The Benefits of a NetX Structured Cabling System – Part Two
Structured cabling systems can be optimized to make ongoing changes to configuration planned today and respond to future technologies. Some example recommendations that should be made during construction planning are:
• Placing telecommunications IDFs in central locations in the office space to enable clean cable management.
• Telecommunications rooms: MDFs, IDFs and ER should be designed with a 20% to 30% expansion capacity to accommodate future equipment additions.
• Planning for future equipment acquisition and business growth in facilities during renovation facilitates efficient future cable installation.
• Ensure that a high-performance cabling infrastructure system is selected – capable of supporting a variety of communications needs, including voice, data, video, electronic security, and building control. At a minimum, Category 5e cable should be installed. Category 6e and fiber optic cables provide the best ROI because they provide the ability to meet both current and future network communication performance requirements.
• When selecting a structured cabling system it is beneficial to get a performance certification that will cover the network’s actual delivery rather than simply the installation of specific products. Such a certification on a cabling infrastructure guarantees that a system installed today will perform at or above industry standards. It also ensures that new applications defined for the installation will work.
• The communications system should be designed by a competent authority; an authority who has extensive experience in cabling infrastructure. Equipment needs to be located in such a way as to facilitate cost effective cable management as well as the efficient future expansion. It also shortens cable runs, which translates into cost savings up front.
An effective cabling system design coupled with an industry standard installation from Tier 1 IP increases your ROI, minimizes changes, and reduces your IT administrators’ need to spend time testing, troubleshooting, or replacing the cabling system. During the commercial construction planning stages of a new data center, office building, or tenant improvement project, it is crucial to spend time anticipating future needs and allow for expansion and technology upgrades in a copper or fiber optic cabling infrastructure.
This will result in a structured cabling infrastructure that remain productive for many years, reducing unplanned expenses over time, and providing the building occupants with access to high-performance, cutting-edge telecommunications solutions. A structured cabling systems that will maintain its ability to deliver quick and reliable voice and data communications will contribute to low cost and competitive advantage.
The Benefits of a NetX Structured Cabling System – Part One
Planning an implementation of a high-performing, certified, structured cable system installed in accordance with industry standards will allow your networking equipment and computer systems to perform to their potential. Structured cabling systems are the core communications medium of your business. They will keep your business processes operating and producing across multiple functional units of your organization. It is unwise for business decision makers to compromise on performance or quality of their structured cabling system to save a few dollars. Doing so will almost certainly cost more money over the long term because of slow-time and down-time leading to the need to troubleshoot, test, repair, or replace components of an under-designed and under-performing structured cabling system.
A structured cabling system not only services the space your business occupies but also the whole building. It must contain entrance facilities which refer to the building interfaces along with the equipment rooms that store equipment (servers, routers, switches, security systems, telecom equipment, phone systems, etc.) used to serve users connecting to the cabling system. The telecommunication rooms, or closets, house mission-critical equipment and serve as a connection point to two cabling subsystems – the backbone cabling and the horizontal cabling. These two elements tie the system together with the horizontal cabling connecting the telecommunication equipment to the workstation outlets. The work-area components connect the end-user equipment to the outlets coming from the horizontal cabling system. All these components must be of high quality, properly installed and certified according to industry standards and then maintained to ensure uninterrupted service.
Data center survey sees gaps in cyber terrorism readiness, government greening
The data center association AFCOM announced the results of its 2009/2010 Data Center Trends survey, offering perspective and insights on the major trends facing 436 commercial, government and college/university data centers throughout the world; with twenty percent of these facilities responsible for budgets of $10M plus.
The results show that the mainframe may be losing its place in worldwide data centers, as servers become more capable. Also significantly: cloud computing, despite the hype surrounding it, hasn’t pushed beyond 15 percent acceptance at this point. In comparison, 73 percent say they have implemented virtual processing.
The analysis also shows that data center managers need to develop more comprehensive cyber terrorism policies, and get more aggressive in greening, particularly in government agencies where greening lags behind private industry. Finally, it’s time to decide where the mainframe is still viable and needed, and where high-end servers can do a more efficient job.
The survey re-iterates that greening of the data center is no longer just a concept – it is actually taking place, and on a large scale, with 71.3 percent of all respondents indicating they are actively engaged in greening initiatives at this time. And while 71.3 percent are, in fact, engaged in greening, only 42.2 percent have a “formal” greening initiative. According to respondents, the most important results they have experienced as a result of implementing green measures are in power efficiency, 60.8 percent report they are using less power and 51.4 percent have implement cooling efficiency strategies. In addition to power and cooling efficiencies, 11.5 percent also report a significant savings in water usage.
