Structured Network Cabling

WE CREATE A UNIQUE STRUCTURED CABLING PLAN FOR EACH CLIENT.

Professional Structured Cabling

Structured cabling is the physical system that supports your network and overall connectivity within your business. It might exist behind the scenes of your work area, but it is crucial to your operations. 

This is why you need the services of Be Structured Technology Group Inc. 

We have the expertise and years of experience necessary to design your structured cabling system with your end goals in mind. This cabling is the backbone of your network—it includes all of the cables connecting your wired computers, switches, servers, routers, and other devices. 

Even if you have WiFi throughout your office, you still have a network of cables doing some work behind the scenes.

As your go-to Los Angeles IT support company, we provide your cabling infrastructure through a trusted third-party supplier. We partner with them because they are experts in implementing structured cabling solutions that create the best solution for you. 

Through this partnership, we will supply all of your fiber optic and copper cabling needs. 

We are well-versed in all of the appropriate cabling standards and how to design them to fit the functions of your workplace best. 

We know every company has their own unique needs, and we design all of our solutions specifically to meet those needs.

In many ways, structured cabling is similar to your network installation. 

Both of them are physical systems that are vital parts of your digital operations. They both need to be designed and built with your future in mind, and both of them can be completely planned out by Be Structured. 

We provide turnkey cabling solutions that our partners implement.

You may think that having a strategy really doesn’t matter when it comes to running cabling. However, without planning out where your cable drops will be or knowing how many connections you will need, you may find that you simply do not have the cabling structure needed. This can lead to some patch methods such as using more switches or routers, but those solutions aren’t optimal. 

Instead, you want to make certain that you always have enough network connections available so you can get the most out of your network without dealing with slow connections or work-arounds that may introduce vulnerabilities in your security.

Structured Cabling Is One Of Your Foundational Services

Be Structured delivers those qualities in all of our services.

A Superior Strategy

The bulk of your structured cabling is going to dwell in the background of a data center or the equipment rooms of your workplace. Most of your employees will never see these cables, and your customers certainly won’t. 

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need to be organized or should be allowed to tangle together. Instead, these rooms need to be laid out carefully with a planned approach. 

Maximizing these areas means designing a system that wastes no space. There are two predominant schools of thought when it comes to managing the telecommunication cabling in your data center:

• Point-to-Point: This system is exactly what it sounds like. It is a straightforward approach where cables are run directly in and out of the hardware that requires connection. However, while this is the traditional method and is what many people immediately think of doing, it’s also an inefficient strategy. It may often be the best way to get the most out of your space, but it also creates something that is like organized chaos. You have long cables running everywhere, and those cables may easily get damaged.
• Structured Cabling: Inside your data center or equipment room, there will be an array of patch panels and racks that are designed to create a port for hardware connections at the top of the server. The structured cabling strategy uses horizontal cabling (cables that run from your equipment room to each workstation or office) and backbone cabling (cables that run from the equipment room to other equipment rooms, other floors in the office, and the entrance facility) to complete an infrastructure that keeps your cords out of sight and creates easier access for maintenance. By combining horizontal and backbone cabling, the final design is efficiently laid out for upgrades and expansion later. It may take a little more space, but it also keeps everything tidy and organized so it is easier to find exactly what needs replaced during maintenance.

Of the two options, structured cabling is more complex. However, it offers a more professional appearance and allows technicians quicker access to problem areas in case of an issue. 

It’s worth dedicating a little more space to your equipment room upfront than to later find that your cables are crisscrossing everywhere and aren’t in any type of systematic order. This is especially true if you have a multi-level office that has several different equipment rooms and servers.

All of the cabling we install meets the international network cabling standards as outlined by ISO/IEC and the Telecommunications Industry Association.

Part Of A Structured Cabling Network

Your structured cabling network may contain a number of different parts, depending on how large your building and network is.

