Whether the setting is the data center in general, or multi-tenant data centers (MTDCs) in particular, most any conversation regarding the future typically begins with network flexibility and speed of service—the overarching themes that define success. Within those themes is a range of more qualitative questions: Where is the edge? What are the storage and compute requirements in that area? What are the customer and application requirements?

As more activity is pushed to “the edge” (to be defined in a moment), the entire network ecosystem is having to adapt. We know, with some certainty, the unique strengths of edge-based devices and core data centers. Much less certain is the role MTDCs will play in this high-reliability, low-latency environment.

In this paper, we examine what CommScope believes to be the MTDC’s “Goldilocks zone,” the diverse requirements that must be addressed, and how MTDC network managers can prepare to take advantage of the opportunity.