J.D. Edwards Standardizes On The Siemon Cabling System
A Future-Proofed Zoned Cabling System for a World-Class Organization…
Jonathan Guillen — The Siemon Company
J.D. Edwards opened its doors to the software arena in 1977, and today is one of the world's leading developers of enterprise software solutions. J.D. Edwards operates in over 100 countries, with over 4300 employees in 48 offices worldwide. The one constant at J.D. Edwards is their promise of continued success and finding better ways of doing business for their customers and themselves. Over 21 years of continued success has allowed J.D. Edwards to grow to be a major player in the enterprise software market. Inevitably, the need for a new corporate headquarters was realized; construction of the site began in October of 1996 in Colorado, the Denver Tech Center Area.
Arial photograph of J.D. Edwards Denver Colorado Campus
At J.D. Edwards, the development of enterprise software goes farther than just software excellence, it extends to all areas of business including their building's architecture. Technologically advanced buildings improving employee productivity and providing efficient flow of information was J.D. Edwards goal when selecting the right solution for a cabling systems vendor. J.D. Edwards had strict criteria that had to be met for their Denver campus as well as their global cabling projects: A category 5 cabling system that offered a clear contractual warranty, that exceeded industry standard performance specifications, that was user friendly, maintainable, flexible, easy to install with modern aesthetics, and most importantly making the correct decision for partnership with a leading global cabling company were extremely important to J.D. Edwards. When J.D. Edwards compared The Siemon solution to others, the solution came out ahead simply because it exceeded all of the criteria in comparison to the competition.
"The Siemon Company is the only vender who offered a solid end-to-end warranty that was truly a contractual binding warranty with no marketing fluff…it was not a marketing show piece. Out of all the warranties our legal department reviewed, The Siemon Company was the only warranty with performance specifications clearly written out in the warranty itself. No one else had that type of information in their warranty. As the technology changes, the Siemon warranty makes us feel good. The Siemon warranty and performance are equal to or better than solutions that would have cost 25% more. The end result is Siemon offered a better worldwide system with better value for J.D. Edwards." — John R. Williams, Technology - Facility Manager - J.D. Edwards.
J.D. Edwards Telecommunications Cabling Task Force. From left to right, Mark A. Kushel, Implementation Tech III, John R. Williams, Technology - Facility Manager and John Musial, Implementation Supervisor.
The cabling systems vendors that J.D. Edwards researched for their new campus were Belden/Krone, Lucent, AMP, Siemon, and Superior. The bottom line was that The Siemon Company partnering with Graybar offered a combination of better prices, warranty, technical support, customer service, delivery and high quality, feature-rich products. When asked what J.D. Edwards thought about the Siemon relationship, John Williams said:
"The Siemon relationship simply is an example of people thinking smarter and working better."
The J.D. Edwards' new Denver Campus, will consist of several new buildings that are so technologically advanced that other companies are visiting this reference site to get ideas on how to develop their future cabling systems. The first building completed, One Tech Way, is a 250,000 square foot customer support center that is a prime example of a company simply doing things right. One of the most appealing aspects of One Tech Way is the fact that the building's architecture was designed around the cabling system making it a reference site of technological excellence.
J.D. Edwards - One Tech Way. This six story, 250,000 square foot customer support center located in the heart of the Denver CO, Tech Center Area is a reference site of technological excellence
One Tech Way was cabled with dependable, superior performance in mind. With over 1600 workstations and a combination of over 6400 MAX and CT Jacks, over 17,000 patch cords and 1.1 million feet of Category 5 UTP 100-Pair Plenum and Fiber cable installed, J.D. Edwards created a unique and efficient zoned cabling solution. The average cable run at J.D. Edwards is 78 feet which cuts industry standards in half and results in exceptional transmission performance. One Tech Way has two IDF closets installed per floor creating two unique zones. Technology was a priority when constructing these buildings.
J.D. Edwards methodology of consistent design throughout their buildings ensures that their help support desk representatives do their jobs efficiently. Help Desk Support Personnel can walk users through trouble shooting procedures anywhere in the world via a simple phone call because of J.D. Edwards' strict adherence to global standard design practices. The Siemon Cabling System offers J.D. Edwards the piece of mind ensuring that their installations will meet global ANSI TIA/EIA T568A and ISO 11801 specifications. J.D. Edwards unique zoned cabling solution uses consolidation points to allow flexibility when redesigning office environments and floor layouts by eliminating the need to re-cable an entire floor all the way back to the telecommunications closet.
When a move is necessary, J.D. Edwards "Move Teams" can simply pull back extended patch cords from their consolidation points, reconfigure the furniture to the new layout, reroute cable through furniture and reconnect their systems. The concept that excites J.D. Edwards about this zoned cabling solution is the fact that it allows for them to expedite quick moves, adds and changes without having to re-test or re-certify their entire network. It is estimated that adding universal cluster, multi-user telecommunication outlet assemblies, manufactured by Holocomm Systems, Inc., will save J.D. Edwards approximately $100,000 in moves, adds and changes their first year alone. In addition, J.D. Edwards has invested in their future by becoming Siemon Certified Installer End Users. This allows their installers to design and install their own warranted systems.
Multi-user telecommunication outlet assemblies manufactured by Holocomm Systems Inc., will save J.D. Edwards over $100,000 in moves, adds and changes the first year alone. The above photo shows Siemon MAX Jacks and Patch Panels tightly fitted into a specially created panel manufactured by Holocomm Systems.
One Tech Way. Telecommunications closet with color coded patch panels for voice and data applications (rear view). Exceptional example of an Installation done right!
