SMB Networking Buyers Guide

March 2012
Expert : James E. Gaskin

Ziff Davis Research 2012

All Rights Reserved

Introduction
You know you need computers, and you also know you need them to
connect with each other and the world to be truly useful. Choosing the
needed technologies can be confusing, and choosing the right equipment to
implement those technologies can be mind-numbing.
Our SMB (small to medium-size business) Networking Buyers Guide can
help you start saving time, money and frustration. The guide is designed
to help decision-makers quickly identify their specific needs, a critical step
to take before contacting vendors and comparing product options. The
guide includes a discussion of buyer types, product requirements, cost
considerations and vendor relationship needs for several areas of networking
technology, including:
Physical layer (including cables, switches, and wireless networks)
Routers (wired and wireless)
Internet Service Providers, and other important service providers
Shared storage and peripheral hardware
Server hardware and operating systems
Backup, network management, and client security
For a detailed explanation of these areas, please refer to the Focus
Networking Market Guide.

Table of Contents

1 Essentials

Top products, cost and vendor considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03

2 Top Advice from Other Buyers

Top buying advice directly from buyers like you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05

3 Buying In-Depth

Detailed needs, products, cost and vendor considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06

4 Worksheet

Finding and working with a local support company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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Essentials
The most salient points to consider when beginning the purchase of SMB networking
solution are:
Buy from a reseller who will provide installation, configuration and support.
Find a trusted network adviser, whether that be a local reseller, independent
consultant or service company. Let them help you plan and implement your
network correctly to keep it invisible to your users.
Plan for 100 percent growth. If you need 500GB (gigabytes) of local storage
now, get a shared storage system that provides 1TB (terabyte) to be ahead
of your growth curve. And when buying file storage, buy or upgrade your data
backup system to handle the files being shared and stored.
Think of security first when considering network additions. Thinking of security
after the fact leads to lousy security.

Buyer Types
Understanding our Buyer Types concept will help you quickly ascertain your core
requirements. Focus divides buyers into three categories: Basic, Intermediate and
Advanced. Companies often have basic buying needs in some areas and intermediate
or advanced needs in others.
Basic Buyers look for network products to support a smaller number of users, a lower
amount of network traffic, and a non-complicated network configuration such as one
or two locations to support.
Intermediate Buyers look to support a larger number or users, and applications that
require higher amounts of bandwidth or several locations.
Advanced Buyers look to support a large user base with complicated and high
performance requirements, including multiple locations.

Product Considerations
The more advanced your buying needs, the more likely you will need dedicated
devices to handle a networking task. For instance, a company with basic needs may
be perfectly happy with a router that includes spam filtering and a firewall as part of
the package. Advanced networks may need three separate devices or services to

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accomplish the same job because of higher volume, faster networking speeds, and
complicated configuration requirements. Or your router and firewall may be inside your
office, but your spam filtering is done by a hosted service.

Cost Considerations
As with cars, the faster you want to the more you must pay. Entry level devices, and
those bundling multiple functions into one device can often meet basic networking
requirements. For instance, a company of 10 users may be fine with a single router
that includes wireless networking support, while a company of 100 users will likely
need a separate router and multiple wireless access devices, along with separate
security gear. The faster and more flexible devices cost more.

Vendor Considerations
Smaller businesses rarely if ever deal directly with networking product vendors. Your
contact will almost certainly be with a local reseller able to provide products from
multiple vendors. Since the network products market is stable, there is little vendor
churn. Usually, a company disappears only when acquired. Continued vendor existence
is necessary for products like software and hardware appliances that require firmware
upgrades to maintain security protection. Long term warranties are not a large part of
the network product landscape.

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Top Advice from Other Buyers

Dont forget patch cables behind the servers and switches. When I took over my new job,
I didnt realize the guy before me had used
noncertified wire for all the patch cables. Turns
out they were low-end phone patch cords, not
data patch cords. When the network got a little
bit bigger, the noise in the cheap patch cables
choked the network speed down to nothing.

Mark
N/A, Insurance Company, [response withheld]

Id like to get more information that is less

vendor-specific and more generic that doesnt
support any one vendor. I like to know who
are the players in this or that market. Give me
unbiased information or have some comparison
charts; a proper apples to apples.

Joe
IT Engineer, Manufacturing Company
Currently comparing vendors

We have enough closed system products

that only work well with other boxes with the
same logo. Show me your equipment can play
well with others, because vendor lock-in has
cost me too much money in the past.

