With the advent of the new technology age, getting the right infrastructure in place to support your office's computer and phone network is even more important than ever.

And that is where SwitchWorx, which specialises in voice and data connections, excels - offering a range of products and services from consulting and technical design right the way through to the post construction phase for the infrastructure cabling of a building, as well as relocation assistance for implementing systems.

For the Hamilton-based company, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, having been set up in 1997 to serve the local cabling industry as one of four member companies of North Rock Ventures, now provides cabling solutions for some of Bermuda's top businesses.

Amongst the list are Gibbons Group of Companies, AS Cooper & Sons, Montepelier Reinsurance, Allied World Assurance Company and Axis Specialty Insurance Company.

Other projects it has worked on in the past include Government's ITO division, Waterfront Properties, Belmont Hills Golf Resort & Spa, Saltus Grammar School and Somersfield Academy.

Andre Lemaire, general manager of SwitchWorx, explained that his company's main business is in infrastructure cabling.

"We are involved in the implementation of cabling for voice and data connections in office buildings, including PCs and phones," he said.

"Our spin-offs are that we do a lot of consulting services for data centres and there has been a big demand for newer data centres at the moment.

"There is a lot of factors affecting data centres from cooling and power to cabling requirements and how they connect to the outside world, and that is where we come in."

SwitchWorx, which operates on a staff base of between 13 to 23, made up of a 50:50 percent split between Bermudian and ex-patriates and consisting of project managers, electric project manager, sales manager, designer and a team of technicians and back office workforce, has come a long way since its inception, according to Mr. Lemaire.

"I initially came down to the company at the end of 1998 and the start of 1999 and the company had just been started the previous year," he said.

"I took over as general manager in 2002 and from there it was just about re-establishing the business as a structured cabling company.

"We have diversified into a lot of consulting services on the data centre side and we also do things like battery back-up for data centres and computer rooms."

And Mr. Lemaire reckons his company is unique in what it does because of the variety of high end cabling solutions it offers to its clients.

"I think, in comparison to the competition, our clients come to us because of certain services and products that we are able to deliver on," he said.

"We have done and are involved in doing work for the likes of Waterfront Properties, Montpelier Reinsurance and Allied World Assurance Company.

"And, I figure, in the last year-and-a-half, we have installed two million feet of cable."

Others on SwitchWorx's customer list include insurance businesses OIL Management Services, the Argus Group, ACE Tempest Re, Zurich International (Bermuda), PXRE, Tokio Millennium Re and IAS Park (Bermuda), in addition to schools such as Mount St. Agnes Academy.

But, the cabling company also provides services and products for small businesses and residential clients, of which it covers the consulting and technical design, design, bidding, construction and post construction phases of the installation of systems into new builds.

Additionally, SwitchWorx runs the project management side of the implementation, starting from the demarcation point and continuing it through to the end user, while working alongside architects, electricians, builders and telecommunications and ISP providers to ensure the project is completed on time and to budget.

At Montepelier Re's offices in Pitts Bay Road, it developed the data centre design and net- work infrastructure of the whole operation and was responsible for the co-ordination and relocation of the entire active equipment from the reinsurance company's existing facilities to its new location, while being involved in the design of the communications infrastructure, data centre layout and audio visual system for the new 40,000 square feet Axis Specialty's Axis House, located at the Waterfront Properties site, and has subsequently been awarded the contract for the implementation phase of the project for the distribution of the network infrastructure totalling 1,400 cable runs.

Gibbons Group of Companies, meanwhile, had its structured cabling and security cabling for the new locations of Capital G Bank, the Strata G Building and Thistle House designed and installed by SwitchWorx, and the cabler has joined forces with Sight N Sound Design to design the structured cabling and data centre and carry out the cabling infrastructure at Allied World's base behind the AIG Building.

And Mr. Lemaire believes these style of projects is what SwitchWorx will focus on more of in the future.

"We are involved with a lot of the newer buildings that are going up on the Island," he said.

"Our aim is to grow that side of the business and here the key issues in the next few months are to expand our services and consulting work, as well as doing more training with our existing technicians.

"One of our focuses is to get more involved in the construction industry and with architects.

"It is important to get your infrastructure in place before building work begins and that seems to be one of the biggest problems here in Bermuda in that designers have not thought about how things are going to connect and work together on the electronic side of things."

To find out more about voice and data connections or cabling infrastructure contact Andre Lemaire on 296 4070, email andre[AT]switchworx.com or visit the website at www.switchworx.bm