Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses

Product Description

Maximize the potential of your small-medium business network with effective design solutions that cover network security, IP telephony, unified communications, wireless networks, and CRM.

• Design and implement effective network solutions by mastering the design process that is used by successful networking professionals
• Understand the diversity of solutions for the SMB environment, avoiding the pitfalls of the one-size-fits-all approach
• Create effective and customizable security solutions across the spectrum of SMB types and sizes
• Exploit the trend of universal communications convergence by expanding into the VoIP market with the Cisco IP Telephony and unified communication solutions
• Break into the fast-growing CRM marketplace with the Cisco CRM integration solutions
• Implement wireless LAN solutions that facilitate productivity and workforce optimization

In today's business world, investing in technology solutions that improve productivity and save money is critical, but the road to a modern, technology-driven business is full of pitfalls. Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses zeros in on critical solutions for networking professionals who are deploying computer networks within a small-medium business (SMB). You'll learn about core networking issues and associated solutions, including security, IP telephony, unified communications, customer relations management (CRM), wireless LANs, and more within this complete design guide.

Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses is separated into two parts. Part I helps you explore the network design process, survey the SMB landscape, and identify your network requirements from the edge to the core for an effective solution implementation. Part II delves into security, CRM, IP telephony, unified messaging, IP/TV, and wireless LAN solutions, which can save businesses critical time and money.

For networking professionals, Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses is a one-stop reference and design guide for the effective implementation of SMB networking solutions that enhance the bottom-line.

This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press¿ which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.

Praise For Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses

Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses
Reviewer Name: Alan Sardella, Consultant
Reviewer Certification: CCDP
Rating: ***** out of *****

Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses outlines the networking needs of SMBs across the whole "yellow pages" of vertical markets. When dealing with a topic this extensive, an author has to make choices between depth and breadth. While the book does not delve too deeply into configuration or deployment use cases, it does manage to touch on pretty much every solution Cisco offers the SMB market. It is a comprehensive resource for a partner or reseller to help design an SMB network. By covering the SMB market in such detail, the book actually winds up touching on most of the major solutions (including enterprise) in networking today.

For the small business owner, it's probably a bit steep on the technical detail for a first-step resource, but if you are already networking savvy or have able to dig a little deeper to get more vital information, you'll find this book quite useful. It’s worth noting that there isn't any mention of the Linksys offerings; thus, it appears that this book is aimed at the "larger than the smallest" SMB market; it certainly is not applicable to small office/home office (SOHO).

Throughout the book the author puts forth a poignant and true-ringing analogy about the direction of networking vis a vis its apparent commoditization. Networking appears to be en route, however quickly and completely, to a kind of utility basis, wherein we will come to see it as increasingly plug and play, and perhaps as reliable, as electrical and plumbing systems. Although it is questionable whether networking can ever attain such a status, especially inasmuch as the applications get more complex with IPT, wireless, and storage, the trend in that direction is apparent (and welcome!).

The first part of the book covers the network design process and the profiles on different small and medium-sized businesses. It takes into consideration the key requirements of an SMB network: high performance, scalability, and "built within budget." This section includes an interesting overview of the networking infrastructure, including cable plant and storage requirements. There is a very useful checklist of design document components including requirements, cost/benefit analysis, implementation details, and so forth.

The second, and larger, part of the book details specific network solutions. These include security, remote access, IP telephony, wireless, partner collaboration, customer care, and front/back office collaboration. The security topic is divided into two chapters, the first dealing with the impact of the wide variety of security breaches (such as DDoS, man-in-the-middle attacks, zombies, worms, etc.). The other security chapter covers details on VPNs (in terms of the encryption technologies, appliances such as concentrators to manage them, and management advantages), firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and security functionality in the Cisco IOS. After detailing the requirements for VPNs (authentication, encryption, flexibility, scalability), a variety of VPN topologies (hub and spoke versus full mesh) and technologies (IPSec, SSL, and GRE) are discussed. It then covers advanced topics such as Dynamic Multipoint VPNs (DMVPN). Firewall technologies and capabilities such as DMZ creation, NAT, static packet filtering, and stateful inspection are discussed in detail.

