The final words from my last blog post led me to determine a business network's commonest point of failure. We're heading into the VoIP era and plunging feet-first into having the traditional PSTN/ISDN networks disconnected forever ...
So, when considering what hardware are at the top of your critical list, you should also consider what is, and is not, under the control of a) you as a client and b) we as the supply chain. I have come up with my particular suggestions as to how to plan a network and what to do in planning for that all important disaster recovery planning.
From the viewpoint of what is controllable, in my professional opinion, I believe that the most central of all devices that will cause the widest impact if a failure occurs is your humble broadband router.
As a generalisation, the router is the central device that performs up to four critical tasks:
- The device takes the incoming feed from the broadband (WAN side)
- It also is the interface that (under normal circumstances and for most SME-size businesses) distributes the internal IP addresses (DHCP) for every single device on the network (LAN side)
- The router can be your firewall, which aids in the blocking of those all-intensive cyber-attacks
- And finally, the router is also the device that has the Wi-Fi radio architecture built-in to the device
If this one single device fails, your business will grind to a halt!
Obviously, there are many other points of failure such as if there is an internet outage, but that is beyond your control as a business or our control as resellers in the supply chain. Even if you are contracted directly with a supplier such as BTNet, your point of contact will have no control over the engineers who repair the network side.
Of course, internal switches can fail, but as there is usually no fancy programming for most businesses your technology partner should be able to quickly replace it and your hard-wired network is back up and running in no time.
The router you purchase should always be a high-quality, business-grade product and not a cheap domestic one as it is probably the most important function piece of hardware in your business right now.
Remember, businesses must have completed the move to VoIP networks by December 2025 as stated by Openreach, the part of BT PLC which owns and operates our legacy copper.
Now, would be a great time to talk to me about making the move.
If you feel inspired to find out more then do call me on 07555 807700 or leave a comment below and I'll be in touch as soon as I can.