SKILLS SPOTLIGHT
EDUCATING WORKFORCES TO
FUTUREPROOF INFRASTRUCTURE
Even though the successful installation of network
cable infrastructure is vital for the effective operation
of critical organisations, Andrew Stevens, President
and CEO, CNet Training, says its importance is not
fully recognised. He tells us about the vital role
of training to ensure customers can feel totally
confident about the quality of installation.
Can you outline the regulations
– or lack of – surrounding
[network] data centre
infrastructure at present?
It’s quite an alarming fact to know
that there are no regulations around
network cable infrastructure installation
and even more alarming when you
realise that anyone can be responsible
for installing the infrastructure that we
all rely on in our personal and business
lives. It’s often the case that network
infrastructure is simply not considered or
is deemed as low tech, when in fact it is
essential in many critical situations;
air traffic control, hospitals, traffic
lights, communication…
What happens when they go
wrong? Industry needs to recognise
network cabling infrastructure as
the fourth utility and give it the
importance it deserves.
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Issue 04
There should be tighter regulation to
help increase quality of service, be
more professional generally and allow
customers to feel more confident and
trust the quality of the installation. This
is in addition to helping to safeguard the
industry, making it more attractive for new
talent, after all we are in competition with
other industries to attract good people.
What are the potential
implications of this?
If the network cable infrastructure is not
installed correctly and it goes wrong it is
hugely costly and inconvenient – you only
need to read the press about the impact
of cancelled flights, accessibility to online
apps, lock outs on government systems,
the list goes on…
This is without considering any legal
implications that could occur, increasing
costs even more and absorbing valuable
time. Sure, not all outages are caused
by the network infrastructure failure as
human error comes into it too, however
it does highlight several gaps that could
be filled relatively easily with regulation/
certification. Many deem regulation as
being a time-consuming paper exercise.
However it is needed. You wouldn’t dream
of being an electrician without having
the right certifications, it should be the
same for those working within network
cabling considering the importance of
the task being carried out. Everyone talks
about quality of installation but how do
we currently know the installers have
adopted the current standards and codes
of practice during the install?
It could be self-regulated. However, this
would involve the entire industry working
together to agree processes that would
work for all. Creating our own benchmark
as a minimum and this being accepted
and recognised throughout the industry is
the first step.
Yes, it would need to be policed and
externally, otherwise it has no value
whatsoever. This echoes previous
discussions about the need for a trusted
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