Three Basics for Server Room Network Cabling Management

Disorganized cabling in the server room does not reflect well on your company. It happens to be also a safety hazard. Below are three basics for server room cabling management that will keep things tidy.

1. Dispose of Unused & Damaged Cables
   There may be bundles of ancient cables in your server room that were used for equipment that no longer exists or was replaced months or years ago. If cables are no longer needed, dispose of them. These outdated cables will clutter the workspace and make it difficult to make necessary changes or replacements.Due to storage limitations, cabling was piled on top of each other. After an extended amount of time this will damage cables at the bottom because of the weight. Crushed cables will result in signal degradation.
2. Labeling System
   The cabling in a server room will often undergo revisions, replacement, and transfer. Imagine you are a new IT staff member who is walking inside for the very first time and you have to trace a particular cable to a specific device.To save time and money, use a simple labeling system for your server room. As part of the best practices of structured cabling, each end of a cord should be labeled, no matter how short. This will ease the process of identification.

   IT staff can utilize color-coded labels to indicate the various kinds of equipment. For example, servers can have red labels, while routers use blue. A labeling system helps minimize downtime, saving money, because technicians can swiftly determine and replace the problem cable.

3. Minimize Long Cables
   Excessively long cables can be a safety hazard due to the possibility of IT staff tripping over them inside a server room. Technicians should identify which of the cables are too long. Each should then be replaced by a cable of proper length or shortened. There are also commercial solutions for organizing long cables so they are much less intrusive.

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.

Stu Kushner

Stu Kushner earned an Engineering Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. From there he worked at Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Hexcel Corporation and Case-Rixon as a computer design engineer and systems manager. He now works as the marketing director and project manager here at Progressive Office since its founding in 1986.

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