In 1994, when DataCom Inc. opened, we were basically telephone and data cabling installers.  Most of that was geared toward us installing a telephone system as well.  We offered what was then a top-of-the-line digital KSU in three different sizes to accommodate our customers who had anywhere from four employees to over two hundred.  This was our niche.

     Today’s modern office may be made up of several locations at disparate sites; each consisting of digital trunk lines, VoIP keysets, centralized voicemail, cellular telephone integration, cameras and CCTV, and entry access systems.  The office’s inhabitants gain access by swiping a key fob or entering their password into a keypad.  Possibly their license plate is recorded as they drive into the parking lot and that opens the gate automatically for them.  Their entry and exit may consequently make an annotation on their time-card to keep track of their work hours.  Some of this is observed and recorded by numerous cameras aimed at entry points or steered by motion activation.  It is recorded onto either local storage or else in the “cloud”.  Depending on programming, certain events may trigger an alert being sent to security.  Staff’s cell phones may become an extension on the company’s telephone system upon access to the company’s wireless network, or they may operate their desk phone via a wireless headset using their computer and keyboard while accessing Microsoft Outlook® to manage calls to their contacts, or to receive incoming faxes directly to their "in" box.  

     Power over Ethernet (PoE) from the office’s switch gear may provide electricity to the cameras, telephones, and even the overhead lighting.  This low-voltage power travels over the office’s data cabling and is connected via the company’s data network for management.  All of this, including the building’s HVAC and other systems, may be managed and monitored from remote locations.  Updates to programming or simple adjustments to all of these systems can be accomplished with a few easy keystrokes from almost anywhere using your cell phone or tablet!  Sites that are physically located apart may employ a customer-owned, wireless, site-to-site bridge to “link” the two sites for voice and data needs if ideally located.

     This is but the “tip of the iceberg” of what is available today and we look forward to keeping abreast of all that the future offers.

     DataCom Inc. also offers “Old School” options.  Many of our customers have single locations with only a handful of employees.  They have no need for, and thus no reason to incur the expense of, a huge-bandwidth, ultra-high-speed internet connection.  They prefer to manage their lighting, furnaces, and a/c with manual switches and thermostats.  They lock and unlock their doors with a key and have either no cameras or only a few employing a DVR/NVR to record their video.  Their switch gear may not be PoE or managed (thus much less expensive).  They don’t want their computer network experiencing any extra traffic on it and have a very serviceable voice-cable network in place.  For these customers, we continue to sell a modern digital PBX with digital and analog keysets.  While becoming less and less common, we continue to offer an analog camera system as well.  Great strides have been made recently in analog cameras.

To say that the telecommunications world and its inherent offerings have changed since we opened our doors is a mammoth understatement!  DataCom continually makes the immense effort (and monetary investment) to keep ahead of these changes.  Our personnel are selected for their mechanical aptitude, computer skills, adaptability and customer service.  They train continuously and are regularly exposed to new equipment, techniques and installation practices via seminars, (self-guided and mentored), on-line and in-house classes and hands-on aids.  We strive to purchase the very latest in termination, installation, and testing tools and devices.  

“No festival of martial glory or warrior’s renown is this; no pageant pomp of war-like conquest, no glory of fratricidal strife attend this day.  It is dedicated to peace, civilization, and the triumphs of industry.  It is a demonstration of fraternity and the harbinger of a better age – a more chivalrous time, when labor shall be best honored and well rewarded”.

~ Peter J. McGuire

I suspect that I am not alone when I realize that I do not have a full understanding of why most of the United States of America’s workers enjoyed a paid day off this past Monday.  The above quote, incredibly well-written with precision and passion is credited to Peter J. McGuire, “general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested setting aside a day for a "general holiday for the laboring classes" to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."”*.  Early in 1892 he pitched his idea to New York’s Central Labor Union for a day off to honor America’s workforce.  

“Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.”  Regardless of who first formed the idea, the organization acquiesced, and the first unofficial Labor Day Parade was conducted between City Hall and Union Square.

Both McGuire and Maguire attended.*

*https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history. 

Even though, that as early as 1886, several cities around the country had recognized and celebrated Organized Labor’s contributions to the Industrial Revolution of 1760-1840 with a "working man's holiday," this parade in New York was by far the biggest and among the first to be sanctioned by the entire State! (Oregon, Massachusetts, and Colorado recognized State-wide Labor Day in 1887.)

