Current industry best practices for network design for enterprise and small business clients begin with a solid understanding of the businesses’ current and future needs. Scalability must be built in from the start; otherwise the network will limit the company’s future growth.  This means using a distributed rather than centralized architecture for most installations.

Today’s networks are combined voice-video- and data networks, not just data networks like yesteryear.  This means QoS (quality of service) must be built in from the start to prioritize voice and video traffic where packet loss can create loss of business communications. Service providers chosen should offer QoS as part of an SLA (service level agreement) and internal Ethernet switches should also offer at least a ToS bit QOS scheme.  Switch ports must be configured to auto-negotiate speed/duplex levels, power levels, enable portfast, and to enable queueing on uplink ports to ensure that the Voice VLAN gets priority across the entire LAN.

Copper rather than fiber cabling is preferred for VoIP networks within a business or enterprise as fiber networks require media convertors which are viewed as another potential point of failure.  All wiring should meet requirements for 100MB Fast Ethernet, and should be certified as free of faulty shielding, improper termination, or other defects.   At least cat 5 wiring and preferably cat5e or higher wiring should be used.

PoE or Power-over-Ethernet switches are also preferred as they can be used in conjunction with a back up power source so that business communications and data sharing are continuous in the event of a power outage.   When PoE switches are used with IP phones and a back up power source, the phones will also still work in the event of a power failure.

A gateway that connects to the PSTN (public switched telephone network) is also needed to handle 911 calls or external calls in the event of WAN failure.  This functionality is included in many IPPBXs or routers available today.

Best practices design is a constantly changing concept also, based on the latest and greatest technology and findings.  It pays to hire an experienced data installation firm that keeps pace with today’s best practices and networking know-how.

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Today, businesses small and large are scrambling to get on the green bandwagon. Environmental issues such as the oil platform accident in the Gulf surround us. Being green now means saving money, and the PR leverage for green business changes has never been higher.

How can you tie being green and sustainable into your IT strategy?  There are many advantages to having a “state-of-the-art” IT infrastructure when it comes to saving both the earth and money for your business, and most are simply implemented.

First of all, make sure you use PoE or “power-over-Ethernet” powered switches and routers in your business.   Not only do they use less overall power, they can be easily controlled by the Smart grid when this new technology is fully in place, meaning that your equipment will be safer in the event of a brown-out or grid overload.

Secondly, encourage file transfer among employees rather than printing, and require a password to retrieve files from the printer.   Many times, employees simply send files to the printer and forget to pick them up.  This wastes paper and kills trees.   Document sharing via IT collaboratory tools such as Go-to-Meeting and Webex also helps cut down on printing and paper waste.

Implementing a Telepresence system from Cisco, Cisco/Tandberg or HP will dramatically reduce your carbon footprint by reducing air travel, which also reduces costs.  Telepresence interoperability has expanded dramatically, which means it is no longer just an intercompany communications tool but can be used for customer, supplier, legal, and outsourced employee communications as well.

LCD screens use less power than old style CRT monitors, so upgrading to them will cut power usage while giving your employees more desk space and better viewing conditions for hard to read documents.

A solid enterprise VoIP system enables your employees to work from anywhere and maintain the same phone number – allowing them to telecommute one or more days a week to diminish the carbon footprint.  This also makes a great PR story and adds to employee satisfaction.

Automation that allows shutdown of lights, air conditioning/heat, and unnecessary equipment can also be integrated with a strong IT system to green your utility usage and cut costs.  Control can be set up over the web, so you can manually override these controls as needed for a small business that may have changing utility needs.

Obviously all these measures require a strong IT infrastructure for proper operation.  Make sure you contact structured wiring installers who have a great deal of experience designing such infrastructure for both small and large companies, as well as solid customer testimonials as proof of success and competence.  Don’t trust the backbone of your company’s IT infrastructure to just anyone!  Choosing the right infrastructure provider means you will get the best fit architecture for your company’s current and future needs, to allow you to green your business and shave costs in the process.

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If your business is sensitive in nature or you simply want to make sure that thieves don’t end up with your precious inventory or computer equipment, you probably have some type of a security system in place already.

Older security systems often have very simple alarms with motion detectors that an entire generation of thieves have learned how to disable.  If this is what you are relying on today, it makes sense to consider an upgrade to a more sophisticated system that is harder to circumvent.

Older surveillance cameras also could only be viewed from one central location, which means that thefts could occur when security personnel step away momentarily.

Ethernet based security systems are scalable as your business grows, can send alarms to email addresses or mobile phones, and can allow a complete picture of your facility to be viewed over Ethernet connected security cameras from any Internet connection.  The images from multiple cameras can be used to form a real time collage, which allows a wider area to be seen and analyzed for abnormalities.

