Structured Cabling: To Get It Right, You Need the Right Team

Structured Cabling: To Get It Right, You Need the Right Team

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Structured cabling (computer and telephone cabling) is one of the most unappreciated areas of technology investment. However, structured cabling is the foundation for all your technology and should be properly prioritized to yield the best results. If your cabling is not installed correctly, everything built upon it could suffer and reduce the financial and productivity benefits hoped for from your company’s investment in computers, software, servers, VoIP phones, and Cloud products.

Here are 4 recommendations on protecting your cabling investment.

  1. Get a Consultation.
  2. Every structured cabling installation is different. The cost and time for structured cabling installation is affected by the business requirements and environmental factors. The network demands, building space, location, etc., all need to be reviewed and considered. Not every team is experienced for all installations in any environment. More and more county and municipal governments are requiring licensed installers and inspections of the structured cabling once complete. Some installers don’t have the proper training or experience to allow your company to get the most out its investment. It’s important for installers to use the proper techniques for cable management, cable routing, and termination, with the proof of their efforts resulting in the ability to test each line with specially designed testing equipment, with a printed certification for each cable or jack installed. When consulting with an installer on a cabling project, you should be advised on every aspect of what you need, and what the cabling team you select can deliver.

  3. Know What You Need Now but Leave Room for The Future.
  4. If you only plan for what you need now when designing your structured cabling plant, you may come up short in the future, which may make for an expensive retrofit project later on. Structured cabling needs to be designed to support current needs, and your long-term goals to properly maximize the value of your investment. It is your installer’s responsibility to focus on your long-term return on investment (ROI). Structured cabling should be designed to support business needs for 10 to 15 years.

  5. Talk to Your Provider About Supplying Network Hardware.
  6. Compatibility is important between your cabling and your hardware to maximize network performance. Using low-grade hardware will probably get you by for a while. However, down the road, your company could start to experience substandard network performance, poor VoIP phone voice quality and sluggish internet speeds. Your structured cabling provider should be able to order the appropriate network hardware for your system.

  7. Work with a Structured Cabling provider who is BICSI certified.
  8. BICSI is the international association for cabling design and installation professionals. They are the industry leaders in training and cabling standards across all systems including, voice, data, IoT, ESS, and FLS, IP-enabled systems, data centers, for all transmission mediums, fiber optics, copper, or wireless. Holding a BICSI certification means that the installer is trained in all manner of infrastructure installation, design, and is up-to-date on safety and security.

Making the Decision

When you are working with a structured cabling installer, you want to make sure you are working with a professional who is licensed and insured. You need someone you can trust with your investment that will do the work correctly the first time, and can guaranty their work with printed test certifications. We encourage you to ask for references and certifications. Whoever you choose for your next structured cabling project, just know that your long-term investment will give you long-term results when you choose the right team.


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