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Networking

In this section, I will discuss your various needs and options for networking to include wireless networking, internet connectivity, homegroup and sharing, mobile device and remote desktop access options. I will address the hardware needed to accomplish your network goals and give you the best guidance I possibly can for your business.

Beginning with your networking needs, I will recommend that for your organization, we will need to design and build a Local Area Network (LAN) for your users to be able to communicate with the file server, printer and to be able to share data, ideas and work among the team. I will recommend business-class cable broadband for speed but we could also discuss connecting your business to a business-class DSL connection for a more secure and less shared broadband connection. The downside on DSL is usually the speed degradation when compared with a business-class cable connection.

From your Wide Area Network (WAN) connection, I will recommend a mesh topology network configuration with the installation of the Asus RT-AC88U router. The router combines wired and wireless connectivity for your office with high-speed, 802.11ac wireless access point and regardless of whether a Windows or Linux system is used, we will be able to create a highly secure network environment with cross system compatibility in the event you want to have different operating systems for your hardware needs. This router will give you the option to have a wired network with the included 8 Gigabit LAN ports for extensive connectivity and link aggregation for up to 2Gbps wired network speeds or alternatively, a wireless network with the addition of wireless network cards for your user’s workstations. The router uses Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology to serve multiple Wi-Fi clients simultaneously without sacrificing bandwidth.

Additionally, for your wired connectivity, we will also connect to an unmanaged switch to get your business started with the option later to move to a managed switch should you need more control over your growing staff. For now, a simple Cisco 16-port Unmanaged Gigabit Switch should get your business started.

For sharing resources, we will use Windows Server 2016 and server manager to use its built-in file shares system to make your files available to staff. With the use of User Groups, we will give permissions for your file sharing in the Windows Server 2016 environment. We will also have the option with Windows Server 2016 to configure access to company documents for your remote employees. In contrast, should you opt for Linux server, I will provide you with the recommended version of Linux and Apache to be able to serve your files and to provide remote login for your staff.

For remote connectivity, I recommend the setup of Remote Desktop Service for Windows which is included with Windows Professional, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate editions. This is not setup by default with Windows and will require a simple deployment for Windows Server 2016 should you choose Windows for your environment. If Linux is chosen, I would recommend using OpenVPN for your multiclient-server configuration. OpenVPN uses the OpenSSL encryption libraries extensively, along with the SSLv3/TLSv1 protocol, and contains many security and control features to allow for secure connections from your remote staff. OpenVPN can also be used in a Windows environment. We can also configure OpenVPN with a peer to peer connection type as well if costs prohibit us from creating a server environment.

For the use of mobile devices in the office area, I will recommend that we only allow the use of the provided tablet devices that have been recommended. This is to keep the network secure and free of any unintended malware software that could be introduced into the network as well as to keep business information safe and secure.

My itemized list of needed hardware and miscellaneous supplies is listed for your review below.

Itemized Networking Costs:

Hardware	Costs
Asus RT-AC88U router	$299.00
CISCO SG110-16HP 16-Port PoE Unmanaged Gigabit Switch	$196.00
Miscellaneous Ethernet Supplies, Cables, Connectors, etc…	$300.00
StarTech.com AC600 Wireless-AC Network Adapter - 802.11ac, PCI Express - Dual Band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wireless Network Card ( OPTIONAL )	$320.00 ($40 per Network Interface card)
Total cost of additional hardware	$1,115.00