Bill Kennedy, Senior Data Transport Analyst at J.D. Edwards, is happy with the Siemon Solution because it prevents added costs related to network down time and increases employee productivity. J.D. Edwards has to be assured that their systems stay in the mainstream of information technology. They can't afford for their networks to crash. J.D. Edwards now has a cabling infrastructure they can depend on. The day J.D. Edwards moved into One Tech Way, there was not one phone call to the support help desk that was in reference to faulty cabling or data network infrastructure.
"The people in our network group who see how well the cabling has been installed just assume from the aesthetics that there are no problems with that piece of the network. Having a reliable cabling solution prevents our network from creating delays associated from down time. In other words, if we do not have a robust, reliable solution, the costs related to downtime are extreme. It translates to employee productivity. Siemon has done an excellent job of bringing together the various pieces and parts of our cabling solution infrastructure to build a very elegant solution. They partner very well with J.D. Edwards and Graybar thus offering the very best solution for J.D. Edward's business." -- Bill Kennedy, Senior Data Transport Analyst, J.D. Edwards.
J.D. Edwards Basement MDF Room. A unique cabling solution with Siemon S66 and S110 blocks side-by-side. This type of installation proves J.D. Edwards commitment to superior design and excellence.
John Musial, Implementation Supervisor at J.D. Edwards, was a key element to the success of the cabling infrastructure for their Building One Project. With his strive for perfection within all areas of the project, John worked closely on a day-to-day basis with the installation contractor to insure that J.D. Edwards received nothing less then 110% above expected services. "It's not how good you can do your job but how well you can recover from issues during the course of a project. I like to call these issues opportunities. We had our opportunities with this project and all of these opportunities ended positively. Our team, J.D. Edwards, The Siemon Company and Graybar all batted a 1000 to a win/win solution. I would put our team up against any other team in this industry today." -- John Musial Implementation Supervisor J.D. Edwards.
Mark A. Kushel, Implementation Tech III of J.D. Edwards is a very important member of the cabling task force of project management. Mark's job ensures that all cabling projects are done to perfection. Mark strives for project excellence with daily inspections of all works in progress. Continued service via excellent customer and technical support are what makes the Siemon/J.D. Edwards marriage so strong.
"You can call some one at The Siemon Company and you will not have a tough time getting in touch with someone right away. When you call, you can talk to someone on a personal level, there is no chain of command. It's always being available that makes the difference. Their customer service is great, you always get answers the same day you ask. It's nice to know there is an interest at the VP Executive level. You never get a secretary when calling one of the Siemon brothers." — Mark A. Kushel, Implementation Tech III, J.D. Edwards.
E.D. Ed Stein, Communications Quotations Manager of Graybar Denver believes The Siemon relationship is a true marriage of two companies coming together to offer the very best solution for J.D. Edwards.
"The natural progression and evolution of new product lines that Siemon offers, the CT series, the MAX series, fully tested patch cords, patch panels, S66 blocks, S110 blocks, always continuing to expand the right products lines, not haphazardly, that are all tested and warranted all the way through. Siemon has always been the vendor of choice. J.D. Edwards can do small projects right out of my inventory. Inside deliveries...we delivered a quarter million feet of cable and personally carried it to the IDF's at J.D. Edwards . That is my example of an inside delivery, getting product where it needs to be when it needs to be there. We strive for customer satisfaction, that is our business." — E.D. Ed Stein, Communications Quotations Manager, Graybar Denver.
This is a solution that just makes sense. This is two solid engineering companies coming together to offer the best solution possible which makes end users and contractors happy. All J.D. Edwards wanted, was the finest cabling system available in the market - The Siemon solution prevailed.
One Tech Way. Telecommunications closet with color coded patch panels for voice and data applications (front view). Notice the exceptional design and the cable waterfall flowing J.D. Edwards voice and data applications mainstream
J.D Edwards needed to partner with a company that could support their worldwide cabling efforts. With international offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Malaysia, Reading, Durban, Capetown, Johannesburg, Milan, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City, Monterrey and others opening frequently, having a global network of Siemon Certified Installers helped ease the J.D. Edwards decision. J.D. Edwards was comfortable knowing that The Siemon Company had Certified Installers who ensured consistent quality and performance of installed cabling systems no matter where they planned on setting up remote locations. The Siemon Company Project Assistance Program helps ease J.D. Edwards worldwide growth. Siemon Project Assistance identifies the correct Certified Installer for the scope of the project, no matter where J.D. Edwards plans their growth. Project Assistance also ensures consistent Siemon certified installations that adhere to J.D. Edwards global standard design practices.
Quoted from J.D. Edwards web site, "It's inevitable. You're eventually going to have to incorporate more sophisticated technology than you have today - and possibly sooner than you'd like. Are you experiencing the sense of dread that comes with the thought of ripping out your old system and implementing a new one?" That sense of dread has been alleviated by The Siemon Cabling Solution which will last well into the next millennium.
When Carl N. Siemon, President and CEO of The Siemon Company was interviewed on the J.D. Edwards project and J.D. Edwards technology views for the future, his comments were:
"The Siemon Company is very pleased that J.D. Edwards has standardized on The Siemon Cabling System for their worldwide cabling efforts. Our philosophy is to continually reinvest our earnings into research and development to be technology leaders in the field of our specialty - Telecommunications Cabling. Our goals are to manufacture the highest quality products in terms of performance, aesthetics, value, and global standards compliance to ensure future applications compatibility in this rapidly advancing and exciting industry. J.D Edwards can rest assured that The Siemon Cabling System will support all of their network application needs today and well into the future." — Carl N. Siemon, President and CEO, The Siemon Company.
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