Fiber Optics

"Why do we care about fiber optics?  Copper cabling is just fine!"

As with anything, you need the right tool for the job!  CAT5 & CAT6 cabling are limited in distance.  Distance limitations are not measured "as the crow flies" but the length of the cable itself.  Tack on some interference from your office flourescent lights, the HVAC system, maybe even an elevator and the functional distance that you can achieve with copper cabling decreases.  Adding switches at these length intervals is one way to get around this limitation but that adds hardware costs and complexity.  Fiber optic is not bound by these limitations.

Another dangerous misconception is that you can add network ceonnectivity to another building by "stringing" a CAT5 cable from your main office to the outbuilding. STOP!  This is ok if both buildings are electrically supplied by the same power panel and mututally grounded, but if they are powered from different electric sources then these buildings must be connected via fiber optic! 

Knowing the proper usage, implmentation, and rationale behind fiber optics and its benefits is what puts us ahead of our competitors.  Fiber optics are FAST, travel unlimited distances and in the above scenario, quite possibly the only thing that will save your data AND your network hardware in the event that one of your office buildings lose power.