Networks for small businesses

Pro

Two is company, but three is a crowd; once a business grows beyond one or two people, a network becomes a necessity to share information and resources such as printers or an Internet connection.

If you simply want to link two computers, there are lots of ways of doing it — principally by direct cable connection, which can be parallel, serial or USB. Technically, linking two computers is a network, but we will pass over that intimate coupling and move up to connecting three or more machines.

Now you are in real network territory, with immediate technical questions: What connects to what? What about printers and other peripherals? Can we all have Internet access?

This is where most small firms will probably baulk, yet today an experienced PC user could — and do — set up a small and fairly basic LAN. Most or all of the elements are genuinely ‘plug and play’ so you can quickly get to a stage where all the units are connected and talking to each other.

Alternatively, have the system pre-configured by your dealer and delivered on-site needing only the physical connections to be plugged in. Either way, you can save on the costs of technicians on your site for a day or two. If you are buying a new PC or server, most dealers will throw in a couple of hours of a technician’s time to do the initial set-up and check that al the basics work OK.

Once your network is operational, someone can take on the role of network administrator. This may involve routine tasks such as changing password protection levels, data back-up and restore procedures, adding a new user or new hardware and so on. A little training and the aid of a manual should prove sufficient for these tasks; for smaller firms, that is all that really is needed between major, vendor-installed upgrades. It is certainly all that should be attempted unless you have an experienced IT user on staff.

Above the routine level, SMEs are in the hands of outsourced suppliers and consultants who are becoming an expensive species. A good relationship with your friendly neighbourhood vendor is invaluable. These days vendors are pretty competitive on hardware and software prices, but even if they were not, a small premium is well worth the investment in cultivating favoured customer status. Particularly in smaller towns around the country, real life experience says it is the best way for small firms to do their IT business.

Start at home

So, where do you start? With your own business, funnily enough. Making any IT decision should be based on the needs, characteristics and working style of your business and its team. Basic questions to ask yourself include:

• How many users to be networked — today? Soon? Eventually?
• Do we need to share Internet access?
• Will some users want to connect from elsewhere, e.g. on the road or at home?
• Will we need multi-user versions of our current applications to be able share files and devices?
• What data is business-critical and how do we back up it up?
• Is the business likely to become more complex as well as bigger in the near future?

Most smaller firms are unable to plan investment more than a couple of years into the future, but at the same time should not be trapped into buying short-term solutions that need upgrading or replacement. For example, a small network does not absolutely need a server. A smart switch with, say, four ports at about EUR75 will connect two or three computers and printer very effectively, and Windows 2000 or XP will recognise all of the connections automatically. A hub can do a similar job, but the more intelligent switch is a better device for the sake of a few extra euro.

Between three and five users is really the point when your network needs a server. You will also need one if you have a multi-user application, like accounts, which is needed simultaneously by two or more users. Shared Internet access is perfectly possible through a switch, whether by modem/ISDN/DSL, but in-company e-mail is a shared application that needs a server.

A network server will cost much the same as a PC. ‘You could budget about EUR1,500 for an entry-level server to look after file sharing, Internet access and group e-mail,’ says Jimmy Kehoe, product manager with system firm, Datapac which looks after hundreds of smaller customers in the south east, Cork and greater Dublin areas. ‘A server will also look after your back-up system — digital tape is still the standard but smaller firms may be happy enough with writing to CD. Sharing Internet access and group e-mail are also best done at server level, while anti-virus and firewall software — updated regularly — needs to be at network level and distributed to each PC.’

Network cards and linking cables are the physical essentials to link all devices (including printers), which the operating systems will then recognise. Most business PCs are sold with NIC (Network Interface Card) included or as an option for about EUR60/70 that can be added at any time. Bringing an existing printer into the fold will usually just require adding a card, although sometimes an external card (about EUR110) may be required. Today’s standard is Fast Ethernet, also known as 10/100 Base-T.

Cabling these days is usually Category 5e although there is now a Category 6 with higher specifications, but almost certainly irrelevant to a small outfit. It will carry high-speed traffic including multimedia and network telephony, known as Voice over IP (VoIP). Any dealer will make Cat5 cable up in lengths with plugs for about EUR2 per metre. There are maximum lengths for some data signals without boosting, but the dealer should advise you when taking the order. Certainly anything over about seven to eight metres should be checked. Overly long cable runs are a frequent cause of strange or inconsistent network behaviour.

