Networks for Home, Business and Enterprise

Data Management and Shared Resource Solutions

Networks for the Small Office/Home Office

If you operate a small office / home office (often referred to as SOHO), it's almost a given that you will wind up with more than one computer. If you run a business of even modest proportions, you need the benefits and the force multiplier that modern office automation tools can deliver. Costs of business-capable computing systems have dropped to the point where it is practical to own more than one workstation. Case in point: those of us running a SOHO can't pass up the flexibility and convenience that both a workstation and a laptop afford. And if you have a spouse who is also an active Internet user and a teenager or two in the house, then multiple computer ownership is all but unavoidable.

With more than one computer, the question then becomes: how do we share things like printers and that single broadband Internet connection?  How can we share our files, pictures and other information? The solution to this is to set up a small network. The good news is that the costs and the complexity of networking have dropped dramatically. The bad news is that the simplicity of some network solutions often comes at the expense of two things that you will come to hold dear - performance and security against spyware, hackers, worms, viruses and malicious intruders.

However, your SOHO network can be made safe, secure and fast with just a little forethought and effort. And making it so is one of StarLAN Consulting Services' specialties.

Networks for Small to Medium Sized Business

Small business operations often begin with informal, peer-to-peer networks consisting of two or three workstations. File sharing is typically a casual affair, with users sharing one another's' C drives (this is terribly insecure) across the network in order to get access to common items of information. What began as a collection of Excel spreadsheets now consists of separate and specialized accounting, calendaring and other business management packages. Peer-to-peer networking as supported by most cheap home routers can be somewhat flaky and unstable - sooner or later, things break.

Inevitably, the loosely organized network that supported the business for so long is no longer able to support the demands for shared resources, nor can it accommodate the requirements of the business management software packages your operation needs to in order to grow. Disorganization, multiple out-of-synch versions of documents and files, and lack of security of proprietary and confidential business information are all-too-common outcomes. Worse, many small business operators seldom if ever back up their data, much less the full operating system image of critical workstations and servers. This is a recipe for disaster. And it can sneak up on you. In order to ensure the continuity of your business, the key decision must be made to move from the anarchy of a peer-to-peer network to a server-centric network. 

For more information on the role of a server in your growing business network, visit the page describing Servers for Business.

And the good news is...

The small to medium sized business market has lately (and - finally) gotten the attention of some of the major software developers and hardware manufacturers such as Microsoft and HP. The SMB market as it is called these days  - the most creative and entrepreneurial segment of America's business community - has been either under-served or almost completely ignored by the majority of information systems consultants and services providers. Until recently, the majority of hardware and service providers' offering were neither scaled to the size of your operations nor appropriate for your business methods. Hardware and software vendors have their own interests at heart, and those are not necessarily yours. Storefront computer shops more often than not lack the business background, experience and expertise that your business requires.

Now, majors like Microsoft have addressed this oversight with products and initiatives geared specifically towards the needs of the SMB market. For example, Microsoft's Windows Small Business Server 2003 provides many of the networking features used by large companies, without the complexity typically associated with server technology. Windows Small Business Server 2003 delivers a complete business server solution for small businesses with up to 75 users and is available in standard and premium editions. This product starts at $595! When you combine Microsoft's SBS 2003 with Windows Vista and Office 2007, you've got a powerhouse information management system and a first-rate collaborative environment. Shared schedules, shared calendars, and shared business-critical information can literally transform the way you do business.

In another example, SonicWALL offers enterprise-class security and flexibility in network security appliances that defend against intrusion, viruses, spyware, unwanted email content and more for less than $1000.

Network Performance: what's that about and why do I care?

As we mentioned previously, it's easy to put together a small home network. And if you know what you're doing, and understand a bit about network architecture, you can get tremendous performance out of your system. StarLAN Consulting Services can bring the expertise and knowledge of network performance optimization gained in over 25 years of experience with Fortune 1000-level clients to bear on your SOHO network and do so at a small fraction of the cost.

SOHO network hardware is cheap and widely available. For example, the choice between the most common network appliance used to connect several PCs (a simple hub) - and it's smarter cousin (a switch) is a matter of a $20 difference or less. The choice between a switch vs. a hub can be dramatic in terms of overall performance and to some extent, security.

StarLAN Consulting Services can assist you in choosing between products that amount to little more than speed bumps for determined intruders and those products that pose sufficient challenge to the bad guys to induce them to look for easier prey elsewhere.

Network Security: what's that about and why do I care?

The confidentiality, availability and integrity of your business information assets is paramount. Data security comes down to two basic issues: prevention and business continuity. These issues are discussed in depth in the Data Security and Backup and Restoration sections of this website, but here they are in a nutshell:

• You want to protect your business information assets from theft and misuse.
• In the event of a disaster (fire, flood or hard disk crash) you want to be able to resume business operations ASAP.

And as I mention in the Data Security section of this website, you can’t just slap an anti-virus package on your workstation and call it good. Find out why.

The Takeaway

Your concerns  - network performance, data safety and security - are precisely the same as those of your Fortune 500 counterparts, and you differ only in terms of scale. The bottom line is this: your business information systems must be no less available, effective and secure than those of enterprise-class operations.

StarLAN Consulting Networking Services for Businesses

StarLAN Consulting Services offers a variety of services for the SMB market:

• Network Design  - StarLAN Consulting Services has the expertise and experience to ensure that your business network is:

  • Scalable. That is, you should be able to expand your network to grow with your business without having to tear it all down and rebuild it from scratch.

  • Flexible. A Flexible network can support anything from email and shared Internet access to Point of Sale processing to specialized vertical market applications such as legal or dental office practice management packages.

  • Fast. Your network layout or topology as it is sometimes called should contain no performance-robbing bottlenecks.

  • Reliable. A network that works only part of the time impacts both your business operations and employee morale. There is no substitute for sound design using quality components. 'Penny wise and pound foolish' is one of the primary enemies of good network design. Don't shortchange your business on critical components and services.

  • Secure. Your business information - customer lists, customer data and correspondence, bank account numbers and passwords - is your most valuable asset. Don't expose those assets to intruders. The new breed of cyber-criminal knows that it's often far easier to harvest the information from three or four small business nets than it is to crack one of the big corporate sites. Identity theft and wire fraud are their stock in trade. Good network security is both affordable and achievable for the small business owner. Don't operate without it.

• Network Migration - StarLAN Consulting Services specializes in converting slow peer-to-peer networks to Windows Active Directory domains. We also specialize in migrating Novell NetWare-based systems to a Windows Server environment.

• Troubleshooting - Things not working they way they should? StarLAN Consulting Services can diagnose faults and ongoing issues and apply the appropriate remedies.

• Documentation - You can't protect what you don't know about. StarLAN Consulting Services can provide you with a complete and readable inventory of your hardware and software assets. We can also develop a complete map of your network including all of the devices on it, their roles and their identification on your net. Having such a document in hand is a prerequisite for any sort of meaningful and effective troubleshooting.

• Performance Tuning and Enhancement -  StarLAN Consulting Services has the expertise and experience to help you get the most out of your network. Please contact us for a free initial evaluation of your network's performance.

• Security -  StarLAN Consulting Services offers a variety of products and services that can greatly minimize your vulnerability to attackers and intruders. See the Business Data Security section for details.

• Wireless LANs - StarLAN Consulting Services can design and implement secure  - let's say that again - secure - wireless LANs for your business. If you are considering going wireless to extend your existing net, we can make it happen for you in a safe, cost-effective and secure manner.

Educate Me - Wireless Networks
Educate Me - Business Data Security