Cost $1495.00

Highlights

• Provides baseline of network state for smart decision-making about planned modifications or new technologies
• Provides warning to help avoid network crises
• Addresses network performance and availability issues
• Establishes the direction for planning a network that supports future business and technology requirements
• Uncovers topology, hardware, software and procedures previously hidden
• Provides facts for technical and executive decision making

Service Overview & Objectives
ELM Network Assessment provides companies with operational, tactical, and strategic reviews of their current network environment. Using our structured Lifecycle Methodology we define the critical business and end-user requirements; gather network metrics and statistics; map the network topology; and provide you with a comprehensive report.

Client Benefits
A network assessment is essential in maintaining a healthy network environment. It provides the accurate information you need to make smart decisions about planned modifications or new technologies. It helps avoid surprises and helps provide early warning to so many hidden problems and issues lurking on the horizon. Most importantly, it provides you with a map and baseline from which to work. In addition, you can use the assessment report and consultation with our consultants to develop contingency plans for network weaknesses and vulnerabilities such as sudden bandwidth requirements. A network assessment should be performed on an annual basis or more frequently if events warrant it. The analysis is also helpful to spot trends, to plan and implement short-term preventive maintenance as well as long-term strategic action.

Typical Situations For An Assessment

• Network life event (merger/acquisition, relocation, migration, technology addition)
• Network expansion or modification
• Performance and reliability problems with applications, frame relay, routers or LAN/WAN
• e-business application implementation
• Bandwidth capacity planning for both applications and network transport
• Desire to decrease overall network cost
• Evaluating ASP, ISP or MSP options
• Need for independent validation of current infrastructure or future plans

Typical Scope of Assessment Services

• Interview IT and business managers and document business and user requirements
• Measure and document network performance and functionality
• Identify critical applications and vital data impacting the network
• Map network topology including protocols and logical drawing
• Analyze traffic pattern including utilization and throughput statistics
• Take inventory of network hardware, software, and skills
• Check routers and switch codes, logs, device errors, CPU and memory utilization

Deliverables
In our initial meeting we will work with you to co-develop the "Statement of Work" (SOW). The SOW articulates what the project deliverables are and also affirms that we have a clear understanding of what your expectations are.

Examples of deliverables are:

• Statement of Network Requirements documented to provide a road map for operational success
• Network discovery including: Topology map, local traffic pattern analysis, component level inventory, and router/switch assessment
• "State of Network Assessment Report" documenting our findings, identifying the gaps between actual design and user/business requirements and our recommendations
• Reports about network strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities
• Strategies to improve performance, reliability, availability and security
• An assessment of your overall networking capabilities which takes into consideration technology maturity, IT people skills, training, and IT processes
• Review of network design including topology, IP addressing, routing, security, physical/logical redundancy, and load balancing
• Identification of opportunities for network consolidation, simplification and cost reduction

Methodology
The ELM Network Assessment consists of four distinct phases:

Define - Definition of the business and user requirements for the network.
Discover - Discovery of devices on the network. An ELM engineer will gather high-level/global and protocol-specific statistics on the network.
Analyze - In the analysis phase a comparison of the network design to the business and user requirements is made. The result is a list of deltas.
Recommend - Working with the needs and problems identified in the analyze phase, our consultants focus on those that require prompt attention and have a significant impact on the network and the business. The recommendations are made by experienced consultants. The recommendations are influenced by timeliness, ability to manage technology, cost, and future plans prior to Start of Session