At Interop Las Vegas 2011, TE Connectivity unveiled QUAREO, a patented connection point technology that, as the company proclaims, "delivers the capability to electronically trace, monitor and authenticate every connection from the data center to the desktop." As promoted by the company, the QUAREO connectors' advanced chip technology provides a unique “connection point identification” that records the real-time status of each fiber and copper connection point and its entire cabling pathway into a global database for access by upstream network management systems.
Such information is critical for today’s computing and networking environment, maintains TE. The company says the QUAREO end-to-end network ecosystem is designed to manage a range of factors including configuration, information security, change management, physical security, asset management, performance, IT service continuity, risk management, and disaster recovery.
“The ability to query, view and manage Layer 1 in a manner that is integrated with current network management policies has not been possible with existing network management solutions that can only monitor, control and secure Layers 2 through 7,” said Stephen Mitchell, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of TE’s Enterprise Networks business. “QUAREO technology shatters the barrier between Layer 1 and Layer 2, enables new, innovative applications and helps reduce network operating expense.”
“The name QUAREO is based on a Latin term meaning ‘to see or to know’ and that is what QUAREO technology provides. For the first time ever, users can have total visibility, security and control throughout the entire managed network, including the physical layer of the network, Layer 1,” he said. “Network managers no longer will depend on frequently outdated documentation or guess work when it comes to the physical layer –now they will know.”
From an installation and maintenance perspective, the company contends that its QUAREO technology also eliminates the need to manually “tone” or “tag” millions of miles of cables from large data centers to users’ desktops, saving untold thousands of man-hours inside data centers, server barns, hosting hotels, and offices worldwide.
“Today, if a cable or connector somewhere throughout the network goes bad, technicians have to manually trace handmade tags or labels on the cables to track it throughout an entire network before it can be replaced,” added Mitchell. “Or they might run a tone or light through individual cables just to try to find the cable or connector that needs to be repaired or replaced. Our QUAREO family of products eliminates this entire side of the equation.
“The number one fear of network managers is downtime in their data centers,” Mitchell continued. “Nearly 60 percent of unplanned network downtime occurs in the physical layer, and 70 percent of network failures are the result of network cabling. The QUAREO technology helps prevents both from happening.”
Mitchell said the QUAREO technology enables every connection to be uniquely identified and communicate with the rest of the network. “The result is the collection of valuable network data that enables real-time monitoring, topology mapping and problem solving from the data center all the way to the desktop,” he said. “In the end, the network is more secure and available, allowing managers to drive out cost and enhance service.”
Mitchell also stated that the QUAREO technology makes possible a wealth of new application functionality enabled by true OSI 7 Layer visibility and verifiable service level agreements across the entire network, ranging from security and inventory management to remote diagnostics and managed or outsourced services.
Industry analyst Cindy Borovick, Vice President, Enterprise Communications Infrastructure and Datacenter Networks with IDC said, “QUAREO technology enables IT organizations to capitalize on the social, mobile and virtual trends of the decade. By introducing network intelligence at Layer 1, customers will reduce operational costs, maximize staff time and at the same time deliver infrastructure resiliency, facilitate security and meet regulatory requirements.”
Mitchell said that ADC Telecommunications, which was acquired by TE Connectivity late last year, began developing QUAREO technology in June 2009, and later piloted it with key prospects to enhance the technology even more. It is available through TE Connectivity throughout North America and other select markets immediately and will become available in additional locations throughout the coming year. TE Connectivity will feature the QUAREO product family at the INTEROP Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 10 -12, 2011 in booth #1959.
More Info: www.te.com
