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The following will cover the basics of network design for a business. Although aspects of an infrastructure will vary based on its size and complexity, this general framework will provide a guide for making the right decisions.

 

Determine Requirements

 

A network design project starts by gathering information and determining your business technical and technical requirements. Your objectives must be clear because they will be the basis of the network design.

 

Business requirements will guide your organization’s objectives. Below is a list of examples where this may be applicable.

 

• Complying with regulations


• Cutting costs


• Ensuring business continuity


• Improving end-user experience


• Supporting a new office

 

Leaders should work closely with all stakeholders during the determination of the business requirements.

 

After the business requirements have been determined, the next step is identifying the technical requirements. Below is a list of examples.

 

• Bandwidth


• Recovery Point Objective (RPO)


• Recovery Time Objective (RTO)


• Security requirements


• Specific protocols for implementation


• Uptime Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

 

Constraints should not be overlooked when identifying requirements. Budgets will certainly constrain business requirements. Technical requirements might be constrained by the need to support legacy applications.

 

Assess Your Existing Network

 

Your team will be likely be considering how to work with an existing network. It may be an advantage having structured cabling already installed. However, if your cabling infrastructure is made up of outdated Cat5e, you may need to replace it with Cat6a or a newer cable category capable of supporting 10GBaseT.

 

In any case, a thorough assessment of the existing network’s condition will be needed prior to making the design recommendations. A complete understanding of the network’s applications, data flows, layout, performance, security, services, and other aspects will be required to effectively design the new network.

 

Part 2 will discuss Network Topology, Hierarchical Network Design, and Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Design.

 

Progressive Office Cabling

 

Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking cost-effective solutions. Working together, Progressive teams are committed to getting your data cabling, access control, and telecom systems installed and operating while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.

Part 2 will discuss Horizontal Cabling Overview, Cables Used for Horizontal Cabling, and Differences Between Backbone and Horizontal.

Cable installations for IT systems and networks can be complex. The two main cabling methods utilized for structured cabling are backbone and horizontal cabling. Even though they are different, backbone and horizontal cabling complement each other. Both can be required for various cabling specifications and environments

Part 2 will discuss Long-Distance Team Collaboration, IP Omnipresence, and Confidentiality.

Long-Distance Team Collaboration

Health providers who use telemedicine to collaborate need high-quality video streaming. Adequate resolution without buffering is required whether telemedicine is being used locally or internationally. Poor-quality video is disruptive, and may prevent medical professionals from working together with accuracy and efficiency. Their systems will require greater bandwidth and lower network latency in order to promote improved collaboration, training, and patient care.

IP Omnipresence

A successful IP (Internet Protocol) means that almost all communication requirements can be accomplished by one network. Along with standard data, the IP network will handle access control, building automation, security, and video. Digital is transmittable over IP-based networks. Although medical facilities typically segregate medical and non-medical forms of data, the increasing prevalence of IP will result in significantly greater volumes of data needing transmission, which will require higher data speeds.

Confidentiality

Passed in 1996, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) set forth requirements for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of patient data. The law requires data security, certain backup procedures, and the implementation of policies for handling data.

To meet these challenges, hospital networks will require higher bandwidths and more connections. Medical facilities will seek to support 10 Gb/s transmission speeds in critical areas and increase port densities to accommodate more users. The table below illustrates the estimated transfer times for transmitting one gigabyte at specific Ethernet speeds.

Ethernet Speed                   Estimated Time for Transferring 1 GB (min.)

10 Mb/s                                                                      14

100 Mb/s                                                                    1.4

1 Gb/s                                                                         0.14

10 Gb/s                                                                      0.014

The network is becoming increasingly crucial for medical facilities. Thus, higher data rates are needed to cope with the expanding volume of data. ANSI/TIA-1179 is the Healthcare Facility Telecommunications Cabling Systems standard, and it is followed by professionals in order to properly design and install a healthcare facility’s structured cabling system to meet its current and future technical requirements.

Progressive Office Cabling

Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking cost-effective solutions. Working together, Progressive teams are committed to getting your data cabling, access control, and telecom systems installed and operating while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll-free number (800) 614-4560 today.

As discussed in Part 1, modern tech innovations are allowing organizations to work faster and more intelligently. However, those firms working with an aging network won’t be able to fully benefit. Part 2 will discuss three more symptoms indicating your organization may need a network upgrade.