Business Computer Systems Guide – Part 4
Network and Internet
I mentioned in my last post, Business Computer Systems Guide – Part 3, that the important thing is to be straight about when you know you are over your head and need additional learning or outside assistance.
At this point, you should have completed the majority of your planning document. The next several sections will help you gain the sense of whether or not you can complete the tasks, each tactical plan, yourself or how much of it you can complete without help.
This section “Network and Internet” is two unique interdependent functional hardware related areas. “Network” is simply the means and mechanisms connecting all of your computers, printers and computing devices together. “Internet” in the manner that your “Network” makes its single connection through to the Internet. These two “infrastructure” items will not change much after they are designed and installed.
Both the “Network” and the “Internet” connection must be driven by software concerns. The more complex your computing needs become, the more serious consideration needs to be explored considering network software configurations.
However, we will start with the basics.
Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, Inc., is the recognized global leader in VOIP, Wireless and Ethernet networking for home, SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) and small business users. Based in Irvine, California, Linksys specializes in products and solutions that provide effortless and economical sharing of broadband Internet connections, files, printers, digital music, videos, photos and gaming over a wired or wireless network. These reliable, easy-to-use, world-class products are backed with award-winning technical support, setting the standard for excellence in the consumer and small business.
Open any networking product from Linksys, or any other home or small business router manufacturer and you will most likely find a very comprehensive set of instructions that you can use to build your own network. You can learn most anything you need to know about setting up a small business network from reading this set of instructions. You don’t need to own a Linksys device to access the user guide at the Linksys website. Download a copy and check it out.
For the most part, you can just plug and play most consumer routers. They arrive pre configured to work out of the box. Although the default settings might get you started, they are not the optimal way to configure a network. Don’t forget to configure security for your wireless functionality or you will have a parking lot full of teenagers with laptops surfing the Internet on your network.
The least expensive firewall/router generally has a built in 10/100 MB switch with five ports. Additional switch ports can be added by cable; however, if your business heavily depends on the Internet for applications and credit card transactions, consider a more expensive commercial firewall with more capacity and features. The least expensive devices are good for email and Web surfing, but not much else.
Although wireless is nice, you will need wires to gain the network speed that modern applications need to work correctly, Modern desktop and laptop computers come with gigabit network functionality built in to the systems. Why mess with a 54-megabit wireless connection when you can have a wired 100-megabit or a gigabit connection.
Optionally, you might hire a local wiring company to wire your office and locate an out of the way closet or shelf where all of your wiring can terminate and you can place your network router and additional switch or switches, as well as a small business server or servers. All of your office wiring will originate from nice wall plates and there will not be cables hanging in your flowerpots and stuck under carpets, a much safer environment for your office staff.
Purchase computers, printers and scanners, plug them in to the network, and turn them on and, wala! You are networking and surfing the Internet. You should now have something that maps like this:
When you want to learn more (you don’t really need to), go to The Computer Technology Documentation Project located at http://www.comptechdoc.org/. This site has some of the best technical networking content on the Web. Or, you might want to try Cisco’s Documentation site located at http://www.cisco.com
At this point, it is very appropriate to mention money. Because Network and Internet infrastructure items will not change much after they are designed and installed, they demand serious budget priority. If corners are cut with Network and Internet infrastructure, your entire computing environment can be problematic, difficult to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair.
You might want to consider whether or not you want a $50 consumer wireless router controlling your network. If it breaks, your entire network will fail. Consequently, you should consider a commercial grade device and preemptive network design. A correctly constructed, configured and monitored network infrastructure will provide years of trouble free operation for you.
Business Computer Systems Guide – Part 1
Introduction
9/6/2010 Update – Much of this guide was written in 2005 from material as old as 2000. Although we’ve come light years since 2005, this material still applies to current businesses and business systems.
Today’s sophisticated business computer systems are a complicated lot. Coupled with the plethora of consumer market oriented hardware that one finds in the Sunday paper’s Business Section, confusion appears to be the order of the day. My purpose in writing this guide focuses on sweeping aside most of the confusion. Most small business people remember assembling home stereo or home theatre equipment, as well as programming ones satellite to VCR-DVD to television set. The basics of office computing are not much more complicated that that.
