The 4 Most Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Creating A Network

The 4 Most Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Creating A Network

Posted On June 15, 2020 by Adept Networks

Whether you’re upgrading to a larger office space or looking to improve the current set-up, creating a network in your workspace offers a host of benefits. From speeding up internet connections to heightened security, there are a number of reasons why these investment benefits companies. However, it’s not uncommon for those unfamiliar with this process to make common mistakes which jeopardise the success of this upgrade. That’s why our blog lists out the 7 most common mistakes businesses make when creating a network, so you know what to avoid.

1. Not Enough Planning

True for both large and small businesses, the cable network you install needs to work just as well today as it does during business growth. Sure, you might be able to set up a working network in no time without much foresight. But consider how this could work as you expand your team. Or, when new technology becomes vital within your industry. Planning a cable network doesn’t just meet allocating a colour-coding system to your various devices (although this is something we highly recommend). It also means considering how the design will deal with expected and unexpected growth. This could relate to the number of users, bandwidth capacity or latency growth. Will you be able to scale the system in a cost-effective way as your business develops? And how easily maintainable will it be? Do you need to consider hiring a company to do this for you, or will internal training suffice?

Proper planning ensures you are fully aware of these potential requirements while also ensuring your network fits in with the overall business strategy.

2. No Cable Management

Some businesses launch into creating a network with little to no real understanding of cable management and it’s benefits. This step regularly gets ignored or pushed to the bottom of the priorities list. However, ignoring the ways in which cable management can support your networking set-up could lead to significant financial implications and downtime. Your cable management should allow issues to be identified, located and solved with minimal interference. It should ensure that the final set-up is easy to understand, comprehensible to those who are required to maintain it and allows for repairs and changes to be made.

3. Poor Testing

To ensure there are no faults with the network once it has been created, testing is vital. This applies even if the network has links that are unlikely to be used for a period of time. If each section isn’t tested thoroughly, it increases the risk of something going wrong later down the line. Testing should occur during installation and once more structured cable systems are finalised. By doing so, you’ll ensure that no additional damage has occurred while identifying integration issues, should they exist.

Not considering EMI

Network cables produce a magnetic field around them, allowing information to be transported quickly and safely. However, if these are run next to electrical cables or other ‘noisy’ devices, you’re likely to experience interference and a broken connection. When receivers are hindered in their ability to detect information, employees are likely to run into error messages. Noisy devices include anything from fluorescent lighting through to air conditioning motors. Good planning in the early stages will help you to achieve this.

The Adept Networks team are on hand to help your business implement a strong, safe and effective network today. Contact us for more information.



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