SPEED AND AGILITY.PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY. A REPORT

ON GLOBALENTERPRISENETWORKTRENDS

1 n

n Introduction and Methodology 2

n Key Findings 4

n Network Infrastructure Trends 6

n Applications 7

n Horizontal Connections 8

n 10GBASE-T 8

n Copper Cabling Usage 9

n Backbone Connections 10

n Fiber Optic Cabling Usage 11

n Decision Drivers 12

n Network Performance and Reliability 14

n LAN Downtime 15

n Network Support, Management and Monitoring 20

n Moves, Adds and Changes 21

n IT Management and Monitoring 23

n IT Service Provisioning and Auditing 25

n Conclusion 28

n Summary 29

n Appendix 31

n Glossary of Terms 32

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONAND METHODOLOGY

3 n

OFTEN IT SEEMS DIFFICULT to justify the expense of building a high-speednetwork and cabling infrastructure. You believe it will increase performance,save time and make network users more productive. Productivity, however, is adifficult thing to quantify. How can you gather the information to supportsuch a critical expenditure?

This report was created to help you in this quest, by providing detailed information onthe global installed base of LAN technology, revealing users’ intentions and prioritiesfor upgrading their networks. This report is the result of a global study of network andIT managers, covering cabling types, network preferences, the impact of networkdowntime, the rate of moves, adds and changes and IT support requirements formanaging, monitoring and auditing networks.

The report provides reliable information upon which to base infrastructure investmentdecisions; it also draws conclusions about the readiness of cabling infrastructure tosupport network traffic growth and other areas of ongoing cost to the business.

The report gives a clear picture of worldwide LAN connectivity trends across keyindustry sectors, helping you measure your own installations and upgrade intentionsagainst peer groups and industry sectors.

Bandwidth and throughput are critical to a thriving enterprise, but so also are thesystems and processes for managing and monitoring the network. The efficiency,productivity and reliability of the network are real currencies that fuel the successful business.

IT PROFESSIONALS WERE INVITED to participate in the research via anInternet Web portal during 2006 using a questionnaire designed for clarityand simplicity. The questionnaire was available in 12 languages, enablingnetwork and IT managers to respond in their preferred language.

The 1,484 Information Technology professionals who took part in the researchwere from a representative sample of IT users in 45 countries. They spannedorganizations with between 50 and 10,000+ network users, in sectors rangingfrom education to finance/banking, and government to media/publishing.

Comparisons are made throughout this report with data gathered in previousSYSTIMAX® Solutions reports commissioned in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2005.

INTRODUCTION

METHODOLOGY

n 4

NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE TRENDSSPEED INCREASINGChanges in the way organizations operate are generating demand for bandwidth-hungry applications, forcing data flow through the organization to be quicker andmore efficient. Organizations are installing applications such as video conferencing,VoIP, CRM and other business management systems to make information easier toaccess and use.

Video conferencing and collaborative working are on the increase. The report showsthat IT administrators are accommodating these increasing application andbandwidth demands by migrating to higher speed Ethernet networks and higherperformance cabling, in both the corporate backbone and to the desktop.

Adoption of high-speed LAN applications, such as Gigabit Ethernet and 10 GigabitEthernet, is growing; 100 Gigabit Ethernet is even cited as a requirement in the nextfive years.

INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS GROWING TO MATCHThe associated cabling infrastructure is being upgraded to meet the impendingbandwidth challenge and the performance exhibited by Category 6A copper andOM3 fiber cabling are a must for any forward-thinking user.

With wide-scale proliferation of Gigabit Ethernet technology in the desktopenvironment, users are facing new challenges in providing 10 Gigabit options withinthe LAN. Category 5e cabling is moving towards obsolescence for new installations.Category 6 cabling has become the primary choice, with Category 6A cablingincreasing in popularity as awareness grows and 10GBASE-T becomes a reality.

