Fiber Optic Cabling Company Atlanta GA Pittsburgh PA

Five New Approaches for Data Center Cabling – Part 1

4 Nov 2018

Fiber Optic Cabling Company Atlanta GA Pittsburgh PAOrganizations 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.

Office Cat6 Computer Network Cabling Pittsburgh PA

The Importance of Structured Cabling to Your Company

13 Oct 2018

Office Cat6 Computer Network Cabling Pittsburgh PAStructured cabling provides consistently high performance because of its proper design and installation, which also allows for expansion and flexibility. When designed and installed by expert technicians, a structured cabling system is composed of several components that communicate with each other. As a result, it performs with efficiency and reliability. In addition, cabling can be transferred, adjusted, and expanded with ease. The system is also future proofed, so the system can evolve with technology as the company grows.



Conventional vs. Structured Cabling


Running point to point, conventional cabling directly connects hardware by utilizing jumpers or patch cables. Differing in approach, structured cabling deploys a series of trunks or patch panels that connect to hardware. These patch panels then link to another patch panel within the Main Distribution Area (MDA), the nerve center of a structured cabling system. MACs (moves, additions, and changes) at the MDA can be accomplished with ease by using short patch cords.



Why Use Structured Cabling?


Providing a more secure, rapid, and efficient method for connecting an office, structured cabling utilizes compact and standardized patch panels connecting to the MDA. This permits easier revisions and additions. The superior organization of structured cabling lets teams address issues faster, resulting in less labor cost and downtime.


Structured cabling’s goal is a well-organized cabling system that results in rapid connections and a leaner server room. As a result, cabling requires less room and is tidier, permitting improved airflow. The regulation of temperature is optimized, which helps preserve sensitive server room equipment.



Advantages of Structured Cabling



  • Cable and port tracing performed faster

  • Decreased downtime due to improved cable organization

  • MACs eased because of improved MDA configuration

  • Reduction of cabling mass, increasing airflow and cooling

  • Speedier connections and easier troubleshooting

  • Tidier and better organized cabling


A transition to structured cabling will improve the aesthetics and organization of your company’s cable system. It will also help your team function with more speed, efficiency, and effectiveness.



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.

Structured Cabling Network Design Installation NYC NY

How Structured Cabling Can Improve Your Business

4 Oct 2018

structured cabling, network design, installation,wiringCorporations that have subsidiaries located in many countries worldwide, as well as a smaller company with a handful of departments and employees, need a well-designed network that connects all their computers, printers, servers, and more.


An improperly installed network can result in chaos for an entire organization as it expands. In contrast, a well-designed structured cabling system allows a network to function smoothly even when it is growing rapidly.


During this period of increasingly sophisticated technology, structured cabling is the right answer for building an efficient and cost-effective network. There are numerous companies around the world that specialize in installing structured cabling, but finding the right team for your company will require due diligence.


Many companies undergoing growth focus on revamping existing structured cabling to ensure an uninterrupted flow of an increasing volume of communications and data. They hire a team of specialists who provide guidance on the cabling that will be ideal for their new infrastructure.


Designing and planning a new network revolves around implementing structured cabling solutions that will help a company meet its business needs. There are a handful of basic guidelines for the installation as summarized below:




  • Ethernet cable for office buildings, data centers, call centers, small offices, and warehouses

  • Fiber cable, multi-mode and single mode, for long distance calls and interactions that are free of interference

  • Telco-level network wiring, patch panels, and jacks


In the case of a small office, a brand new space yet to be wired, an existing site undergoing remodeling, or a skyscraper filled with office suites, installing well-designed structured cabling that ensures an efficient and expandable network, is the key to success for the great majority of businesses. Properly installed structured cabling helps ensure the rapid and continuous flow of data, the most valuable asset of a modern company.



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.

Structured-Cabling,Data Cabling

Network Design Principles – Part 2

30 Sep 2018

Reliable & Manageable Scaling


Structured-Cabling,Data CablingScalability is a crucial characteristic that must be considered by network designers.


In addition, a network should also be reliable and manageable, which promote stability.  A network may be capable of expanding to several thousand routers. However, if there is a failure of some sort that causes instability due to greater processing and CPU usage required to compensate, the design won’t be successful.


A scalable network that is a challenge to manage or troubleshoot is also unacceptable.


Network problems that arise would take an excessive amount of time to address and repair, negatively impacting an organization’s business goals of the organization.


Thus, a scalable design must provide a manageable and reliable network.


Combining scalability, reliability, and manageability as the qualities of a network is a challenge. As a network expands, it becomes more complex, making management, maintenance, and repair more difficult.



