Network Infrastructure Assessment- An Important Aspect for the Success of Your Business

One of the most important aspects of any network design is the security. A safe and secure network design helps in better segregation of network, enables easy access, removes single points of failure and provides better logging and monitoring. The security of the infrastructure and architecture of a network is essential for a successful business venture. This is the reason why each network device should be appropriately designed and well-secured. You can mitigate many risks by implementing a secure network infrastructure.

By assessing your network infrastructure, you can determine the overall performance and capacity of the network to cope with future growth, meet the security and availability objectives and handle bandwidth-sensitive applications like VoIP. Conducting an assessment that appropriately represents the design, configuration and performance of a network will help you know about the various problem areas that prevail.

Benefits of Network Infrastructure Assessment

Many networks in production that are being used today were built in the late 90s. In the recent years, the network infrastructure has become more complex. Wireless and mobility are being integrated into the network. The latest technology trends like convergence, virtualization and data center consolidation have resulted in new demands for the network.

Many of the networks are not designed to be based on the best practices in the industry for better performance. Some of them even have outdated hardware and software platforms that may not be supported by the manufacturer. Apart from this, some of the networks require higher operational costs as it becomes difficult to maintain, to operate and to troubleshoot them. The network assessments will provide you with operations management, security and convergence readiness assessment.

Methodology of Network Assessment

The overall process includes assessing the present security technology as well as various processes in the organization. It also includes evaluating the critical information assets in the infrastructure. A professional network assessment company will evaluate your current design structure including the security control mechanisms to determine the effectiveness of the company network security. The service provider can also help to revise the security objective in order to make the entire process more up-to-date.

Here are the common assessment steps that are followed by professionals:

Assessing Network Architecture – In this step, a complete assessment of the network design and architecture is carried out. The current environment is compared to the proven architecture and real-world networking experience.

Stability and Configuration Assessment – Here, a detailed review of the individual devices are conducted. The existing operational state of the network is analyzed to assess the overall stability and reliability.

Performance Analysis - Professional companies use advanced software tools to observe and report about the performance anomalies. Various tools are used to analyze and correlate the network device configurations.

Scanning the Vulnerability and Penetration Testing - The security of each host is evaluated by conducting a series of penetration tests and by scanning the vulnerability of the network.

A thorough assessment is the perfect way to determine the issues related to a network. It outlines the major issues that a company needs to address in order to ensure the success of the business venture.

Operate your Business Better with Unified Communications

Communication doesn’t only include the words that we use. Our gestures and body language can speak volumes about our emotions associated with talking to a person. If you run a business, you may be well aware of the importance of communication through phone and email. However, phones and email also have their own shortcomings. For instance, it is not easy to convey human emotions through an email. Then came video conferencing.

Video conferencing is an effective way to meet these challenges. However, over the years video conferencing has moved to the next level with the introduction of Unified Communications. To make it simple for those who are not aware of the term, it is an integration of real-time communication services, which is comprised of instant messaging, call control, video conferencing and speech recognition. It is known for providing consistent unified user interface and experience across multiple devices and media types. Many of the companies provide unified communications consulting services to customers that help in bridging the gap between VoIP and other communication technologies.

Unified Communications Explained

Most businesses have employees who work in different regions and time zones. It may raise a concern in terms of employee productivity. At times, it becomes difficult to coordinate with the teams who are separated geographically. This is where unified communications systems will help you out.

It can assist you in solving the issues that are related to productivity and coordination that most employers have. This advanced technology will help in improving team collaboration, increase overall productivity, shorten project cycles and reduce the overall costs that you incur in your business. The improved productivity of employees will make it easier to collaborate over long distances. It will enable employees to make decisions quickly and also develop a better understanding among the teams.

Benefits of using Unified Communications

Here are some of the benefits of using a unified communication system for your business:

• One of the main benefits of opting for unified communications is that it helps in streamlining the information delivery for IT and tech support as well as small, medium and large businesses. It simplifies the process and also makes the process easier for users to access and integrate all of the information

• It also helps in minimizing and even eliminating the delays that are associated with a traditional telephone system. This results in improving interaction and customer integration resulting in sizable savings for the business.

• Another advantage of opting for unified communications is that it simplifies the meeting initiation process. It provides a common technological platform for a better collaboration between prospective and existing clients, employees and co-workers.

These are some of the reasons that make Unified Communication system an integral part of most of businesses. By deploying advanced technology, it will help in coordinating and managing your business better.

The Benefit of Going Wireless

A broadband wireless mesh network enables organizations and its employees remain connected through their laptops, mobile phones and tablets that greatly improve their efficiency and responsiveness. The various aspects of wireless applications are mentioned below:

• Mobile Applications - Employees who often travel or work from home are using mobile applications on wireless laptops and handheld devices to utilize their time efficiently. By using such applications and devices, employees can be more responsive to their business. The advanced wireless system helps them carry out their responsibilities, access corporate networks, centralize databases and file reports without any issue. This is a new and collaborative way of working.

