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What your IT team needs to know about network design

Jun. 02, 2021 IT Support for Business

Learn about network design and the best design practices for your IT team to follow

When it comes to your business, taking a structured approach to your network design can make all the difference because it helps decrease the chance of outages and downtime expenses.

The average cost of network downtime for a business is $5,600 per minute — an expense that you want to avoid by planning and properly designing your computer network. [1] 

Continue reading to learn about network design and the best design practices for your IT team to follow, plus how NeverBlue IT can help with your network design development.

 

What is network design?

Network design is the planning of a computer network infrastructure that’s considered the foundation of any business network — think of it as the blueprint for implementing the physical network.

When designing your network, there are a few factors to take into consideration:

  • Business goals and purpose 
  • Budget
  • Scalability of your network, and 
  • Ability to utilize IT maintenance. 

 

What are the best network design practices for business?

When it comes to network design, it’s not a one size fits all process. You need to evaluate your business and make decisions based on what is going to provide the best outcome.

However, there are a few best practices your IT team can follow when designing a network for your business:

 

#1: Take preemptive security measures.

One of the first steps you should take in designing your network is to create a solid security plan to decrease the chance of there being gaps in your network for breaches. 

 

#2: Decide between top down vs. bottom-up.

Deciding between using the top down vs. bottom-up methods of network design will be dependent on your familiarity with your business. 

Use a top-down approach when you are focusing solely on your business and its requirements to maximize accuracy when building your network. Use a bottom-up approach when your business’ needs and requirements are more familiar to you, so you don’t need to spend as much time learning the context and can immediately start building the network. 

 

#3: Make standardizations.

Taking the time to make standardizations where you can will save you time in the future when it comes to troubleshooting and maintenance. 

Consider standardizing the following:

  • Hostnames
  • Models of different hardwares
  • Security policies, and
  • Cable colors.

 

#4: Devise a growth strategy.

Increased bandwidth consumption is inevitable when it comes to the lifecycle of your network. During the design process, keep that in mind and figure out ways to best accommodate that growth. 

 

#5: Retain and manage documentation.

Ensure that you keep layers one to three network maps documented and up-to-date when designing your network. This will help decrease potential tech debt, wasted time, and unnecessary inconveniences in the future. 

 

In conclusion

Designing a network is a task that takes ample time and effort. Ensuring that you are implementing the best methods and practices can be overwhelming, that’s why it’s important to enlist the help of your trusted managed IT services partner.

 

How NeverBlue IT can help

At NeverBlue IT, we understand the critical role that your network plays in the operation of your business. We’re here to support you every step of the way from network design to network implementation and ongoing network administration.

We can take part in proactive planning to ensure we understand your business and its needs and provide continual monitoring once the network is complete to ensure operations  are running smoothly.

 

Contact us today to get started!

 

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Source:

1: Gartner | The Cost of Downtime

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