The report shows that although Category 6A solutions are more expensive, usersconcerned with factors such as downtime, productivity, network maintenance andsupport can benefit from the gains that Category 6A solutions bring in these areas,making them worth the investment when annualized over the life of the installation.

The same decision is being made for fiber optic cabling as users opt for the laserbandwidth of OM3 fiber or settle for standard OM1/2 multimode fiber or singlemodefiber. The backbone network presents the greatest opportunity for fiber in the LAN,and users are taking advantage of laser optimized multimode (OM3) fiber.

Due to the hierarchical nature of the LAN and the “funneling” effects of LANswitching, the “need for speed” clearly grows the further one gets from the desktop.The natural evolution for the business LAN over the next five years will involve amigration from switched 100 Mb/s; switched 1 Gb/s at the desktop; switched 10 Gb/sin the building backbone; and finally switched multi-Gb/s (even potentially 100 Gb/s)in the enterprise environment. The infrastructure portion will experience a similarmigration, with high performance UTP as the horizontal medium, laser optimizedmultimode fiber in the building backbone as well as smaller campus, and singlemodefiber in the larger campus.

COST CUTTING CAN LEAD TO ADDITIONAL EXPENSEThe decision factors considered by users continue to be dominated by quality,performance and cost. However, when evaluating cost, the report clearly shows thatorganizations whose primary focus is cost encounter additional expense indowntime, productivity loss and increased management time. Cost should beviewed in terms of investment over the life of the cabling, rather than only the initialinstallation cost.

SUMMARY OF KEYFINDINGS

n Video conferencing, VoIPincreasing

n 10 Gigabit Ethernetgrowing; 100 GigabitEthernet cited

n Category 5e cablebecoming obsolete

n Category 6 andCategory 6A primarychoices

n OM3 fiber use increasingin backbone

n Quality, performance,cost primary decisiondrivers

5 n

NETWORK PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY This and previous reports show that downtime has reduced over the last decade, asnetwork and cabling performance have increased. This report again confirms thatthe use of higher performance copper and fiber cabling has a positive impact onnetwork downtime.

The high cost of network downtime, in terms of lost access to data, impactedemployee productivity, higher IT support costs and even lost revenue generation,means that network managers can look to recoup any extra cost in buying premiumquality cabling solutions through network performance improvements. The reportshows that these can vary by industry and geographic region, but all have potentialto affect organizations’ effectiveness.

NETWORK SUPPORT, MANAGEMENT AND MONITORINGAlthough network speeds are increasing and downtime decreasing, the rate ofmoves, adds and changes (MACs) continues to grow. In addition, the time taken tomanage, monitor and audit the network is a significant part of IT support resourceallocation.

The increasing rate of MACs shows that users are becoming more mobile in whereand how they work, but the report also alarmingly highlights the amount of assetsmoved unofficially or mislaid, and also the amount of moves that are performedincorrectly and need rework.

Across industries and geographic regions, despite differences in rates of MACs andtime required for IT support functions, it is clear that where initial cost is the maindecision factor, MACs and IT support are more onerous, forcing the ongoing costs ofnetwork support higher.

n Higher performancecabling improves networkuptime

n Network performanceimprovement offsets costof quality cabling solutions

n MAC rates continue toincrease

n Alarming number ofassets moved unofficially,mislaid or need rework

n Cost focus leads toincreased network supportexpense

NETWORKINFRASTRUCTURETRENDS

7 n

APPLICATIONS USED ON THE DESKTOP2002 vs. 2006

FUTURE

Productivity tools (e.g., e-mail, word processing,spreadsheets, presentationsoftware and Web browsers)are currently used more thanany other application.

Since 2002, there has been asignificant increase in thenumber of VoIP users,climbing from 17% in 2002 to43% in 2006. In addition,other productivityapplications, such as CRMand video conferencing, aregrowing markedly.

In 2002, 27% of respondentspredicted that videoconferencing would be anapplication used by theiremployees in the future. Thisfigure fell closely in line withthe 2006 survey, where 29%of respondents reportedvideo conferencing as anapplication currentlyaccessed by employees.

