Your IT and communications network is likely to be at the very heart of your business but without the proper cabling, you could find both systems running slow and sluggish, or even worse, completely disabled.

Testing and inspection of data cabling is essential to keep your IT network running quickly, smoothly and at optimum levels so it’s important not to neglect routine maintenance and inspections.

Here’s a look at data cabling and why testing and inspection is a vital health check for your IT.

Why cabling testing is important

Data network cabling allows your business to run far more efficiently, making your staff more productive as well as creating a secure environment in which to move data.

If your data cabling is not working as it should be there will be a considerable delay on your workforce, making processing slower and increasing costs.

Periodically testing of data cables will be needed

An insufficient data cabling system will also struggle to cope with all the demands of a growing network, so testing and inspection is vital to make sure that it’s still able to manage the capacity.

What data cabling tests and inspection should include

Before any more complex tests are carried out, a visual inspection should first be performed looking at outlet terminations and patch panel to ensure that the infrastructure meets with the standards specified by the manufacturers.

This is a vital part of the testing process because insufficient termination practices can be responsible for failures within the system.

Once the visual investigation is complete, full testing will be performed on your data cabling. This will include a number of different types of tests on each cable to ascertain the level of functioning that it is performing at.

The length of time required to carry out these tests varies depending on the size of the network but typically wouldn’t be longer than a few hours.

Following these tests, you should receive a comprehensive report with information about the performance of your data cabling system and any areas which require improvement. Having a system which is scalable is important too; if you’re already running close to your maximum capacity, it will take a look more planning if you want to expand your operations.

How to choose a data cable inspection provider

Data cabling is such an important part of your business, it’s important to make sure that you employ experts when it comes to installation, testing and inspection. An incompetent company could end up either not spotting problems with your cabling or even worse, causing issues and system delays because of their checks.

Any cable installer that you use should be very experienced in the field, with a proven track history of work that they’ve carried out. Don’t be shy about asking for sight of their portfolio; those that are true experts will be only too happy to show you testimonials of happy customers.

A high quality data cabling engineer will also hold qualifications which demonstrate the knowledge and expertise. Here at Alderminster all of our data cabling staff hold City and Guilds qualifications so you can be satisfied that you’re receiving the very best service possible.

You deserve the best

Here at Alderminster we have more than three decades of experience in providing excellent customer experience and technical support. With a range of services including renewable energy as well as electrics and data cabling we can help to make sure your infrastructure is performing smoothly, efficiently and to its optimum level – allowing your business to keep on delivering without a hitch.

If you want to know more about our data cabling testing and inspection, give us a call on 01789 450 314.

Image Credits: uSwitch and Lydia_shiningbrightly