What You Need to Know about Enterprise Networking
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More chaptersIs your company encountering delays in internal information sharing, connectivity issues, or cybersecurity threats that negatively impact overall operational efficiency?
If so, chances are your business is lacking enterprise networking.
The concept of enterprise networking is not something new, as it has evolved over decades in response to changing business needs, digital transformation, and technological advancement. A complete enterprise is now made up not only of human factors but also a combination of various network components, including network devices, data systems, IT infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, digital tools, etc.
However, due to their inherent isolation, such elements often lack connectivity, causing unpredictable consequences for the business if not built and managed properly. In contrast, optimal enterprise networking ensures seamless connectivity between connected devices and comprehensive information sharing across the organizations.
What else do you need to know about enterprise networks? Take a closer look at the article below.
Key Takeaways
- Enterprise networking is the interconnected systems of protocols, hardware, and technologies that facilitate data exchange and communication within an organization.
- A well-designed business network brings various benefits, such as enhanced scalability, optimized connectivity, network automation, data protection, and cost efficiency.
- Firewalls, access control, encryption, intrusion detection, and authentication mechanisms are some key security measures implemented in enterprise networks.
What Is Enterprise Networking?
Enterprise networking refers to the interconnected software infrastructure that comprises all hardware, software, protocols, and technologies within a business organization. From the individual operating components, enterprise networks play a core role in linking internal and external resources used to deliver end-to-end services to create a comprehensive networking infrastructure.
The purpose of building a well-designed enterprise network is to:
- Enabling seamless communication among employees and stakeholders
- Providing seamless information exchange within an organization
- Scaling up and down with organizational growth
- Safeguarding data centers
- Minimizing downtime and network disruptions
- Optimizing network management
- Supporting emerging technologies integration
- Enhancing user experience and satisfaction
- Ensuring compliance with industry regulations and privacy laws
Unlike the Internet, enterprise networking solutions are not easily accessible to anyone due to factors related to confidentiality and operational considerations. Instead, they only allow and limit access to certain entities. With the help of access control mechanisms, enterprise networking is able to regulate network entry and restrict unauthorized access, further maintaining the integrity of the network environment.
Main Types of Enterprise Networking
An enterprise network consists of various types of network architectures that are born to serve the diverse needs and increased complexities of modern organizations. Three of the most commonly deployed enterprise networking technologies are:
Local Area Network (LAN)
LANs are internal networks that connect computers and other devices within a small, confined area such as an office building or campus. They facilitate high-speed local data exchange, resource sharing, and communication among network devices, including servers, printers, and computers. As they are deployed within a confined geographical area, LANs are typically used for personal and non-commercial use cases.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
WANs refer to any computer network that extends a wider range than LANs. Rather than being limited to a specific internal location, WANs connect geographical locations over long distances, which can be cities, countries, or even continents. Instead of using cables as LANs for connectivity, WANs leverage radio waves or telephone lines to communicate between nodes. Businesses can deploy this type of enterprise networking as a private or public network for efficient inter-site communication and data sharing.
Cloud Networks
Cloud networks are the networking infrastructure that allows network communication and data exchange within modern hybrid cloud environments. By facilitating the seamless cloud integration of virtualized resources and services, cloud networking provides companies with server space on a pay-as-you-go basis, helping users access essential data from anywhere and at any time using any device with an Internet connection.
What Is Enterprise Network Architecture?
Enterprise network architecture refers to the strategic components, design, and protocols forming the foundation of a completed organization’s networking infrastructure. It encompasses processes including planning, implementation, and management of network systems to support diverse enterprise networking functions that align with business objectives.
Key aspects of enterprise networking architecture include:
- Data center and hybrid clouds
- Network topology
- Physical and logical design
- Network segmentation
- Protocols and standards
- Security measures
- Virtualization technologies
How Does Enterprise Networking Work?
Enterprise networks are typically made up of various components such as switches, routers, access points, firewalls, etc. From separate components that perform distinct functions, businesses link them together through LANs or WANs, forming complete enterprise networking to serve the purpose of optimizing transmission and data exchange.
While a LAN is used to connect network devices such as computers and printers within a specific office, a WAN is used to connect LANs across different office branches to ensure smooth communication, internal document accessibility, and end-to-end network automation. Employees are supported to access essential data simply with an Internet connection, even when away from the office, thanks to the help of cloud networking.
