Predicting FCoE Adoption: Taking into Account the Human Factor

Not all new standards are created equal. While each must pass through various design, ratification, and adoption phases, some standards penetrate the market more quickly than others. Rate of success depends upon many factors, including how compelling the technology is, how quickly reliable hardware and its supporting software are widely available, and how decision makers view the emerging technology.

FCoE is clearly compelling. It promises to:

• Converge Ethernet networking and Fibre Channel storage through a single, unified fabric
• Increase performance while simplifying management complexity
• Extend the reach and capabilities of the SAN while protecting existing infrastructure investment
• Provide more computing power in a smaller footprint, meaning fewer servers, less cabling, and more efficient power consumption.

Reliable hardware and software are already available and, in some cases, already installed:

• Cisco’s 10 GbE Nexus 5000 series switches will allow users to enable FCoE through software once the relevant standards have been ratified
• Emulex, QLogic and others have converged network adapters (CNAs) that support FCoE
• Intel has announced FCoE support for its 10 GbE server adapters

Alas, as is commonly the case with emerging technologies, the most critical element affecting FCoE adoption will be how the market accepts it. The human perception of FCoE’s readiness, more so than its actual technical viability, is what will determine when FCoE goes live. Several factors hindering FCoE include:

• Fear. Uncertainty about the economy is a key driver for prompting network administrators to “play it safe”. But playing it safe is too frequently a euphemism for spending too on soon-to-be-legacy technologies. If the economy is facing a downturn, FCoE can bring significant cost savings when they are needed most. The companies that recognize this will fare any hard times the best.
• Fear. FCoE brings together networking and storage teams, organizations that typically have had to compete with each other for resources. Convergence may be viewed as impending obsolescence and a threat to job security. The very people who stand to gain the most from embracing FCoE may feel rather that they have the most to lose.
• Fear. FCoE is an emerging standard and, as with any new technology, it represents gain as well as risk. This type of fear is rooted in lack of familiarity. Risk always seems higher with those things we don’t yet understand. Expect long proof-of-concept trails before the skeptics are convinced this is ready for their data center.

Excellent process is being made in the design and deployment of reliable FCoE equipment. However, for FCoE to become one of the standards that reaches market faster than others, those companies invested in its success must take a firm hand in overcoming the fear that threatens to forestall its advantages. Clearly, counting on the industry to accept FCoE because it’s a good idea is not enough.

• What other fear factors threaten to delay FCoE?
• What can the industry as a whole do to address these fears?

Further Reading: Infostor – “The Promise of FCoE, the Reality of Adoption”