6 Reasons why your business needs structured cabling

September 27th, 2019 by admin

Cabling might not be the most glamorous area of IT, but no network can exist without it. Improper cable management can harm your business in various ways, such as by reducing performance or compromising workplace safety. That’s why there’s a lot of talk in the business computing world of structured cabling, a standardized service that ensures a fast and seamless experience across a wide range of complex environments. Structured cabling takes an organized and strategic approach to this fundamental component of networking infrastructure. Although it requires technical skills to implement such a system, it’s a lot more effective in larger and more complicated networks than conventional point-to-point cabling systems. By contrast, these simpler point-to-point solutions are better suited to smaller offices and data centers that don’t anticipate substantial growth in the near future.

#1. Increased workplace safety

Having cables and other infrastructure splayed out across the office floor is hardly desirable from a health and safety standpoint. In fact, trips and falls are often attributed to poor cabling, but they’re not the only risks you need to worry about. Tangled cables can, for example, lead to damage to equipment and, in the worst-case scenario, they’re a fire risk. Structured cabling increases workplace safety by keeping things tidy and the cables away from high-traffic areas.

#2. Greater ability to scale

Your ability to expand your network heavily depends on your existing cabling infrastructure. Poor cabling makes it much harder to scale on demand, since you can’t easily swap out cables and connect new devices. Structured cabling allows you to manage your resources better and enable quick transitions, which is now of utmost importance in a time when businesses face the constant need to adapt to the market.

#3. Reduced risk of downtime

When network cables are tangled or damaged, there’s a greater risk of unscheduled downtime. If that happens, you could end up with critical systems going offline and employees being unable to do their jobs. The cost of unplanned downtime is only getting higher too, hence the need for a proactive approach to keeping it at bay. Structured cabling reduces the risk of costly damage and downtime caused by an unorganized cabling infrastructure.

#4. Improved network performance

If your network’s performance isn’t up to scratch, despite you having a fast internet connection and relatively high-end computers, then there’s a good chance that the problem lies with the cabling. Poor cabling can cause performance bottlenecks, or lead to connections dropping intermittently. Structured cabling provides full visibility into your networking infrastructure so that you can identify and eliminate common issues like outdated cabling, incompatibilities between vendors, poor-quality patch cords, and improper installation.

#5. Easier maintenance

It’s much harder and more time-consuming to diagnose cabling problems when your data center consists of a mess of tangled cables with no proper structure. In fact, there’s a good chance of making the problem worse, such as by replacing the wrong cable or accidentally removing other cables. With communications forming the backbone of any modern business, you need to make your cabling infrastructure as easy to maintain as possible. With structured cabling, you can reduce confusion, since everything will be clearly labeled.

#6. Reduced costs

Structured cabling might cost more than basic point-to-point cabling initially, but the long-term savings can be substantial. These include direct savings from reduced maintenance or upgrade requirements and indirect ones, such as those associated with unscheduled downtime. This gives you better visibility into long-term costs. With dramatic reductions in troubleshooting time, structured cabling maximizes service availability and performance. CDS provides customers a three-fold guarantee when handling their office technology and network to ensure peace of mind and unparalleled performance that drives business growth. Call us today to find out more.