Cabling Solutions for Optimised Data Centre Performance

CNet Training launches the first government funded apprenticeship for network cable installation

CNet has announced the launch the first government apprenticeship within the network cable infrastructure sector across England and Wales. The company says it has fully planned and prepared the content of the CNCI Apprenticeship which provides both the apprentice and employer with a full itinerary of activities to follow and implement. It introduces the concept of an ‘apprenticeship in a box’, designed to take care of the time-consuming planning often associated with apprenticeships and on-going professional development.  The CNCI apprenticeship has been put together as the result of a close collaboration between major companies from the network cabling sector. It recognises network cable installation as a role and provides industry approved certification which standardises technical education for network cable installers. The apprenticeship is available to all across England and Wales, with the apprentice benefitting from on and off-the-job training and activities such as mentoring, shadowing, internal training and specialist external education programs. Apprentices must pass a practical assessment and professional discussion to successfully complete the CNCI apprenticeship, which ensures that the learner is fully competent and ready to work independently within the industry.  On successful completion of the apprenticeship, learners will be able to confidently install, test and certify copper and fibre optic cable installation across a variety of environments, working to the correct standards and best practices. Learners will also be taught how to install with confidence and competency smart building technology including wireless access devices, CCTV cameras, door access controls and biometric security systems. Andrew Stevens, CNet Training’s CEO, says, “The network cable infrastructure sector is beset with significant skills shortages. The Certified Network Cable Installer Apprenticeship has been long awaited and is a significant event within the sector. The CNet team has worked incredibly hard to get this off the ground and approved. It’s a massive step forward in the sector and I hope by offering this ‘Apprenticeship in a Box’ concept it will motivate companies looking for new junior recruits to train as everything is ready for the learners to just get going and start learning straight away. The Apprenticeship will inspire a generation and encourage them into the sector by offering a career opportunity following school education. A benefit of the Apprenticeship is that it will ensure that all learners are trained, educated and certified properly from day one and therefore gives them a great starting point to a great career in the sector.”

How to increase data centre uptime?

Whether or not a service level agreement can be upheld may depend on how efficient data centre troubleshooting is. Carefully checking each cable takes too much time, and carelessly unplugging the wrong cable can take webshops, apps or transactional sites offline. Brady Corporation says it offers reliable labels that are designed to reliably identify any data centre cable, server, component and rack to take the guesswork out of troubleshooting. Efficient troubleshooting Trying to determine which cable to unplug and replace or reconnect can be a daunting task in data centres. It is like finding a specific needle in a haystack: a challenge that is time devouring and nerve racking, especially when high level applications are down and agreed service levels are threatened. Imagine if someone were to unplug the wrong cable, and more servers went down – a mistake has the potential to wreak havoc. To avoid all this, Brady says its reliable identification solutions enable data centre technicians to quickly retrieve the cable they need. Label it once The company boasts that its reliable labels, with adhesives for curved and flat surfaces, stay attached to every cable and component. As a result, Brady says identification will be in place when fast troubleshooting is necessary to avoid downtime. Label sizes and shapes are available to easily identify any rack, server, component, STP, UTP and COAX cables, and the company also offers a flag shaped label designed for minimum fibre optic cable contact with maximum available space for identification data. Easy to design and print Brady’s workstation app platform promises to offer an array of label design capabilities that cover almost every data centre identification need. Cable, component and rack labels, and even facility signs and identification can be designed in a few steps. Designs can easily be sent to a Brady label printer for on-site printing, so the new label can be applied immediately.