IT 101: Crucial Network Design Elements to Know

IT (Informational Technology) networks, when developed right, boost corporate productivity and overall staff communication. As such, your company needs an efficient IT network.

There are various aspects to developing an IT network, which you are about to learn about. Knowing crucial IT network design elements will ensure an IT network's performance and protect your network against intruders. Read on to learn more.

The Objectives and Goals

Each organization has its own set of objectives. As a result, their IT network will be established. Before everything else, understand the objective of your IT network. This will help you choose the proper materials.

BYOD is permitted at some workplaces. Make sure that remote employees can connect to your network without jeopardizing network security. Your network must be safeguarded, and make use of network security controls as these prevent unauthorized network access. You should also consider the type of data you intend to save, as this makes it easier to choose network software and hardware.

The Secured Connectivity

Expanding network connections involves allowing mobile devices to access commercial networks. When a corporate email is accessible via mobile devices, this will make their remote task easier. As such, when building your network, you must strike a balance between these criteria.

Security must be considered when constructing a network. For example, data is saved in the cloud by businesses. When access control is required for your IT network, this decreases the hazards associated with insiders. A firewall is also required for your network, and access servers also aid in the prevention of network threats. These solutions and options must be considered in the design.

The Learnability and Scalability

It is critical to train employees on new policies. This guarantees that your employees are informed of the newly implemented network policies. Also, give your personnel a cybersecurity seminar. After all, the most common cause of network breaches is human error. Teach your employees the fundamentals of security.

Scalability is required for IT networks. IT resources must be updated. As a result, comprehend network expansion. This avoids unexpected costs while ensuring your company's growth.

The Backups and Redundancy

Backups are required for your critical data. Small businesses can benefit from two networks, with one being easily constructed on the mirror network. Use your principal network for crucial applications. Redundancy in the network is critical and helpful in reducing network downtime.

The Disaster Recovery Plan

Every company needs a disaster recovery plan. This usually involves preparing your information technology network and making a remote backup of your data and information. Your strategy must account for man-made, natural, and office disasters.

As such, regular backups are necessary. This will result in a duplication of your personal information. Third-party providers can provide businesses with incremental backups of modified files. Backups should be done via cloud services, where copies will be kept safe.

Conclusion

Because a safe, secure, and stable IT network increases corporate productivity, make sure you can set it up for your company. With professionals on your side, you can be assured that your IT network can endure a lot of stress, as cyberattacks will become more frequent. You can also maintain network safety by installing firewalls and authorization limitations.

As you’ve read above, keep these IT network design elements in mind. This ensures that your IT network performs optimally.

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5 Key Metrics to Look at When Undergoing Network Assessments

Have you ever put your company's network through assessment? A network assessment comprehensively evaluates your company's current network infrastructure, which an external consultant or an internal IT staff member usually performs. A network assessment aims to identify any potential bottlenecks or problems that could impact network performance.

There are many benefits to conducting a network assessment. Perhaps the most important benefit is that it can help you avoid potential problems before they occur. By identifying potential issues early on, you can take steps to prevent them from causing disruptions to your business. Additionally, a network assessment can also help you improve network performance. By identifying areas of improvement, you can make changes that can positively impact network speed and reliability.

That being said, if you are considering a network assessment for your business and want the most out of it, here are the key metrics to be paying attention to:

1. Uptime

This is perhaps the most important metric of all. Uptime is a measure of how often the network is available and functioning properly. A business needs to have a high uptime percentage to ensure that its network is always available when needed. In fact, the nearer to 100% uptime, the better because even a 1% downtime can lead to significant losses.

2. Latency

Latency is a measure of how long data travels from one point to another on the network and is usually measured in milliseconds (ms). For example, if you are sending a packet from your computer to a server and it takes 1 second, the latency would be 1000 milliseconds. This is quite high.

Low latency is essential for real-time applications such as voice and video. This is because these applications require a quick response time. If there is a high latency, it can cause lag or delays in the audio or video.

3. Throughput

Throughput is a measure of how much data can be transferred across the network in a given period. For example, if you have a 100Mbps connection, that means you can theoretically transfer up to 100 megabits of data per second.