Fault Isolation & Simplicity


Providing fault isolation boundaries creates fail-stop behavior for the wanted fault model. Fail-stop prevents faulty behavior from propagating past a fault isolation boundary. Effective network design must prevent a failure in one domain from spreading to other domains within a network. This is essential for the avoidance of unneeded processing and delays throughout the whole network because of a device or link failure. In addition, this will result in a converging network that has more stability, reliability, and speed.


The above concept also promotes simplicity as a network architecture characteristic, which decreases complexity in operations. Typically, fault isolation stops the propagation of network fault information across several domains or network areas. This will lead to greater network stability and the minimization of recovery time after failures.


The negative consequences due to a failure of a link or network node may spread to all devices across a network, resulting in a large volume of unneeded processing. A properly designed network using the Fault Domains Principle with its logical separation will limit the negative impact to within one fault domain.



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.

Structured Cabling,,Office Cabling.connectors

How Improper Cabling Causes Network Issues – Part 2

12 Sep 2018

Structured Cabling Office Cabling Atlanta GAAs discussed in Part 1, the performance issues of your company’s network may be directly related to improper cabling. Part 2 will discuss Compatibility, Patch Cords, and Poor Installation.



Compatibility


Issues occasionally arise when coupling cabling and connectivity from various manufacturers. The use of jacks from one manufacturer with cabling from another, and then patch panels from a third firm is an example. This combination may result in compatibility problems. When components that are not intended by design to function together are used, network performance issues will likely result.


Purchasing top of the line high-performance cables, while utilizing lower-quality connectivity components, will produce a weak link in the chain. Cable of the highest quality will be unable to attain its full performance potential when it is married to jacks, patch panels, and plugs that are not rated to support its capabilities.



Patch Cords


Patch cords may be the top reason why there are issues in network performance.


Your company may have installed a high performance cabling infrastructure of the highest quality, but if low-quality patch cords were purchased to economize, network speed, signal quality, and overall performance will be compromised.



Poor Installation


Vetting the cabling services team you hire is perhaps the most important factor in the prevention of network performance issues. Check that the company you are considering has technicians that are properly trained and certified to install the cabling system you have chosen.


When cable installers are not properly trained, it will greatly increase the probability that your company’s structured cabling system will not be properly installed. Incompetent installation can result in problems such as improper pulling, excessive bending, and cable being installed too near sources of signal interference like large motors and machinery.


Poorly trained technicians will leave cabling that is not properly terminated or correctly polished. Sloppy work and insufficient attention to detail during installation will usually result in poor network performance, along with costly and time-consuming efforts to address the problems the substandard work caused.



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.

Data Cabling,Structured Cabling,Washington DC

How Improper Cabling Causes Network Issues – Part 1

5 Sep 2018

Data Cabling Structured Cabling Washington DCYour employees are dissatisfied by their company’s network performance, and it is affecting their productivity. A number of factors must be taken into consideration. How many users are attempting to use resources simultaneously? Have you taken into account how much the use of devices has grown? Is your network equipment sufficient to meet demand? Answering the above questions will help, but network issues may be directly related to your company’s structured cabling.



Outdated Cabling


In many instances, the age of your structured cabling system may be responsible for poor network performance. 15-year-old cabling may have met standards when it was installed, but now it may be unable to handle the ever increasing network traffic needs of your company.


An internet service provider (ISP) provides the cable that provides the connection from your company’s network to the internet. When this backbone component fails to meet today’s bandwidth standards, bottlenecks may occur.


In situations where you are attempting to operate at speeds that are too high or carry excessive bandwidth via a cable that not rated for the capacity, it will be noticeable to users and their productivity will decline, hampering business operations.



Quality of Cabling


Cabling manufacturers rate their cables in terms of capability and performance. For example, CAT6 and CAT6a cabling have different capabilities, CAT being an abbreviation for category. A manufacturer must meet the performance standards set by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) for each category of cabling.


Cabling that exceeds minimum standards will attain higher network speeds without having to upgrade your cabling. In contrast, for cabling that only meets the minimum standards, the company network speed will be unable to expand much beyond the rating of the cable.


It is helpful to understand cable standards and ratings. Even though a cable is labeled Category 6A, it is not automatic that it meets the minimum performance standards of this category. The brand name and manufacturing quality will play a big role in the cable’s output.


Part 2 will discuss Compatibility, Patch Cords, and Poor Installation.



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., Atlanta, Pittsburgh 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.


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Office Cabling ,Network Cabling

Planning – Network Design Requirements

5 Aug 2018

Office Cabling ,Network CablingAfter receiving the requirements for a network, it is common for designers to prioritize their implementation and integrate them into the format of the design. Occasionally, they initially rely on best practices, instead of focusing on planning. This is unfortunate because the planning process often leads to discovering multiple viable design solutions.