• Equipment rooms are where your servers, access points, and other main pieces of equipment are stored.
• Horizontal cabling that connects your individual workstations and areas. These cables may connect to a patch panel on each floor. That panel is then connected to the main equipment room.
• Backbone cabling connects the various floors, equipment rooms, telecommunications closets, and entrance facilities together.
• Telecommunications closets serve as the point on each floor where the backbone cable connects to a switch panel. Each of the horizontal cables on that floor connect to that patch panel.
• Entrance facilities are where the telecommunications company’s equipment ends and yours begin. This is where your network connects to the internet.
• Work areas are where each employee’s equipment connects to a horizontal cable.

We Are An IT Support Los Angeles Based Company That Avoids Common Structured Cabling Mistakes

We’ve been creating structured cabling strategies for years, and we understand some of the many common mistakes that can be made in creating these plans. 

If you’ve noticed that your network has some performance issues that you haven’t been able to track down, the problem could be coming from how your cables are run and laid out. Look for some of these common mistakes and, if you find any, call a local IT support company like Be Structured.

One of the most basic mistakes many people make is thinking of cables as being nothing more than another type of wire or connector. 

But ethernet and other networking cables are more than power cords in that they are the paths that your data takes to travel from one point to another. This can be from the server to an employee’s computer, to the switch, or to the internet. Without these cables, you have no network. 

Even if you’re mostly wireless, you still have cables connecting your WiFi access points to the router and other devices. Cables are the most vital part of your network, and it’s important to treat them as such. They need to be protected, not left where they can easily be stepped on or tripped over.

Another common mistake is failing to test your cabling system when it’s installed. 

Professional IT support companies won’t make this mistake—we test everything so you know it will work correctly. Your cabling installation is something that you likely won’t do again unless you move buildings, so it’s important that it’s done correctly the first time. This test needs to check every cable that’s been installed so that you don’t later discover that somewhere, one of your cables is damaged or otherwise isn’t functioning correctly. 

It’s much more difficult to find and replace these cables after you’ve completely moved into the building.

As you grow as a company, your equipment room is likely to see some additions. Unfortunately, this is where all of the carefully planned cable runs and equipment setup can become a mess. 

Extra patch panels and cables can quickly get out of hand, especially if no room is left for expansion. We make certain there’s space for new equipment as it’s needed, so you don’t end up with a tangled mess. This makes it much easier for maintenance and additions, too.

Another common mistake that’s very easy to make is to run data cables and power cables together. This can interfere with data transfer by introducing noise into the data cable. There are a number of different issues this can cause, so it’s always best to avoid it.

We carefully craft our structured cabling strategy to avoid all of these common errors, so your network cables are running correctly and will support your network for years to come. 

We don’t want you to discover later that you need to open walls or ceilings to redo cables or add more. 

Our goal is to have everything done correctly the first time, so you don’t need to worry about your cables ever again.

Los Angeles IT Support & Structured Cabling Objectives

A professional cabling system has to serve many masters. First, and foremost, it has to deliver reliable and fast service to meet your technological needs. 

If you don’t have enough cable connections or if the connections between your various servers and workstations aren’t secure and stable, your network won’t be as efficient as it should be. 

Running cables near power lines can create instability and lost data, while a disorganized equipment room can easily lead to damaged cables.

It also needs to exist in the background of your workplace and not cause any disruptions in your professional appearance. 

No one wants a cabling system that has cable connections and fiber cables exposed everywhere for anyone to see. This makes your workplace look disorganized or like you’re in the middle of having upgrades or repairs done. 

Clients who constantly see your workspace in what seems to be a mess may start to wonder if your team pays attention to details or is really focused on their work. 

It can damage your reputation, which in turn will damage your profits.

Finally, your cabling also needs to be structured in such a way that it leaves room for you to grow. 

Be Structured’s Los Angeles IT services will save you money in the long run, because we can do it right the first time. Any later additions to your structure will fit seamlessly and cause fewer disruptions to your daily operations. 

This is just one more way that the Be Structured team plans for your future and supports your day-to-day operations. 

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you with structured cabling or want to discuss our other services, contact us today.