Decades old data center technology may soon be replaced by a new generation of electrical (and data) cable systems. This will provide many benefits to all stakeholders: End user, facility managers, architects, contractors, IT Managers, technicians and building occupants.

While 4G, 5G and WiFi technologies get most of the public's attention, these are not the technologies that form the backbone of the Internet. Nor are they the technologies that form the infrastructure for today's high-tech, connected learning and working spaces.

Until recently, if you were talking about network infrastructure NOT in a data center, your conversation was limited to hack-prone WiFi and some Cat 5e cables hastily run through office walls (or perhaps lying on the floor due to renovations).

The physical infrastructure for a high-tech, wired and connected space was simply not possible.

As big data loomed on the horizon, and workers began video conferencing and sharing huge files on a regular basis, it became evident that there were very few buildings that could handle the demands of the information worker.

And, let's be clear, this is not simply limited to office workers, or some small niche of specialty workers like video producers. Nearly everyone works with large files, has a need to video conference, stream HD video these days, whether they are a student, in the workforce, or even for personal, at-home projects.

We all need more bandwidth, but we never had a way to access that in a secure, easily-deployed fashion.

Sure, you can buy a Gigabit wireless router for your office, but are you monitoring its use? Did you change the password? Are you excluding certain MAC addresses? How are you making sure no one is stealing your WiFi for nefarious purposes?

Oh, and I'm sure you set up your wireless router in the best physical location possible: in the absolute middle of your office, with no walls, doors, partitions or other obstructions that will slow down the signal to a crawl, right? (Be honest, you probably tucked the router in "the back" because that's where your ISP's Internet connection comes in, and you connected your wireless router to their modem using whatever random Cat5 cable you found lying around. No wonder the people on the second floor complain about bad Internet speeds!)

Low profile, cable management access floor takes a well-understood technology like access flooring, and shrinks it down to a mere 1.5". It also adds easy-to-use, plug and play electrical and data systems inside the floor.

No more slow WiFi. No more resetting the password because someone shared it with a guest. No more complaints of slow videos from workers or students who are sitting more than 50 feet from the router.
 

Keep Your Data Safe With Access Flooring

When it comes to keeping your data, premises, and company property secure, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. All it takes is a single breach to cost your organization more than you can afford in terms of money, data, and sometimes even employee safety.

Security is an area where a lot of companies really struggle. Many corporations do not have a full-time employee overseeing security procedures and protocols. Business owners and administrators are stuck with the job but lack the expertise. Even if they come up with sound plans, they are often poorly implemented. They may have the right ideas, but the wrong equipment and personnel to make them work.

How can you make sure that your corporation’s grounds, property, and data stay safe? Here are 5 essentials that a lot of companies miss.

1. Formalize Your Plan as a Part of Corporate Culture

One of the first big mistakes that a lot of corporations make when implementing security measures is not starting with a formalized plan.

Formalizing a plan means writing it down. It means going over it again and again in search of loopholes—and it means making it an official part of how your company does business.

Everything you do to protect your business comes back to your employees, especially when it comes to data security. When you come up with a formal security plan and a complete set of protocols, you should include it in your new employee handbooks. Go over your procedures as part of your on-boarding program. Conduct periodic staff meetings to review access control and data security protocols.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are formalizing your plan:

●     Your plan should help to facilitate business, not stand in the way of conducting it. There will always be some risk involved.

●     You need to work collaboratively with your employees. Oftentimes when employees resist a particular procedure, there is a good reason. You may think it is just laziness, but quite often there is a genuine inconvenience. If you can, get feedback from employees and let them tell you how security procedures could be improved.

●     Teach the basics. Never assume employees understand security procedures that you believe are simple. Go over everything time and again to make sure that it is clear and everyone knows what to do.

When you have a formal plan, you close security loopholes and ensure staff follow-through. You also mitigate the risk of litigation when something does go wrong. When you collaborate with your employees, you send the message that you value their feedback. This helps to make security part of corporate culture—something that everyone can be proud to be a part of.

