Are you a startup founder working on your first network design? As you may have discovered, this is not easy. Many factors must be considered when designing a network, from the placement of a router in a signal chain to choosing which type of cable to use.
However, the network design must be easy to navigate and manage. As the business grows, the network will need to be able to accommodate new users, services, and applications.
Whether you’re planning a small office LAN or designing a large-scale public network, some best practices will help you get the most out of your network.
Essential Network Requirements:
A good and stable network design must fulfill these essential requirements:
A Secure Internet Connection – The connection should be able to protect the users’ data from any external threat.
A Good Firewall – A firewall is a security system that helps to protect the network from unauthorized access.
A Reliable Antivirus – An antivirus software helps protect users’ computers from any virus or malware attack.
You will also require a router, switch, and network cable. They are the most critical hardware components of a network.
What Type of Network Do You Require?
The type of network you need will be dictated by the size and scale of your business.
For example, a small business with fewer than 25 employees will likely need a small office/home office (SOHO) network, while a larger company will require more complex network infrastructure.
When designing your network, it’s important to keep future growth in mind. You don’t want to redesign your entire network every time you add a few new employees or move to a new office.
Here are a few network designs you can consider for your startup:
Local Area Network (LAN) – A LAN is a private network that connects computers and devices in a small geographic area, like an office or home.
Wireless Local Area Network (WAN) – A WAN can connect devices that are located many miles apart — maybe even across cities or countries. It is typical of city and government network applications.
Personal Area Network (PAN) – A PAN is a computer network used for communication among devices like computers, smartphones, and personal digital assistants.
Protecting Network Traffic:
Network traffic is the data that moves across your network. It includes everything from email and web browsing to file transfers and streaming media. Traffic can be divided into two categories:
Data in transit – this is data that’s being sent from one device to another. This data is vulnerable to interception, so it needs to be encrypted. You can encrypt data in transit using a VPN or SSL/TLS.
Data at rest – this is stored on a device, such as a computer or a server. This data is vulnerable to theft, so you must encrypt it too. You can encrypt data at rest using disk encryption or file encryption.
There are a few ways to keep network traffic secure:
Network Address Translation (NAT) – NAT hides the IP address of devices on a network. It makes it more difficult for hackers to target specific devices.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) – IDPS detects and prevents network attacks. They can also help you track down the source of an attack.
Conclusion:
Surelock Technology, serving Norcross, can help you with your network design. As a startup, you need to be especially careful about security.
We can help you choose suitable security measures for your business.
