Welcome back to Tech Service Today's IT Disaster of the Week series where we post the ugliest IT environment our technicians ran into this past week. We started this series a little over one year ago to help IT professionals understand the importance of taking care of their network equipment and cabling, and that it's never too late to turn any IT disaster into a clean, organized network environment.

We are happy to report that our message has been received loud and clear. In fact some customers asked how they can ensure their networks never appear in one of our weekly IT Disaster photos. Our answer is simple: Let us cleanup your messes.

While this week's photo is clear evidence that this company needs another rack at this site, our customer actually recognized this disaster and called Tech Service Today to request our cabling cleanup services.

While some IT professionals can't believe anyone could let their network evolve into this kind of mess, it happens more frequently than you'd think. Especially in retail environments like this one where an abundance of new technologies were rolled out over the last few years, resulting in overwhelmingly rapid growth to their store networks. 

Where retailers once only connected point of sale terminals on the in-store networks, the introduction of technologies like digital VoIP phone systems (which replaced the old analog PBXs), IP-based video security systems & DVRs (replacing the old coax-based, analog CCTV systems), digital menu boards & touch-screen ordering kiosks, digital audio/paging systems, wireless networks (for both employees and free Wifi network access for customers), and large format displays & video walls powered by digital signage systems have all been added to retail store networks in the last 5-10 years.

While each of these new technologies alone probably only required the addition of one small device to each store's network rack/closet, so many devices were added so quickly that there either wasn't sufficient space in the existing network racks to hold the new equipment, or the cabling connected to the existing rack-mounted devices was so tangled that someone chose to set up the new equipment on the floor rather than attempt digging their way through the cabling chaos in order to rack mount the new equipment properly.

Regardless of why it happens, the surge of new retail technologies have made IT disasters like this one commonplace. And when equipment is left on the floor, it is far more likely to get damaged, destroyed, or experience accidental disconnects. When you consider the cost of replacing that equipment - in addition to the cost of down-time to your business - it always makes more sense to properly install your equipment in a network rack. 

Check back every Friday for TST's latest IT Disaster of the Week photo

which represent one of the thousands of customer sites our technicians visit every year as they install and service IT, networking, and telecom equipment & cabling for our clients.

Click here to see last week's IT Disaster photo.

Do you already have an IT disaster that needs to be cleaned up?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to install a network. But to ensure that your equipment, racks and cabling are installed properly in an organized, efficient fashion, it does require the talents of a skilled IT technician. If you need help installing or cleaning up your network, contact Tech Service Today to have a skilled, seasoned Technician dispatched to your site.

Need help installing, troubleshooting, testing, documenting, or replacing your network cabling?  Call Tech Service Today for on-site technical services anywhere in North America - often in 4-hours or less.

Just call (800) 973-2022 (option 1), or Email us at Service@TechServiceToday.com