2. Wired Networks with Raised Access Floors

WiFi may be convenient in your offices, but when it comes to data security; it is a gap that hackers can easily exploit. For this reason, your company may want to opt to stay away from WiFi and stick with wired networks instead using Cat5 cables.

This is a move more and more companies are making as concerns about cybersecurity grow. There was a time when it was difficult to maintain a wired network without having cables running all over the floor, but raised access floors have evolved tremendously over the years and can now be integrated seamlessly into any architecture.

Cable Management Floors a next-generation raised access floors. Measuring up at a mere 1.5" tall, cable management floors allow access to wires and cables without moving the floor panels.

Corporations can run their wires under the floors and enjoy the same unobstructed setup they did when they used WiFi. There are no tripping hazards, and convenient access panels make it easy to change your setup whenever you need to. Most importantly, your data will be less vulnurable to physical attacks and your corporate network won't be vulnerable to WiFi attacks.

3. Access Control

Security for your premises starts with access control. This means setting up equipment and procedures that ensures only the right people are getting into buildings, rooms, and safes. Access control stops outsiders from entering company grounds, and it also helps to prevent internal security breaches.

One mistake a lot of corporations make with access control is micromanaging it. They think that they need to choose one uniform solution for all their buildings and premises. But in reality, it is usually best to allow building administrators to choose their own access control systems. You can provide guidelines and standards, but every building may have its own unique security concerns. That means that security solutions for access control may also differ from structure to structure. This is one area where employee feedback is very important to take under consideration!

4. Data Backups

Where does your company back up data? A lot of corporations simply back up everything to external drives or other servers in the building. But there is a loophole in this procedure. If you back up data too close to the source, you could end up losing both copies. What if someone breaks into your building and compromises both the source data and the backup servers? What if there is a fire or a flood?

Back up data away from the source—a remote server is a great option. Do it regularly, daily if possible. That way even if the worst comes to pass and there is a data breach or your local servers are destroyed, you still have what you need to stay in business.

5. Conduct Regular Testing and Walk-throughs

Finally, one more key thing to remember about corporate security is that it is not something you can “set and forget.” Hackers and intruders are constantly developing new methods for busting through the best access control systems and data security measures. For that reason your corporation needs to evolve fast enough to stay ahead of the game. Conduct regular walk-throughs and tests of your security protocols to make sure that they are still working. Patch up vulnerabilities as you find them and get feedback from your employees.

Keeping your data and buildings protected requires constant vigilance, but with the right measures in place and a corporate culture dedicated to security, you can defend your premises, property, and workers!

Different Methods To Manage Messy Cables (Yes, Access Flooring Makes the List!)

Are you tired of tripping over cables in your office?  It doesn’t take a lot of workstations to generate a tangle of wires.  Even a single computer with peripherals can lead to half a dozen cables running across the floor.  A room full of computers can start to look like some kind of high-tech pigsty. 

At the very least, it’s an aesthetic nightmare. It’s enough to haunt an interior designer’s dreams.  At the worst, it’s a major safety hazard.  Slips and falls are a costly, serious problem for businesses. 

We recently wrote about trip hazards in the office and how you can reduce accidents and save money on insurance claims. We've also got a great article on basic methods of cable management for an entire building.

Some of the feedback we got told us we had really hit on a big issue that organizations of all types face. We decided to write a second post about it, with more tips on cable management.

Even More Ways To Manage Cables

If you are looking for a way to get those wires under control quickly and easily, here are a few ideas:

• Create some wire spools. If you have excess wiring which is longer than you need, you can try to spool it up to get that excess length out of the way. The best way to do this is to create an actual wire spool. An old spool for industrial wire works well for this. 

• Put your power strips inside of boxes. A lot of people want to conceal their power strips because they can be so unsightly and chaotic. The wires love to get tangled.  One way to do this is to cut holes in a shoe box, put the power strip inside, close it, and run the wires in through the holes. This prevents tangling and hides the unsightly strip. Alternatively, some people like to just slice a foam pipe and run their cables into that, concealing the power strip inside. Check out the tweet below for more on this dangerous method!

• Buy some cable ties. These are great for holding together coiled-up cords, and they are also perfect for consolidating multiple cords. Tie them together in spots along their length, and you will keep them all together, instead of strewn across your floor. Many office workers also resort to using binder clips. 

