What Do We Offer?
- Install, configure, and maintain wired and wireless (Wi-Fi) networks,
- Secure Wi-Fi networks to prevent revelation of information to unauthorized individuals,
- Prevent discovery and use of Wi-Fi networks by unauthorized individuals,
- Install, set-up, and secure computers and other devices to connect wirelessly,
- Install shared and networked data devices that may be easily used by all users to store and share information,
- Set-up and install file, application, DNS, E-mail, web, and other needed servers, and firewalls, using the Windows Server platform, and
- Evaluate and select Internet Service Provider (ISP) to match business needs.
Need for Networks
 Networks, wired or wireless, are used by businesses to share resources, whether they be data or hardware. As businesses grow, the need for networking increases. In the absence of networks, information may be difficult and cumbersome to share among users. In this case, data may be shared using disks and other media. Unfortunately, such sharing quickly leads to multiple copies of documents, and confusion on part of users as to which version of a document is the most recent one and who has it!
Another consequence of this means of data sharing relates to information security. Quite often, information of a strategic nature may be stored on disks being exchanged. First, such data may be available to users who are not authorized to view it. Second, multiple copies of such disks "lying around" could easily lead to their theft and revelation to outsiders. The latter reason underscores the need to implement security and privacy measures to guard critical information.
Another reason for deploying networks is to share hardware peripheral devices, such as printers, among users. In the absence of networks, a printer may need to be purchased for every user, leading to increased initial and ongoing expenses, first to purchase printers and then to maintain them for continued operation. Using a network reduces the need to purchase separate printers for each user; fewer printers can be installed and networked for maximum utilization. Networking computers does not necessarily involve purchasing and maintaining expensive hardware and software. The current versions of the popular operating systems software, Microsoft Windows, have networking capabilities built-in to allow users to share information and peripheral devices.
Wireless Networks - WiFi
 Research has shown that SMBs are increasingly turning to Wi-Fi to fulfill their networking needs. As Wi-Fi networks increase in popularity, so do the risks associated with their use. Wi-Fi is easy to set-up and use out of the box but requires careful attention to security. Wi-Fi signals, by their very nature, can be easily intercepted. Signal interception by itself is not a problem. Problems arise when the information moving back and forth on a Wi-Fi network is not encrypted. In this case, signal interception means access to data that, at certain times, may be of a very private and critical nature.
Another phenomenon occurring with increasing frequency is the "free" use of a Wi-Fi network by unauthorized individuals outside the organization. If a Wi-Fi network is not properly set-up, individuals within close proximity of the location will be able to make unauthorized use of the network bandwidth. Any such use, which might be of potentially illegal and unlawful nature, will then be attributed to the owner of the network.
Finally, it does not occur to many business managers that once some unauthorized person hacks into a Wi-Fi network, that person (read, hacker) is inside the company network and can potentially access data that resides on computers and servers. Such compromises may never be discovered and the potential harm that may result could destroy a business. This and the above problems make it imperative to secure Wi-Fi networks.
|
