Modern businesses rely on data for the majority of their processes. Sales, marketing, material sourcing, and even basic office communications all depend on the internal and external transmission of information. Many of the technologies driving these transmissions have moved to wireless options over the past few years. However, structured data and communications cabling installations remain at the heart of solid business communications.
If your business is about to have structured cabling systems installed, here are five key things you should consider.
1. How Much Data do You Need to Transmit?
One of the most critical and hardest choices your business needs to make is to determine the bandwidth you will need. Determining today’s requirements may be straightforward, but planning ahead requires a clear idea of where the company is headed.
If the future growth and success of your business depend on the ability to transmit huge amounts of data, you need to choose a bandwidth that will support that. As recently as a decade ago, few businesses and individual could have imagined how much of our daily lives requires data. Consider the requirements you can imagine today but leave room for expansion.
2. Where Should the Cables be Placed?
Outdoor cables are often more aesthetically pleasing, but indoor installations benefit from better protection from the elements. Saying that, indoor cables could be unsightly and damage the interior appeal of a building.
If you are opting for outdoor installations, consider direct burial in PVC. If there is a problem, this option prevents major digs to identify and resolve the issue.
3. Do you Need Locations for Different Cable Types?
Most businesses will need to identify a hub and several spokes for their structured cabling installation.
The main distribution frame, also known as MDF or hub, is the company’s main room for servers and routers, among other equipment. Independent distribution frames – or IDFs or spokes, for short – are more remote rooms that are connected to the MDF. Designing this structure well avoids weak signals in locations far away from a router, for example.
4. How Flexible is your Structured Cabling Installation?
Even with the best planning, your company’s needs will change. Does your structured cabling allow you to move installations to accommodate those changes? As a building owner, you need to be able to meet the needs of different tenants.
Understanding where the majority of desks, conference facilities, and even server rooms will be located has a strong impact on your installation.
5. Which Laws and Regulations do You Need to Consider?
Not all choices are yours. Depending on where your business is located, structured cabling installations may be subject to local or governmental regulations. Some of these rules depend on municipal power networks, for example.
Structured cabling installations help your business prepare for a successful future. To ensure the installation is successful, too, it is important to find an experienced and reliable structured cabling and IT solutions provider like TCI to work with. Your structured cabling partner should be able to tailor the installation to the company’s needs as well as help you find answers to some of the key considerations discussed here.
Contact our team today for more information.
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