Importing and exporting electronics globally requires expertise in both trade compliance laws and document management. The laws governing international trade are intricate and complex. Misinterpreting the regulations or failing to comply with the established trade protocol can cause serious delays in on-time delivery of product. The array of checks and balances between recipients, exporters, and regulatory agencies is complicated, and a company’s success in delivering product in a timely manner depends directly on its ability to navigate the maze without violating laws or trade rules.

The import and export of electronic products is even more complicated because they fall under the description of ‘dual-use’ items as defined by the Export Administration Regulations Act, which means they have the potential to be used for either military or civilian purposes. Since such items have the potential to affect the national security of the United States and its allies, they need to be reviewed for proper classification and licensure, and the end-users need to be screened to verify the products exported are used for their intended purposes. The Department of Commerce routinely sends Export Control Officers to foreign countries to confirm product destination. Violation of these policies can result in fines up to $1 million and 20 years of prison time for serious offenders, and suspension of exporting privileges either temporarily or permanently. These laws apply not only to durable electronic goods, but also to sensitive services and technology products.

If you are not fully aware of, and compliant with, the rules set forth in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Export Administration Regulations among others, then you need an experienced partner to navigate the details. UNICOM Engineering’s Trade Compliance Services Team maintains a formal trade compliance practice, staffed by experts dedicated to satisfying the requirements of all agencies that control international trade, including the Office of Foreign Asset Control, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of State, to name a few. We are up to date on the trade sanctions levied by the Office of Foreign Asset Control. In addition, UNICOM Engineering also understands the guidelines and expectations set forth by the World Trade Organization. We generate all of the necessary documentation and submit filings on behalf of our customers to abide by all international trade regulations, and we coordinate pre-shipment inspections, work with brokers to expedite clearance at customs, and pre-build compliance processes to ensure sure the shipments get to their final destination.

UNICOM Engineering helps companies mitigate the risks typically associated with the worldwide shipment of electronic goods by providing a reliable and affordable management program without the need for third-party oversight or support. In fact, we can handle the entire exporting process from point-of-origin to the end-user’s facility. If your organization can benefit from these services, visit www.unicomengineering.com or contact our team at (800) 977-1010. You can also visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Data Center

As a leading provider of server appliances, data center hardware, and applications, UNICOM Engineering has a keen interest in trends involving data center utilization and capacity. A recently completed study by the research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that the total number of data centers in the U.S. will decline from a current level of 2.94 million to 2.89 million in the next four years. UNICOM Engineering has investigated this claim and believes that the IDC projections are correct based on the following facts and trends concerning data centers and their usage (reported by IDC and others), however, there are other variables that factor into the evolution of this recent trend:

• Although the actual number of data centers is decreasing, the space occupied by data centers is projected to increase from the current level of 611 million square feet to over 700 million square feet during the same time period, according to IDC. UNICOM Engineering believes this is due in large part to the ever-increasing number of service providers, particularly cloud-service providers offering infrastructure-as-a-service. These providers are building high-capacity mega-centers to replace smaller, underutilized capacity at remote locations.  IDC projects that, by 2016, over 25 percent of all storage capacity will be owned and operated by service providers.

• The technology of CPU micro-architecture design is rapidly evolving, allowing more computing in a smaller footprint. Current architecture allows for up to 16 cores in some processors, a number that will continue to increase with time, along with the corresponding number of compute nodes provided for processing. UNICOM Engineering also notes that data storage technology is moving from traditional hard disk-and-tape storage systems to solid-state drives, a trend that is also reducing footprint size of servers and other data center hardware.

• Enterprises are moving business-critical applications to larger, centralized data centers, reducing or eliminating entirely the need for peripheral or satellite data centers. These data-intense applications are much better handled in large, centralized locations to reduce latency.

• Economic realities are driving businesses and providers alike to look for methods to consolidate servers and thus reduce the cost of storage per terabyte. Because a data center requires operations and maintenance staff to be available continuously, reducing the overall number of data centers reduces this overhead.  In addition, electricity for power and cooling needs as well as UPS demands are substantially diminished as the size of the data center grows. And we believe the use of High Voltage 380VDC in the Data Center will further reduce the footprint needed.

UNICOM Engineering is a leading provider of application platforms, deployment solutions and lifecycle support services for software technology developers and OEMs worldwide. For more information about how UNICOM Engineering can assist your company with global support services, visit UNICOMengineering.com or contact our team at (800) 977-1010.