Alex
CFO, Temporary Help Staffing Company,
Expansion planned in six months

For me, its not so much marketing material that I look for, its more about the technical
detail. Show me real savings, real work applications, real examples. I cant stand some of the
marketing hype.

Chris
IT Analyst, Agricultural Equipment Company
Expects to purchase a mix from two vendors

I guess the first thing Im looking for when

I speak with a vendor is a high-level review of

how their systems will integrate with ours.

Jonathan
Network Administrator, Pipe Distribution
Plans to purchase within a year

When I first speak to vendors, I like to try to

get an idea of what their services entail including all of the components. Thats the one thing
Ive been having problems with: people specifically identifying all elements of this.

Every vendor has charts and charts of numbers, the famous speeds and feeds. That just
confuses my managers. How about you help
me convince them of the value to the business
of the technology you sell?

Patrick
IT Engineer, Health Care Company
Anticipates purchasing within three months

SMB Networking Buyers Guide

Laura
System Administrator, Restaurant Chain,
Developing budget for new locations

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Buying In-Depth

There are three

primary areas
used to judge
network equipment:

features,
capacity and
management.

Now is the time to drill down through your networking needs in each technical
area to help choose the right products for your situation. As always, there are
no perfect answers but several good ones, plus a few bad choices. The critical
component in your decision process is finding the right products to support your
specific networking needs.
That assumes, of course, you understand your networking goals. This is an area
where a trusted network advisor really earns their fee, or a reseller earns your
business by guiding you to the products you need rather than the ones they
receive an extra commission for pushing out their door. The more you know about
what your network must do, the better network you will build to do it.

Buyer Types and Your Requirements

It is not uncommon for companies to range across several buyer types basic,
intermediate and/or advanced - when looking at all the areas of their network.
Generally, smaller companies with fewer users and less complicated networks fall
into the Basic Buyer range. But a company that has only a dozen employees but
makes constant use of VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) telephones may need
an Intermediate or Advanced router to better handle the throughput volume and
management tools necessary to ensure high quality phone connections along with
high speed data access.
A company of a half-dozen users selling primarily through an e-commerce Web
site will likely need a high-powered application server or three to run their Web
site, inventory, order placement, and shipping applications. A company next door
with a half-dozen users running a day care center will likely be perfectly happy
with a $100 Network Attached Storage device for sharing what few files they
have. Define the task, then choose the tool.

Product Considerations
There are three primary areas used to judge network equipment: features, capacity,
and management. The more features and more capacity, the more expensive. The
more management tools, especially when products can be managed as part of
a larger remote management system, the more expensive. However, the ability
to manage multiple devices through a single management interface saves time

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and provides a better management experience than individually configuring multiple

devices through separate control interfaces.
Judging equipment cost by features alone can be misleading. Networking products
for smaller companies, especially routers, tend to add multiple security and connection
features, often called unified management and, for security utilities, unified threat
management or UTM. Smaller companies tend to search for all-in-one products that
provide routing, wireless, firewall, spam filtering, and other security tools in one box.
Vendors satisfy that desire, but the features dont have the capacity or management
options available on more advanced devices.
You can tell which products are for basic, intermediate, or advanced uses by
examining:
Features: Each vendor has a family of products in all lines of their networking
equipment. Compare the models and see which has the most features (those
are for intermediate and advanced uses). Pick the models with the features
that match your needs and avoid overpaying for features you dont understand
or cant use.
Capacity: Within product families, more capacity will increase for intermediate
and advanced equipment. Switches may have 5, 8, 16, 24, 48, or 96 ports.
Routers may support 10, 25, or 50 VPN (Virtual Private Network) connections
linking remote users to your network. A Network Attached Storage appliance
may hold 500GB, 1TB, or 4TBs of shared data (or more). Choose the capacity
level you need, plus at least 100% for file growth.
Management: All servers, storage units, servers, and backup systems have
some type of management. The better the management interface, and the
more ability for the device to be managed remotely by high end management
consoles, the more advanced the intended use.
Price: The more features, capacity, and management, the more expensive
the item. However, that only works within vendor product families. An
intermediate unit from one vendor may be less expensive than a basic unit that
is equivalent in almost every way. A basic router from one vendor that adds
multiple software licenses to enable features may be less expensive than an
intermediate router that includes those features in the price.
The following lists group common networking products by buyer and use type.
The numbers arent exact, because various products delineate their product lines
differently. Your needs may cross over between groups, such as a small number of

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users with a single location (Basic Buyer) but the need for creating, storing, and
modifying huge data files for video production (Advanced Buyer). Judge each product
in each section to your needs today, with a 100% margin for growth.

