18
16
14
12
10
6
4
2
18%
82%
46 I ICT TODAY
DATA CENTER
CONNECTIVITY
PATH FORWARD
Source: Cisco Global Cloud Index 2015-2020.
Zettabytes
per year
0
2015
8
2016 2017 2018 2019
8%
92%
2020
AND THE
Traditional (9% CAGR)
Cloud (30% CAGR)
27% CAGR 2015-2020
NETWORK TRAFFIC IN DATA CENTERS
FIGURE 1: The CAGR of cloud data centers significantly surpasses that of traditional data centers.
By Keith Foord
There is a data explosion taking place, and it is a preview into the future. New applications, such as 4K TV,
5G wireless and over-the-top (OTT) technologies, require low latency connectivity and, therefore, reliable
high-bandwidth connections. The data center is now dominated by the requirements of the cloud. The compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) for cloud data centers is reported to be 30 percent (Figure 1) and has shifted the focus
of the traditional data center. There is no denying that data-rich applications will demand more bandwidth in the
future, which in turn will jettison data centers even deeper into the zettabyte world. Therefore, it is important for
ICT technicians and installers to understand the new aspects and trends in fiber connectivity of the large-scale
data center.