The yesteryear workplace of days gone by was a far cry from what it is today - thankfully.  From the Bureau of Labor Statistics bulletin No. 604: An 1894  laborer in Boston, Mass averaged 59.8 hours a week at @$0.173 per hour for a grand total of $10.35 a week or $538.20 per year!  A “normal” family of four had a “Total income per family” of: 663.75/year.  "Well sure," you may reply, "but back then things were much less expensive!"  True, true; but after taking into account all of the expenses that were typically expended, up to 98.89% of their total income was exhausted by the end of the year - just by the necessities!  This does not leave a ton of "wiggle room" for  Christmas presents, birthday presents, or other “luxuries” like vacations.  These people were in desperate need of some recognition that was decidedly lacking in their pay check!*

*https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.32106007458745&view=1up&seq=199

By 1894 (22) more states had adopted the holiday and in June of that year, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to make it a National Holiday which President Grover Cleveland immediately signed into Law.

What exactly was the impetus behind the Federal Government getting on board with this movement?  Remember, at this time in our history much of America’s transportation, passenger as well as freight, relied on the railroad.  In late 1893, suffering from decreased sales of their passenger cars, Pullman Palace Car Company cut their employee’s wages.  That alone would not have been so bad due to the fact that much of America’s economy was suffering due to a harsh recession.  What caused deeper hardship was that Pullman did not lower prices at their company stores, nor the rent due for company housing in the “company town”.  This forced many employees to join the newly-formed American Railway Union (ARU) and organize a strike.  While only encompassing approximately 35% of Pullman's total workers, this small cadre’s refusal to handle any train containing Pullman passenger cars led to large problems with long delays in shipments.  Grover Cleveland became involved creating the cover story that the strike was interfering with U.S. Mail delivery.  While ostensibly true, it wasn’t the only reason.  The strike drug on with several legal battles being waged.  Inevitably, violence became the normal way of handling things on both sides.  Eventually the Army stepped in, and the strike was quelled.  “During the course of the strike, thirty strikers were killed and 57 were wounded.  Property damage exceeded $80 million.”*

Following this, Cleveland’s administration “in an effort to conciliate organized labor after the strike… …designated Labor Day as a federal holiday.”*

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike

So next year when we enjoy this holiday again may we remember all of this, and realize that this holiday carries more significance than I’ve given it credit for in past years.

"For as Abraham Lincoln said of labor:

"All that serves labor serves the nation,  All that harms labor is treason to America.  No line can be drawn between these two.  If a man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar.  If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool.  There is no America without labor, and to fleece the one is to rob the other.”"

~ John F. Kennedy May 17, 1960

Thanks to a relatively inexpensive camera manufacturer, it’s much easier than you think.  About three years ago, in August of 2018, the National Defense Authorization Act (NADAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 was signed by The President.  For the first time the act was “…banning the use of Dahua and Hikvision (and their OEMs) for the US government, for US government-funded contracts and possibly for 'critical infrastructure' and 'national security' usage.”*  This ban remains in effect today as the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

* https://ipvm.com/reports/ban-law

These banned systems, while not offering superlative quality, are very functional and of decent to good quality.  They’re also usually available at considerable savings over other manufacturers.  There’s an old adage; “You get what you pay for”.  Apparently, sometimes, you even get just a touch more.  These cameras come from the factory – at no extra charge to you – with a “back door”.  Touted as a “Maintenance Portal” this feature, very simply, affords the manufacturer (or anyone else who cares to try) an avenue into your camera where they can, probably unbeknownst to you, not only download the video stream but access all of the maintenance features as well.  An 85 second video demonstrates just how easy it is to access this backdoor at: https://ipvm.com/reports/hik-exploit.  In it, you see that they gain access by emulating an authorized user to log in to the camera at the highest levels of authorization.

So what does that mean to me?  Basically, unless you’re in procurement at a Federal Government organization, probably very little.  To tell the truth, with only a small amount of research beyond the above, I discovered numerous articles detailing that there are many, many instances of the government ignoring the ban and purchasing one of the many Other Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM’s) that Dahua and HikVision make.

