...sophisticated applications that result in more files or larger file sizes will increase the amount of storage space required on the network.
Assessing network segmentation requirements
Segmenting the network will require the purchase and placement of devices such as switches and routers. Segmentation is done to create security boundaries and to increase network performance. You can divide the network into subnets based on physical location of computers and other network devices or based on logical divisions such as departments, functions and teams. Virtual LANs (VLANs) can be used to create logical groupings of computers that can communicate with one another despite being on separate physical segments.
Network segmentation should be planned carefully to make management and security implementation easier as the network grows.
Assessing performance requirements
Network and server performance levels that are adequate for a small organisation and network may not be acceptable as the company grows. Performance considerations include:
- Data transfer speeds. The "need for speed" grows along with the company, which may mean upgrading equipment and cabling to support 100Mbps or gigabit Ethernet as the company grows.
- Server performance. The increased load on the servers may require upgrading server hardware to take advantage of faster processors and more memory.
- Workstation performance. Workstation hardware may need to be upgraded for better performance, especially if operating systems and applications are upgraded to obtain advanced feature sets.
Assessing security requirements
It might seem logical to say that network size has nothing to do with security, and in an ideal world, that would be true because every network, regardless of size, would be perfectly secure. Unfortunately, the world is not ideal, and in reality there is no such thing as perfect security.
In the real world, the need for heightened security often grows as the company and its network get larger. That's because addition of more personnel creates trust issues, and as a company expands it often begins to take on jobs that require more security (such as government contracts) or that bring it under government regulations governing security requirements.
From a practical standpoint, the more important data you have stored on the network, the more you have to lose and the higher the stake in securing the data. Also, as your company becomes larger and more widely known, it may be become more of a target to hackers and attackers.
Therefore, you should plan for increased levels of security as the network grows.
Assessing management/administrative requirements
As you add more computers and other devices and the network becomes more complex and your security levels increase, it also becomes more difficult to manage. Thus part of your strategic growth plan should include the addition of management tools for monitoring the network, centralised distribution of software, centralised security, etc. For example, a Microsoft shop might add Systems Management Server, Microsoft Operations Manager, Software Update Services and other products and services that simplifies management of a large group of machines and gives you more control.
Assessing availability requirements
Downtime of the network or disruption in availability of a server’s resources becomes more costly as the organisation grows. Thus you must plan for high availability and fault tolerance. This includes planning for:
- Disk failure. As the company grows, it becomes more important to implement disk fault tolerance solutions such as RAID and to ensure adequate backup of all mission critical data with backups stored off site in case of natural disaster.
- Server failure. To prevent disruption of critical services such as your Web sites or file servers, you can use server clustering with failover so that if a server does go down, its resources will continue to be available to users transparently.
- Internet access. If your business depends on Internet connectivity for communicating with customers, partners, remote employees, etc., you should plan for redundancy of Internet connectivity with failover.
