Intelligent infrastructure management (IIM) or ‘intelligent patching’ is a sophisticated software system that gives you 24/7 control over your network, making moves, adds and changes (MACs) easier and giving you audited management over vital voice and data services.
ACCL was among the first professional cable companies to embrace intelligent infrastructure management, recognising the advantages that remote routing and fully audited changes bring to helping our customers meet standards and regulations, while enjoying a new level of flexibility and control over their networks.
What is intelligent infrastructure management?
Intelligent infrastructure management or ‘intelligent patching’ as it’s sometimes known, describes the use of specialist software to control your network, replacing notes, physical documentation and excel spreadsheets with a computerised system that automatically documents and enables moves, adds and changes.
Intelligent infrastructure management automatically discovers and monitors the connectivity of all vendors’ equipment found in wiring closets, self-documents and provides real-time and remote access over the internet. Any changes can be carried out using ‘patch panels’ – remote rerouting of services through software commands, saving time and money and keeping records 100% up to date.
What are the advantages?
From studies, it appears that over 50% of network problems are related to the physical infrastructure. Therefore accurate documentation and management of the physical layer should be one of the highest priorities. Intelligent infrastructure management meets this need and provides a number of advantages:
- 24/7 network management – detecting and reporting the physical connections in the cabling infrastructure allows the network manager to monitor and manage the infrastructure without having to visit communication rooms
- Reduced downtime – systems can indicate the location of the equipment at fault on a CAD floor plan, and indicate when it has been successfully connected
- Improved MAC process – moves, adds and changes are simplified by the use of computer generated work order, which can be monitored anywhere in the world via a secure web connection
- Improved asset utilisation – identifying the active connections to network equipment, the patching system will provide the network manager with visibility of equipment utilisation. This way spare network capacity can be tracked, preventing unnecessary spending on expensive network hardware
- Improved security – the ability to integrate with a camera within the communication room, and fully reported activity ensure that all MACs are captured and require authorisation
- Faster disaster recovery – the ability to know the current state of your network at any given point in time, including all the users and their associated services and equipment, is indispensable in a disaster recovery situation
- Regulatory compliance – the infrastructure management system can help you to meet industry standards and comply with regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley in the financial services industry
- Reduced cost – by significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of your MACs and by reducing unnecessary expenditure elsewhere on your network hardware
Question – is intelligent patching right for you?
These systems can provide a return on investment for organisations that frequently carry out moves and changes, requiring the need to manage remote locations, multiple buildings on a site or manage a cabling system in excess of more than 1,000 outlets.
As authorised partner of these leading systems on the market, ACCL are able to advise on the system best suited for your needs.
Learn more about Intelligent Infrastructure Management smartpatch systems