Looking into the future, VoIPand video conferencing arepredicted to be the most-used applications.

AS USERS DEMAND more robust applications, the speed and bandwidth requirements of network connections andtheir related cabling continue to increase, leading to acceptance of, and investment in, faster networkingtechnologies. These investment choices continue to be made on the basis of product quality, initial cost andtechnical performance.

n 8

HORIZONTAL CONNECTIONS, GLOBALTODAY

5 YEARS

10GBASE-T STANDARDAWARE THAT 10GBASE-T STANDARD WAS RATIFIED BY IEEE, GLOBAL

10GBASE-T DEPLOYMENT PLANS, IN YEARS

100 Mb/s Ethernet is thepredominant horizontalconnection installed globally,at 62% of the horizontalconnections installed today.However, only 12% of usersplan on selecting 100 Mb/sEthernet for future installationsover the next five years.

Majority of users (53%) planon using 1 Gb/s Ethernet infuture installations ofhorizontal connections.

10 Gb/s Ethernet is expectedto increase from 4% to 29%.

As one would expect, there isa correlation between thoseusing higher speed networksand those using higherperformance cabling.

Just under 70% of users areaware that the 10GBASE-Tstandard has been ratified byIEEE.

Awareness level is highestamong NAR participants at83%, and lowest in APAC andCALA at 61% and 56%,respectively.

Globally, 43% of users expectto deploy 10GBASE-Tstandard electronics over thenext 2 years.

Over half of EMEA users(53%) expect to deploy10GBASE-T standardelectronics over the next twoyears, followed by CALA usersat 46%.

APAC is expected to be theslowest to adopt 10GBASE-T.

9 n

COPPER CABLING USAGEGLOBAL

REGIONALEMEA APAC

NAR CALA

Participants expect Category5e to drop from its currentinstalled base of 53% to justunder 9% of newinstallations. This is a furtherindication of Category 5emoving to obsolescence, as itis a sharp drop from 2005when 17% said they wouldinstall Category 5e.

Category 6 is expected toincrease from an installedbase of 37% to 53% of newinstallations. It has alreadyincreased from the 28% ofinstalled base reported in2002.

Category 6A is increasingfrom an installed base of 5%to 25% of new installations.Again, this is an increasecompared to the 17%reporting they were lookingto adopt Category 6A in2005. Largest adopters are inthe Finance and Technologysectors.

The “Other” cabling option,which includes Coax,Category 3, 5 and 7 cabling,has remained relativelyconstant compared to the2005 survey data.

The largest geographicmarkets for Category 6A areEMEA and NAR.Approximately a quarter ofEMEA (28%) and NAR (25%)participants would installCategory 6A.

CALA participants believeCategory 5e will remainstrong in their region,representing 46% of newinstallations. CALA will bethe only market whereCategory 5e still dominates.

■ 10

BACKBONE CONNECTIONS, GLOBALTODAY

1 Gb/s Ethernet is thepredominant backboneconnection installed today, at60% of participants. However,only 15% of users plan oninstalling 1 Gb/s Ethernet inthe backbone in the future.

Majority of users plan oninstalling 10 Gb/s Ethernet intheir backbone in the future,rising from 16% installedtoday to 51% in five years.

100 Mb/s Ethernet in thebackbone is expected to dropfrom 18% to 3% by 2011.

Users expect 100 Gb/sEthernet to represent 15% ofinstallations by 2011 forbackbone connections.

Again, there is a correlationbetween those using higherspeed networks and thoseusing higher performancecabling.

5 YEARS

11 n

FIBER OPTIC CABLING USAGEGLOBAL

REGIONALEMEA APAC

NAR CALA

Overall, OM1/OM2Multimode Fiber is currentlyinstalled by the majority ofusers (63%). OM1/OM2Multimode Fiber is expectedto drop almost in half, to 34%of new installations.

