Data Networking

Avoid business inefficiencies
When information and resources are shared and available, efficiency is increased in several ways-

• Sign onto the server to check the financial statement instead of waiting for a hard copy from accounting.
• Check your business e-mail while out of the office - from a remote location - as easily as if you were sitting at your desk.
• Have electronic access to the most up-to-date employee phone directory.
• Share client databases among departments and branch offices.
• Update software just once on the server and not on 20 different computers.
• Stay home during the first snowstorm of the year and access your files and phone messages electronically.
• Employees can stay connected anywhere on campus using wireless LAN capability.

Cut costs
Linking computers together in a network allows you to share resources and save money. A network makes it possible to share software, printers, modems and phone lines. Multiple staff can share one color printer. Files can be saved on a central hard drive to avoid continual upgrades on individual computers. Instead of buying multiple copies of a software program, buy one network license and load the software onto your server.

Improve internal communications
Your staff is more likely to share ideas and information if you make it easy to do so. E-mail makes it possible to leave long, complex messages, attach files or broadcast a change in policy. You can set up an office intranet where staff can get the latest information about shipping charges or a new employee benefit package. Today's shared scheduling and appointment software makes it easy to set up a meeting that fits everyone's calendar. Collaborative applications enable employees to communicate with each other regardless of location. Remote doesn't mean out of the loop anymore, particularly when field staff can get information at the same time as those at the head office.

Increase revenue
Expand your market outside your city or country by making your product or service available online. A network can enable your company to provide better customer service. Impress Clients by checking the company network while on the phone and provide quick personalized answers to their questions. Satisfied customers mean return business and referrals. Use the network to operate more efficiently, reduce overhead and to keep your clients happy.

Enable growth
Growth is an obvious goal for most small and medium-sized businesses, but growing effectively can become a critical challenge. Maintaining a collaborative environment where information is easily shared and new employees can begin making a contribution quickly is a key to your success. An effective network can ease growing pains by helping your employees share documents and equipment. Client or employee databases can be maintained centrally and updates seen by all users simultaneously. An effective network can also allow employees to telecommute, which reduce the need for additional office space and can increase employee satisfaction.

Analysis

• Security - Will most employees have access to information, with only a few files requiring protection or will you have a number of layers of access? How sensitive is most of your information?
• Sharing hardware and software - Do you want employees to share hardware (printers, modems, fax machines) and software or just files?
• Network administration - Do you want to have responsibilities centralized into one network administrator position or should all staff take some responsibility for deciding what can be shared and when to do software upgrades and back-ups?
• Expansion - Do you foresee your business expanding quickly in the near future or more slowly and steadily?
• Wireless networking - How many employees would benefit from wireless connectivity? Which areas or locations need wireless coverage?
• Network size and area - How many employees will want to share files, hardware or software? Will your computers be networked within one office or among several geographic locations?
• Investment protection - Is your network infrastructure able to address today's increased demands and still prepare for the unknown demands of tomorrow?

Choosing an operating system
The operating system is the brains of your network and consists of programs that manage tasks such as loading and running applications, or moving files. There are many packaged software operating systems on the market. Your choice should be linked to your specific needs. Consider-

• Is your network peer-to-peer or client/server?
• How much disk storage will you need?
• Do you want to share modems or fax machines?
• How much RAM (Random Access Memory) does the system require?
• Can the system handle more than one central processing unit?
• What is the largest single file size that can be handled?

Selecting hardware and software
Select software to meet your business needs and then determine the appropriate hardware platform necessary to operate it. If you choose a client/server network, you will need network operating system software - the programs that enable your computers to communicate with each other and share hardware. Make sure you also purchase antivirus and back-up software. Consider network management software - it helps you do things such as installations and troubleshooting. The least expensive way to buy software is usually as a package. Hardware requirements for most network operating systems include a server computer with battery back-up unit or UPS and possibly an external hard disk drive.

Consider your staff's needs when deciding on hardware requirements for their computers. Some of your staff may require more powerful computers to perform their tasks. This is particularly true of graphic artists and programmers - their computers will need to be faster, have enhanced processing power and have additional storage capacity. A reliable operating system is also a must. For staff in the field, you may want to consider laptop computers.

Ensure your network is available for critical communications

Network congestion is bad for your business. It can mean-

• Voice conversations that are difficult to understand
• Clients that hang up because their Web transaction are too slow
• Critical files that aren't transferred in time to meet customer contract commitments

Today's best systems can route network traffic according to priority to make sure critical communication goes first.  Mission critical devices, applications, groups and users can be set up for guaranteed bandwidth. A network set up this way can add value to your business by keeping your communications highly predictable and allowing you to deliver data in a more reliable manner.