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Enterprise Networking

Enterprise LAN infrastructure including switching, routing, wireless access, network design, and network access control.

DNS Services
Enterprise Wi-Fi
Firewalls
LAN-Route/Switch/Wi-Fi
LAN Switching
Managed firewalls
Network Access Control (NAC)
Network Design & Architecture
Next-generation firewall (NGFW) deployment
Secure Network Architecture
Switching & Access Points
Wireless Surveys
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Market Leaders
CBTSCBTSFortinetFortinetCato NetworksCato NetworksNTTNTTAristaAristaCloudflareCloudflareStarken TechnologiesStarken TechnologiesTelstraTelstraImagitImagitWindstream EnterpriseWindstream EnterpriseVocalIPVocalIPTouchToneTouchToneVerveVerveTNSTNSStellar TechnologiesStellar TechnologiesUnisysUnisysCiscoCiscoSynoptekSynoptekAruba NetworksAruba NetworksBlueAllyBlueAllyITSITSNexonNexonOmniNetOmniNetOpen SystemsOpen SystemsVersaVersaAlibaba CloudAlibaba CloudHPEHPEMereo FiberMereo FiberJuniper NetworksJuniper NetworksNTT CommunicationsNTT CommunicationsPalo Alto NetworksPalo Alto NetworkszScalerzScalerAkamaiAkamaiAppgate CybersecurityAppgate CybersecurityAT&T SecurityAT&T SecurityCyberReef SolutionsCyberReef SolutionsGraphene NetworksGraphene NetworksKinetic BusinessKinetic BusinessMosaicMosaicSecurus CommunicationsSecurus CommunicationsVerizonVerizonWindstreamWindstreamWindstream WholesaleWindstream WholesaleActZero (now WatchGuard)ActZero (now WatchGuard)AlkiraAlkiraBarracudaBarracudaClaro Enterprise SolutionsClaro Enterprise SolutionsHalo GlobalHalo GlobalIonstreamIonstreamMasergyMasergyMicrosoftMicrosoftSiriusSiriusWiredIQWiredIQCBTSCBTSFortinetFortinetCato NetworksCato NetworksNTTNTTAristaAristaCloudflareCloudflareStarken TechnologiesStarken TechnologiesTelstraTelstraImagitImagitWindstream EnterpriseWindstream EnterpriseVocalIPVocalIPTouchToneTouchToneVerveVerveTNSTNSStellar TechnologiesStellar TechnologiesUnisysUnisysCiscoCiscoSynoptekSynoptekAruba NetworksAruba NetworksBlueAllyBlueAllyITSITSNexonNexonOmniNetOmniNetOpen SystemsOpen SystemsVersaVersaAlibaba CloudAlibaba CloudHPEHPEMereo FiberMereo FiberJuniper NetworksJuniper NetworksNTT CommunicationsNTT CommunicationsPalo Alto NetworksPalo Alto NetworkszScalerzScalerAkamaiAkamaiAppgate CybersecurityAppgate CybersecurityAT&T SecurityAT&T SecurityCyberReef SolutionsCyberReef SolutionsGraphene NetworksGraphene NetworksKinetic BusinessKinetic BusinessMosaicMosaicSecurus CommunicationsSecurus CommunicationsVerizonVerizonWindstreamWindstreamWindstream WholesaleWindstream WholesaleActZero (now WatchGuard)ActZero (now WatchGuard)AlkiraAlkiraBarracudaBarracudaClaro Enterprise SolutionsClaro Enterprise SolutionsHalo GlobalHalo GlobalIonstreamIonstreamMasergyMasergyMicrosoftMicrosoftSiriusSiriusWiredIQWiredIQ
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Enterprise Networking Buying Guide

What is Enterprise Networking?

Enterprise Networking refers to the software and hardware infrastructure that connects an organization's various computing devices, such as servers, workstations, mobile devices, and IoT devices, both within a single location and across multiple sites. It encompasses the systems responsible for managing network connectivity, security, performance, and accessibility. This software category provides the backbone for all digital operations, enabling communication, data transfer, and access to applications and resources for employees, partners, and customers. It's often a complex mix of hardware-dependent and software-defined solutions designed for the scale, security, and reliability demands of large organizations.

Key Considerations When Evaluating Solutions

Scalability

How easily can the solution grow with your organization's expanding needs? Consider future growth in users, devices, locations, and data traffic. Look for flexible architectures that can scale both up and out without requiring a complete overhaul.

Security

Network security is paramount. Evaluate features like intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS), firewall capabilities, VPN support, access control (NAC), zero-trust networking principles, and integration with broader security ecosystems (SIEM, EDR). Consider data encryption in transit and at rest.

Performance and Reliability

Uptime and speed are critical. Assess bandwidth management, quality of service (QoS) features, load balancing, redundancy options (e.g., high availability clustering), and failover mechanisms to ensure consistent and high-performance network operation.

Management and Monitoring

Ease of management is crucial for complex networks. Look for centralized management platforms, intuitive dashboards, real-time monitoring tools, analytics and reporting capabilities, and automation features (e.g., AIOps, orchestration). SNMP, NetFlow, and sFlow support are important for monitoring.