The only down side is that they will require additional Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable to be run if you choose not to take the additional risk of using a wireless network.

Ethernet security cameras come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and features.   Night vision cameras are available, as well as cameras that pan and zoom, include two way voice capabilities, and have hidden cabling to prevent hacking.

IP connected cameras can also send video or still images to any email address specified, allowing quick identification of intruders and enhanced communications with law enforcement personnel.

Another benefit is that hard disc drive storage of surveillance data that wasn’t possible with traditional CCTV systems is now enabled, as is computer enhancement of still images as well as video footage for greater clarity.

These systems tend to be much more cost effective than traditional CCTV based systems too, as they don’t require expensive splitters, multiplexers, and repeaters.  Enhanced competition among vendors continues to drive the price down, meaning having video added to your surveillance system no longer means high Capex.

The use of PoE or Power-over-Ethernet also means that only one wire needs to be run to each camera, instead of one for the signal and one to power the device.  This streamlines installation of Ethernet based surveillance cameras, and helps keep them unobtrusive for stealth reasons.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of an Ethernet- based security system is that it can integrate seamlessly with your company network – allowing voice, video, security, and information processing to be synchronized.   The entire capability of your network cabling can be brought to bear on solving tough security issues with this type of approach.

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Although some businesses are lucky enough to be located in brand new buildings with new shiny cabling and infrastructure – most are living with cabling that was installed in the 1980’s or earlier.  Many business owners don’t associate the quality of their internal cabling with difficulties in their networks.  For the most part, network cables are hidden in the walls – out of sight, out of mind!

But upgrading your cabling NOW will pay dividends, and can help make your business more efficient now while allowing you to take advantage of new technologies that can have a great impact on your business in the future.  Eight good reasons to upgrade now include:

1)Most 1980’s cabling is cat 3 UTP cable, which is really not suitable for money saving technologies such as VoIP.  Moving to a cost effective VoIP system will more than pay for the cable upgrade within months!
2)Older cable can have insulation that is wearing off, which means shielding is also wearing off which can lead to crosstalk related network problems
3)Newer cabling is required for the installation of telepresence systems, which can cut down travel costs dramatically and improve communications between remote branch offices.
4)Older cabling is easier to “sniff”, meaning your competitors could tap into your networks and gain unauthorized knowledge about your business and products
5)When installing new cabling, you can run more cable to accommodate more computers, VoIP enabled fax machines, or phones – meaning you can streamline your switch and router locations and make your overall network more efficient.
6)You can install fiber optic cabling in areas where security is critical, and use media conversion to areas where cheaper copper cabling is adequate.  Fiber optic cabling is nearly impossible to sniff.
7)Gigabit Ethernet capable cat 6 cabling can be installed to allow use of faster download speeds in engineering areas or anywhere huge files have to be uploaded and downloaded.
8)PoE (power over Ethernet) switches can be added to your network which require newer cabling – these allow better overall power management, mean less wires to trip over for your employees, and can help save on your power bills.   You can also set up your infrastructure to run on a generator in the event of a power outage, which means productivity can continue no matter what the outside conditions are.

Your network cabling installer can help you achieve the perfect network infrastructure and cabling scenario that not only meets your present needs, but “future-proofs” your organization.  This allows you to take advantage of money-saving new technologies now and in the future.  They can assess the current state of your infrastructure, make detailed recommendations as to what needs to be done, then help you make the decision as to the best course of action for your organization in terms of budget, needs and future scalability.   Why not call one today and get started on your future IT plan?  There is no better time than now.

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There are many tradeoffs to consider when choosing between fiber and copper structured cable.  Besides the obvious cost differential, another key difference is that PoE or Power-over-Ethernet is available when using copper-based wiring.

The PoE standard allows you to eliminate the need for a separate power cable when powering most routers, switches, IPPBXes, and Ethernet phones.  This not only streamlines the amount of structured wiring that needs to be run, it makes your equipment more portable as you don’t have to locate it near power if Ethernet cabling is properly run.

PoE allows your entire network to be easily fed from a battery bank in the event of a power outage, which means you can continue critical business operations in an emergency and not lose data.  PoE also replaces old-school “wall wart” converters that use energy poorly and are quite vulnerable to power surges and brownouts.  So moving to a PoE architecture also means taking a step forward to “greening” your organization!

Last but not least, your offices and cubicles will look less “cluttered” as less power bricks and wires will be under foot.

Implementation of PoE means upgrading to at least cat 5 Ethernet cabling throughout your organization.  You will also need to choose some PoE sourcing equipment, such as PoE switches or routers, which are commonly available.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.intsysinst.com as the original source).