I believe that if a marginally technical business person understands a few ground rules, the opportunity exists to capitalize on business systems designed for Fortune 500 companies at a price point acceptable for small to medium sized businesses. The first place to start requires exploding the marketing myths used by computer service companies, so called “VARs” value added resellers. VARs partner with software and hardware companies to sell products, “solutions”, to you, the business customer.
The two most profitable “solutions” to sell are the entire Microsoft paradigm and the Cisco communications product line. Both of these companies have excellent products and have amassed a fortune assisting VARs to sell solutions to business people. Virtually all of the computers in existence today run a Microsoft Windows operating system with Microsoft Office components installed. Those same computers talk to each other using Cisco hardware and software.
If you max out your investment in Microsoft and Cisco systems, two things are certain. Your VAR will have sold you the best and most expensive systems available and you will have very little money left over to productively take advantage of your systems, or much else for that matter. A business needs to achieve balance between costs and deployed systems functionality. Balance achievement is where my systems model and the ground rules associated with my model come into play. It is not in the best profit interest for a VAR to assist a business with achieving this balance.
VARs are an odd lot. Most are well established business people that have hooked their future on a specific software solution or systems solution in a vertical market. Others purchase the latest “how to be a computer business” course and enter the business with well honed marketing tools.
My two most favorite Information Technology Service Provider marketing ploys are the “have an IT person, you are wasting your money” claim and the “own more than 20 computers, save a small fortune” claim. They read like this:
“If You Have 20-100 Computers And a Full Time IT Manager…You Are Wasting Your Money” “..any person who qualifies for this position does not really want this position.” “..Not to mention the time they spend on their Fantasy Sports teams, emailing friends, searching for a new job, and downloading PORN. I hate to say but we have caught too many of them doing it.”
Gee Mr. VAR, if you were any good at IT, you would not have let porn into the network to begin with. Scare tactics work on very few astute business people. If you have IT people, pat yourself on the back!
You are not wasting your money on a “full time IT person”. As a matter of fact, your IT person is most likely on the front lines, helping your employees resolve day to day productivity problems; because, your IT person comes armed with business process knowledge, learned from job related experience he or she came into IT with. Or, your IT person might be passing application specific business knowledge to other employees that came from years in school or on the job training in house, from a competitor or from another unrelated company.
Your IT worker is not a porn surfing waste of time. You hired her or him, just like you hired all of your other great employees. Managed into the right role, they become a valuable intellectual property asset and very able to manage your computing assets.
“If you own more than 20 XP computers in your business, you are in an excellent position to save a great deal of money,” and you can really save a fortune! What you are about to read is all over the Internet and responsible for substantial growth in IT and extreme profit for VARs.
Check out this information from the Gartner Group* reported in CMP’s Network Computing magazine Page 34, 9/2/2004 issue.
“The cost of an unmanaged Windows XP desktop is $5,309 over three years, whereas a managed XP desktop runs only $3,335, according to Gartner.” A MANAGED XP computer results in a savings of $1974 per computer over three years. If you have 20 XP computers in your business, you can recover $39,480 over three years in expense savings! That amounts to $1096 PER MONTH in expense savings!
A proactive approach to systems can mitigate and control the cost of your XP computers as well as your entire IT investment. If you have searched the Internet for “Managed Services”, “IT Services”, “help for my network” of “repair my computer” for any length of time, you have no doubt come across similar claims.
Saving $1096 per month in reoccurring expense for a typical small business is a very realistic goal. But, one must understand that reaching the goal requires a comprehensive approach to business systems, an approach I hope you clearly understand after you learn from my “Business Computer Systems Guide”.
The comprehensive approach is the tool that makes VARs wealthy. A savvy business person might decide to give the $1096 per month and more to a VAR that can return value to the business or might decide to put $1096 per month back into the business, directly to the bottom line. The decision hinges on achieving balance between costs and deployed systems functionality.
Coming full circle, achieving balance is where my systems model and the ground rules associated with my model come into play. Again, it is not in the best profit interest for a VAR to assist a business with achieving this balance.
Thanks for reading. In the next post, I will discuss balance, managed services and my systems model.