“The Army, which records show purchased a Dahua DVR resold by Global Data Center Inc. under the Amcrest brand name in September 2020, said it relies on attestations by its vendors. “Companies that propose on federal contracts are required to assert their compliance with various Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense supplement provisions and clauses”…” “An Amcrest representative told The Intercept in an email that “Amcrest cameras and security products are conceptualized and designed by Amcrest in Houston, TX…” “…analysis by IPVM determined that the Amcrest AMDV10814-1TB-C DVR resold to the Army by Global Data Center is in fact a Dahua XVR4104 in slightly different clothing: While the unit’s front panel appears to have been modified in the Amcrest version, both models have identical side ventilation panels, and, crucially, their array of rear ports is identical, indicating that they’re using the same inner circuitry. Both devices also appear to come with nearly the exact same software…”*

*https://theintercept.com/2021/07/20/video-surveillance-cameras-us-military-china-sanctions/

When you consider the size of what is entailed by “for US government-funded contracts and possibly for 'critical infrastructure' and 'national security' usage”, I think it’s not entirely unforeseen that non-compliance might take place.  Thankfully, on a brighter note, you and I operate on a much smaller scale.  So unless you really are looking to star in a “spy” movie produced in the far east, and I’m guessing you’ll “star” without any credit being given to you, then perhaps its best if you conduct your own research before purchasing any video equipment.  At DataCom Inc. we will be completely honest with you about the origins of the CCTV camera systems we sell.  Not only that, but we’ll offer alternatives if needed.

In all honesty, if anyone were surreptitiously viewing a camera at my house, aside from the occasional cookout, or varmint wandering up my drive of a night, I think they’re going to quickly realize just how boring it can be outside of my house.  I take pride in not being “star” worthy!

When I started installing Voice cabling and jacks for telephones back in the dinosaur days, it was easy.  We were pulling 1000’ spools of grey cat-3 cable out of a box.  Those cables were then landed onto single or duplex jacks either mounted flush on the wall or in a small surface-mount box at the work station.  One thing that they all had in common was that they were Ivory in color.  In the telecomm closet, everything ended up on a 66M50 block that was white.  Non-telecomm types that have seen walls of these little beauties are always heard to incredulously remark “How do you know how to connect these??”  Not on topic, but I’ll let you in on a little secret; if you can count to five, and do it five times in a row, you too can figure out “how to connect these”.

Even with the advent of adding Data jacks, they were still either single or double jacks – AND THEY WERE IVORY!  The main difference was in the telecomm closet.  Here the data cables were landed, just like they are today, onto 110-style patch panels.  These were always black and were either wall-mounted on a device or they were installed and stacked in free-standing racks that matched the patch panel color.  Data hardware in the IT closet, aesthetically, has changed virtually not at all – until very recently.  But I digress.  Please read on.

Stocking the vans back then was a breeze with so little choices to be made.  As the world of IT became more sophisticated however, some customers began to demand that their voice cable be one color and their data cable be another.  This often carried over to the jack colors as well.  While virtually any color was – and is – available, the lead time for ordering anything other than blue, grey, or green in cable, and either white or ivory in jacks, was often excessive.  We implored our customers to stick with the easily procured colors as the electrons in those cables have no idea what color is on the outside of the cable that they’re flying down!

When voice and data were still separated into Cat 3 cable for voice and Cat 5 or 5e for data, it sometimes made sense to use different jack colors.  This was usually accomplished using ivory for voice and either black or blue for data.  There was an instance where that was taken to extremes though.

This particular customer believed in overkill to the extreme and had us cable every single outlet for Computer, Telephone, Modem, Fax, and Credit Card.  Every one of these uses carried their own color-coded jack.  Over our strenuous objections, (we demonstrated that it was the Label of the jack that denoted what it “could” be used for and not the jack color) the customer would not relent, and we proceeded to order the multi-colored parts.  It took the factory nine weeks to get us the number of jacks that were needed in the colors that were requested.  We did indeed order extra and left them on site when we departed after completing the job.

Two years later, the customer purchased the adjoining portion of the building they were in and asked us to come out and cable it as we had cabled the original spaces.  They also let us know that they were moving in over the following weekend; this was on the preceding Monday.  Unable to locate the jacks that we had left them two years earlier (not that there were nearly enough!) we decided to terminate everything into standard ivory surface mount boxes and jacks.  As can be expected the customer, when informed that this was the only solution available to get the job done in the time allotted, was livid!  We let him know that we would be happy to install these in a way that we could come back later and re-terminate the cables onto the colored jacks once they arrived.  He was amenable to that idea until we let him know that we would be doing this re-termination on a time and material basis.  Essentially, he would be paying us twice to do the same job.  He finally relented to allowing us to terminate everything onto ivory jacks and they moved in successfully, on time.  We did not replace the jacks.

