Computer networking

Computer networking has a number of advantages for most businesses. Quite simply, computer networking can be a fundamental part of your IT infrastructure, allowing you to accomplish much more than you can with standalone computers.

Computer networking basics

It’s much easier to get started with computer networking than it used to be – especially if you’re dealing with a simple computer network. Because it’s easy to get going, simply being able to share an internet connection between staff is often enough justification to investigate computer networking in your business.

However, if you’re getting started with computer networking, there are lots of other functions you might require too:

• Remote access. This allows your staff to connect to the company network when they’re out and about, so they can access files and applications via computer networking.
• Central file storage. Once you have set up computer networking, you can save everyone’s work to a central, secure, regularly backed up disk.
• Centralised applications. Programs used by several people at once - like customer relationship management software - work best when combined with computer networking.
• Shared resources. Computer networking makes it easy to share hardware like printers and scanners between everyone in your business.
• Permissions control. Computer networking lets you increase security by restricting access to files, folders or software.
• Collaboration tools. You can use computer networking to work together more effectively. For instance, several people can view and edit a document at once.

There are some drawbacks to computer networking. Principally:

• The initial cost of computer networking can be significant, particularly if you need to install network cables into your building and purchase new hardware.
• The extra complexity creates a management overhead which may require specialist computer networking knowledge – especially if you have a central file server.

When planning computer networking, you should detail which functions you want in a set of network requirements.

It’s worth getting computer networking advice from an IT expert like a knowledgeable employee, IT supplier or consultant too.

Other computer networking considerations

When considering computer networking, it’s important to think about whether you need a server. These high-powered computers give you flexibility to run centralised applications, but are complicated to manage.

If you don’t fancy the extra effort and cost, you can use cloud computing to perform some tasks which would usually require a server.

Cloud computing allows you to access IT resources on the internet, rather than managing them in your business. For example, instead of running an in-house customer database, you can log in to a service provided online.

Remember to consider computer networking security too - after all, you don’t want a hacker breaking into your systems and stealing your data. Make sure you take key security precautions: install a firewall when you set up computer networking, keep valuable hardware physically secure and make sure everyone uses strong passwords.

Computer networking costs

The costs of getting started with computer networking depend on your situation: how many computers you have, the physical area in which you want to create the network, and the complexity of the network itself.

As a guide, expect to pay your IT supplier about £1,000 to build a network of ten computers with no central server. More complex computer networking – to connect 50 computers, with a server - could cost £5,000 - £10,000 in total.

Managing your computer networking

All computer networking requires some network maintenance. For small networks, someone in your company should be able to take on the job as part of their role. Managing big networks can be a full-time job.

Again, if you don’t have computer networking management expertise in your business, it might be best to contract this out to your IT supplier.

Popular resources

• Cloud computing and hosted services
• Network essentials explained
• Securing your IT system