OM3 is expected to be thedominant fiber, growing fromthe current installed base of11% today to 43% of newinstallations. Comparing tothe 1998 and 2002 reports,this shows the increase inusage of this fiber type, andmatches the increase innetworking speeds in thebackbone. In 1998, 4.4%intended to install OM3 fiber;in 2002 it had grown to 28%;now it is at 43%.

OM3 is predicted to be thedominant fiber in all regions.

The dominance of OM3 isexpected to be mostsignificant in APAC.

n 12

DECISION DRIVERSSINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CABLING INVESTMENT CHOICEGLOBAL

REGIONAL

EMEA APAC

NAR CALA

Product quality is the singlemost important factorcompanies consider whenmaking a cabling investmentchoice.

This is consistent with theresults found in 2002.It is also noticeable thatthose who are concernedmostly with initial cost havelower performance networks,and, as seen in the nextsection, also have moredowntime and networkissues.

Companies using higherperformance cabling have ahigher regard for quality, totalsolution and performance intheir selection.

Quality is the single mostimportant factor for allregions except APAC. Initialcost is the main driver forAPAC companies, closelyfollowed by product quality.

13 n

DECISION DRIVERSBY INDUSTRY

Quality of product is the topdecision driver for mostindustries.

Initial cost was the primarydecision driver for over half ofparticipants in the Real Estateindustry.

NETWORKPERFORMANCE

AND RELIABILITY

15 n

LAN DOWNTIMEDOWNTIME AND PRODUCTIVITY LOSS

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES WHO USE THE COMPANY NETWORK

Globally, users reported adecline in the averagedowntime over the last eightyears, with the respondentsreporting on average 3.2hours in 1998; the majorityreporting approximately 2.5hours in 2002; reducing to anaverage of 1.9 hours in 2006.

APAC and CALA usersreported higher downtimehours/month.

Downtime has less impact onthe productivity of APACworkers. This could berelated to employeedependence on thecompany network. APACcompanies have lessemployees using thecompany network – only39% of the APAC companiesreported that 90/100% oftheir employees use thecompany network, comparedwith 64% in EMEA and 66%in NAR.

AS MORE AND MORE EMPLOYEES depend on the company network, the impact of downtime on productivity loss,and ultimately on corporate costs, becomes an increasingly serious issue. While improved, LAN connectivityproblems and subsequent downtime still show the benefits of high quality and faster infrastructure.

AVERAGE HOURS PER MONTH NETWORK IS DOWN OR PERFORMANCE IS DEGRADED/SLOW

COPPER FIBER

Companies that havedeployed higherperformance cabling tendedto have a lower averagedowntime.

In addition, those companieswhere initial cost was adominant factor experiencedmore downtime, highlightingthe need to consider totalcost of ownership, includingongoing costs.

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LAN DOWNTIMECOST IMPACT OF DOWNTIME

COST IMPACT OF DOWNTIME, BY INDUSTRY

Participants reporting thatdowntime had a majorimpact on their business hadsignificantly greaterproductivity loss for eachhour of downtime and alsospent more time monitoringnetwork performance andaddressing connectivityissues.

Downtime has a greater costimpact in the Finance/Banking and Healthcareindustries. Over 50% ofparticipants in theseindustries stated thatdowntime had a majorimpact on their business.

17 n

LAN DOWNTIMEPERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES WHO USE THE COMPANY NETWORK, BY INDUSTRY

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES GENERATING REVENUE FOR THE COMPANY, BY INDUSTRY

One reason for the high costimpact of downtime for theFinance/Banking industry isthe large percentage ofemployees that use thecompany network. Over 80%of Finance/Bankingparticipants stated that90/100% of their employeesuse the company network.

