Over the last 30 years, ever since Al Gore (this is not a political rant) claimed to discover the internet, there have been multiple strategies and needs that the end users have looked at for developing a wide area network to best serve their needs. It is not safe to say that overbuying Internet bandwidth is the best practice for your budget and to fulfill business needs. As mentioned above, Elon Musk and Starlink have brought another method to the table for consumers to evaluate when buying bandwidth. The problem we see with our clients today is that since budgets are tight and knowledge of what is being used is low, purchasing a WAN network is typically not done correctly.
Here is an example where we found that based on the client’s needs and constraints…the evaluation process was complex:
CASE STUDY:
Client Profile:
• Telecom expenses were escalating beyond the client’s proposed budget.
- Existing WAN network lacked self-management capabilities.
- Some locations are remote, and bandwidth options were hard to source.
- Client has large fiber Internet circuits at all locations.
- Current WAN network could not support the new business applications in place today.
- Limited onsite technical support for the remote locations.
- 12 locations in multiple countries.
- Technology in place today (servers, switches, firewalls, etc…) needs a refresh.
- New IT lead comes into the organization with the task of providing more services at a reduced budget by the private equity company in control of the financial outlook.
- Found inappropriate websites, gambling, and social media sites were being used by staff on the private and public Wi-Fi networks.
- Large downloads were being done during work hours, which slowed user productivity.
- MS patches were done during work hours.
- Locations with 10 – 15 users had the same bandwidth as locations with 100 + users.
- No backup network was in place as multiple locations had Internet outages that impacted the users.
How CTG Helped Our Client:
Sometimes, you must completely peel back the onion to figure out what is in the middle.
Our first step was to provide a detailed evaluation of traffic on the primary site’s networks by application. After discovery of what was on the network, the following recommendations/steps were taken in the development of the new network.
- Right sizing of the Internet circuits as well as developing a backup network with “High Availability” through their edge devices. This provided not only cost savings to the client of over 20% annually, but also gave a back upbackup plan in case of outage. The circuit mediums in place were fiber, coax, cellular wireless, and star link satellite wireless.
- Put in rules around patch management and respective applications as well as change the rules on large downloads. Put rules around patch management and respective applications and change them on large downloads.
- Installed rules around Internet browsing for both the private and public WAN services.
- Provided monitoring services that would allow the client to “self-manage/self-correct” or have CTG assist if necessary.
In the end, this overall solution:
- Reduced costs of ongoing maintenance across the enterprise on time and outsourced support.
- Increased productivity and the ability to understand what is on the network. KNOW YOUR NETWORK.
- Provide best practices for when you should buy. Educated purchasing.
- Mitigate risk of down time by implementing a backup network and installed endpoint management along with a SOC / SIEM strategy.
If you have any questions or want more information on our products or services, please get in touch with us at 330-655-8144. Or you can email us at info@ctgusa.net.