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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Requirements Analysis and Planning
Design
Deployment
System Administration

Deploying a successful computer network is not simply a matter of going down to the computer store and buying the hottest machine in the showroom. You may have the fastest processor on the block, but if you bring all this firepower to an inefficient process, you may make it faster, but it will still be inefficient. Successful implementation is a process that starts with strong planning and a thorough analyses of the business operation. This will then lead to a design that will best serve the business to meet its objectives.

To assist you with your network planning and implementation, we’ve provided a brief list below of things to consider. We hope this proves useful

Requirements Analysis and Planning

The first question that needs to be asked might be, "Is the network necessary?" What are the business objectives, and how will investment in a computer network or Internet access help to realize those objectives? Will the investment reduce costs, increase productivity, improve services, or make possible some new area of business? Will the resulting cost savings or increase in revenue be worth the investment?

What are the business processes that will be affected by the network? Can a network improve the performance of these processes? Should the processes be changed to enable the full benefit of technology? What kind of software is required: traditional accounting, inventory, payroll, or workflow, imaging, collaboration, messaging, or other groupware applications?

The planning phase should also consider any requirements for operator and administrator training.

The planning process is most crucial to the success of the network. The effectiveness of all other phases of the network life cycle—design, deployment, and management—will be determined by the completeness of the initial requirements analysis and plan. As a corollary to Murphy’s law, whatever beneficial outcome is desired, if you don’t plan for it, it won’t happen. On the contrary, whatever misfortune you are seeking to avoid, if you don’t plan for it, it will happen anyway.

Design

Once you have identified that software applications that are required, you identify the specifications for the hardware that is required to run that software. The safest way to do this is to follow the software manufacturers hardware recommendations. For example, if you decide to install a Microsoft NT server, make sure that any hardware used in the server PC is found in the published hardware compatibility list, and make sure that installed hard drive capacity and memory meet or exceed the recommendations in the product documentation.

You should also do a thorough audit of existing hardware and software. It may be that some existing equipment will meet your specifications, or can be economically upgraded. In order to reduce costs, it is desirable to use as much existing equipment as possible.

Deployment

In this stage, the required equipment, materials, software, and services are sourced and acquired. The network equipment is installed and tested. The criteria for testing to determine when the network can be released into production should be determined in detail during the planning stage.

System Management and Administration

Once the network is installed, and the benchmark testing has determined that all components are functioning according to specifications, the network in placed into operation. During the planning stage, the performance specifications were determined. The planning should also identify all the performance parameters that indicate normal operation. All of these parameters should be measurable by appropriate management applications. As performance deviates from specifications, such as slow system response, hardware errors, excessive memory or processor usage, the management software should be able to generate alerts to notify system managers of the problem. The management system should also be capable of generating reports so that managers can monitor the system performance to identify potential system failure, or to determine when equipment upgrades will be required as demand on system resources grows.