• Mobile Instant Messaging, email and voice – Business executives can work effectively by using Internet-based communication tools such as VoIP, Instant Messaging and email from their wireless-equipped devices. These services can serve as effective communication channels and also as a backup during any disaster when cell phone service may become inoperable.

• Utility Service Maintenance – In utility organizations, employees can carry out repair and maintenance work more effectively by scheduling, dispatching and monitoring in real-time.

These days, more and more organizations are implementing wireless connectivity through Wifi, 4G LTE/WiMAX WAN and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Both public and private enterprises are increasingly using wireless services to enhance public safety, productivity and operational efficiency.

Integrated Business Interactions Powered with Unified Communications

“Unified Communications” is the term that refers to multi-platform communications, which generally involves laptops/desktop computers, smartphones and tablets that are offered by a networking service provider. The service offered involves the use of unified messaging, video conferencing, IP telephony, mobile extension, etc. It enables individuals and businesses to integrate their communications with various devices on a single platform.

Unified communications (UC) allows us to streamline interactions through one entity, even though multiple devices are being used. UC has been successful in bridging the gap between voice over IP (VoIP), integrated voice response systems (IVRS) and other computer-based technologies. However, organizations should be very cautious in regard to choosing a trusted provider that offers specialized unified communications consulting.

 
Choosing a trusted UC provider

  UC is not a futuristic concept anymore. Any business that wants to stay relevant and improve their market share needs to adopt it sooner or later. The significant impact it has on operational efficiency and profits has made many companies realize the benefits of installing one. Therefore, these companies are ready to make the necessary infrastructure investments for UC.
Choose a UC provider that is capable of delivering telecom solutions focused on understanding customer needs better. The technology partner enabling this solution should be adept at providing cutting-edge techniques for efficient integration across multiple communication networks. A trusted wireless networking provider usually focuses on the following aspects:

• Enables employees to take advantage of virtual communication networks regardless of their location
• Accelerates the decision making process by providing a data sharing platform apart from facilitating a seamless process of communication
• The unified multimedia and messaging services should include all platforms such as fax, email, voicemail and other multimedia platforms including animations, videos and pictures.
• It is important that a real-time communication system processes an immediate response after input. The UC service provider should be able to integrate the various communication modes so that they are in sync to manage the same.

UC consulting services should come up with a broader objective to achieve critical business goals such as the following:

• Market planning
• Forecasting after market analysis
• Strategizing for technology implementation
• Opportunity analysis
• Product analysis and planning
• Developing critical white papers
•  Analysis of mergers and acquisitions
• Planning and launching of a new product
• Due diligence

For maximum benefits, work with a qualified service provider to tailor Unified communications sto your specific business needs.

Managing the Telecom Service Lifecycle to Reduce Telecommunication Costs

Telecommunications has advanced from the simple communication system and devices to complex systems, applications, software and technologies. For businesses, the best telecommunication services come at a cost. The question is, would high telecommunication costs provide a guarantee for better and more effective telecom networks and systems? Well, it may not be the case. Businesses obviously want the best that the telecommunication industry has to offer. They, however don’t want to break the bank for this. This necessitates the need to manage the telecom lifecycle. Managing the telecom service lifecycle effectively is important so that businesses can improve their efficiency and reduce costs. 

Auditing

With an effective auditing system, businesses get  to understand the expenses and the applications required to establish a network.This is done through conducting audits on inventory, invoice and infrastructure. Businesses, therefore can carry out the planning, design and implementation of the telecom network appropriately. A great cost-effective solution in telecommunication is identifying the unused services. These services are then discontinued so that the business can save money for other requirements. A meticulous auditing system is also required to prevent unnecessary spending.

Integrating the best software solutions

A robust telecom network is dependent on the best software solutions. Network specialists ensure that these solutions are implemented so that businesses can use their resources optimally to establish a wireless infrastructure. They have the scope to observe the usage and expenses associated with their networks.

Service Changes

With the fast-paced technological advancement, there comes a time when there is a need to upgrade applications and the network. This helps in increasing efficiency and cutting costs for businesses. A reputed service provider ensures that businesses can implement the necessary service changes when there is a need. Additionally, organizations require great customer support so that they are more accessible to their customers any time.

Customer support

A reputed telecom service provider ensures that businesses are aware of the policies, technology transition, network optimization and other strategies that will allow them to meet their telecommunication needs. This also includes giving advice on the best telecom strategies to implement so that they can benefit from easy and effective communication.

Taking your business to the next level requires managingthe telecom service lifecycle through turn-key solutions. Organizations offer high-end and effective wireless and communication solutions at budget-friendly prices. The service provider ensures that your wireless networks operate at peak performance. With such functional efficiency, there is no need to worry about a cost effective solution for their networks.