Large enterprise networks have become common now. All companies in Hungary with several sites have solved the electronic transmission of their data in one way or another. These systems more or less (or not at all) are developable and their operation generally requires a considerable amount of human resource, so their operation is not optimal, though they are still in operation, available and have inevitably brought a breakthrough in the approach: the potential of electronic data exchanges penetrates the workflow from the office workers to the senior management. The situation in which the majority of Hungarian companies are at present can be called the heroic age of large enterprise networks.

Nowadays, the operation is not regarded as a substantive value if it is not optimal. No value is represented by a network which is incapable of a flexible adaptation to the often unpredictable requirements regarding its dimension, performance and the applications it can serve and the operation of which consists mainly of clearing the everyday faults, temporarily. The modern large enterprise network is purposefully designed, expandable in space and performance and its operation requires only a small apparatus. It also creates value: it enables the company to concentrate on their real task, which is serving customers, the more and more sophisticated CRM system, the analysis of the efficiency of the company’s operation and the strategic planning.

Large enterprise networks can classically be divided into LAN and WAN segments. The typical micro-segmentation on the LAN segment (all endpoints are switched) creates the potential to provide intelligent services. While formerly the ‘let us have more bandwidth than required’ principle was the basic aspect on LAN segments both in the backbone and the access layers, nowadays by means of the application of LAN QoS (Quality of Service) the LAN segments are capable of meeting the most diverse requirements (IP telephone, video-communication).

The data-voice integration, which appeared earlier in the WAN segment as a technological novelty, is well-spread and the integration of VoIP and IP telephony is now typical. The appearance of the VPN service built on the IPSec, which is based on the high speed Internet as a result of the spread of the xDSL/mobile Internet (3G) technology is a new element of the WAN segment and so the company’s intranet services can be used efficiently by the colleagues from their home or on the road if they have to travel.

The modern, properly configured, network management system used during every workday is an important element of large enterprise networks. Products of several companies are suitable for this task in function of the size and complexity of the network and the requirements of the user. The implementation of the configuration, inventory, performance and security management is also expedient, in addition to error management and statistical data collection. Significant emphasize shall be laid upon error prevention in addition to the management of the reported errors. The implementation of the above mentioned tasks provides assistance to the operating personnel for the optimal exploitation of the LAN and WAN networks and the executives for determining the direction of development.

WHY SYNERGON?

Through its comprehensive services, Synergon undertakes to survey the currently existing situation, consultancy based on the outcome of the survey, then the selection, installation and integration of the system which is most suitable for the customer’s requirements.

Synergon supports further development and operation through consultation and operational guidance.

We provide device and/or system level availability for the purpose of continuous operation.

Synergon has had more than 15 years of experience working with the products of Cisco and several other manufacturers. During the past few years Synergon has been the first to acquire several manufacturers’ qualifications in Hungary and also has the best team of experts in practically every field of networks at the present. Synergon can see the special requirements of certain sectors; it speaks the same language as its customers, whether they work in the field of government, industry, finance or anywhere else.

Synergon is practically the only Hungarian system integrator which offers a real alternative for meeting special requirements besides Cisco, which is dominant on the market and can generally be recommended.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the primary task of large enterprise networks?

To ensure a flexible and scalable basic network infrastructure that serves the current and expectable future requirements in a cost effective and reliable manner. The network also serves as a platform for the applications supporting business processes.

What requirements are usually posited to large enterprise networks?

Future-proof, modularity and good manageability are important features. Homogeneity regarding the manufacturer and the product family is expedient. Technology (e.g.: Ethernet, HDLC, etc.), the backbone and access bandwidth and the QoS (Quality of Service) are important factors at the level of technical parameters.

What applications run on a large enterprise network generally?

File transfer, mailing, Internet surfing, ERP, voice and video-communication applications are the most frequent ones.

What benefits may a large enterprise network built up from homogeneous devices provide?

Homogeneity facilitates the application of the given manufacturer specific solutions as well as a more cost effective operation due to the more simple management devices and less training requirement.

In the event of well separated systems, heterogeneity quite often does not mean a disadvantage, so with careful planning, the involvement of several manufacturers into the same network may be reasonable.

Why is it worth involving a system integrator into network planning?

The failsafe operations of the applications which are critical to business inevitably require that the network serving the business system is based on a reliable and flexible platform.

To achieve this objective, the best strategy and prognostic planning are required, which cannot be performed entirely, even by an excellent operating team. The manufacturer, a telecommunication service provider or a system integrator can be involved for external help.

The manufacturer properly sees the global market but understands the local specialities (country, company) less, moreover, it generally assigns planning large enterprise networks to its partners; it is not prepared for planning requests; and consequently, thinks in terms of a single manufacturer. The telecommunication service provider is counter-interested in decreasing telecommunication costs and due to its inflexible operation support organisation it insists on the time-tested methods; is less innovative or flexible, so its recommended solution will never be optimal.

Planning large enterprise networks is traditionally within a system integrator’s scope of activity. In an ideal situation, the company and the system integrator cooperate in operating and planning the network in the long term. System integrators have the most information on the network, daily operation and business processes of several similar companies, so they are the most knowledgeable and able to offer the best possible network solution to their customers. In the long term the profoundly planned network returns the investment meant by the involvement of a system integrator into planning, either by decreasing the telecommunication costs or through the protection of the network investments.

Synergon is distinguished among the domestic system integrators by its experience of a decade and a half, so the system planned by Synergon covers the current and future requirements of our customers in the most optimal manner.

The properly planned network contributes to:

• the quickest introduction of new services – the network can quickly be adapted to the emerging needs

• enabling the introduction of new technologies – e.g. the introduction of a high reliability WLAN network, the expansion of security functions

•  enabling the migration of new or currently existing sites

•  minimizing the communication errors between systems

•  simplifying the network operation tasks

What benefits can the enhanced level support provided by the system integrator offer? How can operation be made more effective in a large enterprise environment?

The efficiency of operation and the reliability of the network infrastructure exercising an effect on the working efficiency of the organisation and the recognition of the service level of the IT operating personnel can be increased by employing external support.

Since the external operation supporter can directly see the daily problems, feedback is provided for the planning stage; the experience gained in this manner can be utilized for the benefit of the customer in the course of development related counselling.