Setting Up a Small Office Network

For a growing business, it becomes increasingly important to set up an office network. It can help all of the employees to remain on the same page and have access to relevant files and documents. It isn’t too difficult to set up a small office network. You just have to know the components that would be needed for this purpose. In this article, we will discuss how you can go about setting up an office network. 

The Components You Need

Small office networks are founded on two important components, switches and routers. You need to have both of them in your possession in order to set up the network. The switches are necessary as they allow devices linked in a network to communicate with each other. Without a switch, the networked devices won’t even be able to share information among them. You can consider switches as the connector which is responsible for tying different devices into a network. Routers, on the other hand, have a role to play in connecting the network to another larger network. When it comes to a small office network, the router’s purpose is to tie your network to the internet. Aside from serving as the connector, the router also does the job of protecting the networked devices from viruses and other cyber attacks.

What Type of Switch or Router is Best for You

Switches and routers come in various different types. You have to identify which switch and router are ideal for your small office network. When it comes to switches, there are three types of switches available in the market. There is the unmanaged switch, the managed switch and then there is the smart switch. The unmanaged switch doesn’t need much expertise to configure and is the best choice for small office networks. However, if you have a need for greater control then the managed switch is the right option for you. Being the hybrid of the two, the smart switches combine the features of both the managed and unmanaged switches.

As far as routers go, they come in two distinct types, wired and wireless. The wired routers need to be connected to every PC via a wire while the wireless routers work on Wi-Fi signals. Whether you are planning on getting a wired or wireless router, you must ensure that they come with features like firewalls and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

The Computer Market is the go-to website for buying and selling IT equipment. Contact us and we can help you secure the proper equipment for setting up your small office network.