A stable building is only as solid as its foundation, and the
underpinnings of any structure go a long way towards determining just
how well it will survive. Many meaningful proverbs have come from the
concept of a rock-solid foundation including one by the 19th century
theologian and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher who said, "Every young
man would do well to remember that all successful business stands on
the foundation of morality." (Beecher, 2001) Well, 125 years after Mr.
Beecher's passing, I dare say that the 21st century has shown that
morality is but one of the key components of a thriving business. The
biggest key factor in sustaining a successful business in today
marketplace is maintaining the health and usability of an organization's
network infrastructure.
In the SMB world, the network is increasingly becoming an assumed asset. That is to say, that when workers engage with their organization's network the expectation is that it will be accessible, applications will be available, and data will be easily reachable. The traditional model for such a deployment has always been the standard server endpoint scenario, and for the average entity, this format is comprised of a server (or several servers) at the network core which is connected to the network with a data switch. Cabling is then run to individual jacks for desktops and/or laptops with a router directing traffic from network machines and the Internet which is brought in through a firewall. In many cases, especially in smaller businesses, the router and firewall may be one device with even some switch ports onboard as well. The main server for these smaller companies has often been an "all-in-one" server such as Microsoft's Small Business Server. This software operating system combines the traditional file/print server with an email server such as Exchange, Active Directory, and Domain Controller as well as an optional database (SQL). Some organizations with more dynamic needs may have several servers working together for those separated functions as well as line of business applications.
This traditional network model for the SMB enterprise is becoming less the standard and more the jumping off point for more streamlined and flexible solutions. There has been a shift in the need for a typical office setup for the mobile economy and flexible workforce. The rise of new technologies such as wireless networking, virtualization, and cloud computing have enabled entities to save money, be more productive, and be more efficient. Many organizations, because of the stalled economic conditions of the last few years, have been leery of extra expenditures and have opted for the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" theory. Unfortunately, because of the rapid acceleration of technology and solutions, that detrimental decision can leave an organization lagging behind in a competitive landscape.
The first step in moving forward with a network infrastructure upgrade could be as simple as refreshing the core hardware. More advanced software applications and memory hogging end-points may simply require updating the switching infrastructure. Many older networks are still running data switches with a max capacity of 10 and 100 MB Ethernet speeds. With the massive amount of data flow both internally and externally, these pipes can be the choke point of network performance. Costs decreased greatly for gigabit speed Ethernet switches, both managed and unmanaged, making it archaic to keep the older switches active. Even if this bottleneck is addressed, there should also be an evaluation of the throughput of firewalls and routers. An older unit, or one designed for home use and not hardened enough for the rigors of a business network, can be as frustrating as trying to fill a swimming pool with a two quart pitcher! The proper sizing of the firewall and or router should allow for no less than the speed of your connection. Taking these steps will help lessen user frustration and enhance employee production.
Wireless networking is more of an adjunct technology than a core component for most SMBs. Though there are some organizations that have ditched the traditional cabled network for a completely wireless office, most will use wireless for guest access and internal employee mobility. In most cases, a single appliance such as a wireless-enabled firewall/router provides the wireless network access to users. However security must be a consideration in any wireless deployment as network assets can be left vulnerable with improper planning and protection. Creating a virtual LAN (VLAN) for wireless access can help mitigate this by creating an entirely different set of rules for connecting wirelessly. Depending on the solution in place, guess access can be another layer of safety providing rules-based access for non-approved connections. Different classes of employees can be handled in the same manner where some might have free reign and others may be limited to specific job roles.
While wireless networking in the workplace has become rather common, there are other technologies that are rapidly catching up. First there is virtualization; the consolidation of many physical servers into instances of software machines on a single platform. Virtualization first grew in popularity among enterprise organizations that had huge farms of servers as a way to lessen the real estate, power, and cooling. VMware was on the forefront of the virtualization revolution and became the dominant force in a short time. The cost savings associated with virtualization, along with the increased utilization of hardware investments, made it the project of choice for those looking to be more efficient and cost-effective. Initially, the price of virtualization was out of reach for the typical SMB organization, but it didn't take long for the costs to come down driven in no small way by competition. When Microsoft entered the picture and included their Hyper-V client with Windows Server, the game was surely afoot. It made sense for just about any organization running three or more servers in their network to consolidate with virtualization to save hardware costs, power and cooling, as well as simplify overall management.
