DeviceWorks Cable Manager
Connecting state and local government leaders
When I look behind my desk, I get hungry for Italian food.
When I look behind my desk, I get hungry for Italian food. That's because the mess of cables back there reminds me of spaghetti. Thankfully, I have been in the same office for many years now, but if I ever had to move, I think I would be in trouble.A few years ago, when the GCN Lab moved from its cramped location in Silver Spring, Md., to its spacious Washington offices several blocks from the U.S. Capitol, I had to move quite a lot of computers.The biggest problem was moving the cables. Power cords from 20 different servers had to be dealt with, not to mention all the peripheral devices, plus Category 5 wires. Just taking everything apart was a chore. Putting it all back together again was murder.When DeviceWorks Co. of Boulder, Colo., sent me their Cable Manager, it was like a light bulb suddenly went on. Here was a simple product that could have eliminated most of my problems when moving offices.It also can help eliminate most of the computer clutter for busy government employees who want nice, tidy offices.The Cable Manager is basically a hanging shelf system for all your cables. Most computer desks have a little hole in them for cables to drop through. You use a clamp to attach the Cable Manager to that hole, and the bulk of the device hangs from there. If you have an old desk without the access hole, you can screw the device into the wall or the side of your wooden desk with an attachment.A single Cable Manager can accommodate up to 14 different cables. The shelving area can handle a router or small firewall. The Cable Manager comes with three 10-inch bungee-type straps to hold things down, kind of like in the back of a pickup truck. Cables can be wrapped up neatly and clipped to the side, with the tops of them dangling on hooks.A standard power strip can even be fitted vertically into the enclosure so it is out of the way, and everything that needs power can plug into it.The Cable Manager also comes with 12 sets of color-coded labels. You can use the labels to mark what everything in the Cable Manager does, and they are also helpful to mark what computer or user the Cable Manager works with. That way, if you ever do have to move, you simply unplug the Cable Manager from the devices and quickly reattach it on the other end of your journey.You will not believe how much clutter is eliminated by neatly stacking your cables. If you work in the legislative side of the government, you may end up moving your office every two or four years, depending on what party is in power at the time and the assignment of offices. Being able to simply unclip all your cables in one fell swoop and reattach them at your new place will save you tons of time and heartache.
DeviceWorks Cable Manager
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