SageNet’s unique cabling solutions streamline integrated technology environments

Distributing data, voice and video throughout an office or commercial facility requires significant planning to determine the amount and location of all the necessary hardware, such as servers, workstations, monitors and phones. But that’s only half the story. Equally important is the cabling that binds all that gear together.

Cabling too often has been an afterthought in technology implementations, frequently resulting in daisy-chained power cables and patch cords, improperly spliced wires and a rat’s nest of cables that can cause serious performance issues. Research has shown that up to 50 percent of all network problems are related to network cabling. Poor cabling is also expensive — although only 2 percent of network investments are allocated for cabling, correcting cabling mistakes can cost anywhere from 140 percent to 250 percent of the original cost if cables must be replaced once they are already in the wall or ceiling.

SageNet, however, has crafted a smart alternative to the typically slapdash approach to cable installation. WiseNet, the company’s proprietary cabling system, combines all of the communications, data, signal and control cabling into a single, consolidated system. This means cabling for data, voice, video, security, lighting, heating and cooling can be planned, designed, installed and managed as a single system.

“A cabling system is really a long-term investment, so it is important that it be properly designed at the outset to avoid future network problems,” said Huck Walling, Vice President, SageNet. “By designing and installing a standards-based, preconfigured cable assembly, you can reduce maintenance, minimize downtime, save money and ensure you have the flexibility to take advantage of new technologies down the road.”

SageNet conducts extensive on-site surveys to determine a client’s cabling needs. Once that information is collected, Johnny Cash, SageNet’s manager of structured cabling assembly, and his team create a customized cabling “kit” that features bundled cables cut to customer-specified lengths and pre-terminated at both ends. All cables are tested and certified to comply with TIA/ISO standards before being spooled and shipped.

The preconfigured structured cable assemblies are relatively easy to install. Some clients have reported reducing facility cabling time from as much as a month to as few as two days. The easy-to-install kits have been extremely popular — so much so that SageNet has bundled more than 10 million feet of Cat-6 cable in the past 10 months. Of course, SageNet can also directly provide design and implementation services for clients who would prefer not to tackle the installation themselves.

“We can install new cabling or retrofit any kind of facility, even historical buildings where you can’t go through the walls,” said Cash. “Nothing is off limits for us. When it comes to communication cabling, there is nothing they make that we can’t do.”