Going wireless
Making/running cables...UGH!!! Agreed; we'd much rather buy a patch cord or shorter cable for a buck or two (max) each then spend the time to make one. We're shifting some of our systems to a wireless infrastructure which (a) eases the burden on our switches and patch panels, also keeps our IT closets neater, and (b) solves the problem of users wanting to move their systems or saying, "Hey can you run a drop over her instead / activate this port / shift these ports to this network segment / etc?" While wireless is NOT a one-size-fits-all solution for several reasons (security, bandwidth, and RFI among them) we can install and configure a new access point in less time than it takes to make a handful of patch cables and the access points pay for themselves in flexibility and in the cost of time that we don't have to spend dealing with all of the above.
