How to select the best network installation and management service
There are specific milestones in every business when it’s important to evaluate your networking capabilities: the initial opening, relocation to another facility, or during an expansion phase. Most companies have at least at five-year business plan, and the components of your network (such as cabling and patch panels) should support all of your needs computing needs during that time.
Here are ten considerations to keep in mind when you are selecting a network professional.
- Look for a provider with experience and request references. Then follow up and ask for their honest evaluation of the provider you have in mind.
- Find out about customer support policies. What are the business hours of service? How soon do they respond to emergency requests?
- How many technicians are on staff?
- Does the provider offer a full, comprehensive service that includes design, installation, testing and ongoing support?
- Will they schedule a thorough site survey as one of the first steps after assessing your needs?
- Are they willing to work after hours so that there are minimal business disruptions?
- Ask about pricing. You may find that paying extra for a cat6 cable will allow you considerable savings in the long run. Industry pricing for installing a data network runs between $100 and $150 per cable. The site survey should provide specific price estimates on every aspect of the job.
- Can the network provide secure connectivity to your employees’ remote devices?
- Is it ready for a high volume of traffic from video and other large bandwidth applications?
- What about network security management: What safeguards will be in place to mitigate the possibility of viruses, spam, attacks and other threats?
These are important considerations, because if you make the right choice in providers, you will:
- Reduce network overhead costs and increase network services.
- Have access to a global network service without spending money for internal global resources.
- Be able to respond to business growth at a reasonable cost without significantly increasing your staff or budget.
- Be able to take advantage of new technologies to remain competitive.
- Have high quality network services to meet a 24-hour demand.
- Have access to the latest security measures.
- Allocate your employees’ time on core competencies rather than having them attempt to manage network support.
Please call HB Computers at (714) 969-3001 to find out how we can serve your network computing needs – high excellence at a reasonable cost!
