Network Management | Software Development - Kapstone Solutions Limited

...All successful businesses have long-term contingencies and goals."

The business drivers within your organisation need to be tightly integrated with IT deliverables. The Network Strategy Analysis service examines the following areas: "Where are we currently?" - an assessment of the current situation and existing infrastructure taking into account business drivers, goals, and objectives "Where do we need to be?" - identification of current areas of concern and their implications to the business "Where do we want to be?" - identify and define future requirements in support of the corporate vision Network Strategy Roadmap - development of an execution plan to map out the progression of the infrastructure based on the areas of concern, their rectification, and all future requirements The real challenge lies in identifying the current build of the network and prescribing a feasible contingency plan to achieve your business goals. This is where the Kapnet service can help. Our highly experienced consultants can help facilitate and translate business requirements into IT deliverables and document a strategy to acheive business objectives. Our Network Strategy Analysis service is split into three distinct phases:

Phase I: Discovery
Phase II: Requirements
Phase III: Delivery

Phase I

Kapnet consultant(s) will work closely with the client to identify the business objectives that will drive changes to the network. This is crucial. Even with a fully documented network and a baseline of its performance, this information needs to be used in the context of your business requirements - "Translating technical detail into business deliverables". This process will address the following areas: What are the business essentials that drive or constrain your network? What policies, procedures or applications are to be deployed by business and IT groups in the future? What is the users current perception of network performance? Aligned with the business goals are areas of technical investigation: How are you currently meeting your business requirements for accessibility, availability, security and service response times? How do you measure and monitor network performance in order to meet set targets? Phase One produces, a Gap Analysis which highlights areas of concern and required actions (e.g. Network Traffic Profile, Network Design Review).

Phase II

Rationalisation of Gap Analysis findings in conjunction with the client and production of a Strategic Network Roadmap based on business objectives and deliverables.

Phase III

Definition, delivery and implementation of required services defined in the Strategic Network Roadmap. A selection of typical areas for the application of Kapnet's Network Strategy Analysis service are:

An implementation plan for an end-to-end switched/routed network.
An implementation plan for an enterprise management solution.
An implementation plan for migration of technology (e.g. restructuring the routed network, installing a completely new network, installing enhancements to the existing network).
An implementation plan to enhance current network management procedures.
A five-year network plan.

"…are you experiencing issues with poor network performance?" "…has your network infrastructure grown in an uncontrolled manner?" "…are you confident you understand one of your most valuable assets — the network, well enough to guarantee service delivery?"

Due to the fast pace of growth in most enterprise environments and the demands placed on support staff, organisations can all too quickly find themselves losing a clear picture of the environment they support. Decisions can be made without a full understanding of the “big picture”. Immediate operational requirements can cause organisations to lose site of the direction in which the network environment is progressing. Kapstone’s Network Audit service offering can hand back the control to support operations by giving a clear picture of the environments that they support. Experienced consultants will spend time detailing every aspect of your environment from the physical infrastructure and cabling, through to network traffic analysis and trending. Kapstone’s Network Audit, coupled with it’s documentation service delivers a clear and accurate understanding of an organisation's network enabling dynamic support of the business. Kapstone Audit Consultants will endeavour to advise on the best working practices to help maintain Network Documentation in accordance with your organisations existing procedures. The audit is designed to provide local network support staff with the information they require to carry out their job in a professional and confident manner, and also protect your organisation against staff movement.

Process

Audit

Experienced consultants will spend time detailing the entire environment, including individual device configurations, through a process of detailed technical investigations and interviews. Kapstone will extract all locally held knowledge and bring together all areas of your environment in order to deliver a complete picture of the network infrastructure.

Consolidation

Kapstone will take the information gathered from the audit phase and use its expertise to fully understand the client environment. From this consolidation phase recommendations can be made relating to the status of the network, remedial efforts required and general support of the client infrastructure.

Documentation

A clear and concise documentation set is then produced detailing the entire network infrastructure and recommendations of the Kapstone audit team based on best working practices. This gives the client a valuable information base to enhance the support of its business and build the foundations for a resilient infrastructure. Based on this information Kapstone can advise on a change management strategy to update, apply, and develop the information base

Features

Detailed technical Investigations and Interviews.
Consolidation and Brain Storming.
Full Technical commentary.
Network Infrastructure Diagrammatic representation (Physical & Logical).
Network Topology and addressing details.
Network Device Configurations.
Detailed Protocol & Traffic Analysis.
Network Service Analysis (i.e. Server connectivity and application performance).
Network related working practices including change management procedures.
Network Security and Management.
Existing network maintenance arrangements.
Identification of issues/points of concern based on the organisation's objectives, best working practices, and Kapstone's extensive network experience.

