Using Spare Replacement SFPs Could Make All the Difference

Forecasting and inventory management are among the hardest things when it comes to running data centres. The tough part is to estimate just how much backup networking equipment you would need to have with you. This is all the more difficult when you have a limited IT budget and any equipment that is left unused is considered to be an unnecessary expense.

So it would certainly help to have critical spare parts such as extra replacement SFPs on hand. That could save you a lot of money in certain unexpected circumstances. You should have a fair idea of which extra equipment to maintain in your inventory.

Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery planning is one of the hardest aspects of good network management. Your goal should be to have a plan in place to accommodate for any failure in equipment. For example, you will have no idea of when a natural disaster such as a lightning strike or a thunderstorm or a voltage spike can affect your equipment.

What you cannot afford is not to be prepared for any eventuality, even if it is completely unexpected such as fire, broken water pipe or a break in. Serious natural disasters such as earthquake and flood are very rare, but they do present a major threat to your equipment. They affect your ability to repair or replace your SFPs on time.

In any of these cases, it helps to have spare SFPs on hand. This is especially important if you live in an area that is prone to disruptive events such as storms or floods. You should be well prepared for localised events such as burst pipe or a breakout of fire in your area, which could affect the network.

Part Failures

Not only should you be well prepared for accidents and disasters, you should also be ready for random part failures because of purely manufacturing reasons.

This is not usually an issue if components have been purchased from a reputable manufacturer like 1000 GIG where extensive testing and quality control procedures are in place. 1000 GIG products also come with a lifetime warranty and 100% compatibility guarantee on. Regardless, you cannot be careful enough, which is why you need to have spares with you.

Identify Mission-Critical Equipment

You can start by identifying the mission critical equipment for which it is worth your while to invest in spare or replacement SFPs. You should know the parts of the network which are absolutely essential for your business-critical operations.

So if any piece of equipment was to malfunction by any chance, you should know how long you are able to be without that without it affecting your business operations.

If it is an operation that involves direct interaction with customers, then the loss of revenue or customers from the equipment failure could be quite severe in a limited period.

That’s why it would be well worth your while to maintain spare inventory by your side. For this reason, we recommend that you should always have spare or replacement SFPs available whenever needed.