Finance/Banking, along withProfessional Services, alsohave a large percentage oftheir employees generatingrevenue for the company.With over 80% of Finance/Banking employees on thenetwork and a highpercentage of theseemployees generatingrevenue, every minute ofdowntime has a significantfinancial impact on Finance/Banking companies.

n 18

LAN DOWNTIMEAVERAGE HOURS PER MONTH NETWORK IS DOWN OR PERFORMANCE IS DEGRADED/SLOWBY INDUSTRY

Professional Services,Construction and Real Estateindustries reported thehighest downtime hours permonth. With a largepercentage of employees onthe network and a highpercentage of employeesthat generate revenue,downtime can have asignificant impact onProfessional Servicescompanies. The impact is notas significant for theConstruction and Real Estateindustries since a smallerpercentage of employees usethe company network.

19 n

NETWORKSUPPORT,MANAGEMENTANDMONITORING

21 n

MOVES, ADDS AND CHANGESMAC RATES, BY REGION

Globally, users reported anaverage MAC rate of 36% peryear. EMEA had the highestMAC rate at 40% per year.

The rate of MACs hasincreased steadily since firstreported in 1994. In 1994,the average rate of MACsranged from 14% to 18%,depending on the industry.This rate increased to a globalaverage of 23% in 2002 and36% in 2006.

Overall, users reported thatnearly 18% of network assetsare mislaid or unofficiallymoved each year. APAC andCALA users had the highestpercentages, 21% and 19%,respectively.

TECHNOLOGY USERS ARE BECOMING MORE mobile, causing moves, adds and changes to take an ever-moreincreasing amount of IT professionals’ time. Also vying for network support hours is the time spent dealing with asurprising number of unauthorized or incorrect MACs. Where initial cost is the primary decision driver forpurchasing networking technology, these problems are more pronounced.

MAC RATES, BY INDUSTRY Finance/Banking andHealthcare industriesexperience the highest MACrates.

Real Estate and Utilitiesreported the highestpercentage of network assetsmislaid or unofficially moved.

n 22

MOVES, ADDS AND CHANGESAVERAGE HOURS PER MAC WHEN USER CHANGES LOCATION BY REGION

AVERAGE HOURS PER MAC WHEN USER CHANGES LOCATION BY INDUSTRY

Overall, companies reportedan average of 1.9 hours perMAC when a user changeslocation.

APAC users spend thelongest time per MAC, withan average of 2.4 hours perMAC.

There has been no change inthe average time per MACfrom 2002 to 2006.

Real Estate companiesreported the longest averagetime per MAC, 3.5 hours.

23 n

IT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORINGLAN CONNECTIVITY PROBLEMS, BY REGION

Globally, users reported 3.8LAN connectivity problemsannually, averaging 1.3 hoursof time lost for eachoccurrence.

APAC users had the highestreported LAN connectivityissues at 4.8 problemsannually, averaging 1.9 hoursdowntime per occurrence.

LAN CONNECTIVITY PROBLEMS, BY INDUSTRY Real Estate companiesreported the most LANconnectivity problems andthe highest average time lostper connectivity problem.Real Estate participants alsoreported that initial cost wasthe primary decision driverfor selecting cabling,highlighting the need toconsider total cost ofownership, includingongoing costs such asdowntime.

n 24

IT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORINGIT SUPPORT TIME, BY REGION

IT SUPPORT TIME, BY INDUSTRYReal Estate companiesreported the largest share ofIT support time spent onconnectivity issues.Real Estate companies andFinance/Banking spend themost IT support timemonitoring networkperformance.

On average, companiesglobally spend 19% of ITsupport time monitoringnetwork performance.

CALA users spend the leasttime, 16%.

APAC and CALA spend themost IT support time onconnectivity issues, afunction of the highernumber of connectivityissues experienced by usersin those regions.

25 n

IT SERVICE PROVISIONING AND AUDITINGAVERAGE HOURS TO PREPARE/INSTIGATE IT SERVICE WORK ORDERBY REGION

Real Estate reported thehighest average time toprepare and instigate a workorder for provision of an ITservice for a user.

The global average forpreparing and instigating ITservice work orders is 4.4hours. APAC spends thelongest time, averaging 5.4hours.

