Today's world is not just the LAN, and it is not just the Internet. You have hard decisions to make on the equipment and the shape of your network.

Network evaluation, planning, and design is another area requiring a mix of technical understanding with business implications.

Because networks are a utility with ongoing costs, you need a deep understanding of total cost of ownership. But unlike a utility, your network is constantly changing in both scope and implementation.

Where to start

• An audit of the network you have now.
• An analysis of this existing network: where are the bottlenecks, and what is the total cost of ownership.
• What traffic will you need to carry now and before the next buy cycle? Can you reduce or remove the next buy cycle?
• What vendors provide the best overall package to meet your needs? What are the best support arrangements?
• How do you rollout the network with minimal disruption to existing services?