• Modify your workstations. This is a pretty admirable effort from a guy who attached a wire basket under his desk, ran his cords through it, and then concealed the basket. The resulting workstation looks very tidy, and it’s an impressive job all around. It would be a ton of work, and probably not a practical solution for an office full of computers! If you have more than a dozen employees or so, this method gets old real quick.

• Consider cable tracks.  Cable tracks allow you to run your cables neatly along the floor. They go over top of your carpet, wood, or tile, mounting directly to the surface. Your cables run through the raceways, which are then covered to contain them in place and keep them out of sight and out of the way. This is actually a pretty nice solution, but the raceways themselves still may trip your employees since they are not flush against the floor.  They

• Get your cords up along the ceiling. Here is one desperate but neat solution. This method definitely got the power strip off the floor as well as the cable leading to it, and seems more or less the same idea as installing an overhead cable track system. It is hardly practical, however, and will not help you if you have dozens of cords to get out of the way. It is also not the most pleasing method aesthetically.

None of these are inherently bad, per se—but they are not permanent fixes. They're stopgap measures.  They are not long-term solutions, and the more complex your wiring becomes, the more you will struggle to keep up with all your cords. 

If You Do It Like This, You Might Start a Fire

In a recent episode of a show called "Fab Life", they gave some terrible advice to viewers: hide your modems, routers and cables inside of paper and cardboard boxes. True, this show is for your average homeowner, but the basic idea is the same. Some methods of cable management aren't just ugly and messy, they're downright dangerous. We couldn't let that bit of 'advise' go without calling them out on it (That's not to say we got any official reply, but at least we tried, for the safety of their viewers):

Cable Management Access Flooring to the Rescue...Again!

This is why a solution liked raised access flooring works so well. What is great about raised flooring is that it does not require you to make any modifications to your existing structure. The new floor just goes in on top of the existing one. Your cables and wires run underneath it through a system of raceways. 

Why is raised access flooring superior? Consider the problems it solves which those stopgap measures do not:

• With the raised access flooring, your aesthetic challenges are fixed once and for all. You no longer see the wires and cables at all. With the stopgap measures, you consolidate the wires, but they are still unsightly and potentially dangerous.

• There is absolutely nothing to trip over when you use an access floor. Even cable raceways laid on top of your flooring pose a tripping hazard.

• Your cables are easy to access.  Even though they are out of sight, you can easily raise panels and reach the wires or reroute them when you need to. Trying to negotiate cable ties and pipes and boxes like in the stopgap measures above is a real pain and is far more difficult in the long term.

Raised access flooring does require installation, but it is a quick and easy process, and when it is done, you will finally have a permanent, streamlined, effective solution for managing wires and cables. Your cables will be under control now and in the future, no matter how many changes you make to your office setup!

How Can an Access Floor Help with ADA Compliance?

It’s been more than twenty five years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went into effect.  Since 1990, the ADA has been changing the way that public spaces are structured.  Thanks to the ADA, disabled people are able to enjoy a quality of life which is comparable to that of their non-disabled counterparts. 

Even though the ADA has been in existence for some time now, it is really a work in progress.  Each year, revisions are made to ADA accessibility codes, and keeping up with them as a business owner or structural designer can be an ongoing chore. 

Maybe right now you are planning the development of a new office building.  Or perhaps you are looking into upgrading your existing workplace to achieve full ADA compliance.  Either way, you have a big task ahead of you, and one of your many challenges is figuring out what to do with all your wires, cables, and pipes.

One great starting resource for accessible office design is the Office of Compliance Fast Facts Sheet.  This simple checklist provides clear, concise instructions on office doors, walls, floors, and more.  While it is not a comprehensive document, the instructions are at least in plain English and focused exclusively on office buildings.  You can however find more in-depth directives in the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. 

Neither of these resources specifically delves into the issue of wiring, but you will find references in each to wheelchair accessibility.  The Fast Facts Sheet for example mentions that office carpeting should be firmly affixed to the floor with a pile of less than one-half inch. 

