Main Components of a Small Business IT Network

This article aims to help business owners and IT managers to better understand what a small business IT network involve, and what to consider if they want to manage the IT network themselves or using the services provided by an IT company.

We will cover wide area network connectivities using the internet, a private network, local area connectivity (wired and wireless) and a few things about what kind of services are used, if you host the services locally or through an external service provider.

Services like email, document management, telephone systems, and web hosting if applicable.

A Company with Offices Abroad

Let's take the example of a company with overseas offices. One office could be located in the United States, while the other in the UK.

The location of the offices is not very important because nowadays, two offices located in different countries use similar components of the IT network.

For its IT network, the company will use the following: a service provider, travelling workers, IT support such as Tekie, the internet and a private network.

Private networks are not as common for small businesses, but are used in many cases because they enable connectivity between offices with guaranteed throughput, which is not possible with the internet because is a public network less reliable.

Steps to creating an IT network for the company

The first thing to do is to connect the office in the U.S. to the internet using a router (a device provided by your internet or cable provider).

The second office will be connected to the internet the same way, using a router provided by the internet or cable provider.

Creating the Private Network (VPN)

The main connectivity between the two offices to share resources such as: printing, documents sharing, telephone network, etc., will be established through a VPN (virtual private network), which will enable a private network to be established through the public internet for a secured connection.

The VPN network will be configured on the routers of each office.

Creating the Local Network

Another connection will be enabled inside the offices: the computers, telephones, etc. will be connected through the router and will have access to the internet. You can use a wire (LAN connection) or a wireless connection to the local network.

The access points should be placed up in the ceiling of each office to provide the best connection within the offices.

If an office uses more than one floor, the connection should be made via cables, or you can still use a wireless connection, but you have to install access points on each floor.

Access points work with LAN (cable) and also wireless connections.

The printer will also be connected to the router via a cable or via a wireless connection and will be shared by the computers within the local network in each office.

By connecting a second location via VPN, the printing service can be shared across the network safely, so a computer located in the U.S. will be able to print a document using a printer in the UK office.

The networks created in the offices are local area networks, and the VPN (private network) created between the offices through the internet is a more reliable and secured one.

Conclusion

These are the basic components of a network connectivity done locally or through a VPN using the internet to connect offices located abroad.