Benefits

An accurate audit by experienced consultants.
Intellectual investment in your own network infrastructure in a format that can be easily maintained and transferred.
Recommendations based on organisational objectives and industry best working practices.
Clear understanding of your entire network infrastructure.
Baseline from which to move forward

Consulting Servies
We specialise in the development of high quality custom software to suit your exact needs. Listed below is our most recent projects. For a complete listing of all our project, please contact a business development representative.

Network Development

Problem

Installing a new copper and fibre structured cabling system (SCS) across different buildings for a major client.

Solution

Kapstone worked closely with the client to assess her technical, engineering and structural requirements. We did this by firstly trying hard to overcome installation difficulties, while at the same time understanding and compling with the organisation's working practises. Our programme included the installation of a new cabling system, and the removal of the old one, around employees with minimum disruption.

Success

Today our client's organisation is completely re-cabled and capable of running Gigabit Ethernet by single and multi mode fibre.

"…are you concerned by your current network infrastructure’s performance limitations and ever-increasing operational demands?" "…does your organisation have major expansion and integration requirements?" "…does your current infrastructure exhibit supportability issues due to obsolescent equipment and legacy technology?"

Kapstone offers a network design service that draws on the extensive experience within the company to provide innovative solutions across a wide range of scenarios:

Network Expansion and Integration
“Green-Field” Sites
Modernisation
Design Evaluations and Reviews
Business Continuation & Resilience

Kapnet realise that the skill sets required to produce market leading solutions, and fully understand the technologies being implemented, are expensive to maintain in-house and extremely difficult to find. Kapnet’s reputation in this arena is second to none and, as an organization, we invest heavily in making sure our design consultants remain at the top of their industry. By employing the Kapnet Design Services you are not only ensuring quality throughout the project lifecycle but also technical excellence. Kapnet provide unbiased advice as to product placement and aim to provide clients with the best solution available on the market today. Kapnet are not tied to any vendor and therefore make impartial assessments of vendor technologies based on the extensive experience all of our design consultants maintain.

Process
Kapnet provide a phased and structured approach to all network design solutions:

Information Gathering - detailed investigations into the aims and objectives of the project, both from a technical and business perspective. Includes detailed technical investigation into any current infrastructure (if applicable)
High Level Design - production of high level designs to meet all client objectives and will be based on the information gathered in the previous stage. In the simplest of cases, this can be a single proven design structure or multiple designs with various technical, commercial, and logistical advantages and disadvantages for the more complicated scenarios. Designs include full technical commentary and jargon-free, business driven reasoning
Design Approval and Consolidation - The high level designs are submitted to the client for review, detailing all constraints, benefits and potential issues. Upon approval a project plan can be formulated and product selection can be made
Detailed Design - producing comprehensive design specifications and configurations for the successful implementation of the network infrastructure. This includes a work breakdown structure to look at complicated tasks and structuring this in a manageable format detailing the skill level required for each task and taking into account any operational constraints
Testing / Proof of concept - Upon agreement of the detailed design Kapnet can provide comprehensive testing facilities and testing plans to fully demonstrate the design solution prior to any implementation. Hence, this significantly reduces the risk to your organisation

Features

Structured and managed approach
Business requirements driven to provide the solutions that are best for your organisation
Industry-leading consultants
Innovative and cost-effective solutions
Testing facilities

Benefits

Technical Excellence throughout all phases of the design process
Technical commentary in a jargon-free manner
Risk Analysis and risk reduction
Vendor impartiality
Standards based, fully supportable environments

"…does the inability to coordinate IT efforts in the seamless integration of new applications worry you?" "…are you considering moving your application to an Application Service Provider and concerned about service-level guarantees for application response time?" "…are you utilising a service provider and concerned with quality of service for your current applications?"

Effect analysis before Disaster Recovery. If you are facing any of these challenges, Kapnet's Application modelling service can provide you with the information that you require to make balanced and informed decisions based on application impact and performance. Application Modelling for Network impact can provide you with critical information in two areas:

How the application will impact the network>
How the network will impact the application
By modelling the effects of the application on the current infrastructure, Kapnet can highlight:
Potential issues and design flaws
Bottlenecks in the network
Performance degradation
Achievable service level agreements
Required network performance to meet business imperatives