Designers should first make business-centric decisions determining either the solution or design that supports the company’s objectives or strategy. Although it is advisable to follow best practices for network design, reliance on them is more typical on occasions when a network is being designed from the ground up, which is usually not the case for large service providers and enterprises.


Let’s consider optimizing office buildings as a comparison. The standard procedure for civil engineers and architects is to perform an evaluation of a building by identifying existing problems, understanding the organization’s goals, and gathering business requirements. Afterwards, they begin optimizing the office building’s existing features. As examples, this may involve replacing the elevators or expanding the lobby.


The above is similar to the procedure for revamping network design. There will always be faulty designs that were poorly planned. Sometimes they are unable to scale, or adopt emerging technologies, or adapt to changing business conditions. Thus, designers must first make a comprehensive study of the existing business problems, IT requirements, and network design. Next, they should develop solutions that will optimize the present architecture. This may entail redesigning several components of the network. It can also require the addition of a new data center.


In order to choose the correct design choices and technologies, network designers must gather the necessary information that will allow them to make a sound analysis during the planning stage. This also lets them correctly determine the new requirements that will support the company’s business goals. At this point, network designers typically utilize the decision tree and the decision matrix for easing and simplifying the process.



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.

voip-phone, Network Cabling, Data Cabling

Constraints of Network Design

17 Jul 2018

voip-phone, Network Cabling, Data CablingThe constraints of network design are existing factors that cannot be altered, often impacting architecture and functional requirements. These constraints can have a significant effect on network design and must be taken into account. Below are the most familiar design constraints that must be addressed by a network designer.



Cost


Cost is certainly a limiting factor that must always be considered during the design process.



Experienced & Expensive Staff


In order to quickly adapt to new technology, a company may decide to hire technical employees who are expert in the new technologies, but cost more in salary. The greater operational costs for their expertise may exceed the benefits from the decreased TCO (total cost of ownership) derived from the latest technology.



Expertise of Staff


It may be the case that the most efficient, cost-saving design with state-of-the-art technology was presented by the network design team. However, the current staff may not have the experience or know-how to implement this new technology.



Infrastructure Equipment


In cases where an organization has not planned how to replace legacy network devices, the situation can lead to severe limitations on network design. This is quite apparent when new protocols and features cannot be supported.



Location


This is a difficult kind of constraint because location involves limitations that have an indirect effect on design. To illustrate, a rural site might be in a region where fiber infrastructure is not present and wireless is the only connectivity.



Staff Training


Due to the lack of experience of technical staff in a newer technology, issues may take longer to detect and repair until they are adequately trained. This will lead to longer downtimes that render a data center nonfunctional, resulting in business losses.



Time


When choosing an architecture or technology, time becomes a constraint when the time frame plays a part in remaining on schedule for the completion of the project.



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.

Data Cabling ,Cat5e ,Cat6/6a ,Cabling ,Structured Cabling

Creating the Requirements of Network Design

5 Jul 2018

Data Cabling ,Cat5e ,Cat6/6a ,Cabling ,Structured CablingVarious requirements that are skillfully combined during the implementation phase can result in a desired network design that helps attain a company’s business goals. Below is a classification of requirements for an organization. Some may be directly provided by the network design team while others may be determined from the goals or requirements of the company.



Business Goals



  • Decreasing operational costs

  • Expanding business via additional remote sites

  • Increasing staff productivity


Business Requirements



  • Decrease expenses for the maintenance of multiple voice & data networks

  • Provide support for expanding business via additional remote sites

  • Raise staff productivity by improving internal communications via mobile and video devices, while safeguarding company security


Functional Requirements



  • Ability to introduce and support new remote sites to the network without redesign

  • Infrastructure supporting data, video, voice, and wireless in a unified manner

  • Isolation of guest and employee wired and wireless traffic to comply with standard company security policy


Application Requirements


When an organization plans to add video and VoIP capability to their network, particular application requirements must be met. In such instances, the network design must be capable of providing sufficient network availability, efficiency, and performance for these two new features to support business goals.



Technical Requirements


In order to attain the above example’s functional and application requirements in consideration of the company’s business goals, the network design must have the following features:


High Availability – Raise the level of high availability in order to support traffic crucial to business, such as data and voice.


Quality of Service (QoS) – User experience can be greatly improved through the introduction of QoS in order to attain excellent voice and video services.


Scalability – Implement scalable network (WAN) design for supporting growth of business projected for the coming 12 months.


Security – Network security must be optimized when new features such as voice and Wi-Fi security are added.


Traffic Isolation – Provide traffic isolation to meet information security requirements.



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.