You have installed a wide area network (WAN) in your office. Your employees appreciate the flexibility of working in different areas of the building as well as outside. However, you’re concerned about maintaining and possibly expanding the wide area network. You know it's not a task that can be done in-house.

Hiring the right WAN consultant can be challenging. Initially, you will want to ask two questions: Can the consultant manage your WAN infrastructure (especially if you are a medium or large company), and does the consultant have partnerships with major companies such as HP, Cisco, or Dell?

When looking for a WAN consultant, other factors you need to consider are the following:

1. Knowledge and expertise in WAN maintenance.

2. Availability for WAN network maintenance service.

3. Reliability in wide area network (WAN) maintenance.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find out what is the WAN consulting company's availability time

Availability is key when it comes to wireless network maintenance consulting services. Questions you want to ask: Is the WAN consultant available 24 hours a day/7 days a week? What devices does it manage - e.g., will it monitor your router or firewall? Does it offer server network maintenance? Does it manage your employees' use? Does the company have a wide area network specialist you can call in case of an emergency? In addition, you want to check the specialist's credentials.

I recommend: Check out wireless network area providers in your area. You can also check with national wireless wide area network providers - AT&T and Sprint. The wireless wide area network providers may be able to refer you to a local wireless network maintenance consulting company.

Find out the WAN consulting company's maintenance agreement

Determine the length of time for your WAN network maintenance agreement. Some Wide Area Network (WAN) companies have half-year or full-year SLAs (Service Level Agreements). Does the company offer after-hours service? What are the services included? The amount paid and the term of service will determine the level of service. For example, if you commit to a year's service, the consultant may offer weekly maintenance service at no additional charge. Or if you have an emergency where your employee cannot access the network, the consultant must have your system up and running by a specific time or incur fees or penalties.

I recommend: Study the SLA to ensure that you and the consultant agree on expectations. Check Impact Network Engineering's web site. It has a good example of a WAN maintenance agreement.

Agree on a plan for WAN network maintenance

If you decide you want to expand your WAN network, how will the WAN consultant approach and implement your plan? The plan should assess your current computer WAN networking infrastructure. This should include documentation of everything that makes up your network - software, hardware, protocols, and security. A project plan should break down the phases of the work to be completed, indicate the professionals who will work in these phases, and also show the costs associated with each phase.

I recommend: Keep all of your documentation. You may not be satisfied with the WAN consultant’s service and decide to hire someone else. Use Microsoft's SharePoint to store your documentation in electronic form. Also keep hard copies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find out if the WAN Consultant offers Wide Area Network training. This area is often overlooked, but this is crucial. Many wireless area network providers design and implement the plan, but they assume you and employees will know what to do. Ask the consultant if his company performs training before you sign the wide area network (WAN) maintenance agreement. Will it be part of the SLA or will it cost extra?