Inventory Assessment
Using a discovery tool to identify network elements operating in your system today, HickoryTech will prioritize areas of concern such as obsolete hardware and software. Following the discovery phase, HickoryTech will present a report detailing your network identifying network weaknesses or areas for improvement.
Key Areas to Assess
- Network elements
- Network weaknesses
- Model type of all network devices
- Revision of code in devices
Value of the Assessment
- More time for network planning and design
- Improved network monitoring and troubleshooting
- Budget planning and prioritization capabilities
- Ability to compare maintenance contracts based on current inventory
Deliverables
- Report of assessment findings
- Discussion session with HickoryTech engineer
Network Infrastructure Assessment
HickoryTech’s network infrastructure assessment consists of two different analyses that can be conducted individually or in parallel depending on your requirements.
Design Review
The design review looks at how the network is logically and physically designed and configured. HickoryTech will conduct interviews to understand data flows and business requirements. A review if the network will then be performed and recommendations made based on best practices design principals.
Key Areas to Review
- LAN Analysis
- WAN Analysis
- Internet Analysis
- Physical Configuration (redundancy, speeds and feeds, components)
- Logical configuration (layer 2 parameters, layer 3 parameters)
- Component Configuration (switch and router configuration)
Value of the Design Review
- Insure that network is designed based on best practices
- Align network architecture with business requirements
- Provide detailed understanding of network environment
- Enable HickoryTech to provide better ongoing support
Deliverables
- Network Design Analysis Report
- Onsite review of assessment with HickoryTech engineer
- Recommendations for improvements
Performance Assessment
Using a network analysis tool to identify network elements operating in your system today, HickoryTech will prioritize areas for concern such as high utilization and errors. Following the analysis, HickoryTech will present a report detailing your network identifying network weaknesses or areas for improvement and discuss recommended upgrades.
Key Areas to Assess
- WAN circuit utilization
- LAN Switch to Switch link utilization
- Router and switch CPU utilization
- Router memory utilization
- Per locations traffic analysis (top talkers, top protocols, circuit errors, etc.)
Value of the Performance Assessment
- Traffic profiles for specific network segments
- Define capacity issues that contribute to performance delay
- Breakdown and analyze end-to-end capacity bandwidth
- Scope bandwidth pipes for optimal performance
- Avoid costly emergency bandwidth upgrade issues
- Reduce user complaints due to network congestion
- Plan for future network bandwidth and resources
- Understanding of health of the network
Deliverables
- Network Performance Analysis Report
- Onsite review of assessment with HickoryTech engineer
- Recommendations for improvements