Anytime you have an obstruction on the floor, you are creating an obstacle for a person in a wheelchair.  As an able-bodied person, on foot, you can just step over a cable, but a wheelchair-bound person doesn’t have this option.  Rolling over obstructions can be annoying at best, difficult or impossible at worst.  No one should need to exert an unnecessary amount of force just to cross over top of a cable or hose in your office.  Plus, when cables and wires are not taped down, they pose additional hazards for workers in and out of wheelchairs.

What are your options for getting these cables, pipes and wires out of the way and getting ADA-compliant?

• Reroute the cables entirely and get them off of the floor.  Obviously this could be extremely difficult, and may in some cases even be impossible. Check out this post which covers different ways to manage cables.

• Opt for an ADA-compliant cord protector.  This is a structure with channels which lies relatively flat on the ground and maintains a fairly low profile.  You run the cords through it.  The top is smooth, and allows a wheelchair to cross.  The downside to this is that cable protectors don’t look very professional, and they can be tripping hazards. Cord protectors degrade over time, due to physical wear as well as exposure to light.

• Cover cords with access ramps.  Some people choose to cover their cords with actual wheelchair ramps.  Of course, this only makes sense if you actually are in a space where you need a ramp.  Otherwise, the ramp is simply in the way.

• Run your cables under the floor and get them completely out of the way.  If you want a floor with a low profile, nothing beats no profile.  A product like our Netfloor USA raised access floor systems allow you to take care of your accessibility problems once and for all.

Built-in cable raceways make it easy to organize your cables, and easy access panels let you reroute wires at any time.  There are no ramps, no bumps, no loose wires, and no other obstructions that could possibly get in anyone’s way.  Best of all, you can integrate our cable access floor into any existing building design. 

If you’re a bit unfamiliar with access flooring, check out our post which covers the basics; it’s a great place to start.

If you'd like some more info on low profile, cable management flooring, we've got another great post for you.

Finally, if you need some help deciding which access floor is right for you, you can read up here. (Or just send us a note on the contact form!)

ADA-compliance is mandatory by law, but it’s also the right thing to do.  Your workers are the people you depend on, and you owe them a comfortable, safe working environment, whether they are in or out of a wheelchair.

At Netfloor USA, we’re committed to creating inspiring spaces that are safe and convenient for everyone.

Wires, pipes, and cables pose an ongoing hazard until they are safely stowed away.  If you are ready to get compliant with your facility, give us a call today at 1-844-NET-FLOOR (638-3566) to discuss your project!

Back to Basics: Is the Future of Connectivity Based in Wired Technology?

This may come as no surprise, but it seems that these days we do everything online. From watching movies and shopping to taking online courses or even ordering takeout, the Internet has become an essential part of our lives. Thanks to the miracles of wireless networking, we are able to hop onto a Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere and conduct our daily business (or just browse Facebook). Wireless networking has grown exponentially, and many might assume that wired (or Ethernet) connections have gone the way of the dinosaur, VHS, and New Coke. Not so fast.

We've talked about different methods of cable management, and recommend low profile access floors as the best way to organize cables, but let's back up even further and decide if we even need wires and cables in the first place.

Ethernet…It Isn’t Dead Yet

We are all well aware of the benefits that Wi-Fi service provides us. We know that wireless connections are fast, easy to upgrade and are compatible with all devices. We also know that wireless networks are existent virtually anywhere. Without the restraint of cables, wireless towers have become permanent geographical landmarks and just about everybody with a laptop, Smartphone, tablet or other device and harness the power of cyberspace.

While wireless networking has its benefits, you shouldn’t dismantle your Ethernet network just yet. This may come as a complete shock to you, but wired networking is making a comeback. In the first half of 2015, there has been an increase in the number of Ethernet switchers made available and wired networking companies such as Cisco have been experiencing a resurgence in both profit and popularity.

At Netfloor USA, we specialize in access flooring, especially low profile, cable management access floors. In the past few years, we have seen a huge increase in the amount of wired networks all types of customers are installing.

So what prompted this paradigm shift?

