Network services: some things to know before hiring a consultant

Now that people aren’t strictly working from their office, most companies have some form of network available to allow employees to access the information they need, even when they’re not physically in the office. Employees working remotely, business travel, and multiple office locations are all reasons to have this type of system in place. To ensure the security of a network, it is essential to have an administrator who is in charge of adding and removing programs and users. This administrator can be a company employee or an external consultant hired to manage the company network. A consultant can be hired just to set up a network or also to maintain and troubleshoot the system on a regular basis.

Each user of a network will have their own username and password, which will allow access to a series of information appropriate to the position and level of that user in the company. The network administrator must ensure that this is true at all times. He may also be in charge of user support, helping them deal with technical difficulties, such as login problems.

A wide area network (WAN) is a network that, as its name suggests, covers a wide area. Many businesses and organizations use them to provide access to their network from a variety of locations. Data can be transmitted over a WAN and between different local area networks or LANs.

A VPN, or virtual private network, is a way to allow employees to work remotely that has been useful for many companies. VPNs use the Internet to create a virtual network, exactly as the name implies, rather than hosting a private network within an actual physical site. There are a few different ways to set up and run VPNs, and a consultant can help you choose the most effective one for a particular budget.

To use a VPN from an off-site location, a Remote Access Server (RAS) or Network Access Server (NAS) is required. These tools ensure that anyone connecting to the network has the proper credentials to access the VPN. Some VPNs can be accessed using standard software, while others require specific software to be downloaded before a connection can be established.

An important piece of hardware for any network system is a router, which connects networks and routes packets between them. Similarly, a network switch connects devices on a network, filtering and routing packets between different parts of a LAN. Routers and switches are often bundled into one device, making it difficult to tell the difference between them.

Networks can be susceptible to a variety of attacks from the outside, so an administrator must establish security measures. One such measure is a firewall, either hardware or software, which analyzes data packets and determines whether or not they should be allowed to enter the network based on whether they have the potential to be harmful. An Intrusion Detection Service (IDS) is slightly different from a firewall in that it works to detect intrusion attempts and report them so that the network administrator can block connections if necessary.