Basic Features
Switch: 5, 8, or 12 ports, with simple or no management
Router: 10-25 user capacity, 10 VPN connections, integrated security
functions
Network Attached Storage appliance: 1TB storage or less acting as the
primary shared file storage location
Server Hardware: None, or lightweight server hardware or a repurposed
desktop
Server Software: None, or a Small Business version of the software
Backup System: Separate section of shared storage set aside for backup, or
hosted backup
Management: Free network management tools for occasional troubleshooting
Client Security: Individual software packages for each user

Intermediate Features
Switch: 12, 24, or 48 ports, management utility included
Router: 25-50 user capacity, 25 VPN connections, perhaps one external
security device such as a spam filter or firewall
Network Attached Storage appliance: 2TB-8TB storage, may be managed
Server Hardware: One to four light to medium duty servers with redundant disk
drives
Server Software: Small Business version, or one or two full server versions
Backup System: Disk to disk backup, some type of offsite backup
Management: Server and network management utilities
Client Security: Workgroup editions of client security software suites

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Advanced Features
Switch: 24, 48, or 96 ports, management both locally and remotely
Router: 50-100 user capacity, 25-50 VPN connections, one or more external
security devices, remote management activated and used regularly
Network Attached Storage appliance: 8TB or more with ability to integrate with
storage management utilities and Windows file servers
Server Hardware: Multiple heavy duty servers with redundant disks and power
supplies
Server Software: Full versions, virtualization used to host multiple software
servers on each physical server
Backup System: Separate storage server, organized disaster recovery offsite
backup
Management: Server, client, and network management systems
Client Security: Centrally managed client security suites with extra
management features

Premise-Based Versus Hosted Services

Hosted services of all kinds have been making great market gains, especially in
the small business market. For instance, many businesses, small and large, have
outsourced their e-mail services to hosted providers and can thus avoid paying for and
maintaining physical servers, server software with updates, and the security headaches
of managing a modern e-mail server. Outsourced e-mail make is much easier to use a
Network Attached Storage appliance as your shared file storage device, delaying the
expensive step up to the world of physical servers.
Backup service providers, companies hosting backup storage for companies, have
become a large business market. Using a hosted backup service eliminates the cost
of extra hardware on premises, and offers automatic disaster recovery protection
since the data files are in another location. Some backup providers even make it easy
to share files between remote employees using a synchronization or access service,
reducing the complexity and cost of accessing the company network remotely.
Beyond these areas, however, the majority of your network infrastructure remains
too hardware and location dependent to move to a hosted model. The wires to your
desktop computer must be physically attached to your desktop computer, for instance.
Wires must attach to your switch ports physically, and so one.

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Client security software is moving toward a shared local/hosted model, but the
process is in the developing stages now. Keeping the huge malware database in the
cloud as a hosted service eliminates the need to download huge definition files to
each and every client, saving the software vendors millions of dollars. But each user
will still need locally installed software on each personal computer to protect that
computer.
A new breed of managed service providers now include the cost of some hardware
bundled in their service contracts. More on that later, but the included in management
fee notation will appear in some of the costs considerations in the next section.

Cost Considerations
One reason hosted services have become so popular with small and medium sized
businesses is the lower cost of entry and the avoidance of capital expenditures.
Payment options break down as follows:

Physical Layer Cabling and Infrastructure Additions:

Operating expense, some of which may be covered by landlord when moving
to a new location
One-time expense, usually between $100 to $200 per cable run

Routers and Wireless Routers:

Capital expense for the hardware
Operating expense when hardware included in management fee
One-time expense for small business routers; may need help configuring and
securing the router during installation
Higher end routers will require maintenance contracts and/or software module
updates. Figure 20 percent of the initial cost for ongoing maintenance.
Routers cost between $50 to $200 for small business versions. The next step
up runs between $250 to $500 to purchase

Internet and Network Service Providers:

Operating expense, may be bundled with network management fees
Pay monthly, some offer discounts for prepayment by six- or 12-month period

Shared Storage and Peripheral Hardware:

Capital expense

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Focus not on the

hardware or software
or the proposal,
but on the ways
a system will

improve your
business.

