Your company is growing. You’ve added 2 new personnel previously year, and all 5 employees are complaining about the increasing difficulty of sharing files. Your billing database is on a computer which could simply be accessed because of your administrative assistant, and you are concerned about not having a centralized backup of the files being saved on each employee’s computer. If the all sounds familiar, it might be time to implement a computer network.
In this discussion, we’ll discuss two main computer network solutions for small , medium businesses. We’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of every type to be able to decide which network might be the best answer for your business.
Network Basics
Networks begin when several computers are connected to ensure that information can be shared. In order to connect with any kind of network, some type of computer requires a network card and CAT5 or CAT6 cables. (If the computer has a “wireless” network card, radio signals can be used instead of the cables.) A network also takes a piece of equipment known as a switch, which acts as a central routing “hub” for that information being shared. A switch is like a mail room in a large company. It can make sure the addressed messages get to the right recipient.
Peer to Peer Networks
The most basic kind of network is a known as a peer to peer network. This kind of network consists of several computers that are attached to one another. The “network” consists of shared folders located on computers within the network. These folders are set to a “shared” status, to ensure that other people connected to the network can access them. Each shared folder is accessed by the people that use the network, who setup a certain drive letter (say H:) as a “pointer” towards the shared folders on other computers. Additionally, any printers connected to any computer can be shared with other network users.
Benefits of a Peer to look Network:
A peer to peer network is relatively cheap to set up. It uses the built in networking capabilities of Or windows 7 Professional (or Vista Business), so no special software programs are needed. It enables file and printer sharing, and may be a sufficient choice for a really small office.
Limits of the Peer to Peer Network
Peer to peer networks are dependent upon the computer knowledge of each employee, as certain rules must be followed to be able to minimize network interruptions. If your user shuts down his machine in the center of the day, other users around the network lose use of the files for the reason that machine’s shared folder. In the picture provided above, the laptop might only connect to the network when an employee is not traveling. Any files stored on that laptop aren’t available (and could not be supported) when that employee has run out of the office.
Network and data security are weak.
Files are not centralized, so obtaining a support of all critical files is more difficult.
Ongoing tasks like anti-virus scanning and Windows updates are localized on each machine. Updating virus definitions and patches needs to be done manually each and every machine, which is time intensive.
Client Server Networks
A far more everyday sort 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 it is only accustomed to store files and run server tasks. The computers which connect to the server are called clients and these would be the machines the organization staff would use. The server acts because the “hub” from the network, and does the majority of the “behind the scenes” maintenance and storage. Common server network operating systems include Windows Small Business Server 2003 or 2008, Windows Server or Linux.
Benefits of a Client Server Network
The server stores all the shared files for each user.
The server runs the file backups which can be scheduled in the middle of the night, minimizing network interruptions.
The server manages user security, and insures that all users who access the network are authorized to do this.
The server manages printer sharing and acts as a central repository for the printer drivers and settings.
The server manages other common tasks such as internet access, email routing, Windows updating and anti-virus definition management.
The server can also share software applications out to multiple users.
The server can also provide to have an “Intranet”, an internal website which holds shared company information for example news announcements, HR policies, training documents, and more.
In a nutshell, a client server network provides for easier network administration, and provides an infinitely more robust environment by which provide secure and manageable access to company data.
Limitations of a Client Server Computer Network
A server based computer network is more epensive to implement. Server computers are powerful machines with built-in redundancy and other hardware to supply data safety. Hence, shiny things cost much more than a simple pc.
The server network software is also a lot more powerful, complicated, and should be installed correctly to run all the required tasks, and so the cost is higher for the software and installation charges.
The server is a critical reason for failure. If it falls, the entire network comes to a halt. This drawback can be minimized using the installation of redundant drives within the server (so that if one fails, others it’s still working), or even a second server that can take over when the primary server fails completely. Cost then becomes the only issue.
Which Computer Network is the best for Your Business?
Peer to peer computer networks are reliant upon the pc users, so employee behavior is a major factor. Peer to look networking could work for the business if you possess the following:
Computer savvy employees which team you trust.
Low employee turnover.
Five or less employees.
Newer desktop or laptop machines with lots of memory and difficult drive space.
A large capacity portable data storage unit for copying files and taking them off page.
Time and motivation to keep the pc patches and maintenance current.