The Advantages of Wired Networks

Believe it or not, the case for wired networking is a strong one. Here are just a few of the reasons why sticking with a wired solution is the right choice for your business:

It’s Faster

Yes, you read that right. Believe it or not, Ethernet connections by and large provide faster connectivity in comparison to Wi-Fi. With modern Ethernet connections you can get speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second, which is more than three times the speed of the fastest Wi-Fi connections out there. This speed has real benefits, and Google, for example, is capitalizing on the speed and quality of wired connections by investing heavily in the future of fiber optics. They have launched Google Fiber which is currently available in select cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and San Antonio.

Google Fiber promises Internet speed of up to a whopping 1000 Megabits per second, allowing users to download and stream content at breakneck speeds. With wired connections, there is also less latency (or delay) when compared to wireless networks. Whether you’re a gamer lining up the perfect headshot or a CEO organizing an international conference call, minimizing lag means a maximally efficient experience.

It’s More Reliable

While wireless networking is convenient when it works, connectivity issues—especially if you find yourself on the fringe of a certain wireless network’s range or in a dead zone—can completely negate that benefit. Wireless routers and modems also add an extra point of potential failure in any network, and driver compatibility can quickly become a nightmare. Additionally, wireless networks have issues in connectivity when objects such as walls come into play. With wired networking, your service and signal will be crystal clear and stretch as far as your cabling allows.

It’s Easier to Set Up and Connect

At one point or another, you’ve likely faced issues trying to connect to a wireless network. During those moments of panic and frustration, you have also noticed how difficult it can be to pinpoint the exact problem to troubleshoot. Wired networks are literally plug and play, making it that much easier to connect your devices and get down to business.

Special Caveat: Despite the resurgence of Fiber Optic Networking in recent years, special care must be taken when handling fiber optic cables. Every joint, every splice, every connection of a fiber optic cable has the potential to add to the total dB loss of the system, and the longer the fiber optic cable (for example, in kilometers/miles), the more total loss the system will experience.

Installation crews, often experienced with installing coaxial (e.g. RG & QR type, etc.) and telephone lines (e.g RJ type), require special training to become proficient in laying fiber optic cabling. This has become a concern in many municipalities as ISPs begin to upgrade their networks with more fiber, while using independant contractors to install the fiber optic cable.

It’s More Secure

Ever wonder why network encryption standards are changing so much? The reason behind this is actually quite simple: wireless networks aren’t very safe. Even with the biggest and best safeguards in place, wireless networks can still be hacked. If you transmit a lot of sensitive information through your network or have that data stored locally on servers, the risk of a breach could create a lot of headaches and worry. With wired networks, everything is completely contained and you actually have to connect to the network in order to retrieve your information.

Many organizations, especially government and military, require wired networks for certain types of material. For example, if a particular network is to carry any type of confidential, secret or classified information, it must use a special network. Even the cables themselves must be segregated away from other networking cables as a layer of physical security.

It's not just the government and military who rely on wired networks to step up security; many other organizations do too, from public and private corporations to public service groups like 911 and emergency ops centers.

You Have Many Different Types of Cabling Options

As you plan out your wired network, there are several connection options available that you can choose from. For example, a home Internet connection can be managed with Cat5 cabling, which is the most basic wiring system and is also commonly used for local area networks in which a group of computers are connected to a single server. Ethernet connections made with Cat5 wiring can include office buildings and home computers.

For larger industrial needs, you can opt for Cat6 cabling, which provides more bandwidth and thus faster internet speeds for both sending and receiving information. This is especially important if you are regularly moving large files, or transferring a large quantity of data.

Another option you have for wired networks is coaxial cabling, which is most commonly associated with transmitting television and video. This makes it ideally suited for closed-circuit security cameras that need to be routed to a central control center.

Finally, the latest trend involves fiber optic cabling, which has grown in popularity due to its extremely high transmission speeds and capacity for truly impressive bandwidth.

Get Wired Up

So what does this all mean? Is Wi-Fi a big sham? Absolutely not. Wi-Fi has its uses, but if you’re looking for the ultimate in speed, reliability, security and hassle-free connectivity, there’s still no beating good, old-fashioned yet high-tech cabling. Make the smart choice and get wired up today.