Poor cable management can create an unsafe environment. It can restrict airflow to cabinets, which can result in significant damage due to quickly rising temperatures. It can also make troubleshooting more difficult, and can even lead to outages if the wrong cable is unplugged.

Besides workplace safety, effective cable management reduces the risk of downtime. With the internet of things and the adoption of 5G networks, speed is critical and that means you need to be able to add to your server stacks quickly and easily. A simplified, organized and effective cable management system can ensure that.

Many organizations are therefore investing time and resources in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of their cabling infrastructure.

• Ensure the cables support your bandwidth and networking needs. Document all new cabling installations as this will help maintain new equipment and troubleshoot connectivity issues.

Points to note while installing cables

• Ensure your cables are of the proper length. Loose cables can get tangled and can even get disconnected causing unforeseen downtime. If cable lengths are measured accurately they keep the center free of loose cables. This also helps keep costs down by reducing wasted cable.

• Leave room to accommodate anticipated growth or for installing additional hardware. Data center managers need to be able to deploy resources quickly and efficiently.

• Run cables to the sides of server racks. This ensures that they are not in the way of equipment or personnel. Also, bundle cables together to connect to the next piece of hardware, whether down to the floor or up to the ceiling. Using zip ties to bundle cables that are going to the same server rack or other location will help keep things organized.

Points to note while organizing cables

• Label cables securely on each end for quick visual identification. A good way would be to label cables at both ends, to make it easy for technicians. Colour-code cables as this will allow you to identify the type of cable in each place.

• Patch panels are a popular way to organize cables. Patch cable organizers allow you to run lines neatly and evenly to each port, especially when there are hundreds of cables coming into and out of a patch panel.

• Fiber optic patch panels, like those offered by Hardy Racks, are a safe, easy-to-use, and cost-effective management system for your fragile optical cables as they offer seamless routing for fiber optic cables around your equipment, physical protection and bend radius management, and maximized optical cable performance.

A reliable data center is vital to profitability, and better cable management is a major step on the path to improving reliability. Hardy Racks can help you build cable management systems that are efficient and cost-effective. To get a customized cable management solution, get in touch with us today.