Optical taps allow network and storage engineers to gather valuable data analytics. As the need to monitor data becomes more prevalent, performance considerations for incorporating taps in the data center cabling infrastructure should be taken into account. Both insertion loss as well as system parameters such as bit error rate should be considered when evaluating tap performance. While there is an inherent power penalty associated with using a tap, the structured cabling can be designed to support bandwidth needs through the use of system models generated by standards committees. These models reveal the trade-off between power penalties and supportable distance at a given data rate. Using these models, along with consideration for design and performance of system components, system designers are able to successfully deploy optical taps for network monitoring.