Today cables, jacks, and faceplates are available in a myriad of hues with very short lead times.  Well then why, except that it has a great story attached, am I blogging about this today?  It seems that color choice decisions have raised their ugly heads again.  This blog is being written to address the issues regarding data center rack and patch panel hardware and whether you want to purchase it in white or black.

Keep in mind that we are talking about the racks, cabinets, enclosures, and patch panels.  Not all manufacturers offer the same availability when it comes to supplying their components in anything other than black. Today, in the black color however, virtually all have the same general appearance and use somewhat “mottled” metal with a flat matte finish.  Should you be considering switching colors at your location, the first consideration for your decision making is the actual amount of light that is available for the person installing and using these data ports; how well can they actually see the labels?  Some of these enclosed racks are large and the patch panel, front and back, sit recessed quite a bit into them.  This means that the light is already somewhat blocked from above as well as the sides.  Black absorbs light waves much more than white does.  Choosing a lighter color over the black “could” lead to less eye strain and/or mistakes when connecting devices.

Also, the absorption of light is reciprocated by the emission of that energy in the form of heat.  If your cooling budget is stretched thin already, you might want to go with the lighter color that reflects the light.  Over the course of time, you could realize a significant savings in your a/c bill.  While our area has not yet been greatly influenced by LEED certification (more in a future blog) in our building design, it will definitely be a consideration in new construction and should be addressed when you’re looking at future considerations.

Another consideration is wearability.  The physical placement of your hardware should figure heavily when calculating whether to go with black or white.  When forced to put the devices into an office environment where it will be seen daily, one or the other color might be more aesthetically pleasing.  If it is out in a manufacturing facility production floor, the darker color tends to hide dirt and dust better.  It also blends into the surrounding environment and hides the inevitable scratches better.  (Of course in a high traffic environment you might want it to be seen and thus avoid it being struck and damaging your expensive switch gear.)

As I write these blogs, I realize the crazy number of questions that need to be asked – and answered - in order to build a smart Information and Communications Technology (ICT) network at any business.  While it is daunting, you can rest assured that the professionals at DataCom Inc. keep abreast of what is happening, what the future holds, and how to get that information to you.

According to Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia:

"Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet telephony, broadband telephony, and broadband phone service specifically refer to the provisioning of communications services (voice, fax, SMS, voice-messaging) over the Internet, rather than via the public switched telephone network (PSTN), also known as plain old telephone service (POTS)."

Well, I’m glad we cleared THAT up!  But then, I’m writing on this subject for exactly that reason – that so many people who are not in the telecomm industry, while knowing what the acronym stands for, are not exactly crystal clear on what those four little letters mean.  They know they want it; it’s the latest and greatest thing!  But there are still a few questions to clear up regarding this technology.

You can immediately see from Wiki’s definition that VoIP merely describes a way of getting telephone conversations via the internet.  Now, how you physically participate in this conversation is where the questions come in.  Also, do not confuse fiber-optic with VoIP.  Fiber-optic is the physical construct of the cable used to bring you your voice and data.  All of those cables out there on the telephone poles that aren’t power – are fiber-optic.  Whatever signal is using the fiber is often then converted to a signal that uses copper for your equipment to connect to.

In this blog we’re talking about how VoIP relates to telephone systems.  DataCom sells telephone systems.  To me, the first and foremost query when considering buying a system is: do you want to have immediate access to, and total control over the day-to-day maintenance and programming changes on your system?  Then you need to purchase a PBX that will be installed on your site.  You are billed one time for the equipment that you purchase and the installation of it.  You are responsible for providing your trunks (actual telephone numbers) and the monthly billing of them.  If you would prefer a more “hands-off” approach, then a Hosted system would be your choice.  Basically, the only physical evidence of a telephone system at your business are the telephones that are on your desks.  (More on those in a minute.)  Your VoIP phones are connected to a remote controlling device via the internet through your switchgear.  The provider is responsible for all maintenance and upgrades to the physical system on their end.  Your local telephone numbers are furnished at the remote location as well.  You merely tell them how many lines you need, and they are provided to you.  You are billed monthly for a hosted system based on how many trunks and telephones you have.