But what about the equipment connected to the network: desktop or laptop? In practice, the network doesn’t care. The NIC can be in a docking station, external or directly in the portable computer depending on the model and wireless connections work in exactly the same way. This casual use often suits proprietors and sales people who often spend, as they should, more time with customers than colleagues. Be warned that some network operating systems may require temporary users to log on and off properly rather than just unplugging, otherwise the network can become unstable.

Remote access

The facility for people to log on to the network remotely from wherever they are, at home or on the road, or even in a customer’s place, is invaluable for all sorts of businesses. They can get files, upload orders, check and send e-mail as if they were at a desk in the office. It is easy to set up, but demands a server-based network and is really an expert job — although usually not more than a few hours’ work. Remote access will mostly be based on direct dial-in by phone, using PCAnywhere, LapLink or similar software. This is secure but somewhat old-fashioned and limited to modem speed. The new route and most common for larger organisations is through the Internet and a Virtual Private Network (which used to be known as ‘Internet tunnelling’), which you enter through the company website. If properly set up and with a firewall in place at the LAN end, it is as secure as any normal business would require. This method is enormously flexible, since the user can work anywhere there is Internet access, anywhere in the world and speeds can be as fast as the Internet connection you are using. The trouble is, it depends on the LAN actually being connected to the Internet and most Irish small firms do not yet have always-on broadband.

Wireless networking

At this stage wireless networking is a mature, proven technology and usually works straight out of the box in home or office. All you need is an access point (base station, about EUR110-EUR125), which connects to the server or principal PC. It is essentially an intelligent switch in its own right, so it can also handle your Internet connection. Each other device just needs a wireless network card (EUR100-EUR120). ‘Security really is no longer an issue for wireless LANs and never mind the media hype,’ says Stefan Callery, technical manager of 3Com Ireland. ‘So long as you set up and use passwords and the encryption built into the system, any risks are minimal.’ Few small companies have a broadband Internet connection worth trying to hitch a free ride on and neither are they usually the target of sophisticated industrial spies. The most likely problem is crossover or interference with a wireless network close by — if neither of you follow the instructions!

Wireless networking equipment carries something of a premium over hard-wired systems (minus the cabling costs, of course) but its flexibility can be very good value in a wide range of circumstances, from temporary premises to older or awkward buildings, to simple aesthetics in, for example, professional practices like architects and designers. The technical standard is WiFi or IEEE 802.11, but note that it comes in different flavours. The most common is 802.11b, which runs at a maximum of 11mbps. That is good enough for normal file sharing and so on, but much slower than a standard wired network. The newer 802.11g runs up to 54mbps, more than enough for almost any commercial application, and also has additional security features. There is minimal difference in costs. Range is about 100m in open space with clear line of sight, so experts anticipate about half that or less inside multi-room buildings due to the signal being impeded by the physical obstructions. However, multiple access points will automatically link to each other to extend the coverage and 3Com units, for example, can handle up to 128 users or devices.

Protect your data

Back-up copies of your data are absolutely essential, as any firm that has lost files will testify. ‘About 80 per cent of all systems failures these days are hard drives and power supplies,’ says Jimmy Kehoe. Hard drives are almost the last moving parts left in a PC and but every so often disaster strikes, and it could be you next! A second or third hard drive with back-up copies of data gives good odds of recovering your valuable data, while an off-site copy on tape, CD or other storage media is the only insurance against fire or flood.

Keep all of your data from all applications together in one central place. My Documents is the Windows default on a PC; on a server you can call it what you like (A Data Directory is my version so it always appears first on file lists). That way you can quickly and easily copy it all — just drag and drop onto your back-up location.

Practical cabling

When measuring up for cable, add about 0.5m to every length: there is no problem tying or taping a bit of surplus cable out of the way, but trying to fit a cable that turns out to be a little too short can be a real pain.

Label every cable at both ends (Switch to PC1, Hub to Laser Printer, etc.) and number all your devices (printer 1, scanner, etc.). Tracing cables under desks, unplugging the wrong one, etc. wastes time and can cause system downtime problems.

The other kind of mobility

Many, if not most, small firms are working in rented premises with short leases and will move to larger or just different locations at least once as they expand. So the ideal of pre-cabled offices with lots of network points is seldom practicable and most of the advice in this article assumes relatively short term horizons of perhaps a couple of years when making decisions. Theoretically, there may be a small cost premium, but in reality few SMEs have the luxury of longer term budgeting. For those who are effectively in temporary premises, wireless networking has great advantages.

20/10/2003

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