Top Cabling Mistakes That Derail Project Management

You might have the best equipment, but if your cabling is poor, you’re lagging. The thing is that the stakes are high if you’ve ever been part of a project involving structured cabling. The best plans, vision, and sharpest tools, none of this works without the proper cabling. 

Your business is bound to suffer without smart office planning. The key? You need to plan and execute structured cabling services properly to achieve optimal performance. But the thing is that businesses make tons of mistakes during the IT infrastructure project. 

The mistakes, in turn, affect the project management and also affect the business's overall performance. No idea about the mistakes that cost businesses a lot? 

Hear straight from the network installation services to know the top cabling mistakes that derail the project management. 

Cabling Mistakes You Need to Avoid 

There are tons of cabling mistakes businesses make every now and then. It might look like a minor mistake in the beginning, but it costs businesses huge in the long run. Have a look at the cabling mistakes you need to avoid. 

Lack of planning

The primary and common mistake businesses make is missing planning before getting started with the cabling. Most businesses treat cabling as something to plug in after the walls go up and the floors are laid. 

The problem with this is the last-minute changes in design, clashes with the layouts, and even compliance issues with local codes. The fix? Hire the contractor to do the full planning before the installation. 

You should not follow cabling blindly, and instead, make sure that the cabling aligns with architectural plans. The key to preventing the bottlenecks down the line is a coordinated effort between construction and IT. 

Underestimating bandwidth requirements 

The biggest blunder businesses make is going after the cheaper option and underestimating bandwidth requirements. But what businesses fail to understand is that this might save you a little today, but it will cost you in the long run. It makes your systems unable to support new devices, cloud applications, or VoIP upgrades.

The best way forward? Future-proof your network infrastructure. Your cabling should last as long as your office building. Cat6A and fiber optic cable work the best. It might cost more initially, but it also offers scalability and speed. 

Missing cable management

The only thing businesses care about is installing the cables and completely forgetting about the cable management. You think that the network installation services will figure it out on their own if you dump the cables in the rack with no labeling, trays, or organization. 

This spells trouble for businesses later on in terms of slow troubleshooting. Overheating and signal interference. Instead, you should use proper cable trays, velcro straps, and also label each end of the cable. 

Also, document everything. It might feel difficult at first, but it might save you time in the long run whenever it’s the turn for the upgrade or the repair. 

Not adhering to industry standards

The next significant mistake businesses make in cabling is not adhering to the industry standards. This often happens when businesses try to speed things up by relying on shortcuts and non-compliant installation techniques. 

The thing is that ignoring the compliance with the industry standards can result in failed inspections, performance issues, and system reinstallation. What you need to do is ensure your cabling adheres to the industry standards. 

Consider hiring the certified installers who understand the industry standards and help you with the local compliance guidelines. 

Overlooking environmental factors 

You might have to pay a huge price for overlooking the environmental factors when getting the IT infrastructure project done. There are many businesses that don’t pay any heed to the electrical lines, moisture, heat sources, or airflow during the cabling installation. 

It is because issues such as overheating, electromagnetic interference, and water damage can degrade the signal quality and sometimes even the entire cabling. The alternative? Pay heed to the environmental factors. 

Make sure to route the cables away from the electrical lines and avoid installing cables near areas exposed to water leakage and excessive heat. Besides this, the cable pathways also need to be planned strategically. 

Failing to plan for expansion

Most businesses think about their current needs only when installing the cabling, and forget about the expansion. But the thing is that your business will grow, teams will grow, and devices, too, will increase. 

But you’ll have to get the entire cabling reinstalled if your current cabling infrastructure is not designed with scalability in mind. The key is to plan for expansion and always have some extra capacity in cable trays, ports, and the server room. 

Inexperienced installers

The next common but major mistake is hiring inexperienced installers for the cabling installation. This can lead to cables being installed incorrectly, no labeling, and messy terminations. All this would affect the performance and also add to the maintenance costs. 

Instead, partner with the certified and experienced installers. Confirm their market reputation and hear from their previous customers to hear about their experience, and then decide accordingly. 

Wrapping Up 

These are the cabling mistakes most businesses make without even realizing it, and then pay the huge price to fix them. The way forward? Get in touch with the structured cabling services provider to get the installation done right.