How to Set Up a Computer Network for Small Business
A computer network is a way in which small businesses communicate, transfer their data, and increase overall productivity. In this article, we will explain how to set up a computer network for a small business.
Essential steps for setting up a small business network
1. Asses Your Business Needs
- Number of Devices: Determine the number of types of devices such as computers, printers, and phones that will be installed in an office. It will help you to determine the size of the network.
- Business Functions: It depends on the type of business whether you will require a database, web servers, routers, firewalls, switches, or video conferencing.
- Security Requirements: Protecting private data from unauthorized persons is crucial in today’s era. Installing a firewall is a plus point, but it depends on the company’s budget because installation and maintenance of a firewall need cost. However, you can educate employees about various security issues.
- Scalability: Scalability means establishing a network that doesn’t remove the existing network during network up-gradation time.
2. Determine the Network Design
Network design is one of the most important steps in establishing a business. Because it will decide which topology will be used in it. Similarly, assign a proper IP addressing scheme to avoid conflicts. Moreover, segment the network (VLAN) where it is required for improved performance, security, and better management.
3. Network Components
The following compoents will be required for setting up a small business network.
- Router: The router is the basic components in a computer network that route traffic between different networks such as internal and external networks.
- Switch: The second most important component in the computer network is a switch through which employees connect to the company’s network.
- Access Points (APs): A user with a mobile device can connect to the network within an office.
- Firewall: Firewalls help us to protect our private network from external threats. It controls inbound and outbound traffic.
- Cabling: We use Ethernet cables such as Cat5e, Cat6, or fiber optics for wired connections.
- Servers: There may be different servers depending on the company business such as ADDS, DHCP, DNS, File, Printer, application, Email servers, etc.
- End Devices/PC: Through end devices, Employees run the organization’s services. It may be a PC, mobile, tablet, workstation, laptop, etc.
Designing the Network:
We will design a basic small business network topology which will consist of a router, switches, and AP.
Lab Topology Diagram
If the network is small or if it is SOHO, then obviously there will be just one wireless router which will be directly connected with the ISP as below:
Another diagram, that we are going to draw is larger than the above diagram because it consists of routers, switches, AP, Printers, and computers.
If the network consists of some servers like ADDS, DB, Web server, etc, then there will be a need for a firewall. So in the below diagram, it will contain a firewall at the edge for protecting servers as well as a private network.
The network diagrams above are used for small networks.
