How can you plan for future growth on a LAN-WAN network?

1 Assess your current network

The first step is to evaluate your existing network infrastructure and identify its strengths and weaknesses. You can use tools such as network analyzers, monitoring software, and audits to collect and analyze data on your network traffic, bandwidth, latency, availability, and security. You should also review your network policies, protocols, and standards to ensure they are aligned with your business goals and best practices. By assessing your current network, you can determine the areas that need improvement and the opportunities for optimization.

3 Choose your network architecture

The third step is to choose your network architecture that best suits your growth objectives and current network. You can opt for a traditional hub-and-spoke architecture, where a central WAN router connects multiple LANs through dedicated links, or a mesh architecture, where each LAN can communicate directly with any other LAN through multiple paths. Alternatively, you can adopt a hybrid architecture, where you combine both hub-and-spoke and mesh elements to balance cost, performance, and redundancy. You should also consider the type and quality of your WAN links, such as leased lines, broadband, or wireless, and the network devices and components you need, such as routers, switches, firewalls, or VPNs.

4 Implement your network design

The fourth step is to implement your network design according to your network architecture and growth objectives. You should plan and execute your network installation, configuration, testing, and documentation with care and precision. You should also follow the network design principles of modularity, hierarchy, scalability, resiliency, and security to ensure your network is easy to manage, troubleshoot, and upgrade. You should also adhere to the network standards and protocols that enable interoperability, compatibility, and efficiency across your LAN-WAN network.

5 Monitor and optimize your network

The final step is to monitor and optimize your network performance and functionality on a regular basis. You should use tools and techniques such as network management software, logs, alerts, reports, and backups to keep track of your network status, activity, and issues. You should also perform network maintenance, updates, and repairs as needed to resolve any problems and improve your network quality. You should also review and adjust your network policies, protocols, and standards to reflect your network changes and challenges.

By following these steps, you can plan for future growth on your LAN-WAN network and ensure it meets your current and future needs and demands. A LAN-WAN network is a dynamic and complex system that requires careful planning, design, implementation, and maintenance. As a network engineer, you can leverage your skills and knowledge to create and manage a LAN-WAN network that supports your business goals and user expectations.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?