Background and Challenges
　 Networks are designed to support applications that can make businesses operate more effectively and efficiently. However, a combination of factors such as server consolidation, rich media types, bandwidth-hungry applications -- create situations in which the demand for applications outstrips the available bandwidth. When this occurs, the network acts like a “funnel” where workgroups compete for bandwidth or are kept off the network altogether.

　 The choke points in these “funnel” networks are at the workgroup switching/routing level -- the aggregation points where performance and services intersect. Legacy Ethernet routers, which have traditionally occupied these aggregation points, were never designed for enormous traffic loads. Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and multi-layer switching solutions eliminate these choke points.

　 However, adding bandwidth is only one part of the solution. As the mix of applications in a network becomes more complicated, organizations need the ability to manage the traffic flowing through their network.

　 Matters are becoming all the more complicated as a result of the need for workgroups to be more mobile. Wireless networks have become more affordable and versatile. They are valuable for companies that have a mobile workforce or work-at-home employees who need access to the company network and its resources. Ironically, the same versatility that makes wireless LANs so attractive also poses the greatest risks to organizations. Chief among these risks is the realization that no matter how strong an organization's networking rules and procedures, any employee can compromise the safety of corporate data by plugging a wireless access point into any available network tap.

　 Segmenting the network into sub groups, called workgroups, is key to achieving performance, availability, security, mobility, cost control, and future extendibility. The right partitioning of the network into workgroups is in many cases a trade-off between the above parameters. Most Small/Medium Businesses (SMBs) already have some network in place and want to maintain their investment. The challenge is a combination of the following:

Careful evaluation of the above parameters/requirements

Measurement and knowledge of the current network traffic/behavior

Future business and technology evolution

Selection of the right workgroup switches and routers

100COMM Solution

In order to select the right workgroup components, the following criteria need to be considered:

Performance - Grouping users (PCs, servers, workstations) with similar characteristics, such as applications, bandwidth, security, importance and geographic location.

Availability (of the network and the workgroup)

Minimizing dependencies, multiple routes, hot maintenance (hardware and software), spare resources (bandwidth, connectivity).
　Eliminating hot spots of servers/applications by distribution/redundancy.

Security - the ability to control priorities, Quality of Service (QoS), security hierarchy for groups, wireless issues.

Cost - The affordable cost of workgroup switches and routers helps this tradeoff. Network architects for Small/Medium Business
　should not try to cut costs when they choose their workgroup switches and routers. Compromising on performance, security,
　availability, or extendibility will definitely cost more in the long term.

Future growth - Examine your partitioning base on hypothetical scenarios of doubling the required bandwidth,speed,
　applications,users, and servers. See if the current partition fits into these future extensions or if a full network redesign would be
　required.

　 100COOMM’s line of full-function solutions provides the performance required while simultaneously delivering the control necessary to turn networks into business tools. From the workgroup to the WAN edge,100COMM offers a range of solutions enabling networks to become sources of competitive advantage.

　 All 100COMM products offer rapid deployment, true plug-and-play installation, increased speed and productivity around the office, and future-proof performance that is unmatched in the industry.