Network infrastructure design: planning and implementation

Network infrastructure design represents the planning out of an organization’s IT structure before implementation. Reliable network infrastructure is crucial for running mission-critical applications and maintaining seamless business operations. Your success hinges on providing well-structured networks including hardware devices, software applications, and network services like routers, switches, monitoring tools, and networking protocols. Efficient network infrastructure design enables you to proactively address operational requirements in the name of reliability, safety, scalability, and performance. 

This article explores the power of network infrastructure for your MSP operations. By carefully planning implementation, network monitoring, and remote management, you can ensure seamless connectivity, enhanced visibility, and scalability for your clients. Network topology software and configuration tools offer valuable insights into the network, helping you easily adapt to changes.

Embracing network infrastructure design will elevate your services and provide unparalleled support to your clients as you grow your MSP business. 

Why is network infrastructure design important? 

Network infrastructure design is crucial for both your daily operations and the seamless experience of your clients’ end users. It involves planning and implementing well-structured IT networks, considering factors such as capacity, bandwidth, quality of service, security, and resilience. Let's look at the benefits of strategic network infrastructure design:

1. Enhanced network efficiency: A well-planned infrastructure network design enables efficient data flow and communication. This translates to smooth access to customer data, market insights, and internal information, allowing businesses to function seamlessly.
2. Protection against malicious attacks: In today's digital landscape, malicious attacks like hacking, phishing, and ransomware are prevalent threats. Effective network infrastructure design and managed network operations center (NOC) services strengthen security protocols and safeguard software and hardware against potential cyberthreats.
3. Support for remote work: The rise of remote work presents unique challenges for businesses. Well-designed network infrastructure empowers your clients’ employees to securely access work resources from various devices with the necessary cybersecurity safeguards in place. 
4. Disaster recovery: In a 24/7 data-reliant environment, a disaster recovery plan is essential. A robust network infrastructure design incorporates preventive measures to handle server failures, physical damages, hardware failures, or human errors, minimizing disruptions to business operations.

Network infrastructure design is the backbone of modern business operations, ensuring connectivity, security, and efficiency. However, this only happens if you follow the right steps in terms of the implementation process.

The network infrastructure design process

Designing an efficient and robust network infrastructure is a structured process encompassing several key steps, from initial planning to post-implementation monitoring and analysis. By incorporating network and infrastructure integrations, organizations can optimize their IT infrastructure for performance, security, and scalability. 

Here are the essential stages of the network infrastructure design process:

1. Assessing requirements: Understand the specific needs and goals of the organization. Identify the size of the network, the number of users and devices, the types of applications and services they will use, and the budget available for the project.
2. Creating a network diagram: Develop a detailed network diagram that illustrates the layout and interconnections of network components. This diagram serves as a visual representation of the planned infrastructure and aids in troubleshooting and optimization.
3. Selecting hardware and software: Choose the appropriate network hardware, such as routers, switches, firewalls, and other devices, along with compatible software, including operating systems and applications, to support the required functionalities.
4. Configuring the network: Set up the network by configuring IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and other essential parameters to ensure smooth communication between devices.
5. Testing the network: Thoroughly test the network to evaluate its performance, connectivity, and reliability. Address any identified issues or bottlenecks to achieve optimal functionality.
6. Accounting for scalability: Design the network with scalability in mind to accommodate future growth and increasing demands. Implement solutions that allow for easy network expansion as the organization evolves.
7. Ensuring redundancy and reliability: Implement redundant components and failover mechanisms to maintain network operation even in the event of device failures or disruptions.
8. Implementing security: Establish robust cybersecurity measures to protect data and resources from unauthorized access. Secure both internal and external aspects of the network to safeguard sensitive information.
9. Documenting the network: Maintain accurate and up-to-date network documentation, including network topology, device configurations, IP address schemes, and virtual local area network (VLAN) setups. Proper documentation aids in troubleshooting and future modifications.
10. Monitoring and analysis: Continuously monitor the network after implementation to track performance, identify potential issues, and analyze traffic patterns. Use this data to optimize the network and make informed decisions for future improvements. Remote monitoring and management (RMM) software can help MSPs deliver ongoing proactive monitoring to businesses without a costly investment in onsite infrastructure.

By following this well-defined infrastructure network design process, you can provide your clients with networks that are efficient, secure, and capable of meeting current and future demands. 

Best practices for network infrastructure design 

A streamlined network infrastructure design and implementation are invaluable for end clients, optimizing performance, enhancing security, and accounting for future scalability. Adopting and implementing these best practices can empower your clients with a highly efficient network environment:

