In control

Managing a network can be daunting, especially if a small or mid-sized business (SME) lacks a full-time IT expert or dedicated IT department. It is not unusual for the role of “network manager” to be added to an employee's real title - as in president/network manager, sales rep/network manager, or administrative assistant/network manager.

Regardless of their size, businesses generally need networks that operate optimally 24/7 - providing secure and reliable access to the resources, applications, data, communications services, and collaborative capabilities required to function well in the modern economy.

Unfortunately, many network owners and users have no clue what is going on in their networks. Without such visibility, they are left to wonder - and often worry - about the security and performance of their networks, and whether they are optimising their networks' potential.

Among SMEs, there are vast differences in what “network management” actually means. These differences depend on both the size of the organisation - a small firm with a handful of employees versus a 250-person mid-sized company - as well as its industry. Network management solutions can range from the simple (taking advantage of a switch's built-in Web-based management functionalities), to the highly sophisticated (using dedicated, enterprise-class network management software), as well as anything in between.

The point for all SMEs, however, is to harness the network as a driver toward business success. The good news is that network management need not be complicated, expensive, or intimidating.

When it comes to managing a network, here are some common needs that transcend an SME's size, industry, or geographic location:

Harness the network as a driver toward business success.

Lorna Hardie is ProCurve Networking business unit manager at HP South Africa.

* Monitoring the availability and status of network switches.
* Monitoring network traffic on a switch, in real-time.
* Ensuring the security of the network, including threat management and authentication of devices and users accessing the network.
* Troubleshooting network performance issues.
* Managing wired and wireless networks from a single point of control.
* Deploying and managing converged media, including voice over IP (VOIP) and video capabilities.
* Configuring or reconfiguring ports, virtual LANs (VLANs), and backup switches.
* Viewing switch logs (ie, monitoring historical activities).

Not surprisingly, this list looks very similar to the list that would be compiled for a large global enterprise. The scale of networking solutions differs with size, but the underlying needs for security, performance, reliability and scalability - and manageability - are just as important for an office of five as for an organisation of 500 000.

One of the biggest differences between a giant enterprise and a small business is in the level of in-house IT expertise available. Enterprises have entire departments devoted to IT and network management, while SMEs might have little or no dedicated networking expertise.

For that reason, it makes sense that SMEs begin by choosing network management approaches that are easy to use and master. Equally important, however, is that the network management tools that are chosen today can be able to scale up as needed - if and when the SME requires greater levels of management sophistication.

There's a popular saying in networking circles that 'you can't manage what you can't see'. A good starting point for network management, then, is visibility. What is going on in the wires of a wired network? Who is using the network, and when? What kinds of resources are they using? Are the wireless access points providing adequate coverage for wireless network access? Are there any trouble spots in the network?

Make sure the company's management software is able to interpret the data (generated in dry, complicated form) coming from the switch and display it in graphical form, so users can see what is happening in the network. Ideally, a company should be able to push a button and view a pie chart or other visual snapshot of the network's activity and overall performance, for both wired and wireless networks. This “map” will also simplify the deployment and configuration of the company's network devices.

In addition, good graphical information enables more effective troubleshooting of the network's operations. It will be easier to make whatever changes are needed to improve less-than-optimal aspects of the network's performance - and often to catch problems before they arise.

A secure network is vital to an organisation of any size. As an SME, simple and effective ways to make sure no unauthorised people or devices can gain access to the network is needed, and the network must remain free of viruses, worms, and other malware. In simple terms, the network should be “waterproof” from a security standpoint.

Along with graphical tools for visibility, the switches should also have built-in security features. Look for access control features, simple firewalls, and other technologies for repelling attacks and intruders from outside the network.

A company should be able to audit who and what is gaining access to its network and know that defences are in place to keep the networked data, resources, and applications safe.