 A
computer network is more than a system of interrelated
components that communicate with each other. It is a
powerful business tool which can help you enhance productivity,
increase business opportunities and sustain your competitive
edge. The key benefit to installing a new network or
adding to your existing network is sharing information.
When information flows quickly and smoothly, business
opportunities are born.
IT 4 Home and Business can help maintain
your network and keep your business running. If you
have a network problem that needs to be identified and
resolved, or a device that is faulty and needs replacing,
IT 4 Home and Business engineers will locate, solve
and report on the problems. Recommendations will also
be made to help prevent the problem occurring again
.
IT 4 Home and Business can also make
configuration changes to your network such as adding
new servers, workstations and network printers, upgrading
existing hardware (server and workstations) installing
updates and patches, installing or upgrading software
and assist you with any internal moves. For peace of
mind we can also manage your network remotely.
IT 4 Home and Business engineers can
also install a new network that best suits your business
needs and budget.
Adding a network to your business
allows you to share electronic files, electronic mail,
a common database and expensive equipment. You can provide
all employees with the same applications, saving time
in configuration and administration of workstations.
You can connect your local area network (LAN) with others
to access a world of information. In addition, you can
introduce your corporate presence on the World Wide
Web to build relationships, to educate your customers
and to sell your product.
Save time and money by:
- Sharing common resources for improved efficiency
- Controlling software to lower administration
costs
- Introducing continuity with standardised applications
- Providing multi-level security and data control
We can implement two main kinds of
networks:
Peer-to-Peer Topology (5 -
10 workstations)
You work in a room with three other
people. Instead of asking your colleague to come over
to your desk or saving data to a floppy diskette and
passing it around, you want to give your colleague quick
access to a file on your hard drive. A peer-to-peer
network is a simple solution - we just add a network
interface card (NIC) to each workstation, connect the
four systems with cabling and a switch (or hub) and
configure the operating system to recognise the other
workstations, and you begin sharing information. Each
person in the office determines which hard drive files
and resources they wish to share.
Peer to peer networks allow economical
communication with other users when there is a limited
amount of data to exchange. Sharing expensive peripherals
becomes easy. In addition, your productivity will increase
with the ability to send files and messages without
having to leave your workstation.
Physical constraints are part of the
peer-to-peer networking concept. All users must be located
in the same general area. If you exceed 5-10 users with
this type of network, it may become very difficult to
manage. Because there is no dedicated server to handle
the file and print sharing administration, peer to peer
networking may not be practical for intensive file transfer/storage
or heavy printer sharing applications.
Client/Server Topology (10
+ Workstations)
This is the more common solution.
Your company needs a reliable, efficient way to share
a wealth of information. Increasing demand for your
product means you will need more employees, faster information
transfer and a higher level of security and stability.
A client / server networking strategy provides powerful
communication services for workgroups from 3-4 users
up to hundreds of users. Servers and clients are usually
connected with network interface cards, cables and a
hub.
A dedicated server provides responsive,
highly available file storage and backup for all the
users; expedited printing capabilities, and with the
introduction of a Router and Internet Service Provider,
e-mail or Internet access for the group. The server
provides high levels of control over resources shared
on the network and makes administering the network much
easier than in a peer-to-peer environment. Your employees
will have access to all the power of the server and
all the resources on the network with excellent response
time, even though lots of other users may also be connected.
If you feel your business would benefit
from running on a network, please give us a call and
we will happily advise you.
For more information on service agreements
and costs, view our Business Service Pricing details.
For more advice on this subject
call 01386 792972 or e-mail info@it4homeandbusiness.co.uk
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