Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1347119
April/May/June 2021 I 15 FIGURE 1: Some of the many benefits of labeling. Given the increased demand for a digitally connected world, the explosive growth of information, and a reli- ance on data to generate business intelligence, there is an unprecedented opportunity for facilities to optimize overall building performance and reduce power con- sumption. It is not just limited to new construction. Thanks to increasing demand for technology-based solutions and the decreasing cost of wireless sensors, there is also significant business in converting, retro- fitting, and upgrading data centers. Asset management and labeling are important for a successful structured cabling or data center installation to ensure maximum uptime and audit compliance. SMART SUPPORT Whether it is net-new construction or an upgrade and renovation; commercial or residential; public or private; a single site or an entire city, one of the most critical aspects of a smart building is having the workforce necessary to maintain it. There are fewer workers yet far more technologies and systems to install and monitor. It can also be said that the demand for skilled people is increasing faster than the supply. While many of the internet of things (IoT), industrial internet of things (IIoT), and smart systems will be increasingly self-monitoring, there is always the unexpected outage. Facility personnel need to know much more than in the past and be able to make informed decisions quickly. Given the added increase in digital traffic, data centers are being asked to carry increasing loads of traffic they were not initially designed to handle. Cabling standards keep evolving. Patching and work- arounds have created, in some cases, cabling chaos and lagging networks. At the same time, new options are introduced regularly, including enhanced and aug- mented Ethernet categories, singlemode and multimode small form-factor pluggables (SFPs), Power over Ethernet (PoE), and Wi-Fi 6. Add to this the emergence of new building and maintenance trends, including building information management (BIM) systems, digital twins, modular panels and full systems that are built elsewhere and assembled on site, inspection drones, and robots. How to keep everything straight? With straightforward labeling. Accurate labels help personnel fix problems faster and safer. Applying serialized, barcoded, and human-readable labels on controls, switches, junction boxes, cables, outlets, and other components builds worker confidence and reduces worry. Humans, drones, and robots alike can scan printed labels to confirm they have the right location before changes are made. Labeling helps reduce errors, saving time and money by enabling workers to install, refit, and repair things correctly the first time. Labeling also helps to reinforce on-the job training. This is an important consideration amid labor challenges and the increased use of temporary workers. That is why the benefits of facility and cable labeling have become a huge part of developing both staff and buildings that are smart (Figure 1). • Reduces human errors • Simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting • Saves time with faster cable tracing • Avoids downtime with accurate mapping • Enhances professional reputation for quality • Supports warranty assurance and compliance BENEFITS OF LABELING Labeling helps reduce errors, saving time and money by enabling workers to install, refit, and repair things correctly the first time.