Wireless LANs (WLAN) are tackled next, and the book provides excellent product descriptions of access points, wireless routers and bridges, switching requirements, site survey issues, the different standards, and the security implementation. There are several unique security issues related to wireless networking; examples include rogue access points and eavesdropping. There are many authentication and encryption technologies available for WLANs, partly because this is a new area and partly because the original WEP encryption proved to be fairly easy to hack. The performance and topology considerations of WLANs also get a little bit dense because of the many ways that wireless signals can be interrupted. Thus, a serious discussion on WLAN technology needs to cover such topics as radio frequencies, relevant standards (802.11 a/b/g), transmit power, and antenna types. The Cisco Aironet family of access points is discussed in detail.

The CRM chapter deals with the relevant Cisco products (e.g., IPCC) to customer care. This is a relatively nebulous area because it is really so business dependent that it’s hard to find a one-size-fits-all solution. But the Cisco Contact Center product description gives a very good idea of the current state of the solution.

The IP Telephony chapter covers the Cisco Call Manager (CCM) Express and other CCM IPT solutions, including deployment options. It first discusses the lower-level technical details such as echo, delay and jitter, and then goes on to discuss IPT standards and protocols, and relevant products such as gateways, gatekeepers, PBXs, and IP phones. Then integrated IPT solutions are discussed along with integrated call manager deployments. Finally it covers integration issues such as dial plans and integration with legacy PBXes. Issues related to unified messaging (e.g., getting your voice messages via email, and vice versa) are discussed in the following chapter, followed by front office/back office integration (detailing applications such as order processing and inventory management).

Overall, this well written and smartly illustrated book hits the mark and rates 5 stars out of 5.

Sample Chapter(s)

Download - 212 KB -- Chapter 2: SMB Networking Environments and Solutions Design Considerations

Index

Download - 242 KB -- Index

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I      Network Design Process and Solutions Overview for SMBs

Chapter 1            Effective Networking Solution Design Process

Step 1: Identifying Stakeholder Requirements

Management (Executive and Line of Business)

IT Department

End Users

Customers

Vendors

Output from the Requirements Identification Stage

Step 2: Validating Stakeholder Requirements

Achieving Consensus

Assigning Priorities

Output from the Validation of Requirements Stage

Step 3: Creating and Reviewing the Draft Design Document

Identifying the Physical Network Topology

Determining Measurable Performance Requirements

Formulating a Viable Budget

Creating a Realistic Completion Timeline

Step 4: Creating a Final Design Document Before Implementation

Networking Solution Implementation Considerations

Sources of Implementation Expertise

Project Management During Implementation

Performance Testing

Documentation

Training

Putting It All Together

Summary

Chapter 2            SMB Networking Environments and Solutions Design Considerations

One Name, a Multitude of Shapes and Sizes

Business Sectors

Business Sizes

Business Missions

The Pitfalls of the One-Size-Fits-All Approach

SMB Networking Solutions Design Considerations

Network and Data Security Design Considerations

Remote Access Design Considerations

Wireless Design Considerations

IP Telephony Design Considerations

Partner Collaboration Design Considerations

Customer Care Design Considerations

Front Office/Back Office Integration

Solution Identification and Discovery Process for SMBs

The Case Against and for a Security Solution

The Case Against and for a Remote Access Solution

The Case Against and for a Collaboration with Partners Solution

The Case Against and for a Customer Care Solution

The Case Against and for a Front Office/Back Office Integration Solution

Summary

Chapter 3            Network Infrastructure Requirements for Effective Solutions Implementation

The Telecom Closets

Patch Panels, Horizontal Cabling, and Work-Area Cabling

Switches

Routers

Data Centers or Computer Rooms

Network Servers

Network Storage

Power Protection

The User Desktop Environment

Workstations

Network Printers and Other Peripherals

Network Upgrades Planning

Sources of Upgrades Expertise: The Who

Upgrades Timing: The When

Upgrades Impact: The How

Upgrades Cost: The How Much

Applications, E-Mail, and Network-Management Tools

The Impact of Applications

E-Mail Options

Network-Management Methods

Summary

Part II      SMB Networking Design Solutions

Chapter 4      Overview of the Network Security Issues

Categories of Security Threats

Information Corruption

Information Disclosure

Repudiation and Lack of Authentication and Authorization

Denial of Service

What Security Threats Mean to an SMB

What if My Website Is Defaced?

What if My Website Is Inaccessible?

