What You Should Expect From a Structured Cabling Provider
The Basics of Backbone Cabling for Enterprises
Structured Cabling Fundamentals for Businesses – Part 2
10 Trending Reasons for Upgrading Network Cabling
Expert professional providers of network cabling are attuned to the current trends regarding the needs of their customers. They have noted that their clients are becoming increasingly motivated to upgrade network cabling because of the rapid growth of data and its business usage. The following is a list of their 10 trending reasons for upgrading network cabling in 2019.
- Access Control & Time and Attendance – Increasingly, these two systems are network connected. The ability to monitor people on premises from a central location enhances safety and security.
- CCTV Upgrades – IP CCTV systems are becoming the standard, and are connected to a network to allow both internal and external communications.
- Consolidation – Transferring staff or networked machinery from several facilities to one location may require more network outlets.
- Display Screens – Efficiently distributing informational video to staff, clients, customers, and partners will mean display screens require network connectivity.
- Expansion – May result in a growing number of employees or networked machinery, requiring more network outlets.
- Inventory Control – Stock management is usually performed with barcode scanners connected to servers via Wi-Fi. Thus, wireless access points require connectivity to network outlets.
- Reliability & Performance Problems – Improper installation of existing cabling systems may require a comprehensive network upgrade supported by documentation or certification to cope with the exponential growth of data and to remain competitive.
- SIP Phone System Upgrade – More network outlets are usually necessary to provide connectivity to the new phones. Frequently, savings from the SIP installation can cover the infrastructure upgrade costs.
- Tooling & Machinery Upgrades – New plant equipment will typically be “smart” and require network connectivity, which may require more network outlets in close proximity.
- Wi-Fi Upgrade – The rapid growth of wireless devices for business use will require faster Wi-Fi with improved coverage. More wireless access points will be necessary.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, Progressive teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
Three Most Important Reasons for a Network Upgrade
Businesses continually are finding their networks to be growing in importance. As a result, some companies are finding that an upgrade for their older networks will be necessary in order to meet current and future demands. This article will discuss the three most important reasons for performing a network upgrade
Performance
Perhaps the most efficient way to improve a network’s performance is the improvement of LAN performance. Sound architecture will revolve around the deployment of 100-Megabit or Gigabit Ethernet switches with VLAN and Layer 3 capabilities. These network devices are emerging technologies that will be very important for network components like VoIP, which require a greater standard of performance.
Unlike the past, future networks will not be plug-and-play. Both latency and switching performance are increasingly growing in importance. As a greater number of features become layered upon the IP network, teams will find it more crucial to deploy switches and a network core that is capable of support.
Reliability
As organizations begin utilizing unified and multimedia communications over IP, including phones, video, and IM, the reliability of Internet connection from a top-performing, high-quality router will be essential. Its default settings can be later adjusted and fine-tuned to effectively control a company’s traffic to the Internet.
Security
As traffic will be carried over the same pipe and becoming increasingly unified, ensuring your organization has a dedicated firewall will become increasingly important. There are numerous network devices that are available in the market that feature an integrated firewall and router. However, a proven and sound practice that is gaining traction is acquiring a Cisco PIX or other firewall to focus on a specific purpose. In this kind of deployment, the firewall can concentrate on processing various types of traffic and the growing number of cyber threats that are coming over the network.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, Progressive teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
Guide to Proper Cable Management at Your Business
Most companies depend on cabling for data and electricity, but its management is often overlooked. However, safety, functionality and organization are important, no matter what type of business you have. The following will discuss how your company can benefit from proper cable management.
Safety
Management is responsible for ensuring that their facilities are up to code and their company areas are safe for customers and employees. Companies should deploy cable floor cord covers to prevent liability issues and to protect cables from crushing foot traffic.
Reduce Maintenance Time
Staff can reduce cabling maintenance time by being able to quickly and easily differentiate types of wiring. Otherwise precious time and labor costs are wasted in untangling and sorting through strands of cables. Best structured cabling practices call for properly classifying and labeling cables while consulting with professionals regarding proper implementation.
Conserve Resources
Proper cable management will give your workplace a tidier and organized appearance. A benefit from this practice is maximizing the service lives and performance of the cables of your network. If cables are piled up on the floor or left hanging behind racks, they are more vulnerable to being damaged. The introduction of an efficient and market-proven cable management system will allow you to conserve financial resources and delay the replacement of network cables by extending their lifespan.
Clean Work Environment
One aspect of proper cable management that is rarely discussed is the need to clean cables regularly. A clean work environment will not only be healthier and safer for employees, it will give your company an image of professionalism. Consult with an experienced cabling expert regarding highly-rated products in the market that will help to efficiently organize cables in your workplace so they can be easily cleaned.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, Progressive teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
Five New Approaches for Data Center Cabling – Part 2
As discussed in Part 1, a properly designed network infrastructure is a prerequisite for being able to adapt emerging technology and support crucial systems cost effectively. Part 2 will discuss Modular Design, Optimized Network Infrastructure, and Virtualization.