Of course, the entire enterprise network is carefully operated with security measures to control access, safeguard sensitive data, and prevent unwanted cybersecurity risks.
How to Develop an Optimized Enterprise Network
There are some typical steps you should take into account when starting to build your own enterprise network:
Step 1: Assess Business Requirements
You can’t begin the process of building your own enterprise network without identifying your business needs. To ensure that the network stays on track and meets all of your technical requirements, create a list of your networking needs, including the number of devices, users, applications, locations, and bandwidth requirements. Consider the future growth of your network to easily scale up and down and adapt to evolving demands.
Step 2: Design Network Architecture
Each enterprise has unique scale and connectivity requirements, resulting in different network architectures. However, there are several mandatory network architectures that are universally required, such as TCP/IP protocol suites (Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP)), wired LAN connections, OSI model (Open Systems Interconnection), firewalls, and VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks). Add-on elements, including WANs or IoT integration, are customizable options based on your individual business needs.
Step 3: Select Appropriate Hardware and Software
Once you have designed your enterprise network infrastructure, it is time to choose suitable firewalls, routers, and access points. Stick to your network design and budget to make the best decisions. Choosing the wrong hardware and software can potentially lead to incompatibility between the chosen components and the existing network environment.
Step 4: Implement Security Measures
The risk of data breaches and unauthorized access is unavoidable, no matter how large or small your internal network is. That’s why you can’t build a robust enterprise network without implementing security measures.
Instead of publicizing the enterprise network, businesses should limit access by establishing access control mechanisms that regulate and manage every user’s permission. In addition, implementing additional security measures such as updating firmware regularly, conducting security audits, or monitoring network traffic for anomalies can also help add an extra security layer to the network.
Step 5: Enable Remote Access and Mobility
Remote work is on the rise with technological advancement and a strong emphasis on flexibility. Going to a physical office is no longer the only way to get the job done, especially for positions like content writers and software developers.
If your business has a work-from-home policy, setting up secure remote access solutions, including VPNs, secure sockets layer (SSL), and multi-factor authentication, is a must. Such tools help your employees access the resources they need as easily as if they were in the office, optimizing the work experience and facilitating remote work.
Step 6: Establish Network Monitoring and Management
The process of setting up an enterprise network ends with deploying network monitoring tools to continuously check and monitor the health of the network components. The business networks may run smoothly at the beginning. However, as user data and the number of connected devices increase over time, any network will need help maintaining the same level of stability as before.
Setting up tools is an ideal way to automate management tasks such as tracking performance metrics and monitoring device status. The results and metrics generated from such tools provide a solid foundation for businesses to develop strategies to optimize network performance and connectivity.
Challenges of Enterprise Networks and Solutions
Developing a custom enterprise network is not always a bed of roses. In addition to security challenges, there are a range of network challenges that you need to be aware of.
Security Threats
- Challenge: Enterprise networks with weak security are prime targets for malware attacks, leading to most cybersecurity threats and additional network security challenges that pose significant risks to data confidentiality and operational continuity.
- Solution: Implementing encryption, firewalls, security audits, and employee training are ways to protect sensitive information across the network.
Network Complexity
- Challenge: As your business grows, so does the growth of network complexity. Hybrid infrastructure, as well as interconnected systems, can result in network sprawl and management challenges.
- Solution: Don’t try to integrate too many unnecessary components into your enterprise network, as they are both costly and time-consuming to manage. Instead, simplify your network infrastructure and adopt automation tools, as well as leverage software-defined networking (SDN) to improve network agility.
Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
- Challenge: The regulatory landscape is constantly evolving. Failure to regularly update standards and industry-specific requirements can expose businesses to legal risks, with legal actions and reputational damage being two of the most severe consequences.
- Solution: To avoid unnecessary damage and ensure the credibility of the entire network, businesses need to regularly update regulatory requirements, conduct compliance assessments, maintain audit trails, and develop comprehensive procedures.
If you are still unsure where to start building your own enterprise network or need expert help to strengthen the network architecture, Orient Software is here to help. With nearly two decades of experience in the technology industry, we have contributed to the success of many projects across multiple industries. Contact us to meet with security experts and discuss optimizing your enterprise networking today.