AVERAGE HOURS TO PREPARE/INSTIGATE IT SERVICE WORK ORDERBY INDUSTRY

n 26

IT SERVICE PROVISIONING AND AUDITINGAVERAGE HOURS PER MONTH AUDITING NETWORK ASSETSBY REGION

AVERAGE HOURS PER MONTH AUDITING NETWORK ASSETSBY INDUSTRY

APAC companies reported anaverage of 8.5 hours/monthspent auditing networkassets. APAC had the highestpercentage of assets mislaidor moved, which may drivethe number of hours spentauditing network assets.

Real Estate spends the mosttime auditing network assets.

27 n

CONCLUSION

29 n

FROM A NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE perspective, IT managers need to knowas much about what a cabling solution will do for them as about what it does.And technology for technology’s sake has taken a deserved back seat to usingtechnology to enable business success.

IT managers must anticipate, meet and hopefully exceed business needs andobjectives by:

n Pleasing customers—internal and external.

n Increasing productivity by helping people manage their time better andby shortening move, add, change (MAC) processes and/or response times.

n Increasing revenues by speeding response times and easily expanding toaccommodate higher speed applications.

n Cutting costs for the creation and delivery of network services, theoperation and maintenance of the infrastructure, and any potentialexpansion.

n Solving unscheduled business issues such as network downtime andhuman error.

The report shows that most IT managers suspect that downtime is an issue. Theyprobably have a sinking feeling that money is draining from the company coffers everytime a server crashes, an Ethernet switch flashes yellow and then goes dark, or a serviceprovision to a key user takes a week to fulfill.

They are right. If the network is down, there is a real cost due to lost productivity forpeople on the network. By reducing downtime and therefore increasing uptime,substantial benefits can be realized from increases in employee productivity andsubsequent revenue improvement.

SYSTIMAX® SOLUTIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PERFORMANCEThe report details that desktop and backbone bandwidth continues to increase, drivenby the requirements of business applications that continue to become moresophisticated.

Given this evolution, a well-engineeredsolution of switched 1 Gb/s Ethernet overhigh-performance UTP, such as theSYSTIMAX GigaSPEED® X10D Solution, tothe desktop, and 10 Gb/s in the backboneover OM3 multimode fiber, such as theSYSTIMAX LazrSPEED® Solution, is becomingthe common approach to network designtoday, while satisfying the general businessLAN user community for the next few years.

The SYSTIMAX GigaSPEED X10D andLazrSPEED Solutions provide a completeend-to-end cabling solution. They form partof the integrated SYSTIMAX StructuredConnectivity Solution, which also includeszero water peak singlemode fiber opticcabling—the TeraSPEED™ Solution. All areavailable now and designed to provide asmooth migration path to futuretechnologies.

NETWORK INFRASTRUCTUREMANAGEMENTBut even the fastest network can still bedifficult to manage, sapping valuable ITresources. To secure the information needed

SUMMARY

HIGH PERFORMANCE CABLING INVESTMENTThe investment case for highperformance cable relies onthe assumption that there is adirect relationship betweencabling performance andtransmitted signal quality.This has been demonstratedby a series of published testsat SYSTIMAX Labs, as well asother industry laboratories.The SYSTIMAX Labs’experiments show howimproved copper and fiberoptic cabling performancecan overcome impairmentsaffecting networkperformance for high speed,bandwidth intensiveapplications. They clearlyillustrate how cablingchannels with superiorperformance can improvenetwork performance andtherefore decrease downtime.

n 30

to run the business, network connections in every part of the organization must beconstantly monitored and managed. With the environment constantly changing, itcan be an uphill struggle to stay on top of the demands.

The report shows that the challenge in most offices is handling MACs and dealingwith network monitoring and auditing issues. Connectivity is a vital part of anyfacility, yet it can be the least effectively monitored and managed. As organizationsdemand increased speeds, 24x7 availability and reliability, and high levels ofaccuracy from their data infrastructure systems, this has to change.