1. Start with a comprehensive visual: Begin every network design project with a detailed physical and logical network diagram. A visual representation simplifies understanding for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Continuously update and maintain the drawing to aid in troubleshooting and disaster recovery.
2. Choose best-fit equipment: Opt for top-quality and reliable equipment from reputable vendors for peak performance and customer satisfaction. Use routers, switches, firewalls, and other devices that align with the client's specific requirements and configure them for high availability.
3. Plan for the future: Anticipate technological advancements and network growth over the next decade. Design the network to accommodate evolving bandwidth requirements and deploy devices with sufficient throughput to handle future demands.
4. Implement robust cybersecurity measures: Make cybersecurity a top priority from the project's outset. Implement multi-layered cybersecurity solutions, including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, antivirus, and monitoring, to safeguard clients' assets and data and minimize business disruptions.
5. Standardize network configurations: Standardization reduces complexity, minimizes faults, and saves clients money. Establish naming conventions and configurations that streamline network management and troubleshooting. Because RMM offers both additional support and automation capabilities, it’s effective for helping standardize network device management.
6. Ensure redundancy and high availability: Avoid single points of failure by designing redundant and resilient infrastructure. Implement solutions like application centric infrastructure (ACI) policy-based framework to ensure active-active load balancing and resiliency.
7. Prioritize monitoring and out-of-band access: Deploy robust monitoring and management systems to track network performance proactively. Out-of-band access, similar to Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) on servers, helps maintain uninterrupted access during potential disruptions.
8. Address cooling and power needs: Consider environmental factors, especially power and cooling, as potential weaknesses in network infrastructure. Make sure clients' networks are adequately powered and cooled to maintain consistent operation.

Adopting these best practices during network infrastructure design and implementation empowers your clients with streamlined, effective, and future-ready network environments. 

Implementation and deployment considerations 

When assisting clients with implementing and deploying a network infrastructure design or modifying an existing one, there are several key factors to consider and share with them for a successful outcome.

1. Detailed assessment: Before initiating any changes, comprehensively assess the current network infrastructure. Understand the client's specific requirements, growth projections, and potential pain points to tailor the new design accordingly.
2. Scalability: Be sure the proposed network infrastructure design can accommodate future growth and increasing demands. Scalability is vital to avoid costly redesigns and disruptions in the future.
3. Flexibility: Encourage the adoption of technologies that offer flexibility and adaptability. Emphasize the importance of network disaggregation—the separation of a network’s hardware and software components—allowing clients to update software independently from hardware and enabling more efficient upgrades.
4. Security and compliance: Place a strong focus on network security. Implement advanced cybersecurity solutions and educate clients on the importance of complying with industry regulations to safeguard their data and operations. RMM can be an effective tool to aid in both proactive monitoring and efficient response to cyber threats.
5. Cloud integration: Explore opportunities for cloud integration to improve scalability and cost-effectiveness. Guide clients on selecting suitable cloud-based network infrastructure solutions that align with their business needs.
6. Edge computing considerations: Discuss the potential benefits of edge computing for processing data closer to the source, particularly for low-latency applications.
7. Collaborative approach: Engage in open communication with your client throughout the implementation and deployment process. Encourage feedback and involve them in decision-making to ensure the final design meets their expectations.

Network infrastructure design support solutions

Managing network infrastructure design can be challenging, but with the right solutions, businesses can overcome these obstacles and maintain a robust network environment. Here are some ways that support solutions can assist in network infrastructure design and maintenance:

1. Centralized traffic management tools: Advanced centralized traffic management tools simplify the routing of network traffic. These tools provide a comprehensive view of the network, making it easier to manage physical resources effectively. With real-time insights, administrators can proactively identify potential failures and take preventive measures to minimize disruptions.
2. Data management and deduplication: Businesses manage duplicate data by implementing efficient data deduplication techniques. Organizations can optimize their network performance, reduce storage costs, and enhance overall efficiency by eliminating redundant data.
3. Integrating cybersecurity solutions: MSPs need to be able to interface with multiple cybersecurity providers and tools effectively. This enables businesses to funnel the right data to the correct cybersecurity tool, enhancing threat detection and response capabilities. Flexibility in customizing data flows means the right data reaches the right tools at the right time. ConnectWise's cybersecurity suite offers a variety of solutions that can support in this area.
4. Network visibility and monitoring: Comprehensive network visibility is crucial for performance monitoring and threat detection. Support solutions provide tools and services to ensure businesses maintain visibility across their network infrastructure. This helps in identifying and addressing blind spots, enhancing security, and maintaining uninterrupted operations.
5. Expert guidance and consultation: Access to expert guidance and consultation is invaluable during network infrastructure design and maintenance. Support solutions can offer expertise, best practices, and industry insights to optimize network design, troubleshoot issues, and implement future-proof solutions.
6. Network operation centers (NOCs): NOCs can be a lifeline for companies looking to add additional IT support and expertise to their internal IT team. This additional support can enable you to take on more business, while resolving existing client issues faster through superior customer service. Check out this NOC Feature Sheet to view the many benefits of outsourcing NOC operations.
7. Automation tools: Automation tools help support many of the other areas of this list by removing some of the tedious tasks from your technician’s workload. Combined with options like NOCs, and you can more effectively service a larger client base, even without growing your team.
8. Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR): In some cases, even the best-organized network may fail. This is where BCDR tools come into play. By establishing a concrete plan to backup anything on your network, you can ensure that your clients are not only prepared for business downtime, but also for potential security risk and machine failures.

Ready to build secure, scalable, and reliable networks that drive growth and revenue for your business? Watch an on demand demo of ConnectWise RMM to see how intelligent monitoring can help deliver seamless network monitoring support for your clients.