to hold
such values and smaller companies go
to great measures to prove that they
are just as committed to reliability.
My company, for instance, was the
first optical infrastructure provider to
offer lifetime warranties on the vast
majority of its products. We wanted to
make it clear that ProLabs were willing
to underwrite the reliability of our
18 NETCOMMS europe Volume V Issue 6 2015
Reliability is a conviction, embedded in a company’s culture and mindset.
products against the financial success of
the business.
Interestingly, it seems that non-OEM
companies who are showing themselves
as reliable providers are making
some ground. Last year at ECOC in
Cannes, ProLabs conducted a survey
as to how perceptions were changing
in what data centre procurers looked
for when making purchases. Contrary
to traditional expectations, the vast
majority of respondents placed price as
one of their main considerations with
89 per cent selecting price in their top
three priorities. Brand, on the other
hand, was only considered to be a top
three priority by 14 per cent of the
respondents, which suggests a significant
shift away from the view that reliability
necessitates selecting the better-known
brand.
Conclusion
What the results of this survey say to
me is that the mindset of the industry
is changing. Mid-size and smaller
companies are starting to demonstrate
that reliability testing is a fundamental
priority within their companies, and the
consumers are starting to notice this.
In the world of technology, the fear of
disruption is pervasive. Although there
are many companies out there capable
of pioneering major developments in
optical infrastructure, such progress
may come to nothing. Regardless of
how superior a product is, shying away
from reliability - be this from customer
apathy or negligence in testing - will
prove counter-productive. The progress
made to date in earning the trust of the
consumer must continue; companies
have to commit to reliability not just in
the testing phase, but in the conception,
design and operability of all of their
optical infrastructure products to ensure
the end-goal is achieved. Reliability is a
conviction, embedded in a company’s
culture and mindset. As stated earlier,
many companies can offer working
transceivers, but only a few can offer
reliable ones.
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