Kathi Blease

Having an intranet is important, especially for small business. To be able to securely communicate with coworkers and employees is crucial to the running of any company. It can be very difficult to manage schedules and tasks between employees in the office, but an Intranet, or Local Area Network, connects all the devices in an area to a single network that does not need to be synced to the internet. All employees can connect with one another using an Intranet platform (software) over the Intranet (network). In this way they can share the important tacit knowledge with one another that is key to running the company which is either time-sensitive or difficult to verbalize.

The key to setting up a solid Intranet is the infrastructure. Network architecture is very important, especially as your business grows. You need to be able to accommodate new users and provide uninterrupted services to current users. This freedom will prevent your office from becoming a tangle of wires with unreliable service. A bonus is the higher speeds you can achieve internally as you are not limited by an external provider but by the capacity of the cabling.

Network architecture for an Intranet begins with the cable, jacks for the cable chosen, faceplates, patch panel, raceway, patch cords, and j-hooks. An experienced technician is needed to pull the cable for you so that it is properly tested and terminated. Look for a company with BICSI certified technicians to be sure your cabling is up to code.

Once completed, your intranet can be plugged in to the Internet, allowing you the freedom to communicate with the company internally and interact with other stakeholders outside of the company’s Local Area Network.

There are a few things to focus on when selecting a contractor to upgrade your network infrastructure. The top four are location, quality of work, and price. Unfortunately, the last three may be difficult to determine based upon a simple Google search. However, it may be a good place to start.

If you are a small to medium sized business, you probably want someone reasonably close by in your region in case you have service calls down the line. Larger businesses and government entities may hire nonlocal contractors who subcontract the job out to telecommunications companies that are closer to the place of performance.

Secondly, quality is obviously crucial. You can look a company’s website for completed projects or client lists, but it may be worthwhile to reach out and ask for references or a capability statement. Ask yourself: what sort of clientele does the company have? Have they serviced a business like mine? Is that business satisfied with their performance? This will give you more of an idea of what working with this company will be like. Additionally, try to find out what their follow up is like – will they be available to you as needed? Do they have a warranty on their products? If you are satisfied it is time to move on to price.

Ask for a quote. Compare it to the quotes of some other telecommunications businesses. Now comes the difficult part. It is time to weigh all three factors and make a judgment call on which firm to go with. Be sure to keep location, quality of work, and price in mind.

You want to know if you need to upgrade your business’ network infrastructure. There are four main things to look for when making your decision.

Out of date: is your network fast enough to support the functionality your business requires for both voice, data, and video?

Overused: is your network designed to last? Do you have a Telecommunications Room / Main Distribution Facility (MDF) which houses a patch panel, switch, and all your cables? Do you have jacks for each needed connection? If not, your system is probably not sustainable for the long term.

Cost savings: Reduced power output, reduced cost due to technology improvements (ex. VoIP).

Business growth: Your current infrastructure can’t handle your growing business.

If you are thinking about upgrading your network infrastructure with structured cabling, let us know and we are happy to work through the upgrade process with you. Please contact us for more information or references. Good luck!

Structured cabling is a total network solution for your telecommunications infrastructure. This cabling facilitates voice, data, video, image, and text transfer.

Essentially, you have a main telecom room (MDF) and may have additional ‘intermediate’ telecom rooms known as IDFs. These rooms are typically connected by fiber and each room typically has racks or cabinets with patch panels that connect to jacks/telecom outlets for user workstations or devices.

Network Infrastructure according to ANSI/TIA-568-C.1:

The Access Provider connects to the Entrance Facility. This is where your network begins. The Entrance Facility extends the network to the Main Cross-Connect (Distributor C) in the Equipment Room. This is the highest physical level in the network, and it connects to the next layer, of which the hierarchy is:

• At the highest level, an Intermediate Cross-Connect (Distributor B) in the Equipment Room which is usually a connection between multiple buildings.
• Or a Horizontal Cross-Connect (Distributor A) in the Telecommunications Room or Telecommunications Enclosure
• Or a Telecommunications Outlet/Connector (Equipment Outlet) in a Work Area

The Main Cross-Connect can connect to (a), (b), or (c) directly but a lower rung of the hierarchy can never jump before a higher layer.

BICSI is a professional association for the telecommunications industry. According to their website, they serve nearly 23,000 professionals and spans more than 100 countries.

They have multiple levels and types of certifications/credentials they offer for the industry. These include:

-Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD)

-Registered Telecommunications Project Manager (RTPM)

-Data Center Design Consultant (DCDC)

-Outside Plant Designer (OSP)

Of these the RCDD is crucial for many projects. For example, both the Department of Defense and the Army require and RCDD on staff for any telecommunications project. The RCDD designs and executes a project from beginning to end, trying to minimize cost and maximize efficiency. They oversee the project to be sure the design is being followed correctly and sign off upon completion.

Additionally, they have a cabling installation program with four credentials:

-Installer 1

-Installer 2, Copper

-Installer 2, Optical Fiber

-Technician

Technicians have the knowledge to be leads technicians for their company and to manage that team throughout a full project.

