Gen Wright asked:


Installing the network

Network installation requires a lot of planning. Some measures to consider include the requirements and ensuring things like business growth and technology growth are taken into consideration as this will ensure that the new infrastructure will support the business now as well as in the future and ensure that it is adaptable to any new technology development.

To kick-start the process, below is a list of things that need to be assessed:

1. Usage requirements – (user access (individual/shared computer)) as well as whether remote network access will be required via VPN.

2. User input – different users will have different needs for the system, so try to incorporate them into the network plan, determining any additional costs that will be incurred as well as additional implementation time.

3. Future Planning – the direction of the business for the future (maybe in 3-5 years time), factors that will affect the network needs (e.g. more staff, remote working, software installations) to ensure a cost effective and useful network implementation.

4. Network Management ? A defined network means hiring a network manager. Availability of internal resources to maintain the network will determine if an external IT support company is required. If required then try incorporating remote network administration tools so that most problems are solved quicker remotely, reducing system downtime.

5. Security Issues ? Build security features into the network, including firewalls, password & virus protection as well as data encryption techniques.

Other things to consider include information management including standardized naming conventions for files and folders stored on the server as well as definition of rules for creating new files and folders. Staff training programs can also be developed to ensure that all staff are making full use of the network and its time saving, productivity enhancing features.

Pre-Installation ? Network Checklist

The main things to consider when a new network installation or upgrade is being considered is to Plan, Plan and Plan some more. I can’t stress how important the planning aspect is. Planning will help you to answer major questions looking at the number of people using the network (local/on-site/remote), the number of computers connecting to the network, etc.

It will also allow you to determine network hardware requirements, looking at network supports and availability of network points to connect additional devices (e.g. printers). It will then help you determine which type of network topology to use and if the workstations can support this. Another important aspect of planning is security features and contingency such as back-up measures in case of network failure.

Finally, network support services will also need to be considered to ensure that the users of the network have some form of technical support contact and receive training in how to use the services on the network. Planning can also help reduce system downtime and network crashes, to ensure a smooth transition into a networked environment with minimal disruption to the workforce.



network management protocols

Gen Wright asked:


PC Inventory Advisor 3.2 – more than expected.

After almost half a year without major upgrades, the whole ClearApps team welcome our valued clients and visitors with a new version of PC Inventory Advisor, our premium network inventory solution for small, medium and large networks. One of the key features that we invested most of our time in when preparing this release was stability and control.

Most of the features which we added were requested directly or inspired by you. And we truly hope you’ll love the new update, and send in even more usage scenarios so we can adapt PC Inventory Advisor to your IT environments and client networks. If you are interested in our future roadmap or have other questions, please, feel free to contact us any time.

What’s hot in PC Inventory Advisor 3.2?

First of all we concentrated on the following top new features:

#1 Tabular reports

Flexible Network Inventory: Custom Tabular Reports

Now you can easily select which data fields you are interested in, and compile your own network inventory reports adding target nodes dynamically. So, with tabular reporting, you will get a flexible dataset collected from the nodes of your interest. It works like the following: first, you select the nodes you would like to see on the list; secondly, you build a list of parameters you are interested in, you can choose among more than 40 software, hardware and other inventory data fields; sort the list; and go!

Pre-defined reports are still in place for fast 1-click inventory reporting. Probably, one of the next updates will feature creating your own pre-defined reports for future references and automation needs.

You probably noticed the new office address, and phone number, please, update your records accordingly, so we still stay in touch and provide only the highest level of services.

#2 Licenses compliance audit

Since version 3.2 ‘All software’? tab in your network summary is also your single place to keep tabs on all the software installed in your network and also monitor the number of licenses you have for each title.

PC Inventory: Software Licenses Compliance Audit

PC Inventory Advisor will automatically calculate licenses shortage or notify you when if not all licenses are used. Additionally we added sorting to this list, so whenever you get the new network summary with PC Inventory Advisor, it’s more convenient and much easier to analyze software usage in your network.

#3

Among the rest of new features, I would like to highlight the fact that we fixed more than 100 glitches in reporting and inventory modules, invested hundreds of hours in core stability and also concentrated on the following:

* sorting of reports on network software and tabular reports

* improved CSV export

* resizable scanning dialog

* new pre-defined report Inventory by brand

* highlighting the nodes with new reports available

* new export format selection

* better detection of currently logged on users

* separated scanning for domain users, so you no longer see hundreds of users in your asset report

* enhanced troubleshooting

* RMB-menu in reports

* enhanced pre-configuration window

* support of Macs in custom and pre-defined reports

* categorization of reports on Windows assets, so you can select which data should be collected, and which can be omitted

* refreshed Reports tab and intro

* your top feature requests

You can download the latest PC Inventory Advisor right away! If your automatic update notification hasn’t arrived for any reason.

Plus we refreshed our website. Talk to you soon. And thanks for staying with ClearApps!

Buzz generated

“Network Inventory Advisor provides scalable and cost-effective solution allowing us to manage and audit our network easily.”

Jeff Blume, RFMD

“We liked smart scan, it’s a one-click way to company-wide network inventory. We audited all hardware and software on our 500+ nodes network in no more than 5 minutes.”

Amit Klain, Asus Taiwan

“This is what makes paperwork useless! I used Excel for inventory before, but this is just a convertor to 1-button 1-click mode!”

Ben Homa, Copper

“Alternatives? No way! PC Inventory Advisor is our favorite soft for network management since now on, we got the Service Provider license, so all our admins use one package and central data repository”

John Chen, Siguard

“We were impressed with the number of computers we could inventory simultaneously. We had 250 or more PCs in our LAN and PC Inventory Advisor was extremely responsive.”

Cristian Pots, Euro PR Network



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