Network Design and Security
Computers and IT are integral parts to any successful business. At Entre, connecting people and providing access to important information is a key part of how we help businesses grow. To meet the demands of business, a proper computer network must be designed, established and maintained. To make it as secure as possible, it must have network firewall security and sufficient network security monitoring. A successful, secure network must be available nearly 100% of the time and be able to adjust to the needs of a company as it grows and changes. Entre is focused on designing a comprehensive network specific to your company. Since each business is different, we will develop a plan with your future goals in mind to create a computer network that will grow and adapt to the future of your business.
How We Design a Network
Designing a network involves evaluating and understanding the scope of work it must perform. Collaborating and discussing what will work for you is just the beginning of an Entre designed network. Understanding the network’s components and planned connections between them will help draw a blueprint for your specific needs. Your network design will be represented in a network diagram noting specific parts of your system.
- Map of network designed
- Cabling structure
- Quantity, type, and location of network devices
- IP addressing structure
- Network security
Development of a Network
Our goals for your network would tie in with the initial blueprint, so every piece of technology and hardware works cohesively and seamlessly for your business. A successful network will have multiple pieces that will come into play as the initial phase of development takes place.
Scalability
Network designs can grow to include new users as a company grows. If needed, remote locations can be added to fast-growing businesses.
Availability
Your network must be available 24/7 and your design will include network availability to guarantee reliable performance. Failure of a single link, or the loss of a data packet should not disable the entire network.
Security
Network security is critical to safeguarding resources. Entre will take a layered approach to network security. The cyber security for each internal network is drawn into the network from initial stages to make it airtight, flexible to your specific needs and expandable as cyber threats grow more complex. We will use the latest generation firewalls, antivirus protection, and make sure you have security policies in place. Your network security plan will include real-time threat intelligence and remediation to detect and respond to internal and external attacks with correct incident response. We will make sure the type of firewall used protects all port numbers, network addresses, proxy servers and proxy firewalls, and all application layers.
Manageability
After proper network security has been established, a network needs to be maintained to function effectively. With that in mind, we develop a network that will be manageable through us or your available networking staff.
A successful computer network, with proper network security, will be the backbone of your business. At Entre, we will design one that will keep your company running properly and efficiently and it will be secure, so your important data is protected from loss. Something so integral to your business should be in the forefront of your mind and considered with the utmost care. Let us design a secure, network for your business today!
What is Network Design?
When you plan and implement a computer network for a business or organization, you are designing a network. This usually involves a blueprint, considerations to buy new hardware or how to use existing infrastructure, network security architecture, placement of routers, switches, and servers, and cabling to name a few aspects.
But a computer network isn’t something that comes with assembly instructions. It takes a knowledgeable team of IT and business professionals to design a secure, cost-effective system that takes both business and technical requirements into equal account. And something as important as your company-wide computer system must be done right the first time. Lost time (and lost money) is never found.
So to refine our question, what does good network design look like?
Are the requirements met?
Does the network meet the business’s needs? A good network has few bottlenecks, the hardware chosen is the right fit for what they are intended to do, isn’t needlessly complicated. Further even a well-designed system must be implemented properly.
Are back-ups in place for mission critical components?
Network outages are a certainty but what fail-safes are being used? It’s a good idea to have redundant components and services available for any part of a network that can’t be down for an hour.
How much attention is paid to security?
Security is such a big part of any modern network but it has to strike the right balance. On one hand security can be under implemented, leaving gaps and vulnerabilities in the system from day one. On the other the design could be calling for firewalls and complex segmentation when an alternative approach might be less cumbersome and cheaper.
Do all the technical areas work together?
Network design tends to be divided among a number of broad categories; network, security, server/virtualization, and storage. What is good for one area may not be the best choice for another.
Can the designers and engineers explain the system to management?
In any company you will find people who don’t know their routers from their switches or what the blue wires do compared to the green ones. But an indication of good design and implementation is how the new system is introduced to end users. They may not know or care what a switch does, but it is crucial to them that it works properly. Talk to any end user about their experiences with a network and you will get a true picture of how well it was designed and implemented.