That really doesn’t seem like a whole lot of decisions to be made.  Well now we get into the meat of the situation.  How much, exactly, do you want to participate in this VoIP stuff?  Maybe you only want to bring your trunks into your facility using VoIP.  Just to muddy the waters a tad more - VoIP trunks are becoming less and less expensive and offer you the most economical choice for delivering your business telephone lines.  Fine, this is done more and more via SIP trunking.  Pretty much all the dial-tone providers offer a SIP solution.  If you have decided on installing a PBX, you merely choose a system that is SIP compatible; Easily accomplished and done every day.  You very much want to take advantage of these savings, but do not want to purchase a new telephone system or service right now?  Most, if not all, of the providers can bring your lines into the building via SIP and then convert that signal, via an analog gateway, to an analog signal that functions identically to the way your old POTs lines do.  You just connect them to your existing system and enjoy the savings!  Regarding a hosted system, the question of SIP trunking becomes moot because the lines are provided remotely to the host.

How about the keysets?  Here you have even more choices: analog, digital, VoIP, SIP, or virtual.  The analog and digital keysets are only available if you are utilizing your own PBX.  Analog keysets are the least expensive but do not offer many features like built-in function keys and can often access only one line at a time.  Typically they’re found in lobbies, warehouse floors, safety islands, and other industrial applications where features are not needed, or the environment precludes expensive solutions.  Digital keysets have all the features that are available and come in a large variety of models.

VoIP keysets are usually identical to their digital counterparts but are connected to the PBX via your data network.  You plug your keyset into the LAN port in your office wall and it can then communicate with the PBX or host (if you're using a hosted system) via the network.  Your computer then plugs into a port on the keyset and shares the data provided by your network.  If your switch gear does not supply electricity via Power over Ethernet (PoE), you will need to purchase a transformer and supply A/C power to it as VoIP phones do require external power.  SIP phones are VoIP phones but use a specific realm of the magical world of the data network that we won’t get into here.  To simplify, VoIP is the system that the provider uses to talk to the keyset, and SIP is the language that they are speaking.  One of the advantages of a SIP device is that they typically can work with practically any telephone system.  With that being said, they often can not perform brand-specific features.  If you have tailored desires regarding what your phone can and cannot do, research must be done to ensure that a SIP phone will work for you with the system you have. 

Virtual keysets are a program on your computer.  A small picture of a telephone is projected on your screen, and you use it via your keyboard, mouse and pointer, and either a wired or wireless headset.  I haven’t been in a call center for a while, but I envision this solution as the most efficient for that application.

Once you have decided exactly which aspects of VoIP you are going to use, and you have chosen whether your system lives at your location or somewhere remote and is maintained by others; and you have chosen which telephones you are going to use, it is then time for installation.

If you choose to install a PBX, the installer comes out gathers info on how you want it programmed and begins.  Next thing you know, you have new equipment hanging on the wall, and new keysets on the desktops.  The installer gives training on how to use them and you are in business.  A hosted system is identical to this scenario except there is no equipment on the wall in your telecomm closet.  If you’re reading this and we’re only talking about 3-4 employees needing keysets, then the hosted provider might just mail you your new telephones with detailed instructions on how to connect them to your data network.

So… with a PBX, it is your choice how much of the VoIP realm you want to inhabit.  You can have the savings of SIP trunks (that you pay for every month) while utilizing less-expensive analog and digital keysets in the office.  If you have a few employees that work out of their home that need to be on your system, you can set them up with remote VoIP keysets at their house using a VPN tunnel from your network to theirs.  They use your lines, your paging, and can be reached with the touch of a button.  You also have the IOT (Internet Of Things) and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).  This means that your employees can use an app on their cell phone to become an extension on your telephone system.  Your office caller id number is displayed to any customer that your employees may call using this feature and again, all the features of your system are available to these employees. They can do this via your Wireless Access Points while in the office, and on the cell signal when away.

If you’ve made it this far, you can see that those four little letters mean quite a lot!  I hope that I’ve cleared some of it up for you.

Have fun storming the castle!

So, what exactly is an “Edge” Data Center?