These credentials are important for both the customers and telecommunication companies to be sure that all technicians on the job have the proper training, knowledge, and skills for a project.

Palm Beach County may not be on the same level as Wall Street, but that hasn’t stopped financial firms from relocating to the South Florida Area. West Palm Beach in particular has become a hub not just for financial firms, however, but for all businesses to move to. This is creating a small network effect where more businesses moving creates value for other businesses that move close by. According to the Palm Beach County Business Development Board (BDB), the total economic impact from companies that the BDB has helped move exceeds $6 Billion, with over $750 million in capital investment in the past five years.

There are a multitude of reasons for the moves to Southeast Florida but primary among them is the tax environment. There is no state income tax in Florida. With a sales tax rate of 6% statewide and an additional 1% for the county, Palm Beach County is a very tax friendly place to live- especially compared to the personal taxes currently being paid by many who work on Wall Street or in other highly taxed states.

Additionally, there is a lifestyle benefit associated with the move to the South Florida area. It is becoming a coveted location to both work and live. Some of that is due to the weather and the beaches, which make outside activities possible year-round. Some is due to the quality of public schools which is a benefit to families with children. It also speaks to the quality of the labor talent pool.

Whether you own a business or are looking to make a move, consider Palm Beach County as your destination. (We are partial to Boca Raton!)

https://www.bdb.org/index.php?src=pages&ref=about

Many existing buildings have trouble maintaining cellular reception throughout and some building owners are not aware that there is a solution for this problem! WilsonPro has a passive Distributed Antenna System (DAS) that detects signal(s) then uses, amplifies, and broadcasts the detected signal(s) throughout an area. The result of a successful WilsonPro passive DAS installation is the ability to make calls, send and receive text messages, browse the internet, and download/upload via your cellular signal.

Additionally, WilsonPro is unique in that it provides a carrier agnostic solution. One antenna can serve multiple cellular providers.

Their product also uses a passive DAS and thus requires a minimally invasive installation as compared with active DAS. This is why WilsonPro’s passive DAS cellular amplifiers are an affordable solution for owners looking to boost their guests/tenants cell phone reception.

WilsonPro’s premier cellular amplifier is now a part of the portfolio of solutions offered by Intranet Communications Group. Please reach out to us for more information! 561-367-7276.

The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) limits the countries from which products sold can originate from for Government Contracts. Essentially, products that are from, manufactured in, or substantially transformed in the United States or a designated country register as compliant. For services, the location of the company indicates the country of origin. You can find a list of approved countries in the FAR Clause – https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.225-5

The Buy American Act (BAA) is a bit more stringent and slightly more complex. It was originally passed in 1933 and determines that there shall be preference for United States goods manufactured or produced in the United States. In certain cases, this preference can be waived. This happened with some large trade agreements but is often dependent on the type (goods, services, construction) and the size of the procurement.

According to Executive Order 10582, when “materials constitutes 50 percent or more of the cost of all the products used in such material…the executive agencies shall either (1) add 6 percent to the total bid or offered price of materials of foreign origin, or (2) add 10 percent to the total bid or offered price of materials of foreign origin,” with a few exclusions. DFARS adds to this by requiring an evaluation factor of 50 percent for DOD projects.

There have been two additional Executive Orders (13858 and 13788) that are intended to strengthen and implement Buy American Act compliance and procedures among Federal departments.

Buy American Act and its associated Executive Orders:

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title41/subtitle4/chapter83&edition=prelim

DFARS Clause:

https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars/html/current/225_1.htm

The information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Contact your attorney if you require legal advice.

Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 has two major parts. Effective August 13^th, 2019, Part A stipulates that:

“The head of an executive agency may not procure or obtain or extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.”

Covered Telecommunications equipment is described as:

“Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities)” or “…video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).”

Basically, the Federal Government can no longer use Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hangzhou Hikvision, or Dahua products or services.

This has led to Government agencies replacing covered telecommunications equipment and video surveillance equipment with products from countries other than China. We will cover the Trade Agreements Act and Buy American Act relating to this in another blog post.

Meanwhile, Part B of Section 889 became effective August 13^th, 2020. Part B states:

“The head of an executive agency may not enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.”

This expands upon Part A in that not only can Agencies not buy equipment from the banned companies from China, but the Agencies also cannot buy equipment from companies that use the banned equipment directly or in their supply chain. This is a high bar for many small businesses. A recent GSA webinar outlined the standard as making a reasonably inquiry into your supply chain to ensure compliance including within your company. This would include popular webcams, CCTV cameras, and other telecommunications equipment.

ICG sells telecommunications equipment from compliant companies and manufacturers. This includes Axis cameras which publish a list of their TAA Compliant cameras. We are also able to procure compliant telecommunications equipment, from jacks and cabling to racks and patch panels.

If you would like more information on our product line please send us an email or give us a call!

The information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Contact your attorney if you require legal advice.

Click here to see the entire bill at Congress’ website.