There comes a time in any organization when its IT needs to change—whether your equipment is outdated, your processes are ineffective, or your entire IT system is simply failing. Issues you were able to ignore before have suddenly gone on too long, and it’s time for a major fix.
When you're ready to design a new network environment for your business, you’re probably eager to get going and solve the problems you’ve been dealing with for too long. But designing a new IT infrastructure isn’t as easy as simply buying new equipment. If you decide to invest in an IT upgrade, do it in a way that enhances and optimizes your business operations.
The best way to start is with an in-depth discovery process and network infrastructure assessment, which involves finding all connected devices on your business network.
Once the discovery process is complete, it’s time to begin designing your new business network. There are many options out there, each with its benefits and drawbacks.
How do you zero in on which options are right for your organization? You can determine your company’s exact IT needs and implement the ideal solutions by asking yourself the seven questions below.
Pinpoint Your Network Environment Needs
1. What is Our IT Environment Missing?
What challenges and pain points made you want to overhaul your network? Can you support all of your network traffic? Are resources running thin? Is your network vulnerable to security breaches? Do your remote employees have a strong connection to all the devices used daily? These questions can help you decipher the critical IT elements your business is missing.
Whether your organization needs increased security, a better Recovery Point Objective, or stronger integration with mobile devices, determine where your business’s biggest IT gaps lie. Knowing which holes are most important to fill will make subsequent decisions easier.
2. How Do We Want to Work with Our Technology?
How does your organization use technology today, and how will it be used in the near future? This is an important question, especially as many workforces now split their time between working in-office and remotely. The shift to more remote-focused work in the past few years has forced many companies to enable collaboration tools like Teams, roll out softphones for telephony, and deploy laptops with VPN remote access tools—often in a rushed manner.
Remote work isn’t going anywhere, so if you’re planning on increasing your remote workforce (and thus the remote network traffic) or implementing new processes and policies, you need to consider the best ways to integrate these new technologies with your network and keep everything safe, secure, and optimized.
3. What is Our IT Management Strategy?
Do you work with a third-party IT firm, have an internal team, or employ a single person to manage your IT? No matter who’s on your IT team, examine whether your current strategy works for your business as it runs now. Ask questions like:
- Do you need a third-party, small business network expert?
- Do you need an in-house local area network technician?
- Are you getting the monitoring and support you need to truly operate smoothly?
- Do you have any security concerns?
- Can you get IT help right away if necessary?
Nailing down your IT management and support strategy is critical to deciding the necessary components.
4. How Does Our Network Environment Support Our Business Strategy?
Today, IT is fully integrated into the lives of most businesses. Are you trying to grow within the next several years? Consider those goals closely when designing your network environment. This will allow you to plan ahead and implement scalable solutions that fit seamlessly with your ever-evolving business needs.
5. What Cybersecurity Risks Do We Face?
Your business risks play a significant role in how you run your company and should also influence your IT decisions. With employees accessing internet connections from multiple devices from remote locations, data security—your data and your customers’—is a major concern.
Consider factors such as data storage, security, and regulatory requirements. Does your current business network alleviate or contribute to these cyber security risks? What needs to change to reduce or eliminate these security risks?
6. Should Our Network Environment be Hosted in the Cloud?
For companies today, doing away with on-prem servers and moving to the cloud is a no-brainer. Cloud hosting for your network environment provides a long list of benefits for companies, including cost savings, agility, and IT simplicity.
With more companies embracing remote work schedules, it’s crucial for employees to have wireless access to their files at all times and places, so consider whether these are priorities for your team.
7. How Will We Fund This Project?
Implementing new services usually involves some upfront costs. Before making major decisions about your network environment, you should know the ballpark pricing of your new network and software and where the capital will come from. A new business network infrastructure is an important investment in your organization's continued growth, and you’ll want to ensure that you have enough funds to see the project through.
The Best Network Environment for Your Business
Answering these questions can start you out in the right direction when designing a new, or improving an existing, business network environment.
If answering these questions on your own seems overwhelming, trained business network experts can guide you through the process and help you design a network environment that works for your business to meet your goals.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 5, 2017, and has been updated for accuracy and current best practices.