Integration Capabilities

How well does the solution integrate with your existing IT infrastructure, including cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), security tools, identity management systems (Active Directory, Okta), and other enterprise applications? APIs for custom integrations are a plus.

Cost of Ownership

Beyond initial licensing or hardware costs, consider ongoing expenses like maintenance, support contracts, software updates, training for IT staff, and potential future upgrades. Evaluate both capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational expenditure (OpEx) models.

Vendor Reputation and Support

Research the vendor's track record, customer reviews, and the quality of their technical support. Availability of documentation, community forums, and professional services can also impact long-term satisfaction.

Future-Proofing (SDN, SASE, Wi-Fi 6E/7)

Consider solutions that embrace modern networking paradigms like Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), network virtualization, and support for the latest wireless standards (Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7) to avoid rapid obsolescence.

Common Use Cases

  • Connecting Distributed Offices and Remote Workers: Establishing secure and efficient connections between headquarters, branch offices, data centers, and remote employee homes using VPNs, SD-WAN, and cloud-based networking solutions.
  • Enabling Cloud Adoption: Providing the network connectivity and security necessary for accessing cloud applications (SaaS) and hosting infrastructure (IaaS, PaaS) while ensuring performance and compliance.
  • Securing Corporate Data and Assets: Implementing firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, network access control (NAC), and zero-trust policies to protect against unauthorized access, malware, and cyber threats.
  • Supporting High-Performance Applications: Ensuring adequate bandwidth and low latency for critical business applications such as video conferencing, ERP systems, CRM, and real-time data analytics.
  • Managing IoT and BYOD Devices: Providing secure onboarding, segmentation, and policy enforcement for a growing number of diverse devices connecting to the enterprise network.
  • Improving Network Visibility and Troubleshooting: Using monitoring and analytics tools to gain insights into network traffic, identify performance bottlenecks, and quickly resolve connectivity issues.
  • Streamlining Network Operations: Automating routine tasks like configuration management, policy enforcement, and provisioning to reduce manual effort and human error.

Technical Requirements

Infrastructure Compatibility

Determine compatibility with your existing network hardware (switches, routers, access points), operating systems (Windows Server, Linux), and virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V).

Protocol Support

Ensure support for essential networking protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, VLANs, OSPF, BGP, MPLS, DNS, DHCP, IPv6, and various security protocols (IPsec, TLS/SSL).

API for Automation and Orchestration

Robust APIs are critical for integrating with existing IT automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet), DevOps pipelines, and creating custom workflows. RESTful APIs are generally preferred.

Cloud Integration

If using cloud services, consider direct integration capabilities with major cloud providers (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, GCP Cloud Interconnect) and cloud-native networking features.

Hardware Requirements (for on-prem solutions)

Evaluate the server, storage, and networking hardware specifications required to run the software, including CPU, RAM, disk space, and network interface card (NIC) requirements. This is less relevant for "software-defined" solutions but still applies to controllers or management nodes.

Data Standards and Formats

Consider support for industry standards for logging and monitoring (Syslog, NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow) to ensure compatibility with SIEM and network performance monitoring (NPM) tools.

Implementation Considerations

Phased Rollout Strategy

For large-scale deployments, plan for a phased approach, perhaps starting with a pilot program or a non-critical segment of the network to test functionality and address issues before a full rollout.

Staff Training and Expertise

Assess the learning curve for IT staff and the need for specialized training. Consider the availability of certified professionals or vendor training programs.

Data Migration and Configuration Transfer

Plan for how existing network configurations, policies, and data will be migrated to the new system. Automation tools can significantly reduce this effort.

Downtime Planning

For critical infrastructure changes, schedule maintenance windows and prepare for potential service disruptions. Redundant configurations and rollback plans are essential.

Performance Testing

Conduct thorough performance and stress testing under realistic load conditions before going live to ensure the solution meets your performance requirements.

Interoperability Testing

Verify that the new solution interoperates seamlessly with your existing applications, security tools, and other network devices.

Change Management

Establish clear communication plans and change management processes to inform users and stakeholders of impending network changes and their potential impact.

Questions to Ask Vendors

  1. How does your solution address our specific scalability needs as we project X% growth in users/devices/locations over the next 3-5 years?
  2. What are your core security capabilities (e.g., firewall, IDS/IPS, NAC, Zero Trust) and how do they integrate with our existing security stack?
  3. Can you provide detailed examples of your management and monitoring dashboards, and what level of granularity do they offer for network insights?
  4. What APIs are available for integration, and can you demonstrate how we would automate a specific task (e.g., provisioning a new VLAN, blocking an IP)?
  5. What is the total cost of ownership (TCO) over a five-year period, including licensing, support, and potential hardware upgrades?
  6. How do you ensure high availability and disaster recovery for your solution, and what RTO/RPO can we expect?
  7. What kind of professional services do you offer for implementation, and what ongoing support levels are available?
  8. Can you share case studies or customer references from organizations similar in size and industry to ours?
  9. How does your roadmap align with emerging networking trends like SD-WAN, SASE, and next-gen Wi-Fi standards?
  10. What are the typical deployment timelines and resource requirements (staff, hardware) for a network of our size and complexity?

Market Leaders

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