Abandoned Cable
Abandoned cable is defined in the National Electric Code (NEC) as “installed communications cable that is not terminated at both ends at a connector or other equipment and not identified “For Future Use” with a tag.”
The NEC includes rules intended to ensure safety during installation, use and/or disposal of materials, components, fixtures, and systems. The NEC is developed and revised every three years in the US by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the secretariat to the Code. A similar standard exist in Canada.
Cabling is the only combustible material allowed in the ceiling plenum, thus the changes were made to reduce the fuel and smoke load caused by an excess of unused cabling. The 2005 version of the NEC also reflected this provision.
Please visit the BOMA site that targets this issue buy clicking HERE.
Press Release From Belden
BELDEN 3600 PRE-TERMINATED “GREEN” CABLING SYSTEM REDUCES INSTALLATION TIME AND COSTS, PROVIDES RELIABLE CATEGORY 6 PERFORMANCE
Belden a world leader in the development of signal transmission products for the enterprise, industrial, building management, broadcast, and security markets, introduces the new Belden 3600 Pre-Terminated Cabling System. Belden’s eco-friendly Pre-Term Made Easy™ cabling solution delivers robust and reliable Category 6 performance, making it ideal for installation in data centers and office environments.
The 3600 Pre-Terminated Cabling System is easy and convenient to configure and install − it can reduce installation time and labor costs by as much as 90 percent. Since all system components are factory-tested, there is no need for the extensive testing and troubleshooting typically required in cabling installations.
In addition, this “green” system provides for plug-and-play installation and component reusability, resulting in lower cost and less waste. The system is fully supported under Belden’s IBDN 3600 Certification Program.
For the complete release see: http://www.belden.com/09News/092109pr.pdf
NetX can help you harness the full capacities of these technologies.
Cost Savings
Buildings supported by diverse systems such as automation, security, lighting or elevator monitoring can use separate communication cabling. These buildings will be more expensive to run because of the multiple pathways, communications closets and equipment rooms that are installed and commissioned by multiple contractors.
The preferred building system design includes the ability to communicate on a common communication platform or structured cabling plant. This engineered structured cabling plant allows several building systems, i.e.: IT, communications, security, lighting control and building automation to share a single IT infrastructure. Each system still can function in a secure, independent manner.
This strategy takes advantage of the fact that data communications for many systems share the same communication protocol, such as the TCP/IP standard (IEEE standard 802.3). Direct digital control panels that reside on local area networks can also connect to the Internet using static IP addresses. With building systems designed to integrate with others, efficient cabling systems are deployed, reducing initial installation costs and yearly maintenance. Buildings with extensive IT infrastructures, such as data centers and hospitals, reap the most savings from an integrated structured cabling plant.
From Structured Cabling Systems by The International Cabling Consortium
For more see: http://www.iecorg/online/tutorials/scs/topic01.asp
NetX is a Belden Certified System Vendor
What is a Belden IBDN CSV? A Belden IBDN Certified System Vendor (CSV) is an independent structured cabling contractor/integrator that has successfully completed the Belden IBDN CSV Training Program and has entered into a Belden IBDN CSV Agreement with Belden. CSVs who sell and install Belden IBDN Certified Systems in accordance with all applicable guidelines are authorized to offer a Belden 25-year Product Warranty and Belden’s Lifetime Application Assurance Program to their end-user customers.
White Paper from Belden
The Path to Convergence: Drivers, Challenges, and Solutions for the Enterprise
The future of enterprise networks is IP convergence where signal transmission for networking, A/V, and building management and security systems are merged over one common infrastructure using common protocols rather than deploying separate closed, proprietary solutions. Enterprises face many challenges as they embark on deploying IP convergence, and most are just starting down the path. Throughout the next decade, enterprise networks will therefore continue to contain various cabling media, requiring performance, service and support across all building operating systems while ensuring the scalability, low risk, and seamless integration needed to eventually deploy full IP convergence.
Please click HERE to view the complete white paper, supplied by Belden.
Press Release From Belden
BELDEN® UNVEILS NEW NETWORK CONNECTIVITY PRODUCTS TO IMPROVE DATA CENTER AND TELECOM PERFORMANCE AND OPTIMIZE FLOOR SPACE
Belden, a world leader in the development of signal transmission solutions for wired and wireless enterprise networks, as well as industrial, broadcast, residential and building management/security markets, has introduced three innovative connectivity products designed to improve performance and provide optimum versatility and flexibility in data center and network telecommunications applications.
For the complete release see: http://www.belden.com/pdfs/Pressrel/070108apr.pdf
NetX can help you harness the full capacities of these technologies.
