| Today it is almost inconceivable for a
business not to have computers,
whether it is a construction company
or a high technology firm. When
a business has more than one computer,
they are almost always connected
together in a local area network.
These networks may be more or
less advanced and therefore more
or less costly. Companies invest
so much (in terms of both money
and time) in a local area networks
because there are many advantages
that a local area network brings
to a business and how it is administered.
Some businesses use a local area
network in such a way they are
highly dependent on it always
working. If the company's network
fails, then you may see all the
employees chatting away in the
corridors because they can't do
their work. This means big losses
for the company and causes stresses
on the employees. All companies
must consider their local area
networks a vital asset and downtime
must be avoided. This imposes
huge demands on the network staff
to keep such networks running
almost 100% of the time. The advantages
of Computer Network Management
One of the main advantages of
installing and maintaining LANs
is the opportunity they create
for better communication and cooperation
between employees and customers.
Security considerations: Local
Area Network security can be both
a help and hindrance. Comprehensive
security is beneficial because
it provides a central and safe
strategy for data access and disaster
recovery. All information is protected
by the design and implementation
of the network security solution.
On the other hand, interconnecting
computers in local area networks
creates a security risk, since
doing so makes it technically
possible for intruders to access
many machines on the network at
once. Cost considerations: Installing
a local area network is a relatively
expensive project. Servers, cabling,
switches, routers and software
can all be expensive and should
never be purchased without expert
advice. Keeping the network operating
and secure also requires a lot
of resources and can be costly.
Surprisingly, a local area network
can bring a number of cost savings.
Sharing resources avoids the need
to purchase equipment for each
individual. Even more important
is the security that a local area
network can provide. Data loss
could cost a business a great
deal of money and in some cases,
cause the business to shutdown
altogether. Computer Network Management
should require a consistent routine
for data backups with regular
checkups of data quality - a practice
that will save a company huge
sums in the event of a mishap.
Computer Network Management: preliminary
analysis phases The first phase
of computer network management
is to determine the source of
the problem (a preliminary study
that looks into several options
of differing scope may be useful
here) and defining it in a specification
of requirements. Examples of what
should be evaluated are different
network operating systems, mail
systems, and other applications.
The choice of hardware components
should also be evaluated. This
phase is generally aimed at establishing
what the system should do, not
how it should do it. Computer
Network Management: design phase
The purpose of design phase is
to determine how the requirements
of the specification are to be
met. The current approach to large,
complex projects is to break them
down into smaller, more manageable
subprojects. Computer Network
Management: implementation phase
This phase involves the physical
installation of the local area
network. Cables are run, software
is installed, and computers and
other hardware are put in place.
Computer Network Management: integration
and system testing phase In this
phase, commissioning of the network
begins, and routines are adapted
to users and the operating personnel.
The system must be tested, both
to ensure that the network meets
the requirements set out in the
specification and that it is stable
enough to perform the central
function it has in the organization.
Computer Network Management: operation
and maintenance Local area networks
have complex operating routines.
This is because there may be serious
consequences when faults occur
or unauthorized persons gain access
to the system. Many companies
have employees devoted solely
to take care of running and maintaining
computer networks. These system
administrators may deal with network
issues such as performance, reliability
and security of both hardware
and software. Computer Network
Management: tools Although an
organization may have computer
administrators on site, they must
also monitor the network more
than eight hours a day. In fact,
some of the worst trouble that
arises with networks can happen
during the night hours when nobody
is using the network. With the
right computer network management
tools, your organization can receive
the security of knowing that problems
will be foreseen, prevented, and
taken care of - and that your
network administrator can be notified
at a moment's notice, should anything
go exceptionally wrong. Frank
Hughes is the Vice President of
Technical Solutions at SecureMyCompany,
Inc. Mr. Hughes has over 14 years
experience in the IT industry,
with the last 10 serving as the
Senior Solutions Consultant for
BellSoutions.net. Get more information
on network management tools. Frank
Hughes hold several vendor certifications
including Microsoft, Dell, Cisco,
Sonicwall and many more. Mr. Hughes
is a recognized expert in managed
services including remote desktop
managment, network monitoring
and help desk software. |
