It’s important you hire a reputable and highly-skilled wide area network design company. After all, WAN implementation is a major investment, and you want it right the first time. You’ll be spending money on WAN equipment including WAN switches, routers, and WAN cards. You might even have to upgrade your personal computers so they are compatible with the speed of these network devices. If you want to switch to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, you’ll have to invest in new IP phones. You’ll also have to figure in other costs, such as software and staff.

Hiring a WAN design and construction services firm can be challenging. You can look online for these companies, but what you should ask for is a written proposal. That way, you can go over the proposal with your network staff. Make sure you do the following:

1. Hire a WAN design and construction services firm with the right credentials.
2. Know what technologies the WAN development firm will use.
3. Let the wide area network construction management firm manage your WAN.

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

Hire a WAN design and construction services company that has the right credentials

You want to make sure that you hire a WAN construction company that has experienced designers. When looking at WAN construction companies, you need to ask questions. Are the employees certified? How long has the wide area network design firm been in business? You'll also want to ask how the firm will carry out its WAN implementation. The firm's project manager should have a project plan for you to review.

I recommend: NetWright Networks LLC provides WAN development in complex environments, including sensitive areas or in mountain passes. It provides 24/7/365 support. Connecting Point Computer Center has been in business for 25 years in constructing wide area network. Its employees are Microsoft, Cisco, and Novell-certified.

Ensure you know what technologies the WAN development firm will implement

This is an area you cannot overlook. You want to make sure the technology is current and fast to implement. If you're looking for your business to make calls over the Internet, the firm should implement this into the plan when designing a WAN. Of course, the most important thing you must consider is the cost for WAN implementation.

I recommend: XO Communications uses IP-VPN technologies when constructing a WAN. The great thing about this wide area network design technology is that it’s scalable; you can upgrade your Ethernet speed from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps, or even 1 Gbps. You’ll also want to look at Contingent Network Services. It can handle challenging tasks that are involved in wide area network development, including switches, routers, and other hardware devices.

Outsource your WAN to a wide area network construction management company

Managing your network is just as important as the WAN design. You'll need to have staff that can make sure your network is running at least 99.5% of the time. Of course, there will be times when your network needs to be down for maintenance work, such as installing patches or backing up data. Thus, it's imperative you hire people who can maintain it. If you don't have the staff or budget, consider hiring a WAN network management company.

I recommend: Reliance Globalcom offers managed services that can work for both medium business as well as large enterprises. You’ll want to look at NetEx Inc. In addition to designing wide area network, this company provides 24/7 WAN management via its NetEx NNOC (Network Operations Center).

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Implement a businesswide policy to enforce encrypting your mission-critical data during wide area network development.