Years ago, DataCom Inc. was tasked with cabling the “Mega Data Center” for a large medical facility on Belmont Avenue on Youngstown’s north side.  We cabled the entire building for high-density cubicles and ran innumerable cables between racks in the data center.  This facility was the main “Hub” for servers and supplied data for customers across the entire country!

While today’s published cabling practices preclude it now, the cable trays there often carried bundles edge-to-edge 6”-8” deep – and the tray was stacked four high!!  The 7-foot racks were populated with 2RU cable management between 48-port patch panels from floor to ceiling.  Like today, we used Leviton products for this job.  The difference was that the panels were of a brand-new category above Cat 5e called Media Twist; euphemistically known as Cat 7.  This specific cable was requested by the customer.

Very shortly into testing the first patch panel “opens” began appearing.  A quick visual inspection revealed that the individual conductors were coming out of the lands on the patch panel.  We would re-punch them down and get a successful test only to notice as we progressed that they would again “un-land” themselves.  Now this entire job encompassed somewhere in the neighborhood of 75+ 48-port patch panels (3600 cables!) – and they were all in jeopardy of not working!  Thankfully, we had terminated less than half of them at this time.  We were informed that when the new cable was proposed a preliminary spec had been released from the cable manufacturer.  It was this preliminary data that Leviton had used to construct the patch panels we were using.  Unfortunately, when the final cable was released, it was quite different than originally planned for.  Leviton had re-worked their patch panel to this new cable but had mistakenly shipped us the original stock.  Leviton resupplied us with new, improved, patch panels and we successfully finished the job.

Why I’m sharing this is to give background on a remark that was relayed to us during this project.  The customer’s in-house technical person was a little older and had been involved in the then-new IT world, basically, since the inception of “networking”.  As he surveyed the sheer number of cables in the Data Center, we heard him wonder “…just how long do you think this is going to last?”  We assured him that with the replacement of the patch panels it should last him a good long time.  He then clarified that he wasn’t asking about the quality of our install, but on the longevity of the centralized Data Center style of technology.  He added further that he had been “in the business” for 25 years and that he had personally witnessed the “expansion” and subsequent “contraction” of Centers at least two times previously;  That business’ would decide that they wanted an in-house IT department and would build them and man them, only to decide years later as they grew, that it would be financially prudent to consolidate multiple IT departments into one centrally-located Data Center off-site, like this one was.

Move forward to today:

"As we all know, the Internet of Things is taking off and mobile communications is a big part of that – the Cisco Visual Networking Index report says that smartphone traffic will ultimately exceed PC traffic. Other technology growth and advances like industrial IoT, machine-to-machine communications, online gaming, video streaming and self-driving cars rely on superfast response times and real-time processing of data. And there’s 5G cellular that’s coming down the pike – 5th generation mobile networks that add huge amounts of spectrum in bands to potentially deliver a theoretical throughput of up to 10 Gb/s—enough to support all of this growth in mobile technology." (Fluke Networks Information: April 2019)

     In the article cited above, today’s self-driving cars are given as an example of technology that will require immense bandwidth being absolutely mandatory everywhere the driver may want to go.  It notes that using today’s 4G cellular networks, the latency between car and Data Center averages 80milliseconds.  It further notes that, in order for this mode of transportation to be safe, an average of 5milliseconds is required.

"In general terms, medium latency for data transmission from an end device to a centralized or hyperscale cloud data center can be around 20 milliseconds or longer. When moving the data storage and processing to the edge, latency can drop to 10-15 milliseconds. This is considered low latency. This may seem fast: for reference, our brains need about 13 milliseconds to recognize what our eyes see. However, some emerging IoT applications for on-premises networks such as factory assembly lines will require ultra-low latencies that drop down to 5 milliseconds or less. Low and ultra-low latency performance can only be accomplished with an architecture where edge and traditional cloud data centers work together by sharing processing power and reducing latency for when applications require it."*

"It is important to recognize the effect of 5G deployment goes beyond adding more edge computing — it will also place more strain on the core cloud computing performed in centralized data centers. Roughly 90% of data is still processed in these data centers today, and 5G will speed up the introduction of 400 Gb/s and 800 Gb/s optics and switches in hyperscale and cloud data centers as a way to move data faster. 400 Gb/s switch options entered the market fairly recently, introduced by manufacturers in late 2018 and early 2019, and adoption of these new switches took off in 2020. The new 400 Gb/s switches, based on 12.8 Tb/s chips, provide much faster speeds and greater network density."*

*(https://www.leviton.com/en/support/networking/crosstalk-newsletter/july-aug-2021#story1)

What does this mean?  Well, even with 5G, if the Data Center is located too far away from the vehicle, physics does not allow the latency problem to be overcome!  This, logically, mandates that the Data Center must be moved closer to the vehicle.  While a large number of bigger Data Centers may not be fiscally viable, it also isn’t necessary.  A small “Edge” Data Center (some no larger than a single cabinet) can easily be installed wherever deemed necessary.