SYSTIMAX SOLUTIONS™ FOR INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENTReal Time Infrastructure Management (RTIM) solutions, such as the SYSTIMAX iPatch®System, can cut network management costs, improve business productivity andhelp prevent financially damaging communications faults. The iPatch System offersIT managers complete control and management of their physical infrastructureconnections, in real time, and is tailored to intelligently provide services, correctfaults faster, improve security, and improve network management.

31 n

THE SURVEY SAMPLEThe 45 countries represented in this survey are as follows:

n Argentinan Australian Austrian Bahrainn Bangladeshn Barbadosn Belgiumn Braziln Canadan Chinan Denmarkn Francen Germanyn Hong Kongn Indian Indonesian Irelandn Italyn Japann Kenyan Korean Kuwaitn Malaysian Mexicon Netherlandsn New Zealandn Omann Pakistann Panaman Philippinesn Qatarn Russian Saudi Arabian Singaporen South African Spainn Switzerlandn Taiwann Thailandn Turkeyn United Arab Emiratesn Ukrainen United Kingdomn United Statesn Venezuela

APPENDIX

n 32

10GBASE-T The IEEE standard for 10 Gigabit Ethernet over Twisted Pair Cabling.Ratified in June 2006, it includes cabling requirements for Alien Crosstalk andchannel performance to 500 MHz.

APAC Asia Pacific and China

Backbone(s) The part of a premises distribution system that includes a maincable route and facilities for supporting the cable from the Equipment Room to theupper floors, or along the same floor to the wiring closets.

Bandwidth The range of frequencies that can be used for transmittinginformation on a channel. It indicates the transmission-carrying capacity of achannel. Thus, the larger the bandwidth, the greater the amount of information thatcan pass through the circuit. Measured in Hertz or bits per second or MHz.km (forfiber).

CALA Caribbean and Latin America

Campus A premises containing more than one building adjacent or near to oneanother.

Category 5e Enhanced Category 5 specifications for cable and connectinghardware products with transmission characteristics specified to 100 MHz, minimallycompliant to support digital transmission of 1 Gb/s.

Category 6 Industry standard for cable and connecting hardware products withtransmission characteristics specified to 250 MHz, designed for robust digitaltransmission support of 1 Gb/s.

Category 6A Identified as Augmented Category 6 or Class EA, the specificationcurrently in draft to become an industry standard for cable and connectinghardware products with transmission characteristics specified to 500 MHz and AlienCrosstalk requirements, designed to support digital transmission of 10 Gb/s overbalanced pair UTP.

CRM Customer Relationship Management

EMEA Europe, Middle East and Africa

Ethernet A LAN originally developed by DEC, Xerox and Intel. It uses theCSMA/CD Protocol.

Horizontal Cable A cable connecting the floor distributor to thetelecommunications outlet(s).

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers in the USA. This organization isalso involved in producing Local Area Network standards such as Ethernet.

Local Area Networks (LANs) A LAN allows users to share information andcomputer resources. Typically, a local area network is limited to a single building orcampus.

MAC Moves, adds and changes

Multimode Fiber Optical fibers that have a large core and that permit multiplerays or modes to propagate through the core. Optical Multimode (OM) fiber typesinclude OM1, OM2 and OM3. OM1 and OM2 generally refer to legacy multimodefibers with cores of 62.5 and 50 micron, respectively. OM3 refers to laser optimizedmultimode fiber with 50 micron core.

NAR North America Region

Singlemode Optical fiber with a small core diameter in which only a single modeof light is capable of propagation. 8.3 micron is the common standard core size.

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable An electrically conducting cable comprising oneor more pairs none of which are shielded.

Video Conferencing Real time communications via video between two or moreusers at separate locations.

GLOSSARY

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Visit our Web site at www.systimax.com or contact your local SYSTIMAX Solutions representative or SYSTIMAX BusinessPartner for more information. SYSTIMAX Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by ® or TM are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. 1/07 MI-89