After 30 years of communication installations I wonder what possesses IT directors when they don't consult a professional as they embark upon spending thousands of dollars for the installation of their voice and data wiring. A mistake a business customer will only make once if they are willing to learn quickly. Case in point, an 80 user system move.
We were contracted by another Samsung Telecommunications dealer to move an OfficeServ 7400 Samsung Business Telephone system on location to a new facility here in Metro Atlanta. Installation mistakes come in different forms and this system move was no different costing this business customer thousands of dollars.
Mistake #1, using electricians for a structured wiring project. When an IT department only consults the construction company building their building rather than a vendor that specializes in telecommunications structured wiring, they usually will receive less than standard practice's in their installation. Many of the structured wiring standards changed over the last year and from the installation, could clearly see that they did not realize simple mistakes and the repercussions they cause.
When we picked up the system we were notified that the wiring contractor used for the new facility had terminated all the new cat5e wiring on 66 style blocks (something that has been done since the 1940's). I am sure the look on my face told the story as their system uses standardized patch panel patch cords. When we arrived, it wasn't 66 blocks but 110 termination blocks (something that was done in the 1980's). To make matters worse, it would take us 4 hours of re-termination work to adapt to the situation we were placed into. The Cat5e cables were terminated too short to re-terminate them onto a patch panel. If they decide to take a technology move, they will have to pull new wire as it is too short to reuse.
Mistake 2; no floor plan. Not only did the wiring terminate on 110 blocks and prohibit re-termination but the vendor did not provide a floor plan of where all the 80 cables went and the furniture was placed! Professional construction vendors always provide floor plan that indicates the locations of wiring and the associated number of the wire and leave them at the data rack location. In this case their electrical contractor forgot!
Mistake number 3; Since there was no floor plan a cut sheet could not be obtained prior to cut-over and had to be developed as we progressed through the installation. This became very time consuming because the modular furniture was installed prior to cut, and yes you guessed it, the jacks were behind the furniture.
So here are the numbers, cost of wire $ 8000.00. Cost of re-termination $ 500.00 and the cost to build a floor plan $ 600.00. If you do the math that's a $ 9100.00 dollar cost to the company and they can't make a technology leak without spending another $ 8,000 (plus disruption) to install wire to a patch panel.
To insure that you do not experience a similar situation, don't use an electrician to install communications wiring. Electricians are called electricians because...you guessed it, they are electricians! Electricians usually are not current with structured wiring changes, data requirements placed upon the cabling, changes in structured wiring placement, certifications and usually don't carry the testing equipment necessary for testing a proper cable installation. After installation, they will leave your business to endure the shocking experience in poor quality and obsolete technologies. Always consult a structured wiring professional. A small investment there could save you thousands!
