Networking
The underlying networking infrastructure that a company runs is the differentiator and enabler to improved revenue and work practices. Netlogtec can provide advice and design assistance to maximise a company's investment in their networking and communications infrastructure.
Netlogtec Ltd has been involved in projects ranging from the installation of a 5 user system for a convenience store through to the Pan-European and Global deployments of IP networks. This experience and expertise allows us to deliver the best solution for your organisation from the following networking technologies
Wireless
With the growing amount of transient workers it has become important to provide network connectivity to your workforce in a flexible manner for all their devices including PDA's, Laptop's and Phones.
WLANs provide wireless network communication over short distances using radio or infrared signals instead of traditional network cabling.
A WLAN typically extends an existing wired local area network. WLANs are built by attaching a device called the access point (AP) to the edge of the wired network. Clients communicate with the AP using a wireless network adapter similar in function to a traditional Ethernet adapter.
Network security remains an important issue for WLANs. Random wireless clients must usually be prohibited from joining the WLAN. Technologies like WEP raise the level of security on wireless networks to rival that of traditional wired networks.
Netlogtec can provide both corporate and SME's with the design and installation of wireless networks, from initial Site Survey through to onsite cabling and deployment. We can cater for the larger environment for a central office or, alongside our VPN solutions, provide that essential mobile access when you are out of the office.
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VoIP/IP Telephony
A common mistake with this type of technology is that Voice over IP (VoIP) and IP Telephony (IPT) are taken as providing the same functionality. This is not exactly the case and Netlogtec differentiate the two as below
VoIP
Deploying VoIP is ideally suited to organisations that have an existing investment in traditional PABX key systems. If we use the scenario of a company that has one main office and four smaller remote offices each with a local PBX; there is a data WAN already connected up these disparate offices to share applications. Traditionally, all calls between these offices will incur call charges as they utilise the PSTN (BT et al). By installing Voice Gateways (VG) and integrating into each of the 5 PBX's, this company would be able to route any calls between these offices across their data WAN. The integration is achieved by taking an E1/ISDN30 PRI trunk from the PBX and connecting this into a reciprocal E1/ISDN30 PRI card on the VG. Dial plan changes may need to be made on the existing PBX so that any calls made to any of the other offices will not incur call charges and will be "Toll Free" calls, traversing the existing data WAN. You would not normally deploy IP Phones in this type of deployment and all Call Features are provided by the existing PBX infrastructure.
IP Telephony
A true IP Telephony deployment (as opposed to a Hybrid deployment where both IPT and VoIP are utilised) is one where the existing PBX is replaced with a data Server running IP Telephony software (in Cisco's case CallManager Software) and all Call Features i.e. forward, transfer, divert, MOH etc are provided by the software. The phones are intelligent devices with IP addresses and MAC addresses and all voice traffic should reside on a dedicated voice VLAN on a switched network. Real cost savings can be enjoyed from a number of IP features - Moves Adds and Changes are catered for through the IPT network's use of DHCP and other features such as Extension Mobility (the ability to log on to any IP Phone and that phone becomes your own i.e. DDI and speed dial profiles are pushed down to the phones from the CallManager once a phone is logged onto). An IP Telephony system also allows easier management from its ability to integrate into LDAP so a single DB for voice and data to maintain as opposed to many.
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Security/VPN
Today's networks are more extensive in terms of geographic reach and the internal and external communities they interconnect. They are more complex, support a wide variety of applications and services, and handle converged data, voice, and video traffic across wired and wireless connections. They are also increasingly open—they use untrusted public networks, connect partners, and are a business tool that touches both customers and suppliers. In fact, the division between private and public networks has blurred.
The extensive, complex, and open nature of the network environment increases the need for robust and comprehensive security, because any point the network touches must be protected, as well as protected against.
Traffic must be protected as it travels across unprotected domains and network segments. The two main technologies providing secure connectivity are:
• VPNs. VPNs provide network-layer secure connectivity. The most prevalent protocol for VPNs today is IPSec, which provides authentication, encryption, and address concealment. It is used both for site-to-site secure connectivity and remote access to head office connectivity.
• Secure Socket Layer (SSL), a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL works by using a public key to encrypt data transferred over the SSL connection. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http. SSL creates a secure connection between a client and a server, over which any amount of data can be sent securely.
Netlogtec can offer advice and assistance to companies wishing to develop a security policy to ensure protection of their valuable information. For more information please contact one of our Account Managers.
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Content Delivery Networking
Today’s network infrastructure must enable a full complement of network services,from the datacenter to the remote branch offices and the far reaches of the Internet. Next-generation enterprise content delivery networks, called application and content networks (ACNs), enable CIOs to add new IP services for increased productivity while cutting costs by reducing bandwidth consumption, consolidating applications, and curtailing operational overhead. Application and content networking services are designed to provide the following:
- Enhanced application performance
- Increased network security
- Reduced network and personnel liabilities
- Faster, higher-quality global employee communications
By deploying ACN services via router-integrated network modules, organisations can further reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO) by eliminating redundant support and management costs.
Netlogtec can provide a comprehensive overview of the design considerations and components that make up a CDN infrastructure and for more information please contact us.
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SAN (Storage Area Network)
A SAN is a network of storage disks. In large enterprises, a SAN connects multiple servers to a centralized pool of disk storage. Compared to managing hundreds of servers, each with their own disks, SANs improve system administration. By treating all the company's storage as a single resource, disk maintenance and routine backups are easier to schedule and control. In some SANs, the disks themselves can copy data to other disks for backup without any processing overhead at the host computers.
Netlogtec can utilise Linux software to provide extremely powerful SAN solutions. Please contact us for more information on how this cost effective solution can address your storage requirements.
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