Before designing any Information Technology network, there are different company requirements you must meet to optimize efficiency. As such, to create an appropriate IT network, you need to consider various factors. Such factors help in maximizing network performance and keep its connections secure.
Home or Business computing networks and wired or wireless networks may be combined in networking. Computer networks may also vary in architecture in addition to their grouping. Client/server and peer-to-peer networks are the two fundamental types of network architecture.
Ideal IT networks can bring various benefits to your company. For instance, designing a good IT network is crucial for easy and fast communication in your business. Besides, appropriate network designs help the network to accommodate high traffic without compromising its speed. A study published by IoT Analytics revealed that there are approximately 7 billion IT network-linked devices globally. Therefore, IT networks are crucial components of any business that play a vital role in its performance.
Here are four critical factors to consider when designing your company’s IT network.
Understand the Objectives of Your IT Network
Not every company takes into consideration the real objective of designing a network. Before you embark on creating your company’s network, it’s essential to determine its purpose to obtain the correct equipment. Acquiring the right components will lead to maximum network performance. Equally, understanding your network goals entails considering factors like the type of data stored and whether it will integrate remote access. Thus, keeping such factors in mind will eliminate future challenges.
2. Consider Connectivity and Security
IT network connectivity has been on the rise in the recent past. Currently, you can connect to your company network using your smartphone device. Due to high network connectivity, employees can access resources remotely from any geographical location. Therefore, when designing an IT network for your business, consider the type of connectivity your employees need to connect to the company. For example, if your business offers remote working options, incorporate this factor when designing your network.
Likewise, it would be best if you considered security factors when designing your IT network. For instance, you need to identify where to store your data. You can keep your data through cloud-based storage platforms. Ensure you execute access control measures in your company’s IT network. Implementing such controls can help minimize internal network security threats. Besides, always install a firewall to secure your network against attacks from cybercriminals. In the end, incorporating these factors at the design stage is vital for both network performance and security.
3. Incorporate a Data Recovery Plan
Each company needs to develop a disaster recovery plan for retrieving data. Such a strategy will guarantee that your business can recover from any possible catastrophe, whether natural or artificial. Be sure to back-up your company data remotely through a cloud-based data center service provider. Backed up information is accessible from any geographical location and allows your company to continue offering its services even after a disaster happens. Besides, ensure you consider power back-up when designing your network. Doing so eliminates chances of your service going down because of power blackouts.
Additionally, make sure you schedule back-up frequencies when creating your network. You can either choose daily back-ups, weekly back-ups or combine the two. In the end, incorporating data recovery plans when designing your network can help your company recover from any disaster.
4. Training and Scalability
It’s crucial to train your workers regarding the new network policies in your company. The training allows employees to familiarize themselves with new guidelines to minimize resistance. Besides, it would help if you planned for a cyber-security seminar to enlighten your workers about the potential network threats and ways to prevent them. Such a forum is helpful since most network breaches are human-related. Therefore, it’s essential to incorporate employee training when designing a network.
Scalability is also a crucial factor when designing your company’s IT network. Your business may grow in the future, and you should consider this when developing your network. It’s essential to feature scalability as it will allow the expansion of your network in the future without requiring more resources.
An ideal network can revolutionize business productivity. It can also connect your business to the rest of the world. However, the design of your network needs to be done carefully and should incorporate various factors. For instance, you should consider your network’s objective, connectivity and security, data recovery plan, and training and scalability. Overly, considering these factors will help improve your company network performance and safety.
