Your business is growing’ That has added 2 new staff members during the year, and every 5 employees complain about the increasing difficulty sharing files’ Your billing database on a computer that can not be accessed by his administrative assistant, and are not eager to have a backup file saved on the centralized computer of every employee’ If this sounds familiar, in May is the time to implement a computer network’
In this discussion we will consider two network solutions for small and medium enterprises’ We will explore the advantages and disadvantages of each type so you can decide what the network might be the best solution for your business’
Network Basics
Networking begins when two or more computers are connected so that information can be shared’ To connect to any network, a computer requires a network card and CAT5 cable or Cat6′ (If your computer has a wireless network adapter, the radio signals can be used instead of wires)’ A network also requires a piece of equipment called a switch, which acts as a center for routing information sharing’ A change is as a mail room in a large company’ It is true that the message for the right recipient’
Peer to peer
The simplest type of network is called a network of equals’ This type of network consists of several computers that are connected to each other’ The network consists of the shared folders on other computers within the network’ These files are set to “share”, so that other people connected to the network can access’ Each shared folder is accessible by users of the network, which has created a drive letter (eg H:) as a “pointer” to the shared folders on other computers’ Furthermore, the printers connected to a computer can be shared with other users’
Advantages of a point to point:
* A peer to peer network is expensive to implement’ It uses the networking capabilities built into Windows XP Professional (or Vista Business), so no special software required’ Lets share files and printers, and can be a good choice for a small office’
The boundaries of a point to point
* Sharing files depends on your knowledge of each employee, and certain rules must be followed to minimize disruptions to the network’ If a user closes his machine in the middle of the day, the other network users to lose access to the files in the shared folder on the machine’ In the photo above, the laptop can connect to the network when an employee is not traveling’ All files stored on a laptop that is not available (in May and will not be saved) when the employee is out of office’
* Network and data security are low’
* The files are not centralized, in order to obtain a return of all the files is more difficult’
* On-going tasks such as anti-virus and Windows updates are in each machine’ Update the virus definitions and patches must be done manually for each machine, which takes time’
Client Server Networks
Another type of network is called a client / server network’ This type of network uses a central server and specialized network software’ The server is dedicated and only used to store files and run tasks from the server’ The computers that connect to the server are called clients, and is the machine for personal use of the company’ The server acts as the hub of the network, and that most of the “wings” of maintenance and storage’ Operating systems include the network server for Windows Small Business Server 2003 or 2008, Windows Server or Linux’
Benefits of a client / server network
* The server stores all the shared files of each user’
* The server that runs the backup file that can be provided in the middle of the night to minimize disruptions to the network’
* The server manages the security of users and ensure that all users accessing the network are authorized to do so’
* The server manages the shared printer and serves as a central repository for printer drivers and settings’
* The server handles other tasks such as Internet access, email, routing, antivirus and Windows update management definition’
* The server can also share software applications for multiple users’
* The server can also provide an “intranet, an internal website of the company that owns shares of information such as news, human resources policies, training materials, and more’
In summary, a client / server network to facilitate network administration and provides a much more robust in ensuring safety and managing access to company data’
Limitations of a client / server network
* A web server is more expensive to implement’ Servers are powerful computers with redundancy and other materials to provide data security’ Therefore, cost much more than just a computer’
* The web server software is also much more powerful, complex, and must be installed correctly to perform all required tasks, and hence the cost is higher for the software and installation costs’
* The server is a critical point of failure’ If it fails, the whole network stops’ This disadvantage can be reduced with the installation of redundant disks in the server (so if one fails, others are still working) and even a second server that can support the primary server fails if not completely’ The cost becomes the only problem’
Network equipment, which is best for your company?
Peer to peer networks rely on the PC computer users, if the employee behavior is an important factor’ Networking peer to peer could work for your company if you have the following:
* Computer skills that employees trust’
* Low employee turnover’
* Five or fewer employees’
* The new desktop or laptop machines with lots of RAM and disk space’
* A high-capacity portable data storage for backing up files and delete them from the page’
* The time and motivation to keep their patches and maintenance days’
A client / server network is more secure, easier to handle, and it would be a better solution for your company if the following conditions:
* You want to secure their corporate data and provide access to certain files and folders, only a few employees’
* Your experience high staff turnover’
* You have more than 5 employees’
* Security, complete backup of all your corporate data is needed’
* The power of information to its employees would be useful’
* Do you want to have an email address using a single domain
Think of the cost of implementing a network as an investment in your business’ As your business grows, the implementation of a network to help its employees to share information and resources, and long term, will play an important role in the successful growth of your business’