The ticket said "server room smells like feet and regret." Customer had run 200 CAT5e cables through a drop ceiling, no trays, just draped over fluorescent housings. Ambient 34C. "But the floor was solid concrete, what else could we do?"
Back in 2014 I worked a facility with 24" raised floor. Cold aisle, hot aisle, you could walk the entire row lying down if you wanted. Re-cabling a rack took 20 minutes. Now? Now I crawl under a mesh with a headlamp and pray the zip-tie I cut isn't load-bearing.
What are people using for small spaces? 10 racks, no budget for proper overhead. The ticket said "innovative cable management." It was not innovative.