Cabling and Wiring

Cabling & Wiring Service Vendors

You've put too much time and resources into your company's telecommunication package to trust cabling to a substandard provider. You need a first-rate cabling & wiring service vendor -- and here's how to find them.

Cabling and wiring requirements are one of the most important components of a successful technology upgrade.

Modern voice and data systems demand appropriate infrastructure to operate at peak performance levels.

Older office environments often rely on wiring infrastructure that is outdated and ill-equipped to carry the load produced by current technology. Cabling and wiring service vendors specialize in wiring infrastructure upgrades. However, not all vendors are capable of offering the same level of service and choosing the wrong vendor can have disastrous consequences for your new system.

Outsourcing your network cabling project is a smart move, even though it increases the overall cost of a technology upgrade. To get the most mileage for your dollars, you'll need to carefully vet each prospective vendor. Here are the factors that should guide your search.

• Voice/data cable experience. It's important to make sure your vendor has experience with voice/data wiring installations. Although you may be able to shave a little off the cost, there's too much at stake to settle for a local electrician without any successful business-grade cabling jobs under his belt.
• Licensed & insured. One of the ways to narrow your search down to true professionals is to ask about each vendor's licensing and insurance. You want to make sure your vendor is a certified RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer). It's not uncommon for phone and data system vendors to provide a list of qualified cabling service providers or to offer the service themselves. Also, check to make sure your vendor has adequate insurance to cover problems that may occur during and after installation.
• Upfront assessment. Before you sign on the dotted line, ask potential vendors to conduct a site visit. If the vendor automatically assumes you'll need to replace all of your existing wiring before he does any testing or visual inspections, it's a sign that he's more interested in making a sale than he is in giving you the best value for your investment.
• References/visits. Ask potential vendors to provide references and contact information of previous clients. If possible, visit a location where the vendor is in the middle of a cabling installation to see how he conducts himself during an installation.

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