INDUSTRY WATCH
INDUSTRY NEEDS TO
RECOGNISE NETWORK
CABLING INFRASTRUCTURE
AS THE FOURTH UTILITY
AND GIVE IT THE
IMPORTANCE IT DESERVES.
C
Can you outline the regulations
– or lack of – surrounding
[network] data centre
infrastructure at present?
It’s quite an alarming fact to know that
there are no regulations around network
cable infrastructure installation and even
more alarming when you realise that
anyone can be responsible for installing
the infrastructure that we all rely on in our
personal and business lives.
It’s often the case that network
infrastructure is simply not considered or
is deemed as low tech, when in fact it is
essential in many critical situations such
as air traffic control, hospitals, traffic
lights and communication.
What happens when they go wrong?
Industry needs to recognise network
cabling infrastructure as the fourth utility
and give it the importance it deserves.
There should be tighter regulation to
help increase quality of service, be
more professional generally and allow
customers to feel more confident and
trust the quality of the installation. This
is in addition to helping to safeguard
the industry, making it more attractive
for new talent, after all we are in
competition with other industries to
attract good people.
What are the potential
implications of this?
If the network cable infrastructure is not
installed correctly and it goes wrong it
is hugely costly and inconvenient – you
www.intelligentcio.com
only need to read the press about the
impact of cancelled flights, accessibility
to online apps, lock outs on government
systems, the list goes on. This is without
considering any legal implications that
could occur, increasing costs even more
and absorbing valuable time. Sure, not
all outages are caused by the network
infrastructure failure as human error
comes into it too; however it does
highlight several gaps that could be
filled relatively easily with regulation/
certification. Many deem regulation
as being a time-consuming paper
exercise. However it is needed. You
wouldn’t dream of being an electrician
without having the right certifications,
it should be the same for those working
within network cabling considering the
importance of the task being carried
out. Everyone talks about quality of
installation but how do we currently know
the installers have adopted the current
standards and codes of practice during
the install?
It could be self-regulated. However, this
would involve the entire industry working
together to agree processes that would
work for all. Creating our own benchmark
as a minimum and this being accepted
and recognised throughout the industry
is the first step.
Yes, it would need to be policed and
externally, otherwise it has no value
whatsoever. This echoes previous
discussions about the need for a trusted
trade association that could take this on,
put the processes in place and manage
it for everyone, effectively becoming the
central watchdog for all.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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