Network Connectivity is Paramount for Construction Sites

As a technologist in the building industry it surprises me that construction managers tend to order communications circuits from their local service providers late in the project. Ordering communications towards the end of a project, typically a month preceding fire and alarm installation, elevator testing or building occupancy, is often related to site work schedules including parking areas, sidewalks and landscaping; however, some simple changes can greatly ease some of the burdens faced by construction managers.

Reach out to the local communications service providers in early project planning stages, as some services may be lacking depending upon where the new facility is located. This will determine the availability of access, amount of providers, any right-of-way concerns and build out costs. Answering some of these questions early will help establish capital and operational budgets.

Mobile construction trailers of today are much more advanced than previous job shacks and have the capability to be highly connected remote satellite offices. The job sites require a solid network and good bandwidth for VPN’s, network copiers, training, cloud storage, surveillance, access control and additional subcontractors’ devices. Although the construction industry is a slow adopter, all of these items, when planned accordingly, help to facilitate a more organized and profitable project.

Work with the developer and operations stakeholders early in the project to determine the technology requirements for the facility and coordinate with the recommended service providers. It is possible to order circuits through carrier groups or national wholesalers which work with these types of projects daily and can negotiate a build-at-reduced or no-cost to the client. It is even possible to produce temporary short term service that can provide a robust and seamless operation for highly-connected equipment required on job sites today.

Here at Ferho we work with many technology partners, including service providers, that have the ability to provide good pricing, and where necessary, like hospitality and entertainment projects, peering with Netflix, Google, Facebook and others. In fact, many times we are able to negotiate on behalf of the owner to provide premium service and have installation fees waived.