Data Networking

The data network, the mostly unseen magic that stays behind closed doors and enables your whole organisation to work.  Whether you use on-premises servers, cloud or a mixture, the network is what drives all of your data to and from the right locations at the right times.  It's important to make sure that your data network is capable of performing exactly as you need it, particularly as the demands placed on it are greater and greater.  So what do you need to consider when thinking about your data network upgrade or replacement?

First and foremost.  How many users have you got, what data will you be transmitting?

As the telecommunications and data environments converge, telephones now share the same infrastructure as computers.  We're all familiar with the term VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, but probably less familiar with the requirements it demands from the network.  Because telephone calls act in real time it's very easy to notice a delay or interference, what we experience as the "dalek" effect.  If you're going to be placing VoIP traffic over your network you need to ensure that you have Quality of Service (QoS) enabled on ALL network devices to prioritise voice traffic over the rest.

Telephones, WiFi access points, CCTV cameras and many other devices now take their power from the network, rather than a separate power unit, in a manner known as PoE (Power over Ethernet).  This helps reduce the local requirements for these devices, allowing easier deployment and cabling.  What this does mean is that your network switches need to support PoE in order to power these devices.  Different devices have different requirements and draw different amounts of power, so it's important to consider exactly how many devices you'll be running to make sure your switches are capable.

Our network engineers are highly skilled and experienced in deployments of VoIP systems, CCTV and WiFi.  We can make recommendations, supply and install data networking equipment to suit your exact requirements and budget.  Get in touch to find out more!