Getting data cables up to standard

Mark Froggatt, Technical Director at testing and certification body BASEC, outlines the importance of obtaining third party certification for data cables

In a world reliant so heavily on data, poor quality and non-compliant data cables can have a catastrophic impact on the end user.

It is crucial that structured cabling systems can accommodate data demand both now and, in the future.

“Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new or modify existing- business processes, culture and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements”

Data cables – when quality matters

It is becoming increasingly visible that the world is ever more reliant on digital technology. In fact, the world is in the midst of what is referred to as a “Digital Transformation”.

“Today more than 5 billion consumers interact with data every day- by 2025, this will increase to 6 billion – 75% of the world population. In 2025, each connected person will have at least 1 data transaction every 18 seconds.

Many of these transactions are because of the billions of IoT devices connected across the globe which are expected to create over 90zB of data in 2025” – IDC report. There is great emphasis on reliable data transmission, both in respect to volume and also transfer rates.

In short, consumers are demanding high levels of data and more than ever this data is required in real time. Whether in business or leisure, there is a forever increasing number of data transactions, both with human interface and with the increasing scope of the Internet of Things.

Furthermore, with the expansion of the Industrial Internet of Things, these transactions will inevitability increase further.

Indicators of performance quality

Data network infrastructure quality should be carefully considered to assess whether or not it will be able to operate efficiently, both now and as technologies advance in the future.