The meteoric ascension of cloud computing has taken the concept of virtualization and applied it to remote data nodes thereby creating a new industry of applications and data being consumed as needed. Having some or all assets "in the cloud" continues to be the accelerated goal of many of the previously skeptical old-school decision makers. However the journey to the cloud has grown light years beyond the original central repository for email. Now, it is becoming more common to see companies large and small trusting disaster recovery data to a remote site either self-owned or through a third-party contractor. Cloud migration is no longer applied to only hosted email and backups. Smaller organizations that don't wish to invest in traditional office space and make huge purchases of data networks can now leverage the cloud instead. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) has gained ground with many SMB entities with this mindset. For a monthly cost, these organizations can essentially rent a network that is located at a third-party data center and connect wherever they are. There may be tax benefits to creating this type of infrastructure as it is an operating expense rather than a capital expense and thus possibly able to be written off at tax time. Those incentives coupled with the ease of use, the lack of having to manage it, and the "always on" availability offers some great benefits.
While the IaaS option looks like a no-brainer because of lower costs, scalability, reliability, redundancy, security, and robust hardware, there are some considerations that must be taken into account. If you're organization is leery of offloading data to a third-party, IaaS might not be a good fit for you. Additionally, there must always be an active Internet connection to get to the assets; a broken connection means you're off-line and cannot access data. You will still need to have security and management of your devices, especially with the proliferation of mobile options. Finally, what if there is a lengthy outage? Even if there are generous Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in place, the result could cause more damage than the rebate for the lost time is worth.
No matter what you do in 2013, take the initial step of making sure your network infrastructure is safe and secure at the very least. The list of potential threats has not gone away, and if you think about it, what happens if you don't take it seriously? Once you are satisfied you have security covered as best you can, look into performance enhancements and see if any or all of these options make sense for your organization. There is no car race on this planet that doesn't start with the pit crew doing a thorough review of the vehicle's engine and systems. If you want to stay ahead of your particular field of expertise and succeed, then do the same for your network.
Works Cited
Beecher, H. W. (2001). Brainy Quote. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from Brainy Quote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/henrywardb131275.html
In the SMB world, the network is increasingly becoming an assumed asset. That is to say, that when workers engage with their organization's network the expectation is that it will be accessible, applications will be available, and data will be easily reachable. The traditional model for such a deployment has always been the standard server endpoint scenario, and for the average entity, this format is comprised of a server (or several servers) at the network core which is connected to the network with a data switch. Cabling is then run to individual jacks for desktops and/or laptops with a router directing traffic from network machines and the Internet which is brought in through a firewall. In many cases, especially in smaller businesses, the router and firewall may be one device with even some switch ports onboard as well. The main server for these smaller companies has often been an "all-in-one" server such as Microsoft's Small Business Server. This software operating system combines the traditional file/print server with an email server such as Exchange, Active Directory, and Domain Controller as well as an optional database (SQL). Some organizations with more dynamic needs may have several servers working together for those separated functions as well as line of business applications.
This traditional network model for the SMB enterprise is becoming less the standard and more the jumping off point for more streamlined and flexible solutions. There has been a shift in the need for a typical office setup for the mobile economy and flexible workforce. The rise of new technologies such as wireless networking, virtualization, and cloud computing have enabled entities to save money, be more productive, and be more efficient. Many organizations, because of the stalled economic conditions of the last few years, have been leery of extra expenditures and have opted for the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" theory. Unfortunately, because of the rapid acceleration of technology and solutions, that detrimental decision can leave an organization lagging behind in a competitive landscape.
The first step in moving forward with a network infrastructure upgrade could be as simple as refreshing the core hardware. More advanced software applications and memory hogging end-points may simply require updating the switching infrastructure. Many older networks are still running data switches with a max capacity of 10 and 100 MB Ethernet speeds. With the massive amount of data flow both internally and externally, these pipes can be the choke point of network performance. Costs decreased greatly for gigabit speed Ethernet switches, both managed and unmanaged, making it archaic to keep the older switches active. Even if this bottleneck is addressed, there should also be an evaluation of the throughput of firewalls and routers. An older unit, or one designed for home use and not hardened enough for the rigors of a business network, can be as frustrating as trying to fill a swimming pool with a two quart pitcher! The proper sizing of the firewall and or router should allow for no less than the speed of your connection. Taking these steps will help lessen user frustration and enhance employee production.
