In this day and age, it's impossible for a company to run without a network. Having one, however, is only the first step. Every business is unique and needs a network comparable to their needs.
Designing a network that's flexible, scalable, and meets every technical requirement isn't easy. Let's take a more in-depth look at the process of network design and implementation. Each step is important as it will shape the efficiency of your company.
Research and Interviews
There is no such thing as a perfect setup for everyone. If it existed, there would be no need for network design and implementation.
The truth is you will have to prioritize some things over others. The objective of the research and interviews is to see what the goals of your new network are.
The designers will have many questions for you. They need to know how many users there will be, what software they will use, the average traffic, and whether you're going cloud or local. Talk for a bit about the reason you are replacing or upgrading your current network to provide valuable insight.
The defining feature, however, is yours to choose. It could be performance, for example, or budget. Choose wisely because it will be a cornerstone on which future decisions will be made.
The IT company needs to know these items in advance. Without a clear goal, the results may be underwhelming and ineffective.
Breaking the Job into Smaller Bits
Even for a small network, designing everything at once leads to mistakes, and why developers adopt a “design in levels” mentality.
Aspects like physical design or logical design are all treated and planned separately. A “divide and conquer” approach turns a big job into small, manageable tasks. This is optimal as it ensures all your requirements are met.
An experienced developer will have several templates prepared to speed up the process. The end result may be very different, but a template can almost always help in the first stages.
If the research phase was thorough, every “bit” should be within budget, be able to perform well, and fit together.
The next order of business is to create the means for network managers to monitor everything. Whether you will be in charge of the system or you'll get managed IT services are unimportant. What matters is that someone can control and protect the network.
At this stage in the network design and implementation process, the system is almost ready for launch. It just needs some polishing.
Testing, Troubleshooting, and Reviewing
Before being implemented, the network has to be thoroughly tested, which means simulating the traffic of day-to-day work, preferably with the software you'll use.
Furthermore, it has to be scalable. Otherwise, you might need a new one in a year or even less. Any problem appearing during the test must be solved.
One of the most important features to be tested is the security. There are more and more threats lurking on the Internet and network safety is a top priority.
When the system is safe and stable, you get to see it in action and give the final verdict.
Implementation
If you are happy with the design, the next step is to roll out the network. This part of the job is generally much faster and easier than the last ones.
The biggest hurdle during implementation is expected outages and slowdowns. Because of this, you need to consider when the best time to do it is.
While the process doesn't take long, it can still mean some lost time for the company.
Why Network Design and Implementation Is Important
A network can only go so far. The IT needs of businesses ramp up over time and old equipment can't keep up. Getting a new network from time to time is inevitable.
Careful design, however, is needed so your company works as efficiently as possible.
We have years of experience with network design as well as many other IT services. If you feel like it's time for an upgrade, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
The post Understanding the Process of Network Design and Implementation appeared first on 1iX.
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