One-time cost; rarely do peripherals require ongoing maintenance or service

(except for printers and especially copiers, which require regular service)
Medium and larger shared storage systems usually require a maintenance
contract

Server Hardware and Operating Systems:

Capital expense
Servers start at $600 or so for beefed up PCs, but run into many thousands
of dollars for specialized servers that can support larger workloads. Operating
systems cost between $500- $2,000 and between $75 - $125 per user with
some versions of Microsoft Windows Server software.
Ongoing maintenance will be a constant, with larger servers supporting more
than a couple dozen users. Its common for medium-size businesses to monthly
pay many hundreds of dollars each to maintain servers and their software
package

Backup Systems:
Capital expense for on-premise hardware
Operating expense for hosted offsite backup providers

Network Management:
Capital expense for purchased software
Operating expense when included in network managed services fee

Client security:
Capital expense for purchased software
Operating expense when included in client managed services fee
The rise of Managed Service Providers (see Vendor Considerations in the next
section) has shifted many capital expenses for hardware to operations expenses. Price
schedules include a negotiated number of dollars per month per managed device and
managed user.

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Vendor/Reseller Considerations
Where SMB networking equipment is concerned, you will often do business not with
the manufacturing vendor, but with a reseller. Resellers (including integrators) typically
represent multiple vendors offerings and sometimes offer added-value services such
as consulting. The advice in this section applies equally to vendors and their resellers.
In many ways, your network is only as good as the group that specified the
components and performed the installation. Rarely do networks get installed by a
single group, so juggling the recommendations of two or more vendors can sometimes
be difficult. Your best bet is to always focus not on the hardware or software on the
proposal, but on the ways a new system will improve your business.

Selection Process
Often, customers call and say things like, I need a faster router. This is a mistake,
because the customer has tried to guess what their problem is and the best way to
fix it. That rarely works. Call in your resellers and outline the business problem to be
corrected and let them recommend the products and services to give you the results
you need.
Every vendor has a sweet spot of services they perform well, and a much larger set of
services they perform adequately. Finding the vendors who perform best on the things
you need for your network takes a bit of investigation.
Check references: Not just the three references at the top of the client reference list,
but check customers who have had similar projects performed. How well a company
installs wireless access points may not matter if you need expanded shared storage
options. Ask for references covering your situation. If vendors have no references in a
specific area you need, keep looking.
Ascertain vendor relationship status: The more business and the more training a
reseller does with a vendor, the higher the expertise level with that vendors products.
Any reseller can claim to be a special partner of a vendor, so check the vendor to see
if they consider that reseller special.
Check for employee certifications in appropriate areas: If you need a new
Windows Server installed, using resellers with technicians who have passed Microsoft
certification courses will increase your odds of success. Apply that thinking to all major
systems.

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Resellers should listen far more than they talk: Those who talk too much tend
to ignore your needs and focus on what they sell most profitably. Resellers who
listen and ask questions give you the best chance of a successful project. You will
likely need to speak to the owner of the reseller, or the technical manager to get the
answers you need, so dont eliminate a reseller because of a poor salesperson.

Implementation Process
Rushed projects become botched projects. Give your trusted network advisor, and the
other partners involved in your project, time to do the job correctly. If you force them to
rush, you will pay in ways both subtle and significant.
Your reseller will work with your schedule, but meet them halfway. If you demand work
be performed after work hours, prepare to pay extra. You may discover a few hours of
downtime for a few employees is much cheaper than installing a new system on the
weekend.
If your project is complicated and requires many steps, ask to see the Project
Management chart being used by the reseller. If they dont have one, keep your own
notes carefully to track what should happen when, and who is responsible.
The single largest cause of projects running way over budget? Changes demanded by
the customer during implementation. Every change you make costs time and money,
so be sure the system being installed has been configured correctly and approved by
everyone involved before starting.

Support Process and Managed Service Providers

Almost all network hardware comes with a one year warranty. Coverage does not
include services, although replacement unit shipping is usually covered. Warranty
coverage the second and subsequent years comes as part of a continuing
maintenance contract. Hardware and software modules will often both require support
contracts.
Many resellers now offer managed network services to support, maintain, and update
network hardware and software. Routers, switches, storage units, and servers are
some of the products now available to be managed remotely. Resellers use various
remote management utilities to monitor equipment, keep up with security and software
patches, and provide the first line of support in case of a problem.

