We’ve been speaking recently about structured cabling projects, which allow organizations to organize and streamline their networks, improving efficiency and facilitating upgrades and enhancements. This may surprise you – as the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud innovation continue to evolve, many decisions surrounding network connectivity have targeted wireless solutions. However, cabling—at its essence—is not going to be obsolete anytime soon and is expected to remain an essential component of a company’s IT environment. Not only that, but the expected lifecycle of a structured cabling system will most likely outlast other facets of IT infrastructure. As such, it is vital to have an understanding of these two primary cabling options. In this article, we will discuss what the cabling and IT infrastructure professionals have to say regarding the differences between structured cabling and point-to-point cabling and how each can affect your business and productivity.
Point-to-Point and Structured Cabling Methods
Structured cabling is an extensive network of cables, equipment, and management tools that enables the uninterrupted movement of data, voice, video, security, and wireless communications. This cabling methodology utilizes distributed areas that provide standards-based, agile connections between hardware such as servers, switches, and storage devices. Structured cabling is designed to meet standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Electronic Industry Alliance/Telecommunications Industry Association (EIA/TIA) relative to the development, installation, maintenance, documentation, and expansion of network systems. A structured cabling system allows a business to minimize costs and reduce risk in complex IT environments.
By way of contrast, point-to-point is a data center cabling system that is comprised of “jumper” fiber cables that connect one switch or server to another. This method of cabling will generally be sufficient for a limited number of connections. An issue arises when the amount of data center connections increases, the network or equipment requires expansion, or the IT environment becomes more complex – because point-to-point cabling does not provide the reliability, flexibility, performance, and productivity that most networks need to facilitate growth.
Which Cabling Structure is Right for Your Company?
Overall, point-to-point cabling should not be considered as a productive and valid replacement for standards-based structured cabling networks. It really can only offer a solid business choice if your company requires only a small number of connections. Structured cabling has rightfully been heralded as an industry best practice for many years now, even for small companies and businesses.
Structured cabling is scalable, which will help future-proof your business plans. It is also more effortless to upgrade, manage, and maintain. The cabling method provides a more organized layout as well as less exposure to and risk of human error. Lastly, structured cabling will enhance your company’s reliability, performance, and productivity while lowering risk and minimizing cost as your IT environment grows, scales, and evolves.
The professionals at Alliance IT are dedicated to your IT success and have a depth of experience in the design of sophisticated structured cabling networks that support improved business performance. We have worked with hundreds of Sarasota area companies – whether with structured cabling, cloud services, managed services, or VoIP telecommunications support. We invite area SMBs to call today to schedule a consultation or technology assessment about the benefits structured cabling can offer your company. If you currently utilize point-to-point cabling and are ready to address today’s more complex issues, we are excited to design a structured cabling solution that is best for you.
