Flexibility the key to UTL's offshore success

As one of the world's leading offshore investment specialists, Royal Skandia's approach to IT is as uncompromising as it is simple. It demands best in class.

When it came to providing a Category 6 structured wiring system into its impressive new, purpose-built HQ, Royal Skandia turned to another specialist: Winchester-based network cabling specialists, Universal Technology Limited.

The location of the Royal Skandia building, on the cliff top at Onchan Head on the Isle of Man, presented significant problems from the outset. Chosen from a short list of five companies (which included two locally based organisations), and despite delays caused by bad weather, UTL delivered. On budget, and in record time.

Because of the bad weather that the builders were having to contend with, it became clear to UTL that if their client was still going to take possession of the front door keys in January, as planned, the original project plan would have to be thrown out of the window --- straight into the Irish Sea.

When, on 9th October, the builders agreed to allow access to the first floor only between 14th and 20th, UTL jumped at the chance. A project manager and four other engineers arrived on Monday 14th and by Sunday evening, cabling was complete and the flooring and carpets back down.

Three weeks later and the rest of the building was ready to be cabled. UTL returned in greater numbers and worked 12 hour shifts during the week topped up by 8 hour weekend stints. The whole installation, including fibre and Category 6 testing was completed inside 21 working days.

Mike Minter, Royal Skandia's IT Operations and Support Manager was impressed both by the standard of UTL's workmanship (with no glitches to report a year after commissioning) and the company's consultative approach which was evident even at the initial tender stage. "UTL used the benefit of their experience to reduce costs whilst enhancing the usability of the installation we proposed. The next time we have a major cabling headache to get rid of, we'll be turning to them first," he said.

Flexible installation by flexible installers

The Royal Skandia HQ building was flood wired with 2400 cables using Hellermann Tyton's Category 6 Gigaband system.

Two wiring closets per floor were linked to eight-way sub-floor boxes which terminated within the floor void. From the boxes, ten metre fly leads were run up through grommets in the floor tiles to desk locations where they plugged directly into PCs and IP phones.

Wiring closets were linked to the main server room using diverse routed multimode optical fibre cables for added resilience.

The solution gives Royal Skandia the flexibility to move desks because the geometed floor tile can easily be relocated if required. This future proof solution eliminates the need for the expensive rework of the infrastructure that a more traditional floor box system demands, should office reconfiguration prove necessary.

The whole project is backed by Hellermann Tyton's comprehensive 25 year product and performance warranty.