THE OFFICIAL TRADE JOURNAL OF BICSI ICT TODAY
From BICSI’s Board President William "Bill" Foy, RCDD, DCDC, ESS, NTS, OSP, WD
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
ADVERTISER’S INDEX Sumitomo Electric.........Inside Front Cover McGard. ................................................... 13 MOLEX....................................................... 21 MaxCell..................................................... 39 AFL Global..................Outside Back Cover BICSI INFORMATION BICSI DCDC ® ............................................. 29 BICSI BEYOND 2026..................................55
BICSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board President : William "Bill" Foy, RCDD, DCDC, ESS, NTS, OSP, WD Immediate Past Board President : David M. Richards, RCDD, NTS, OSP, TECH, CT
Dear ICT Community,
redundancy, climate-hardened components, hybrid power backup, grid interaction, and the role of evolving standards and codes that support AI scale. You will also see how AI, AR, and VR can compress design and construction timelines, improve coordination, and enhance operations through digital twins and intelligent monitoring. Before closing, I want to thank David Richards for exemplary service as Board President. His steady leadership helped strengthen our standards, education, and community. On a personal note, I am grateful for the trust placed in me as the next board president, and I look forward to meeting many of you at upcoming BICSI events to hear how you are applying these practices in the field. I invite you to apply what you learn, compare notes with peers, and share outcomes. If you are ready to help shape guidance for the next wave of projects, please consider volunteering in one of BICSI’s impactful volunteer groups.
Welcome to this special issue of ICT Today focused on data centers and AI, including practical uses of AI, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) across ICT. This edition concentrates on what you can apply now, from early design through day- two operations, so projects deliver performance, reliability, and sustainability at scale. Inside, you will find guidance on building cluster-ready network fabrics, planning optical fiber links at 400G, 800G, and 1.6T, and managing cabling, pathways, and limited space as optical fiber counts rise and cabinets deepen. You will see how liquid cooling options, coordinated rack and pathway design, and careful placement of power conversion stages improve thermal performance and uptime. There is also practical coverage of Class 2 low-voltage and Class 4 fault-managed DC distribution that can reduce conversion stages, copper mass, and complexity while improving power usage effectiveness in both core facilities and edge environments. Because many AI workloads are moving outward, this issue addresses edge facilities and private wireless inside critical spaces. You will learn ways to layer indoor cellular with Wi-Fi, enable private 5G, and deploy AI sensing to strengthen safety, security, and workforce communications. Resilience and sustainability are central throughout. Expect frameworks for
Board Secretary : Luke Clawson, RCDD, RTPM, GROL, MBA Board Treasurer : James 'Jim' Walters, RCDD, DCDC, OSP, RTPM Board Director : William 'Joe' Fallon, RCDD, ESS Board Director : Daniel Hunter, RCDD Board Director : Miguelangel Ochoa Briceno, RCDD Board Director : Richard 'Shane' Ritter, RCDD, RTPM Board Director : Gilbert Romo Board Director : Mark Tarrance, RCDD, RTPM
Board Director : Jay Thompson, RCDD Board Director : Kristen Trbovich, RTPM Ex Officio : John H. Daniels, CNM, LFACHE, FHIMSS, CPHIMS – Chief Executive Officer
EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD Beatriz Bezos, RCDD, DCDC, ESS, NTS, OSP, PE, PMP Jonathan L. Jew F. Patrick Mahoney, RCDD, CDT PUBLISHER BICSI, Inc., 8610 Hidden River Pkwy., Tampa, FL 33637-1000 Phone: +1 813.979.1991 Web: bicsi.org EDITOR Dan Brown, icttodayeditor@bicsi.org
ICT TODAY NEEDS WRITERS ICT Today is BICSI’s premier publication for authoritative, vendor-neutral coverage and insight on next generation and emerging technologies, standards, trends, and applications in the global ICT community. Consider sharing your industry knowledge and expertise by becoming a contributing writer to this informative publication. Contact icttodayeditor@bicsi.org if you are interested in submitting an article.
With appreciation for your leadership,
PUBLICATION STAFF Clarke Hammersley, Consultant Editor Jeff Giarrizzo, Senior Technical Editor Laureen Young, Senior Technical Editor
ADVERTISING SALES +1 813.979.1991 or cnalls@bicsi.org
William "Bill" Foy, RCDD, DCDC, ESS, NTS, OSP, WD BICSI Board President Senior Project Manager Faith Group, LLC
Allen Dean, Manager, Standards and Publications Operations Mark "Line" Cansino, Senior Creative Designer & Project Manager Landon Carter, Communications Coordinator
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ICT TODAY
January/February/March 2026
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