Internet Networking Best Practices for 2022

internet networking best practicesTake a minute to mentally note all the ways you access your organization’s network on any given workday. 

From sending emails, accessing shared files, using cloud applications, and more, you and your users can’t do your jobs without a reliable network. 

And now, more people than ever are trying to accomplish those networking tasks remotely, yet securely, as employees continue to work from home full- or part-time. 

So how can you prioritize network performance and security in this new year? 

This is a question The KR Group continues to evaluate as it relates to our company’s network and the customers we serve.  We need to connect our hybrid workforces to the network while having it run efficiently and securely. 

Here are several ways you can create a smoother networking experience within your IT environment: 

  1. Use 5G to increase internet access.
  2. Cloud technologies have multiple benefits for today’s businesses.
  3. SD-WAN is ideal for supporting current IT environments.
  4. Security solutions protect your network in and out of your office.
  5. Network automation is a simpler management option.
  6. Redundancy keeps your network online.

Keep in mind these tips are only a few of the many ways to secure and streamline your network. For more steps you should take and a list of priorities for your business, you’ll want to work with an IT consultant.

5G Is Increasing Internet Access

Remote work arrangements are convenient in many cases, but it also means your users need reliable internet at home. 

Since 2020, 5G has become more widely available for home users, giving them the high-speed internet they need to work from home effectively. 

But 5G technology has benefits for businesses as well. 

It can be used as a standalone internet circuit to provide fast, quality internet in wireless environments. Alternatively, businesses may consider it as a backup or redundant internet connection. (You’ll learn more about this piece of networking later in the article.)

Benefits of Cloud Technology

In 2020, more than 50% of organizations moved a portion of their workload out to the public cloud because of the pandemic’s effect on expenses for supporting on-site IT. internet networking best practices

This shift means you don’t need internal expertise to manage on-site alternatives. Additionally, you’ll see savings with utility bills, and depending on the size of your previous data center, you may be able to downsize your office space. 

However, migrating to the cloud means you need to take a closer look at other components of your network. 

As you’ll read next, incorporating SD-WAN, security, automation, and redundancy are crucial for an IT environment that includes cloud services.

SD-WAN Is Ideal for Remote and Cloud Environments

The concept of SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) has been around for a while. However, usage and security threats mean SD-WAN isn’t something you should just consider or put on a wish list. It’s imperative.

A traditional WAN uses routers to backhaul all traffic from your office to a data center where security measures are applied. This creates a delay and negatively impacts applications, which results in a poor user experience and lost productivity.-

SD-WAN can eliminate the delay traditional networking creates in a couple of steps. 

First, it identifies the type of applications sending data over the network. 

SD-WAN uses this information to choose the best network path to give each application the right priority on your network without sacrificing security, according to your specific business needs. Based on that information, SD-WAN protocols assign the network request the appropriate priority and security.

As a result, the SD-WAN model fully supports applications hosted in on-premises data centers, public or private clouds without compromising network performance.

Security Solutions Protect Your Network

internet networking best practicesThe average cost of a data breach increased by $1.07 million due to remote work, largely due to the increase of remote work.

With a remote or hybrid workforce, your attack surface increases for every user who works from home. So, instead of the edge of your network being the four walls of your office, it now includes each remote user’s home office and any remote locations used to log into your network. 

How do you reduce your risk of an attack? First, you need to implement robust security on your network because of the sheer amount of data that travels across it.

Taking a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity can also help secure your network. In addition to a next-generation firewall, you’ll want to implement solutions that protect the different levels of your IT environment. These include next-generation antivirus, anti-spam, DNS filtering, VPN, multi-factor authentication, etc.

If you’re unsure if you have adequate security solutions in place to protect your extended network, you may consider a teleworker risk assessment to evaluate the security posture of your remote workforce.

Network Automation Is a Simpler Management Option

How will you find the time or resources to implement the measures mentioned above?

Fortunately, network automation has made significant improvements to eliminate some of the time-consuming nature of network management. 

It’s important to know that automation does not eliminate the knowledge required to manage networking systems successfully. However, it does reduce the amount of time spent doing those tasks. 

For example, tools like Cisco’s DNA Center allow you to do the work of 50 or more commands in just a few clicks, but you still need to know what actions to take even if there are fewer steps. 

The benefit of this is that network administration now has a lower barrier to entry. Ideally, more people can become proficient and efficient in configuring networks when the process is automated and simplified.

Redundancy Keeps Your Network Online

As we all rely on the internet more, there’s been a noticeable shift for businesses to have multiple internet connections.internet networking best practices

While you can control much of your network operations inside your building, you have no control over an internet outage. If your organization relies on cloud solutions to operate, losing your internet connection can halt your operations. 

If you’re migrating some of your IT services to the cloud – or already have – you’ll want to have at least two internet service providers. Ideally, these connections should be different types of internet circuits. 

Additionally, you’ll need to implement SD-WAN to automatically adjust your network traffic flow if a circuit were to go down.

The Importance of Current Network Solutions and Practices

If you only take one thing away from this article, it should be that changes over the past couple of years have placed increased demands on your network. In response, you should have current solutions and practices so your network continues to be effective.

  • 5G internet provides fast, reliable connections for remote users and businesses. 
  • Cloud technologies allow businesses to downsize on-site infrastructure while providing accessible solutions for hybrid workforces.
  • SD-WAN coordinates network traffic flow in a remote or cloud environment while ensuring security. 
  • A multi-tiered approach with network security solutions is paramount as the amount of traffic and your attack surface increase. 
  • Redundancy ensures you continue to have internet access even if there is an outage. 
  • Network automation allows you to implement and maintain the above measures in less time. 

As time goes on, there will undoubtedly be additional precautions and practices you’ll want to implement for optimal network performance and security. 

To stay up to date on what these are, sign up for The KR Group’s monthly newsletter on the latest in IT.

 

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