Hello and welcome to Chesapeake Digital Technology´s blog. We’re an information technology firm in Reisterstown, Maryland.. We provide several services, likeInternet Marketing and Technical Support to small and medium business.
So you own a small business. That’s great! You’re getting ready to rent some office space for you and your employees and the time has come to purchase your technology. For Internet/Network access, you have two basic options. You can go with a Wireless Network or a traditional Wired Network. There are pros and cons to both, so read on as we explore some key factors.
Wireless
Pro – Unfettered access around the office. If you are looking to provide your employees with the ability to move around the office/workspace freely, WiFi will provide a good foundation for this. Especially given the advance of tablet computing and handhelds, WiFi might be a good idea if your employees need access to data while away from their desks.
Con – Security Concerns. Wifi does make a network’s reach greater, though it also lets other people see it. There are ways to make your Wireless network incredibly secure, but if you don’t have the time/backgroun knowledge, Wifi might just be a data loss waiting to happen. Many places offer free WiFi for visitors and this is also a concern. One option here is to have a hardware (physical device) Firewall installed to direct traffic from visitors directly to the Internet. This keeps your network safe while preserving hospitality.
Wired
Pro – Security – Physical Connection Required. Since a wired network requires a physical connection to a data line, it’s going to be a lot harder for someone to break into your network. This, coupled with the fact that data lines are usually not available in areas like lobbies, etc, makes for a positive aspect of Wired connections.
Pros – Speed – Data connections via a LAN cable (Cat 5) are at about 1Gbps. This is far faster than standard Wireless G (54Mbps). If you are constantly moving data around your facility, at least for important connections like data backups, a wired connection is best here.
Cons – Physical Limitations – If using a wired connection, you are limited by physical restrictions. In essence, the cables have to go somewhere. With a wireless solution, this is much less of a concern. If your workplace is going to be fluid as far as organization of furniture, etc is concerned, at least plan ahead for having to move around lots of wiring.
There are many more things to consider when deploying a network infrastructure. Make sure to do plenty of work researching all the necessary pieces before assembling.
-Josh
