The parameters of network design are chiefly determined by the constraints and requirements of a business. Part 1 will cover the Constraints of Network Design.

Constraints of Network Design

The constraints of a network design are existing factors that cannot be changed, greatly influencing architecture and functional requirements. Such constraints have a significant impact on network design and cannot be ignored. The following are the most common design constraints that a network designer must address.

Cost

Cost is a limiting factor that must be constantly under consideration throughout the design process.

Experience and Expense of Staff

To rapidly adapt to new technology, a company may choose to hire technical employees who are experienced in that field but that will be more expensive. Increased operational costs for retaining expertise may surpass the benefits from the decreased TCO (total cost of ownership) that would be derived from the new technology.

Expertise of Staff

The most ideal, efficient, and cost-saving network design with the latest technology may be proposed by the network design team. Unfortunately, the existing staff may not have the experience and knowledge for the implementation and maintenance of this new technology.

Infrastructure Equipment

In instances where an organization has not planned the replacement of legacy network devices, the situation can lead to severe limitations on network design. This becomes quite clear when new protocols and features cannot be supported.

Location

A difficult type of constraint, location involves limitations that have an indirect effect on design. To illustrate, a rural site might be in a region where fiber infrastructure does not exist and wireless is the only connectivity.

Staff Training

Due to the lack of experience of technical staff in a newer technology, problems may take longer to detect and repair until they receive adequate training. This will result in longer downtimes that can render a data center nonfunctional, resulting in loss of revenue and reputation.

Time

When selecting an architecture or technology, time may become a constraint because the period of implementation must fit a time frame that meets the project’s deadlines.

Part 2 will cover the Requirements of Network Design.

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