Computer Networking

Computer networking plays a very important role in business processes today. With the increased use of the internet, businesses can stay connected with employees in satellite offices around the world, increasing productivity and workflow. Using a process called web collaboration helps to ensure that each person is in communication and has the most current information in order to work efficiently.

Small businesses can gain a competitive edge by using this process to bring their employees together. Many organizations ranging in size from small to large have employees scattered all over the country or even the world. Employing a workforce that spread out can in fact be more cost effective. For this reason there needs to be a way to bridge the gap for project meetings, manufacturing questions, and other things including resource sharing. By reducing the necessary building space and allowing employees to work remotely from home or other locations reduces operational expenses and overhead.

The sharing of work load and effort in groups can easily be accomplished using computer networking. Options are available for online voice and video conferencing as well as sharing of documents and resources. For many this means ease of use as well as convenience of not being required to travel for meetings and conferences. In addition, on site joining of resources can be utilized. There are many useful ways that web collaboration can be implemented in a business environment. Read the rest of this entry »

When planning a computer network installation make sure you have the right technology to do the job. Make sure if you need support you have already contacted your local vendor. Some questions to ask yourself regarding your network diagram. Will you be upgrading or using your current inventory? If you are upgrading now is the time to upgrade hardware and software. If you can locate your software license number you can save money when you upgrade. Instead of purchasing the full package you can purchase the upgrade package.

Now I know you have heard of Cisco, but what you may not know is that Linksys was purchased by Cisco. Some parts like the Linksys 8 port router / vpn / firewall for $350 dollars is a $1000 dollar appliance. Great tool for small networks. The Linksys 8 port router / vpn / firewall has a twist, it also load balances and has a failover. Not even the most reasonable competitor aka Sonicwall can compare.

Let us move on to the network cabling installation. I know you are trying to save money. Doing your own wiring is not the time to do so. Get a professional who is certified to pull wire do the job. This will save you time and hassle over doing it yourself.

One thing you might consider when doing a Network installation is getting bids from local vendors. They can help you for free find the right equipment and software. They can perform a mini needs assessment and quote what you need. A great tool for asking for help and getting it for free. You might even find a local networking firm that can help just in case you get yourself tied up. Read the rest of this entry »