Given its importance to uptime in data centres and enterprise LANs, structured cabling is far more than simply a commodity item. So when evaluating a cabling system it makes good sense to go beyond the initial price and look at what it can offer in terms of performance and reliability.

 

While manufacturers will do all they can to highlight the features and benefits of their offerings, it is vital for the customer to ask the right questions and verify any performance claims. Perhaps the most immediate way to do this is to find out if a product has been certified by a third-party testing organisation.

 

In this issue’s Question Time, we’ve asked a panel of experts to examine the importance of third-party certification when evaluating a network cabling system and whether it can guarantee installed performance and compliance to specific standards. You can read their responses by CLICKING HERE.

 

Staying on the cabling theme, the way that optical fibre technology is designed, specified and utilised continues apace, so Mike Gilmore of the FIA explains the latest standards in this area. CLICK HERE to read his excellent overview.

 

Never afraid to tell it like it is, Andrew Stevens of CNet Training is a longstanding champion of training and skills development in the enterprise network infrastructure and data centre sectors. However, he believes it’s time for companies to get truly serious about their commitment to professional development. You can read his thoughts by CLICKING HERE.

 

Rob Shepherd Editor