Wint Enterprises, Inc. takes pride in the holistic approach taken to show commitment to understanding the client’s business and user requirements. The Network Assessment identifies gaps between business and user requirements and the current network design.
Additionally, it identifies issues with the processes, procedures and support that directly impact the stability and reliability of the network.
The four areas include:

• Defining the business and user requirements
• Network discovery
• Business/User requirements vs. network design analysis
• Findings analysis and expert recommendations

Defining the Business and User Requirements

In order for Wint Enterprises, Inc. to provide the customer with a proper assessment of their network, it is necessary to conduct interviews with key personnel to gather the current business and user requirements.
• A Wint Enterprises, Inc. engineer will interview functional area personnel to obtain their uses and dependencies on the network. This will include any issues or shortcomings for an area as it relates to performance or needs.
• A Wint Enterprises, Inc. engineer will obtain the status of any active or planned network migrations to better understand how they relate to the current business or user requirements.
• A Wint Enterprises, Inc. engineer will interview the IT support staff to assess their understanding of end user requirements as well as their capabilities for supporting these requirements.
• A Wint Enterprises, Inc. engineer will identify critical applications that directly impact the client’s business.

Network Discovery

A Wint Enterprises, Inc. engineer will gather detailed information consisting of pertinent protocol statistics about the existing network. This phase will provide the customer with a topology map of the network. The following are specifics of the process:

Topology Map
• The network protocols running on the LAN/WAN
• Logical drawing
• Subnets

Local Traffic Pattern Analysis
• Network utilization statistics
• Throughput
• Top talkers
• Type of information transmitted on the LAN/WAN

Component Level Inventory
• Device list
• IP address in use
• Node types

Router and Switch Analysis
• Code checks
• Logs
• Device errors
• CPU utilization
• Memory utilization

Business/User Requirements vs. Network Design Analysis

This phase is unique to Wint Enterprises, Inc.. We believe in a holistic approach to working with the client. Not only will Wint Enterprises, Inc. tell the client what their existing network looks like, Wint Enterprises, Inc. will compare it to what the network should look like in order to meet the client’s needs. Wint Enterprises, Inc. does this by comparing the information gathered during the first phase, with the information collected during the second phase. The Wint Enterprises, Inc. engineer will make recommendations for performance and/or reliability improvements to address any gaps between the network design and business/user requirements. This includes:

• Documentation and Process Assessment
• Escalation procedures
• Standard operating procedures
• Service level agreements
• Review disaster recovery and implementation plans
• Backup procedures

• Network Configurations
• Router configurations
• Switch configurations
• Cable plant assessment
• Labeling scheme of network equipment

• Node Management
• Address whether the tools being used meet the needs of the business
• Address whether the network staff has been properly trained on the use of the management tools

• Design Review
• Network topology
• IP addressing scheme
• Security strategies
• Routing strategies
• Review of physical redundancy
• Network
• Carrier
• Server
• Power
• Review of logical redundancy
• Hot standby router protocol (HSRP)
• Virtual redundant router protocol (VRRP)
• Network card load balancing

• Training
• Review of demonstrated staffing skill levels
• Review of training plan for IT staffing

• Future Requirements
• Review the corporate strategic plan
• Identify opportunities for network consolidation
• Identify opportunities for new technologies

4. Findings Analysis and Expert Recommendations

During this phase, Wint Enterprises, Inc.’s experts provide recommendations for any identified networking issues that impact the performance or functionality of the current design. Fusion Solution

Consultants will compare the data collected against the business and user requirements using current industry standards and best practices.