Wireless networking is more of an adjunct technology than a core component for most SMBs. Though there are some organizations that have ditched the traditional cabled network for a completely wireless office, most will use wireless for guest access and internal employee mobility. In most cases, a single appliance such as a wireless-enabled firewall/router provides the wireless network access to users. However security must be a consideration in any wireless deployment as network assets can be left vulnerable with improper planning and protection. Creating a virtual LAN (VLAN) for wireless access can help mitigate this by creating an entirely different set of rules for connecting wirelessly. Depending on the solution in place, guess access can be another layer of safety providing rules-based access for non-approved connections. Different classes of employees can be handled in the same manner where some might have free reign and others may be limited to specific job roles.
While wireless networking in the workplace has become rather common, there are other technologies that are rapidly catching up. First there is virtualization; the consolidation of many physical servers into instances of software machines on a single platform. Virtualization first grew in popularity among enterprise organizations that had huge farms of servers as a way to lessen the real estate, power, and cooling. VMware was on the forefront of the virtualization revolution and became the dominant force in a short time. The cost savings associated with virtualization, along with the increased utilization of hardware investments, made it the project of choice for those looking to be more efficient and cost-effective. Initially, the price of virtualization was out of reach for the typical SMB organization, but it didn't take long for the costs to come down driven in no small way by competition. When Microsoft entered the picture and included their Hyper-V client with Windows Server, the game was surely afoot. It made sense for just about any organization running three or more servers in their network to consolidate with virtualization to save hardware costs, power and cooling, as well as simplify overall management.
The meteoric ascension of cloud computing has taken the concept of virtualization and applied it to remote data nodes thereby creating a new industry of applications and data being consumed as needed. Having some or all assets "in the cloud" continues to be the accelerated goal of many of the previously skeptical old-school decision makers. However the journey to the cloud has grown light years beyond the original central repository for email. Now, it is becoming more common to see companies large and small trusting disaster recovery data to a remote site either self-owned or through a third-party contractor. Cloud migration is no longer applied to only hosted email and backups. Smaller organizations that don't wish to invest in traditional office space and make huge purchases of data networks can now leverage the cloud instead. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) has gained ground with many SMB entities with this mindset. For a monthly cost, these organizations can essentially rent a network that is located at a third-party data center and connect wherever they are. There may be tax benefits to creating this type of infrastructure as it is an operating expense rather than a capital expense and thus possibly able to be written off at tax time. Those incentives coupled with the ease of use, the lack of having to manage it, and the "always on" availability offers some great benefits.
While the IaaS option looks like a no-brainer because of lower costs, scalability, reliability, redundancy, security, and robust hardware, there are some considerations that must be taken into account. If you're organization is leery of offloading data to a third-party, IaaS might not be a good fit for you. Additionally, there must always be an active Internet connection to get to the assets; a broken connection means you're off-line and cannot access data. You will still need to have security and management of your devices, especially with the proliferation of mobile options. Finally, what if there is a lengthy outage? Even if there are generous Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in place, the result could cause more damage than the rebate for the lost time is worth.
No matter what you do in 2013, take the initial step of making sure your network infrastructure is safe and secure at the very least. The list of potential threats has not gone away, and if you think about it, what happens if you don't take it seriously? Once you are satisfied you have security covered as best you can, look into performance enhancements and see if any or all of these options make sense for your organization. There is no car race on this planet that doesn't start with the pit crew doing a thorough review of the vehicle's engine and systems. If you want to stay ahead of your particular field of expertise and succeed, then do the same for your network.
Works Cited
Beecher, H. W. (2001). Brainy Quote. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from Brainy Quote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/henrywardb131275.html
SecurElement delivers a comprehensive blend of essential
hardware, software, technical personnel, support and maintenance through
the innovative Managed Environment program. Offering unparalleled value
at a controlled cost, businesses of any size are able to leverage
leading-edge technologies and services that maximize productivity, drive
bottom line success and solve critical business issues.
For more information regarding SecurElement solutions, interested parties can contact the sales department at 484.323.1629 or via email at sales@securelement.com.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Ramona
For more information regarding SecurElement solutions, interested parties can contact the sales department at 484.323.1629 or via email at sales@securelement.com.
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