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Word of mouth
remains the
best source

recommendations

MSPs (Managed Service Providers) may include the cost of equipment in their
monthly price, especially for routers and security appliances. Since small and medium
businesses rarely require special features from routers and security appliances, most
are willing to accept any brand of hardware as long as the MSP commits to managing,
supporting, and, when necessary, replacing the units.
Even relatively small local resellers, with the backing of upstream support companies
and their primary vendors, can successfully provide a managed solution. The appeal
to customers is the pricing model: a fee per month for each managed device or end
user. There are no capital expenditure fees involved if the MSP provides hardware.
Even if your company elects to buy the hardware and place it under the control of an
MSP, your network budget will stay the same each month rather than rise when issues
occur. A reliable, predictable network budget line item makes many small businesses
more comfortable than the budget ups and downs when maintaining their own
equipment.

Important Vendor Attributes

Your priorities may vary, but small businesses rate these items as important vendor
attributes:
Vendor reputation
Fair and well-explained pricing levels
Delivering on promises
Product reliability
Product ease of use
Rapid ROI (Return on Investment)
Responsiveness to service outages
Up to date with latest security issues
Certifications from important vendors (for local resellers)
How you rate these items depend on your needs and your past bad experiences. .
Those who have replaced products that failed may feel that product reliability and
vendor reputation top their list. Those who have been disappointed by unfulfilled
promises made by resellers may put dependability at the top. Rate these attributes
according to your needs.

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Word of mouth remains the best source for recommendations. Talk to other
businesses of a size similar to yours and in a similar market. Talk to competitors during
conferences or business networking events about their approaches to solve some
of the problems you have in common. See which resellers and vendors support local
business groups and the Chamber of Commerce. Not every technology reseller pays
attention to those types of business networking, but those who do strive to perform in
order to leverage their success for more business.
The highest praise from a referral is that the product or service in question worked
as advertised, then became invisible after installation. When your users notice the
network, you have a network problem. Develop relationships with local resellers and
the national vendors they represent, as much as possible, before you need support.

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Worksheet

My goal is not to
close your help desk
trouble tickets quickly.
My goal is that you
never call with a
trouble ticket in the
first place.
- Chris, owner of an
MSP in Houston

Finding and working with a local support

company
The world of technology service has split into two philosophies: break/fix and MSP
(Managed Service Provider). All support used to be break/fix because you called for
help when something broke, and they came and fixed it. Now many of those break/
fix companies are becoming MSPs. Currently, about 30 percent of network support
companies can honestly advertise themselves as MSPs. Larger support companies are
almost always primarily MSPs.

Why stick with the break/fix model?

You only pay when something breaks
You have a support company you feel comfortable with, and they only do
break/fix
Your network is fairly simple, local, and rarely changes
You have a tech on staff who can coordinate your break/fix vendors
You can budget for equipment upgrades yourself
Occasional downtime isnt a big problem
Why move to an MSP model?

You prefer a support monthly budget amount that doesnt

change
The service company you trust has moved to the MSP model
Your company needs support in multiple locations for a dynamic network
You dont want to pay for a tech on staff, or you want to augment your staff
Part of the monthly fee goes toward replacing the equipment when time
Downtime must be avoided
The decision boils down to one question: do you want a company to react to your
network and technology failures, or one that proactively works to avoid technology
issues? As MSPs become more adept, both technically and more attuned to your
network, they will identify potential network errors and eliminate them before you
notice.

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16

If my customers
see me because of
a support issue, that
means I havent done
my job.
- Ryan, owner of an
MSP in Boston

More and more providers will move to the MSP model over the next few years
because monthly service contracts smoothes out their revenue streams. But many will
still do break/fix work when required, because they use those same skills in project
work for their customers. Smaller break/fix support groups will always be around, so
your company doesnt have to move to the MSP model.
Finding a support company you trust is just like finding a reseller you trust: check
referrals, experience, certifications, and responsiveness. The better the MSP, the
more involved the discovery process, often called onboarding, as they inventory your
complete network prior to taking over management. Painful as it might seem at first,
if you embrace the discovery process, your MSP will provide you a wealth of best
practices information to improve your network.
Many MSPs, for example, refuse to take on clients that do not have an adequate
and tested file backup and recovery process in place. They cant be held responsible
for lost files if they dont monitor and manage the backup process, so they demand
their customers put these processes in place. This upgrade will only help the many
small businesses that have yet to implement an adequate data backup and recovery
process.
Smaller companies will likely stay with their break/fix provider because they feel that
approach is more cost effective for them. Larger companies often find the predictable
budget impact, and proactive support and maintenance, make an MSP the best
support option.

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