Business continuity and security in datacenter interconnection

Large enterprises are increasingly running applications that demand the storage and real time transfer of massive amounts of data. Such applications require high bandwidth and low latency in order to meet current operational business needs and disaster recovery time objectives. Critical enterprise data is synchronously mirrored between two geographically diverse datacenters, typically at least 60 to 100 kilometers apart, to ensure that no data will be lost if disaster should strike. This paper will explore complementary technologies to Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) in order to address current datacenter challenges specific to business continuity and security in light of the potential for equipment failure, fiber cuts, floods, fire, or massive power grid blackouts, as well as denial of service and terrorist attacks. These include intrusion detection on the optical fiber path, line speed encryption, and multiple mechanisms to address the potential for major outages. The combination of these technologies mitigates the risks present to critical datacenter infrastructure. © 2012 Alcatel-Lucent.