Every company has its unique Business needs and priorities, which define the kind of Computer Network security it demands to meet requirements and allow team members to exchange information.

As your business grows, chances are, you’ll need to update your existing Network to suit your increasing necessities. If you already have a basic setup, detailing your business requirements to a vendor that offers technical support services will help you in upgrading the network. If you’re quite new, a competent vendor can help build your Business Computer Network based on your requirements and priorities.

In this article, we will give you a quick guide on how to set up your business Computer network.

How to Build a Computer Network

Step 1: Define Your Requirements

First of all, you need to determine the number of computers and peripheral devices that need to connect to your Business Computer network.

Next, you need to determine what type of files or data the networked computers will send and receive on a daily basis. Define the size of these files, as heavier or bigger files take longer to send and download.

Third, decide what software applications your team members will be using.

Lastly, you have to determine if your employees need to access data from their mobile devices, homes, or other locations outside of the office.

Step 2: Decide if You Should Go Wired or Wireless

Many businesses opt for wireless connections because of greater flexibility. However, wired connections still have great advantages in terms of speed and reliability.

Some wireless connections can drop out if too many computers are logging onto the same network. This is why many companies, even multinational ones, are opting for both wired and wireless connections.

Step 3: Select Your Hardware and Equipment

There are two basic elements of a business computer network: a router and a server. A router could be wired (gateway) or wireless (access point), while a server can be cloud-based or a physical, dedicated computer that acts as a server.

Many companies opt for cloud-based servers. While small businesses often start off with a physical computer server, cloud-based servers offer much flexibility especially if you have massive growth plans.

There are many consumer routers out there, and many small businesses, especially ones operating on a tight budget, often get the less costly options.

Consumer routers are often compatible with IEEE 802.11ac wireless networking standard. They also come with a built-in firewall, wireless encryption, and multiple Ethernet ports.

To ensure smoother operations, purchasing your own business router is a good investment.

On top of the consumer router features, business routers also include anti-virus and anti-spam features, intrusion detection, and better firewall control.

These business routers enable you to create your virtual private network (VPN) server and provide employees a safe remote access to the business computer network from locations outside of the office. This is very advisable for companies whose employees need to be on the field most of the time.

Step 4: Connect It All Together

The best location to set up a wireless router is in the center of the office where everyone can be within range. The majority of these wireless routers come with a maximum range of 100 feet. If you have a big office space, you might need to install more access points.

Routers come with instructions (wizards) to link it to the server and to the broadband connection. Connecting computers and printers to the network should be easy enough since many already have networking capabilities.

Keeping the Network Secure

IT security is in the heart of every business operation. However, maintenance of a computer network is not an easy task, as the daily exchange of data come with several risks that can affect business operations.

The good thing is that you can hire a technical support services company like Merlin to help ensure that you data and business computer network are secure.