A business that handles lots of data will need much more throughput, and if one often hits their max throughput, chances are that they need more if it is a bottleneck.

4. Jitter

Jitter is a measure of how much variation there is in the latency of the network. Variations can be caused by many things, including network congestion, equipment problems, and software issues.

A low jitter can lead to better real-time voice and video interactions. On the other hand, high jitter means that latency differences are much higher, meaning at one point, you may have good video or voice quality but suddenly lose it when latency spikes.

5. Packet loss

Packet loss is a measure of how often data packets are lost or corrupted during transmission. Packet loss can have a significant impact on the performance of applications. For example, a 10% packet loss will result in a 50% reduction in throughput for a TCP connection.

For real-time applications such as voice over IP (VoIP) or video streaming, even a small amount of packet loss can have a noticeable impact on the quality of the service. For that reason, reduced packet loss is vital.

Conclusion

The network is the backbone of any business. It is the conduit through which all data and communications flow, and a strong network is essential for a company to function correctly. As a business, you need to be aware of the key metrics for assessing your network. By understanding these metrics, you can more effectively manage your network and ensure that it is running smoothly!

I.T. Relief offers various IT services and solutions that support network expansion, desktops, servers, and so much more. If you are looking for network maintenance support and more, reach out to us today!

Network Assessment

Have you ever put your company's network through assessment? A network assessment comprehensively evaluates your company's current network infrastructure, which an external consultant or an internal IT staff member usually performs. A network assessment aims to identify any potential bottlenecks or problems that could impact network performance.

There are many benefits to conducting a network assessment. Perhaps the most important benefit is that it can help you avoid potential problems before they occur. By identifying potential issues early on, you can take steps to prevent them from causing disruptions to your business. Additionally, a network assessment can also help you improve network performance. By identifying areas of improvement, you can make changes that can positively impact network speed and reliability.

That being said, if you are considering a network assessment for your business and want the most out of it, here are the key metrics to be paying attention to:

1. Uptime

This is perhaps the most important metric of all. Uptime is a measure of how often the network is available and functioning properly. A business needs to have a high uptime percentage to ensure that its network is always available when needed. In fact, the nearer to 100% uptime, the better because even a 1% downtime can lead to significant losses.

2. Latency

Latency is a measure of how long data travels from one point to another on the network and is usually measured in milliseconds (ms). For example, if you are sending a packet from your computer to a server and it takes 1 second, the latency would be 1000 milliseconds. This is quite high.

Low latency is essential for real-time applications such as voice and video. This is because these applications require a quick response time. If there is a high latency, it can cause lag or delays in the audio or video.

3. Throughput

Throughput is a measure of how much data can be transferred across the network in a given period. For example, if you have a 100Mbps connection, that means you can theoretically transfer up to 100 megabits of data per second.

A business that handles lots of data will need much more throughput, and if one often hits their max throughput, chances are that they need more if it is a bottleneck.

4. Jitter

Jitter is a measure of how much variation there is in the latency of the network. Variations can be caused by many things, including network congestion, equipment problems, and software issues.

A low jitter can lead to better real-time voice and video interactions. On the other hand, high jitter means that latency differences are much higher, meaning at one point, you may have good video or voice quality but suddenly lose it when latency spikes.

5. Packet loss

Packet loss is a measure of how often data packets are lost or corrupted during transmission. Packet loss can have a significant impact on the performance of applications. For example, a 10% packet loss will result in a 50% reduction in throughput for a TCP connection.

For real-time applications such as voice over IP (VoIP) or video streaming, even a small amount of packet loss can have a noticeable impact on the quality of the service. For that reason, reduced packet loss is vital.

Conclusion

The network is the backbone of any business. It is the conduit through which all data and communications flow, and a strong network is essential for a company to function correctly. As a business, you need to be aware of the key metrics for assessing your network. By understanding these metrics, you can more effectively manage your network and ensure that it is running smoothly!

I.T. Relief offers various IT services and solutions that support network expansion, desktops, servers, and so much more. If you are looking for network maintenance support and more, reach out to us today!