The Importance of Thermal Management in the Network

Maximizing network uptime while reducing costs can be a challenging balance. With so many potential points of failure in a network, it’s impossible to guarantee 100% uptime, 24/7. While Universal Air Filter can’t protect all aspects of your network infrastructure, our filtration solutions are an essential — and often overlooked — protection layer for your routers, switches and other air-cooled equipment.

For UAF, thermal management in the network comes down to a few key components: 

• Fit: Filters need to be built to exacting specifications for all equipment types/brands/models
• Media: Different networks and components have distinctly different thermal management needs in terms of build and material
• Servicing: Disciplined filter replacement scheduling is essential for maintaining maximum equipment performance while minimizing operating costs

Put simply, if you’re using filters that aren’t built to exacting specifications and you aren’t maintaining and replacing them at the proper interval, your risk of equipment failure is exponentially higher. That means potentially longer offline service cycles, higher operating costs and decreased network reliability — bad for business and bad for your consumers. Regularly changing your network equipment filters can help control for these, in addition to reducing your energy costs and mitigating the risk of fire.

Where Can UAF Help?

UAF has been delivering thermal management solutions around the world since 1959. We work with some of the largest, best known, and most trusted carriers in the world, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others to partner on the identification of the filters needed in their equipment, and delivering them to the appropriate locations on an agreed-upon cadence. UAF can even change out your filters for you! You’ll find UAF equipment protection solutions across the electronic stacks of data centers, hospital networks, power gen facilities, transportation systems and anywhere else where network uptime is essential to company operations. Because of our track record of engineering expertise and customer service, UAF designs and manufactures protection solutions for all major OEMs including Cisco, Ciena, Nortel, Juniper, Tellabs, Alcatel-Lucent, Adtran, Ericsson, Motorola, Sonus, Sun Microsystems, Dell, Genband and others.

NEBS Compliance and Network Communications

The NEBS standard was designed to ensure maximum network reliability in the telecommunications industry. Air filtration is included in the standard with regards to flame safety and keeping electronics free from airborne contaminants. UAF is the only Telcordia-certified filter manufacturer that meets NEB’s exacting standards.