The most difficult part of selecting a brand of hardware could be the lack of familiarity among the options. This is why selecting an IT networking hardware vendor can be like buying a used car in a foreign country. When presented with several choices, our initial reaction is to go with the cheapest option. However, this is not always the best choice, as there are several important factors to consider when making smart purchases.
When choosing network hardware, service and repair warranties serve an important role. For example, how far will technicians travel to service your network on-site? What services are included, and what costs extra? Once you’ve made your choice of hardware, what can you expect in terms of ongoing support and upgrade options? Before going ahead with the purchase, have a clear understanding of the terms for these sorts of services and how they relate to your network and location.
Many of the bigger hardware vendors set their pricing structure with future purchases in mind. Often, a customer will be able to get discounts on the initial sale if the seller expects that the account will generate future sales as well. It’s a good idea to express your long-term technology goals to the vendor for this reason.
There are some important factors to consider after you’ve selected the right hardware vendor:
Switches: This is what you’ll be plugging the cables into, the ’spinal cord’ of the whole network. It’s common for networks to contain both fiber optic and copper cable; in this case, the switch will need to accommodate both. Otherwise, choosing the right switch for your office will depend on the traffic you’ll be accommodating and the media type used.
Devices: Your choice of devices should be based on performance expectations and network compatibility. Will the firmware be upgradeable? Will you use regular computers, or thin client terminals? What about articulated arms in the exam rooms? It’s important to reach agreements about device configurations, whether server, printer, or laptop. In fact, physicians should always check before making a computer purchase, to be sure that the device they want will function well on the network. By examining the network on a regular basis, the entire system can be kept in sync and up to date with current changes in technology. This system of updated improvements will help you attain maximum performance results while streamlining your technical needs.
Servers: Keep redundancy in mind when selecting a server. Will one machine cover the power of another that fails? If the hard drive crashes, will an array of RAID drives pick up the slack? How many processors are there, and how much RAM? Select a backup tape drive that is large enough to store all your data yet speedy enough to back everything up overnight. What about the physical setup of the network equipment? Maybe a custom rack or secure housing unit should keep the servers safe, particularly if there is a series of servers as in many EMR system set-ups.
Peter J. Polack, M.D., F.A.C.S., is founder of emedikon, a medical practice management consulting firm and president of Protodrone, a software development company specializing in medical practice applications.
By the way, do you want to learn more about implementing EMR in your own practice? Download my free report “Getting Through The EMR Maze.”
Click here for the free EMR report
Author: Peter J. Polack
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital pipeline
- voluneet to make a change
- Eliminate Digital Divide for Panamanian Villagers
- Flexseg Personal Local Solar Transportation System
Related Posts -
Hardware Maintenance - Independent Multi-Platform Provider vs Original Equipment Manufacturer-Vendor The days of all your business applications being based on a single mid-range or mainframe system are past. Today, few organisations are single-vendor shops, having acquired systems to meet specific purposes from several sources, as well as running key applications and file-serving on Intel-based servers.Given that you now operate a...... - Wireless Networking A wireless network is a communication facility that uses radio as their carrier or physical layer. The basic network consists of multiple stations communicating in a frequency range of 2.4GHz and 4.9GHz. Wireless networking is the state-of-art technology and an alternative to such networks which is hard wired by......
- Computer Repair in Washington DC Washington DC also known as Washington, the district is the capital city of United States of America. This city was earlier a separate municipality in the District of Columbia. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is surrounded by the sates of Maryland......
- OSI Layers Model IntroductionDuring the early years of our modern computer era, very few standards and protocols existed between various manufacturers. However, as time went on and computer technology continued to improve and become more widespread, it became apparent that standards would be necessary to ensure compatibility. This was especially true with......
- Managing Your VoIP Rollout For mid-size to large companies, implementing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) for their telephone service can be a tremendous benefit. You know that using VoIP can potentially save your company money, especially if you make many domestic long distance calls or international calls. And, while it all sounds exciting,......
Related Websites -
Home Network Security [/caption] Home Computer security 1. What is computer security? Computer security is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of your computer. Prevention measures help you to stop unauthorized users (also known as "intruders") from accessing any part of your computer system. Detection helps you to determine whether or...... -
job jumper tip #2: be a discriminating networker If you read "how to land your dream job" articles, you'll always hear people touting the benefits of networking. I think too many people see the word "network" and think "I have to stay in touch with every single person I have ever known for the rest of my...... -
Mobile Games and Technologies Federico Elinger, owner of Pocketsol Games, wrote this exclusive article for us. Pocketsol Games creates high quality mobile games for the mobile phone based java platform (J2ME). The development studio is in Argentina where fun and addictive games are created for most of the actual mobile phones. Mobile Games and...... -
Healthy Pregnancy Tips for Expecting Mothers Congratulations on your pregnancy! Now that you are aware of the fact that you are expecting a baby, you are going to find yourself being shouldered with the truly vital task of making sure that both you and your baby are healthy for the next nine months. This may sound...... - Excuses, Obstacles, Rewards If you are in business, your mission includes reaching out to prospects that have a need you can fill. If you want to keep the doors to your business open, you can’t hide under a rock or in a cave and expect prospects to beat a path to your secret......
Related posts:
- Hardware – A Look at the Issues
- Why Should You Consult a Professional Locksmith when Selecting or Installing Security Hardware?
- Windows Vista – Hardware Compatibility Issues
- Hardware Maintenance – Independent Multi-Platform Provider vs Original Equipment Manufacturer-Vendor
- Selecting the Right POS Software and Hardware for Your Business
