Acorn was really good at explaining the options available to us in "plain English" so we weren’t overwhelmed with techno-speak!
Joanna Feeley
Trend Bible
Networking
Are you setting up a new business or office?
Are you expanding your business?
Are you frustrated with your current IT systems setup?
Is your IT network down more often than you are able to use it?
If the answer is YES to any of these questions then you need to give us a call now for your FREE IT Survey, we can help you!
The right solution for you
In any office whatever the size effective IT communication is vital so the right network design for your business is crucial. Your network should be logical, robust and secure from the start and give you the flexibility for expansion. Acorn Media recommend and supply a large variety of hardware to suit every network requirement and a vast array of knowledge and experience to design and build any size network. Central system storage, backup and security is of paramount importance and amongst many other factors our systematic approach gives you the peace of mind that your systems are secure and designed and setup individually to your requirements. We give you options particularly if you are on a tight budget and perhaps give you a temporary solution with the option to upgrade at a later date. Whatever the solution that fits you best we source the most cost effective products and the best prices we can. Below are the main types of networks and some examples of system storage, backup and security.
Wireless Networks
Wireless networks, or WLANs are becoming more and more common in today’s offices, homes and public areas. Wireless connectivity eliminates the need to rewire buildings with multiple fibre or Ethernet cables. Wireless networks enable households and offices to distribute an Internet connection easily and cost effectively.
Acorn Media, are proud to be a Netgear Powershift Partner who for over ten years, have been delivering innovative wireless networking products that deliver style, ease-of-use, value, performance, security and reliability. From home wireless broadband routers and adapters to business-class Firewalls, Switches and Wireless Access Points in the office. As a Netgear Powershift partner we have a vast knowledge of all the product range and can carefully select the right solution for you.
Whatever you require we will design, install and implement your wireless network. We will work with you to make sure your wireless network can be accessed by all users with first class security so that your sensitive and important data is not compromised by snoopers.
Wireless Security
The main area of concern with any wireless network is security and securing your wireless connection. Using various wireless security protocols such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) or WPA (WiFi Protected Access) we will ensure your wireless connection is secure giving you the peace of mind to perform your daily work. After all, your confidence in the services we offer is important to us.
Wired Networks
Wired or Ethernet networks basically consist of all the network components (PCs, server, router, etc) connected together using unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling. Wired networks are traditionally thought of as more secure as the network components are physically connected to each other using cables. Wired connections can reach networking speeds of up to 1000 Mbps with Gigabit Ethernet networking equipment.
Acorn Media, use Netgear wired network components. Their range of wired broadband routers, adapters, business-class Firewalls and Switches offer great performance, security and reliability. Whether it is a new wired network or an upgrade to your existing wired network we will work with you to design, plan, install and implement exactly what is required.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
Working out of the office at home or away on business etc. is getting a lot more popular as it is a very cost effective and convenient method to never be away from your data and email. The virtual desktop allows the remote user with internet connection to connect to the office network/home PC via a highly secure tunnel/connection to access their usual data and emails. Acorn Media are very experienced in setting up this type of user and we have given a lot more flexibility to many of our customers enabling them to access their important data in this convenient way.
A variety of VPN firewall router are available for both home and office use from Netgear. Netgear have recently developed a modem firewall/router eliminating the need for separate components and reducing the cost. See featured hardware for more details.
Cabling
Acorn Media offer planning and installation of cabling and network points either CAT5E or CAT6 data cable. We offer very competitive rates and can sometimes reduce costs of additional network points by using switches rather than extensive rerouting of cabling. We are very experienced and efficient in network cabling and can adapt quickly if your IT systems are expanding causing the minimum disruption possible to your business.
Central System Storage and Backup
Even for a very small office one of the main advantages of networking allows central secure data storage and backup of data. For a small office you don’t necessarily need expensive servers and backup facilities. You might only need a specialised external hard disc drive (HDD) (Buffalo are a manufacturer we would recommend) with RAID facilities which essentially means the data is mirrored on 2 drives so if one fails the data is not lost. These external HDD’s allow you to easily perform backups whatever frequency you desire so you know your data is safe and secure. These types of drives can store Giga Bytes of data so large files don’t take up valuable space on your PC.
NAS data storage (Network Attached Storage) is a more expensive option as it stores large amount of data and is setup with its own network address rather than being directly attached to the computer that is serving files to a network user. By using NAS both applications and files can be served faster because they are not competing for the same processor resources. The NAS is attached to a local area network (typically, an Ethernet network) and assigned an IP address. NAS consists of hard disk storage, including multi-disk RAID systems and software for configuring and mapping file locations to network-attached device(s).
A server is an ideal solution for offices with more than 5 PC’s and these are available in various specifications and backup options dependent on your business needs. Data/network security is incorporated into any of these storage facilities.
