White Paper

With the rise of digital buildings and the Internet of Things (IoT), many legacy applications are migrating to Ethernet-based technologies to take advantage of the benefits of Power over Ethernet (PoE), prepare for higher bandwidth demands, and improve network efficiency and control.

This white paper provides design considerations for digital buildings, including the impact of increased port density and zone vs. traditional cabling architectures.

EXCERPT:

Key Aspects of Design for Digital Buildings
The increasing interconnectivity of devices to the internet — and to each other — has given rise to a “smart” ecosystem known as the Internet of Things (IoT). This network of physical objects that communicate or interact with their external environment1 is moving into the enterprise on a global scale in the form of digital buildings. When applied to building infrastructure, the IoT framework translates to communication and data exchange among multiple systems over a common cabling network within an individual structure or campus environment.

The growth of IoT will reshape the enterprise for years to come. According to GrowthEnabler Analysis1, the worldwide IoT market will grow from $157 billion in 2016 to $457 billion by 2020, with a significant footprint in the smart city, industrial, healthcare, automotive, wearable technology, and utility sectors. And by 2021, there will be 27.1 billion networked devices, the majority of which will be wireless and mobile devices or building infrastructure and automation systems, with desktop computers accounting for only 25% of IP traffic2.