Modular Design
An approach that has recently gained traction is building new data centers capable of supporting the demand for excellent networking capability. Companies are increasingly participating during the construction phase by becoming more involved in decisions that help decrease costs. Specially designed and portable, modular data centers utilize engineered modules and components that offer the ability to scale and allow the creation of a converged infrastructure where necessary. Such modular designs are described as portable modular data centers or containerized data centers. Structured cabling is the foundation for every modular data center.
Optimized Network Infrastructure
According to data center providers, copper and fiber technology are sufficient for current networking infrastructure. However, there is a greater demand for more speed and streamlined connectivity for PCs, servers, and data storage. Optimizing data cabling is the method for achieving both. Optimized network infrastructure typically uses component standardization, including copper and fiber cabling, racks, and cabinets. Teamed with a physical-layer cable-management system, this approach results in a network that is both accessible and organized.
Virtualization
Research has found that more than half of small and medium-sized enterprises have their workloads running on virtual machines. In addition, more than 9 in 10 data center providers are now offering virtualization services to businesses. Proven to be scalable and cost-effective, virtualization technology is being commonly used for these four functions: desktop, server, network, and storage. As the popularity of IT infrastructure virtualization increases, ensuring that your organization has well-designed structured cabling will grow in importance.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, Progressive teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
Five New Approaches for Data Center Cabling – Part 1
Organizations and data centers have concluded that structured cabling provides a durable foundation for a sound and efficient network infrastructure. As a result, management teams are reconsidering their existing data cabling configurations. For example, organizations are thinking of transferring some or all of their IT systems to cloud-based data centers that utilize virtualization.
A properly designed network infrastructure is a prerequisite for being able to adapt emerging technology and support crucial systems cost effectively. Conventional cabling met network requirements in the past, but the growth of data and demand for speed are rapidly transforming what a business will need in the future.
New companies are planning their data center cabling structure well ahead of their first day of business to attain high efficiency, maximum utilization, and optimal provisioning. During the conception stage, data center architecture needs to address issues revolving around space, power, cooling, security, and costs.
Data transmission and storage, communications, power, and video should also be prioritized. However, monitoring, network security, system updates, backups, software support, and maintenance are also of great importance.
As you may be considering improving your company’s network, it may be helpful to keep in mind four new approaches for data center cabling discussed below.
Convergence
The concept of convergence has been applied to networking and data cabling. Functions for data, phone, and video are being offered on a single network by service providers. Introduced several years ago, the convergence approach is gaining in strength via structured cabling for data centers.
Applying this approach allows for greater cable density or minimizing cable usage, resulting in providing the proper network capacity for a particular architecture and delivering the advantages below:
- High density server racks and storage arrays reduce cable pathways for improved air flow.
- Input and output convergence offers simplified data cabling and greater design flexibility.
- Higher-density connectivity and higher-capacity cables provide improved performance.
Part 2 will discuss Modular Design, Optimized Network Infrastructure, and Virtualization.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, Progressive teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
Why Your Company Should Avoid CCA Cabling – Part 2
As discussed in Part 1, companies that have a limited budget for network infrastructure may end up buying copper clad aluminum (CCA) cabling to save money. Although marketed as a sufficient substitute for solid copper cabling, CCA cables are far from being the right answer for trimming budgets. Part 2 will continue discussing CCA cabling related issues and counterfeit copper cabling.
Shortened Cable Runs
As lengthier CCA cable runs approach the 100-meter maximum, there will be a decrease of signal strength in comparison to solid copper CAT5e cabling. Reduced signal strength can result in data loss because increased packets of data must be retransmitted.
Unsuitable for Power Over Ethernet (PoE)
Since CCA wires have a higher DC resistance (about 55% greater) than solid copper, its conductors may need to be 60% larger than solid copper to compensate. Without resistance compensation, the drop in voltage will be greater for any channel length.
Longer cable runs of 65 meters or more will surpass TIA’s channel DCR requirements, limiting the available voltage for the device. In addition, higher resistance will result in a faster buildup of radiant heat, which may damage the device.
How to Identify CCA Cabling
CCA wire is also much more brittle than solid copper wire. Identifying CCA is easy because all you need to find is the silver color of the tip of the conductor. Another way is scraping away the thin copper surface of the conductor to reveal the aluminum.
CCA cables also weigh much less than solid copper cables. Go to the CCCA website for the CableCheck™ mobile app (http://cccassoc.org/news/free-apps/), which provides the approximate correct box weights to help detect CCA conductors being used to fraudulently substitute for solid copper conductors.
When a CCA cable is labeled as a Category 5e, 6 or 6A cable or CMP or CMR rated, it is counterfeit cable. It will also be non-compliant with industry performance standards and will pose a hazard by being unable to pass UL fire safety testing.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients. Efficiently working together, Progressive teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.