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STRUCTURED DATA CABLING – BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE.

04 Jul 17

By Simon Debenham

STRUCTURED DATA CABLING – BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE.

With the completion of the World Trade Center and Mid-town developments on the horizon, SDC’s Simon Debenham suggests that if businesses are thinking about relocating their offices, then now is also a good time for them to plan to build a solid foundation for their new network infrastructure.

“Your network needs to have the capacity to keep up with the demands you will put on it, both now and in the future. You should be looking at building a network foundation that will allow for growth and movement when you need it. Your network also needs to perform to its full capacity in the transfer of your data to ensure your business operates correctly.” Making the right structured cabling choices at the beginning of a project will save a lot of management headaches later on down the line and provide your business with a good network foundation to build upon.

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TECHNOLOGIES

Copper and fibre technologies have come a long way and choosing the right specification of cable, manufacturer and installer is essential. As a company, we find ourselves now installing Cat6a & Fibre in Data Centres around Gibraltar. However, we find for many offices, Cat5e and Cat6 are, in most cases still more than sufficient to run Gigabit Ethernet and current POE applications such as phones and cameras. Cat5e does support Gigabit Ethernet, but for extra margin and higher performance Cat6 is the recommendation. If a project requires a 10 Gigabit Ethernet connection, then Cat6A or higher is suggested.

NETWORK PERFORMANCE

Just as important as choosing the right category cable, is ensuring that your network will perform correctly. Transferring data accurately over your network relies on link performance –‘the cable/component’s ability to transfer a signal while retaining its original information content’. Link performance is measured during testing through ‘headroom’, and headroom is affected by 4 factors; the quality of components used, cable length, cable handling during installation and termination quality. Therefore the better the quality of materials and the better the installer– the better your network will perform.

WITH THIS IN MIND, WE RECOMMEND THAT BUSINESSES CHOOSE THEIR CABLING COMPONENTS AND INSTALLERS CAREFULLY.

Choosing quality cabling components is relatively straight forward –good branded, manufactured products adhere to the international standards of ISO 11801 & TIA 568 C and these parameters make sure that components support the desired network performance levels. (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, etc). A good data installation company should be able to offer a choice of branded manufacturer products suitable for different budgets and requirements.
Choosing quality workmen is not as easy, but just as essential especially when you work with high performance networks such as 10Gigabit. New, shiny offices are great, but your business is reliant upon a high performing network, and you won’t get this if it has been installed badly with cheap unbranded components and unqualified engineers. The quality of your links rely upon the skill and good workmanship of the installation engineers. Data cables if run in or terminated badly will have low headroom or failures on the link tests which will negatively impact your network performance (and your investment). 

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR.

If you are considering a new office, then look to involve a qualified, experienced data installation company early on in the planning stage to assist with decisions regarding, cable specifications, cable routing, containment and termination points.
Make sure you choose an installation company that will provide Certification Testing for 100% of the installed network (and not just Continuity Testing). Choose Manufacturer Approved Installers who will follow installation guidelines and provide network test results with high level pass rates – ensuring manufacturers can provide warranties on your system.
As in other industries, do your research. Ask to see credentials, qualifications, Public Liability Insurance and a portfolio of local projects/references with high network pass rates. Structured Data cabling is something you only need to do once. It’s always worth doing it properly and getting the right team in.
If you are considering a new office or relocating your office or Data Centre, Structured Data Cabling (S.D.C) Installations are available for advice and free quotations. 

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