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iQ MAGAZINE

Addressing Infrastructure Needs

Is your network equipped to handle your current and future needs?

By Howard Baldwin
Illustration by Scott Baldwin

On his first day as president of central Ohio's Urbana University in 2001, Dr. Robert Head discovered that the campus's network infrastructure clearly needed an upgrade. He couldn't connect to the network. The administration building's archaic phone lines could accommodate network access for only two users at a time.

IT professionals routinely start a new job brimming with enthusiasm for moving an organization forward, only to find that the existing network infrastructure is antiquated and unstable. Because your organization increasingly relies on fast, secure, reliable networks for mission-critical business applications, it's crucial to identify whether your infrastructure can meet your needs.

Gaining that understanding requires taking into account how your network performs today, and how you want it to perform tomorrow. Think beyond hardware to consider the applications you run now, those you'll add, and the network and physical infrastructure they will require.

Business Assessment
"There has been a disconnect between what applications need and what the infrastructure can provide," says Scott Gass, global IT infrastructure portfolio manager for infrastructure consulting firm INS, a Cisco Systems reseller. "Companies of all sizes are realizing that these need to be in alignment."

For Urbana, far more was at stake than simply networking the campus's 21 buildings. First, Head needed technology that would allow the university to get to a level equal to its competitors. That meant ensuring that students could access the network from their dormitory rooms. Now that the entire campus is networked with a Gigabit fiber IP backbone, Head is ready for more.

"We can think about distance learning as a strategic initiative," he says. "We can better serve our adult education program and support more off-campus locations." All of these advances help to increase Urbana's tuition revenue and visibility in the community.

Physical Fitness
In infrastructure upgrades, especially when moving to a converged voice and data network, consider the physical requirements first. Michael Minnich, CEO of NetGain Information Systems, the Cisco Premier and SMB Select Partner that worked with Urbana, outlines the following questions:

  • Where will the network equipment be installed?
  • Is it a secure area?
  • Is it shared with other organizations, so that other people may have access to it?
  • What environmental alarms are in place if there's a power failure?

Power is especially important, given that traditional phones don't require electricity, while IP-based phones do. Minnich recommends using Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities so that the telephones work even in a power failure.

Fiscal Fitness
Once you've settled on your infrastructure needs, it's time to evaluate financial feasibility. It pays to plan ahead. "You have to think of what you need today, but also in terms of the future," Head says. "How will your business model change, and how will your facilities develop? Make sure your infrastructure plan is comprehensive, not just for today, but 5 to 10 years out as well."

Consider the following:

  • What are your current costs, not only for equipment but also for telecommunications, administration, and technical support services?
  • What are the financial ramifications of replacing existing equipment?
  • What will the new setup cost? Will it require additional resources?
  • At what stage are the service contracts of your current hardware, both network and telephony-based?

For Urbana, the financial decision was unusually simple. Compared with another company's $3.2 million, 30-month estimate that used separate voice and data networks, Minnich's approach took just nine months to complete and cost approximately $1 million, deriving most of its savings from a converged network that combined voice, data, and video capabilities.

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Infrastructure Checklist

New organizations have the advantage of starting from scratch with converged data, voice, and video networks without worrying about legacy systems. Most organizations, however, must deal with upgrading their existing systems. To do this, they must first analyze their current equipment and then outline a path to the network they want.

Conduct a Network Assessment

  • How satisfied are employees with their network use? Conduct a survey to gather their opinions and suggestions.
  • What equipment does your network currently include? How many routers and switches? Wireless access points and other devices? What is the bandwidth capacity of each?
  • How many internal users does the network support?
  • How many do you need to support in five years? In 10?
  • What entities connect to your network? Branch offices, partners, suppliers, customers, employees? How do they connect? Web, VPN, T-1? Are those the optimal methods for those connections?

Consider Timing and Costs

  • Calculate your current costs for telecommunications services. Estimate savings versus capital-expense outlays for new equipment.

    If you're considering an upgrade to a converged network, evaluate capital-expense ramifications.
  • Is your PBX lease nearing its end of life, or did you just renew a service contact?
  • Are other so-called "trigger" events looming, such as a move to a bigger facility, or a pending merger or acquisition?

Think About Applications

  • How will a new network affect what applications you can deploy? This should be driven by business needs.
  • If you want salespeople to upload daily reports from the road, you'll need a robust mobility solution.
  • If you have branch offices you collaborate with frequently, videoconferencing may be a high priority.
  • If you're moving to a converged network, how will you accommodate the increased need for quality-of-service (QoS) standards?

Design and Monitor the Network

  • Should you segment the network to improve efficiency?
  • What are your organization's QoS requirements? Do the requirements differ by department?
  • How will you monitor the network to ensure uptime?

About the Author

Howard Baldwin profiled the grand-prize winners of the annual Cisco Growing with Technology Awards in the fourth quarter 2005 issue.

iQ Magazine, Second Quarter 2006
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From Cisco: Get Started with the Smart Business Assessment

To help you identify these, Cisco has developed the Smart Business Assessment Tool. After you answer questions about cost containment, operational efficiency, customer responsiveness, and security, the tool creates a customized report designed to:

  • Help you identify and prioritize your most pressing business challenges.
  • Offer guidelines on how to address those challenges with technology solutions.

Using the recommendations, you can move forward with technology acquisitions, knowing that they're aligned to serve your organization's unique priorities. Once you've mastered the basics, consider the best practices outlined in the Cisco Smart Business Roadmap, which is specifically designed to help you consider the three stages of your network: foundation, growth, and optimization.

Next Steps

  • Learn about leasing options designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses.