Benefits of an Organised Communications Cabinet
A messy comms room cabinet is a common sight in the data cabling industry. While quickly patching in a new network port with any available patch cable may seem efficient at the moment, it can create long-term issues for your IT network. Disorganised cabling can lead to network downtime, make troubleshooting more difficult, and increase the risk of accidental disconnections or damage to cables and equipment.
Keeping a communications cabinet tidy and properly labelled ensures that connections are easy to identify, reduces maintenance time, and improves overall network reliability. An organised setup also enhances airflow, which helps prevent overheating of network devices, and allows your IT team to implement upgrades or expansions quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, investing time in maintaining a neat, structured cabinet supports the smooth operation of your network and minimises costly disruptions.
Problems Caused by a Disorganised Communications Cabinet
How Cabinet Clutter Gets Worse Over Time
A cluttered communications cabinet tends to spiral further into disarray. Each new data outlet or patch cable added to an already chaotic setup only makes the situation worse.
Technicians are less likely to take the time to organise new cables in a messy cabinet, perpetuating the problem.
Operational Impact of Poor Cabinet Organisation
If ports cannot be easily traced, managing your network becomes significantly harder.
Troubleshooting issues in an unorganised cabinet is time-consuming and error-prone, which can lead to prolonged downtime.
How Should Your Comms Room Cabinet Look?
A well-organised communications cabinet can save time, reduce errors, and improve the efficiency of your IT network. Here’s what best practices include:
Best Practices for Organising a Communications Cabinet
- Streamlining Your Network Cabinet
Cables and equipment should be arranged logically, making it easy to identify and trace connections. - Implement a Colour-Coding System
Use different colours for specific functions or departments to simplify cable management and troubleshooting. - Use Patch Leads of the Correct Length
Avoid excess cable slack by using patch leads that are the correct length for each connection. - Properly Rack-Mount Equipment
Ensure all equipment is securely rack-mounted on fixed shelves to optimise space and accessibility. - Install Power Distribution Units (PDUs)
Use correctly rated PDUs and plug sockets to ensure safe and efficient power distribution. - Remove Redundant Equipment and Cabling
Regularly audit your cabinet to remove outdated and unused equipment, including excess patch leads.
By implementing these best practices, you can transform your communications room cabinet into a functional and efficient hub for your IT network. A well-maintained cabinet not only supports better performance but also helps avoid the headaches caused by disorganisation.
Ideally a communication comms room cabling cabinet will be racked in a neatly planned manner. Typically the patch panels separated every 2 panels with a horizontal cable management bar
Firstly the patch leads should be long enough only to reach form the patch panel outlet to the corresponding data switch port. Anything longer is spare cable to mess up the cabinet
Secondly the patch leads should be colour co-ordinated for identifying the different systems. I.e. Yellow for phones, blue for data / PC’s, green for WiFi etc
Furthermore Switches, routers, firewall and all active equipment should all be rack mounted or on a specified fixed shelf within the cabinet
In addition PDU’s (power distribution units) should be firmly fitted to the rear of the cabinet and not dangling or left slack on the floor
Finally old or inactive equipment should be removed and not left in the cabinet
Further Issues Caused by Poor Cable Management
- Somewhere amongst all that mess of cabling is your incoming ISP / broadband line. One snag/tangle which causes the wrong lead to break or pull out, could take down your entire office.
- If you have separate networks, there’s a very real DANGER that one stray cable can link 2 networks together allowing full access. (We have seen this in a school before, where the admin and pupil networks became linked and this led to the pupils having full access to all files, folders and un-restricted websites)
- The situation can only get WORSE! Anyone adding to this system are only going to add to what’s there, rather than put everything new in nice and neat. It’s only a matter of time before one more is too many!
- You’re WASTING MONEY on buying additional expensive hardware when it’s not needed. When the patching is this messy, you can’t see what ports on your switches are actually active and used; therefore when they are all full up you have to buy another expensive switch. If your patching was up to date the unused ports would be visible and these could be maximised.
Further Issues Caused by Poor Cable Management
- They can become a FIRE hazard! Usually a comms room cabling cabinet like this will go hand in hand with a power system of extension leads and multi block power leads. Extension leads plugged into extension leads in a cabinet are a high fire risk. Better to have full size cabinet PDU’s for all of your equipment.
- Having a multitude of patch leads running across the front of a cabinet, does NOT allow the heat created by your active equipment to disperse. This can SHORTEN the lifetime of this networking equipment by causing OVERHEATING!
- It’s costing you DOWNTIME! When a phone, WIFI, PC or any hardware goes down, instead of quickly being able to troubleshoot the situation; additional time is required to trace where ports go and where the source of the problem is.
- It’s COSTING your people TIME and you MONEY! With a fully organised cabinet, Adds/Moves and Changes are almost instantly SAVING your IT technician or Support Company TIME and you MONEY.
For a free Cabinet survey and Quotation to Document, organise and re-patch your communications cabinet
Claim Your Free Site Survey
Simply fill in your details and one of our engineers will be in touch to arrange your on-site assessment.