Consideration for upgrades to an existing network
In addition to the steps listed in the prior section with an existing network we first perform a System Assessment to assess the current state of the network.
IT Infrastructure | Management | Security | Processes | Performance
If you are considering updates to your existing network, it is important to understand the capabilities of the existing infrastructure and components you may consider retaining.
Sometimes a component fits seamlessly into the new network, other times it can complicate a project. For example, if all the structured cabling is already in place, that’s one less thing to worry about. However, if all that’s in place is Cat5 cable and you need Cat6A to support 10GBaseT, the existing cabling now becomes an issue to deal with.
Whatever the state of the network is, it’s important we know early in the design process. We need to assess the network’s current state before we can provide any specific design recommendations. At the end of this step, we should understand the network layout, performance, data flows, applications & services on the network, network security, and physical and logical layout.
Some of this can be achieved by reviewing existing network diagrams, policies, and monitoring tools. In other cases, you’ll need to use automatic network mapping tools and security scanners to get the full picture. Learn about our network assessments.