"Edge data centers are popping up in a variety of places—near Wi-Fi towers to support 5G cellular service, on street corners to support smart traffic systems and self-driving cars, in central offices and even within or adjacent to a manufacturing plant or an enterprise facility like a medical complex or university campus." (Fluke Networks Information: April 2019)

I guess the HMIS IT worker was right (and wrong), because this will be a huge “expansion” of “consolidated” Data Centers!  Thankfully DataCom Inc. stands ready, willing, and immensely able to install of this infrastructure right now.

       A fast, reliable, data network is possibly one of the most vital assets for a top-flight business to possess.  Outdated switch gear must be replaced with modern  multi-Gbit devices that employ Layer 3 switching,  Power over Ethernet (PoE), VoIP compatibilities (QOS), and numerous ports.

       That’s all well and good.  But, in order to completely utilize all of that expensive hardware, you really need to go one more step and survey your existing cabling infrastructure.  Cat-6 and Cat-6a are routinely installed today.  The improvement over Cat5e of 20 years ago is astounding.  (C-6a is the only cable heavy enough to future-proof your install against the higher-power PoE requirements that lighting and other powered devices require.)

       But just installing the correct category and gauge of cable is not enough!  I admit that DataCom Inc., back in the day was as guilty as EVERYONE else when it came to this, but the old ways of just throwing it up on top of your ceiling tile, or utilizing round D-rings, or pulling it through the grid-work of your structure’s steel roof is no longer acceptable; Number one, with the power running through some of today’s data cabling it can quickly become a fire hazard; And number two, improper installation degrades the performance of your new cable, thereby degrading your entire system!

       At the incredible speeds that data flows through the cable, it is vital that your data network be designed by, and your infrastructure cabling be installed by, certified professionals.  DataCom Inc. is your solution; from our on-staff RCDD-certified designer designing a robust, scalable, reliable network for your business, to our BICSI-certified installers putting all of that selected hardware in place neatly and properly to give you a professionally installed Information Communications Technology (ICT) network; that is certified for the life of the system!  I’ll explain a little more about that below.

       Proper design ensures that your entire network will function at the maximum levels of performance at all times.  Pretty much, a decent Cat-5e (or even an improperly installed C-6) network may still operate at Gbit speeds.  But you will begin to see signs of degradation when the network is “pushed” beyond that.

       Imagine; it’s Payday week and your Accounts Payable people are constantly accessing your network adjusting timesheets and updating employee pay files.  Maybe they’re also on-line to see what your State’s current requirement for paying mileage and tax rates are.  Your Sales department has three people doing the monthly update of your website while the rest of them are on their VoIP phones - connected through your network's wireless access points (WAPS) - making cold calls.  Meanwhile your Safety department is streaming a video in your conference room to a portion of your employees for mandatory OSHA training.  Oh, and don’t forget every one of you are sitting under lighting that is being powered using Power over Ethernet (PoE) supplied by your switches and using your data cabling to deliver said power; the system is monitored 24/7 by your Power system.  The ambient room temperature is being monitored as well by your HVAC control unit.  Both systems send you quarterly emails detailing their usage.  Your cameras and Wireless Access Points run 24/7 using PoE, and depending on programming, may be using a lot of your bandwidth as well.  This means that a proper design is crucial for when the network is truly being utilized at full strength!

       Today’s cabling practices mandate that the product be installed correctly in order for it to be certified.   EIA/TIA testing of your cabling is vital (DataCom has always done that); What we now offer – that the other contractors cannot – is certification!  This is your warranty that your entire system was installed properly, using quality parts, and will continue to perform at mandated levels for the life of the system. (25 years or more, depending on manufacturer).  This guarantees maximum Return On Investment (ROI) and makes terrific fiscal sense for you in the long run.