What Is Softwiring and Why Does Your Office Need It?

If you have ever moved a desk and wondered why the power situation suddenly became a problem — softwiring is the answer.

Soft wiring is a modular cable management system. It handles power and data at the workstation level, without hardwiring anything through walls or floors. The system mounts under the desk. It connects to a floor box. When the desk moves, the system moves with it.

Simple concept. Significant impact on how an office functions.

The Problem Softwiring Solves

Traditional commercial offices run fixed electrical and data through the building — to wall plates, floor boxes, ceiling ports. That infrastructure is permanent. It is also expensive to change.

The problem is that offices are not permanent. Teams grow. Companies reorganise. Agile working means desks shift seasonally or quarterly. Collaboration zones replace rows of fixed workstations.

Every time you move a workstation in a hardwired office, you either run extension cords (ugly, unsafe), pay an electrician to relocate outlets (expensive, disruptive), or accept that people work from power strips on the floor (fine until someone trips over them).

Softwiring removes that problem entirely.

What Is Softwiring, Exactly?

Softwiring is an under-desk power and data basket system. The key components are:

The under-desk basket
A steel or polymer tray that mounts under the worktop surface. It holds the power and data modules in a fixed position — accessible from the desk, invisible from the room.

Power modules
Typically 2–4 General Power Outlet (GPO) points at 10A each. Some systems include USB-A and USB-C charging ports as an integrated module.

Data modules
RJ45 ports for Cat6 or Cat6A data connections. Configured to match the building data patch panel.

Cable trunking
The cable management channel that routes power and data cables from the basket down to the floor. Keeps the cable run neat, off the floor, and protected.

Floor box connection
The basket connects via a standard cable tail to the nearest floor box — the point where building power and data meet the workstation.

The entire assembly is accessible without opening walls. That is the "soft" in softwiring.

CMS Softwiring: The Australian Standard

CMS (Cable Management Solutions) is the name you will hear most in commercial fitouts when it comes to under-desk power and data.

CMS manufactures a range of modular softwiring systems used in offices, co-working spaces, education facilities, and government buildings across Australia. Their products meet Australian electrical standards, integrate with standard floor box formats, and are specified by fitout companies and facilities managers across the country.

When people talk about softwiring in an Australian commercial context, they are usually talking about CMS.

Softwiring.au stocks and supplies CMS products, fulfilled direct from the CMS warehouse. You order online, it ships to your site.

Softwiring vs Hardwiring: What Is the Real Difference?

Hardwiring means your power and data infrastructure is fixed inside the building fabric — inside walls, under floors, in conduits. Changing it means a licensed electrician, building works, and cost.

Softwiring means your last-metre connection to each workstation is modular and accessible. The building backbone is still fixed (floor boxes, wall outlets) — softwiring just handles the flexible connection between that backbone and the desk.

The result: move a desk in a hardwired office and you call an electrician. Move a desk in a softwired office and you unclip the basket, unplug the trunking, reconnect at the new position. Thirty minutes.

For any office that values flexibility — co-working, agile, open plan — softwiring is not optional. It is the only approach that makes sense.

Do You Need an Electrician?

For the under-desk basket and cable trunking: no. You mount the basket to the underside of the desk, run the trunking down to the floor box, and plug in. No licensed electrical work required.

For the floor box itself: yes, if you need new floor boxes installed or existing outlets relocated. That is fixed electrical infrastructure. Licensed electrician required.

Most commercial offices already have floor boxes distributed across the floor plate from the original fitout. If your building has floor boxes, softwiring connects to them — no additional electrical work needed.

Who Uses Softwiring?

Practically any modern commercial environment benefits from softwiring. In practice, it is most common in co-working spaces, open-plan corporate offices, education facilities, government buildings, and small growing businesses.

The common thread: any workplace that expects its floor plan to change. If desks never move, hardwiring is fine. If you need flexibility — softwiring is the answer.

Why Order Through Softwiring.au?

We supply genuine CMS products, fulfilled direct from the warehouse to your site.

No minimum order. Ships anywhere in Australia. If you are speccing a larger project, get in touch and we can help work out quantities and configurations before you order.

The Bottom Line

Softwiring is what keeps modern offices functional and flexible. CMS softwiring is the Australian benchmark. The products are proven, the system is simple, and once it is in, you will wonder why any office would do it differently.

Browse the range at Softwiring.au.