What if Someone Intercepts and Reads My E-Mails?

What if My Customers Can’t Send Me E-Mail?

What if Unauthorized Personnel Gain Access to My Internal Databases?

What if Unauthorized Employees Get into My Payroll Files?

Which to Fear More: Internal or External Security Threats

Strong Authentication

Granularity in Authorization

Restricting Network Access

Physical Security

Encrypting Sensitive Information

Network Segmentation

Security Procedures Important to SMB Success

Security Threat Antidotes

Information Integrity

Information Confidentiality

Nonrepudiation, Authentication, and Authorization

System Availability

The Importance of Having a Security Policy

Summary

Chapter 5      Cisco Security Solutions

Virtual Private Networks

VPN Deployment Considerations

VPN Deployment Scenarios

The Cisco VPN 3000 Series Concentrator Family

VPN-Capable Routers

Firewalls

Firewall Deployment Considerations

The Cisco PIX Product Line and the IOS Firewall

Intrusion Detection Systems

IDS Deployment Considerations

Cisco IDS Product Lines

Router Security Features

Router Security Deployment Considerations

Implementing Routing Protocols Security

Summary

Chapter 6   The Wireless LAN Solution

WLAN-Specific Security Considerations

WLAN Security Threats

WLAN Security Mechanisms

WLAN Sound Security Practices

WLAN Performance and Topology Considerations

WLAN Performance Considerations

WLAN Topology Considerations

WLAN Components

Radio Frequencies, Transmit Power, and Antennae

Access Points and Wireless Bridges

Wireless Routers

Wireless Clients

The Cisco WLAN (Aironet) Products Family

The 1400 Series Bridges

The 1200 Series Access Points

The Aironet Antennae

The Aironet Clients

WLAN Deployment Scenarios

A Small Office or Workgroup Deployment

An Enterprise Deployment

A Telecommuters Deployment

Summary

Chapter 7      Customer Relationship Management Solutions

CRM Deployment Considerations

Modes of the SMB’s Interactions with Customers

Customer Information Accessibility

SMB’s Customer Categorization Capability

Levels of Commitment to CRM

Analytics Tools and Metrics

Popular CRMs’ Relationship to Cisco Products

E.piphany CRM

SAP mySAP

PeopleSoft CRM

Pegasystems Customer Process Manager

Microsoft CRM

Cisco Solutions for CRM Integration

Cisco ICM Product Family

Cisco IP Contact Center

IP Interactive Voice Response Application

Which CRM Solution Is Right for My SMB?

I Am a Retail Outlet

I Am a Bank

I Am a Manufacturer

I Am a Hospital or a Health Clinic

Summary

Chapter 8   IP Telephony Solutions

IP Telephony Deployment Considerations

QoS Factors

Single Communications Infrastructure for Voice and Data

Open Standards Protocols

Common OS Hardware Platforms

IP Telephony Components and Protocols

Gateways

Gatekeepers

Software-Based PBXes

IP Phones

VoIP Protocols

Cisco IP Telephony Solutions

Integrated IP Telephony Solutions

CallManager Deployment Options

CallManager Integration with Legacy PBX

CallManager Dial Plan Configuration Considerations

IP Telephony Voice Applications

Cisco IP Phones

Cisco ISP/Carrier Solution

Summary

Chapter 9      Unified Communications Solutions

Deployment Considerations for Unified Messaging Solutions

The Cisco Unity Solution

Message Centralization

Text-to-Speech Capability

Multilanguage Capability

Global Administration via the Cisco Unity Administrator

Personalized Administration via the Cisco Unity Assistant and Inbox

The Cisco IP/TV Solution

Deployment Considerations for Movie-Quality Video to the Desktop

IP/TV Solution Components

The Value of an Intranet in an SMB Environment

Human Resources Services and Announcements

IT Help Desk Support

Summary

Chapter 10      Front and Back Office Integration Solutions

Getting Past the Jargon

Front Office: Concepts and Applications

Back Office: Concepts and Applications

Enterprise Applications Integration Tools

Is Integration for Me?

Integration Challenges

The Case for Integration

The Case Against Integration

The Integrators

The Synergex Solutions

IT Consultants with Programming Skills

In-House Analyst

Summary

Epilogue    The Future of SMB Networking

Bibliography

Index