Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) Data Center Upgrade

Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) is a global leader in offshore seismic data acquisition and processing for the oil and gas industry. Their work is inherently data-intensive — processing vast volumes of seismic information that E&P client teams around the world depend on to make critical exploration decisions. At the center of that operation is their Houston data center, which supports remote seismic processing and interpretation workflows that need to run efficiently, reliably, and without interruption. For a facility like this, infrastructure isn’t just an IT concern — it directly impacts project timelines and client outcomes. When the data center’s underlying cabling infrastructure started falling behind the demands of the business, PGS turned to NCS to modernize it.

Aging Infrastructure, Growing Demand

The facility was originally built in 2009 with a dual-infrastructure approach — Cat6a copper cabling and fiber optic cabling installed side by side. At the time, that made sense. Copper offered a proven, cost-effective standard for 10G connectivity, while fiber provided higher performance for bandwidth-intensive applications. Running both gave the facility flexibility from day one.

Over the years, however, that balance shifted significantly. As seismic processing workloads grew more demanding and network speeds evolved, fiber became the dominant medium across the data center. Copper utilization declined steadily until it sat at roughly 4% — a fraction of its original footprint. The copper infrastructure was still physically present, still occupying tray space, and still requiring management, but it was contributing almost nothing to the facility’s performance. That’s valuable real estate in a 112,000-square-foot data center, and PGS needed it back.

What NCS Did

NCS was brought in to perform a comprehensive structured cabling upgrade across the entire facility, with all labor 100% self-performed by our team. Working alongside CommScope as a technology partner, NCS developed and executed a modernization strategy built around three core objectives:

• Full removal of the underutilized copper infrastructure — Every run of legacy Cat6a copper was identified and removed, reclaiming physical space throughout the data center and eliminating the overhead of managing infrastructure that was no longer pulling its weight.
• Deployment of a fiber cassette infrastructure in the reclaimed space — With the copper cleared out, NCS installed a modern fiber cassette system that delivers higher density and faster speeds within the same physical footprint PGS already had. No expansion, no additional floor space — just more performance from the space they were already using.
• Implementation of a scalable MPO fiber architecture — The new infrastructure wasn’t designed just for today’s needs. It was engineered with a clear migration path from current 10G capabilities toward 100G+ speeds, positioning PGS to scale their network as processing demands continue to grow.

Built for What’s Next

One of the priorities throughout this project was making sure the infrastructure investment would hold up long-term. As PGS moves toward 100G networking, the new architecture is ready to support that transition without requiring another disruptive overhaul. The MPO fiber framework supports growth in two flexible ways:

• Cassette expansion for facilities that need to increase port counts as connectivity demands grow
• MPO adapter plate integration for maximum port density within the existing physical footprint

These options give PGS the ability to scale on their own timeline — whether that’s a near-term network upgrade or a longer-horizon expansion — without being locked into a single upgrade path.

The Outcome

The completed upgrade eliminates years of accumulated infrastructure inefficiency and replaces it with a lean, high-performance cabling environment purpose-built for fiber-first operations. PGS now has a data center infrastructure that matches the demands of their workloads today and is engineered to grow with the business over time.

This project reflects how NCS approaches data center work: understanding that the goal isn’t just to fix what’s broken, but to build something that actively supports where the business is headed. Combining detailed technical planning, a trusted partnership with CommScope, and fully self-performed installation, NCS delivered a modernization that will serve PGS well into the next generation of their network.