Overview

Networking services are primarily intended for Small Office / Home Office (SOHO) applications; however my services are capable of extending to  mid-sized LAN applications for networks consisting of 100 user or less.

I offer planning, installation, and support for the following network architectures:

Peer to Peer Networks - this type of network consists of linking to together all common desktop workstations in an organization. This type of network is highly conducive to SOHO situations and requires the least amount of networking hardware. The following are some benefits of Peer to Peer Networking.

• File Sharing - files may be shared (with restrictions if necessary) among computers in the organization. In addition, common back-ups of files may be consolidated to one computer, tape drive, or CD-ROM to ensure consistent and complete backup of data.
  
  Printer Sharing - the printers already in use by your organization may be shared by other computers. This allows more flexibility for your staff in usage of printers and reduces the need to buy additional printers for your teams. Ex. In an office with 5 computers and 2 printers (2 of the 5 computers have a printer), all of the users would now have the capability to print from their desks as if they also had a printer attached. If the 2 printers are of different types (ex. 1 color printer and 1 high resolution design plotter) all of the users would have access to both types of printers as if they were attached to their computer.
  
  Security - If your existing computers are utilizing Windows 2000 (or Windows NT) or you will be upgrading to this system, you will have the security of knowing that only authorized users may gain access to a computer in your organization.

Client / Server Networks - this type of network consists of linking all desktop workstations in an organization to a common File Server (with Windows Server Software). This type of network might be used in a situations where security was of higher importance or application software was to be shared on the network.
The following are some benefits of Client / Server Networking.

• Extended Management Capabilities - in an environment where workers change roles or are employed for short periods of time (ex. contractors or temporary workers), the maintenance of user access rights to your network may be difficult to manage if using a Peer to Peer system. However, this problem is alleviated in a client / server system since all accounts are managed from the central file server. In addition, security logs and tracking tools are available to servers to assist in monitoring usage of your network.
  

• Sharing of Internet Connections - using a file server which is connected to the Internet allows you to provide Internet access to multiple computers on your network. Depending on the number of users in your network and the type of Internet connection you provide, a single server could provide a large numbers of users with full access to the Internet. This type of system could also easily provide usage statistics as needed.
  

• Application Sharing - some over the counter applications allow for the installation of the program on a network server for use by multiple computers at once; without requiring the program to be installed to each machine. In addition, all web applications could be configured to provide access to all computers on the network with no installation required.
  see also web application design