Wireless Network Design: The Fundamentals of Wireless Site Surveys

When building your wireless network, you can eliminate many potential problems by conducting a Wireless Site Survey.

To configure your wireless network with the best possible capacity and coverage, you need to have an understanding of the radio frequency on the site and the best way to get it is through a survey on the wireless site.

The site survey can uncover areas with channel interference and detect dead areas on the roof, helping you avoid problems for end-users in advance.

This type of analysis will determine the feasibility of building a wireless network for the company, hospital or school and will provide answers to questions such as the location of the access points and the path of the cables.

Conducting a survey on the wireless site is the backbone to determine the amount of equipment needed, the best location for this equipment and the best installation techniques to install this equipment based on your unique environment.

To get the most out of your wireless network design, you need to understand the fundamentals of proper Networking  Site Survey.

Performance planning

Access points WLAN access points can be placed almost anywhere, but there is a science behind where to place them to avoid interference and overlaps.

Too much is not only a waste of money but actually disastrous for your network. So while adding access points may seem to result in better coverage, this is not necessarily the case.

If you share your location with other companies or occupy a building with several offices, each containing its own network and equipment, the survey allows you to see where your APs should go to avoid any interference, thus hindering your network and theirs. 

Channel interference: Channel interference is problematic for your wireless network and is caused by many contributing factors.

Whether it's the microwave in your kitchen, the amount of body in your building or even the location of the access points, many factors can affect the performance of the wifi on the site.

The best way to avoid channel interference is to conduct a survey on the wireless site to understand the current situation, thus having the opportunity to design the best possible wireless network for optimal network capacity and coverage.

Different types of surveys on the site

There are different types of surveys on the site and it is important to understand what the differences are so that you can get the most out of your design.

A passive survey on the site listens to current access points inside and outside the physical environment or building. This type of test listens to things like signal strength, interference, and coverage.

An active survey on the site physically connects to the access points via a wifi adapter for the survey. With an active survey on the site, more detailed information can be obtained and is commonly used for new projects and implementations.

A predictive site the survey is performed without ever accessing the site, but rather using software to establish the appropriate design.

A plant (with building materials) is needed for this type of investigation and is often used when the building is not completely built or network engineers cannot actually be on site.

This means that if your company is located in California, North Carolina network engineers can perform a very accurate analysis of your current or future network at a much lower Wireless Site Survey Cost. They can then conduct an on-site survey to validate their previous predictive tests.

Whichever wireless the survey you choose, they all help provide valuable information to understand the specific environment before implementing or optimizing the wireless network.

Just like you wouldn't build a house without designs and plans, we recommend the same when building your wireless network.

What are the advantages of MSP or NOC outsourcing?

Be an IT champion for your customers by using an external assistant that gives you the power to increase your business.

As a managed service provider, you aim to be an IT champion for your customers, covering all their needs and providing first-rate support and all within a certain budget. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. Helping all your customers' needs can be overwhelming, overwhelming and expensive, which is a good reason why many MSPs seek outside help. Each champion needs a partner and Outsourced NOC Support Services can give you the opportunity to grow your business and become an MSP leader.

Nearly a third of SMEs today choose an IT-managed service provider to manage and maintain Internet technology services and secure data storage. Unless you are the owner or experienced operator of a technology company, you probably don't have all the knowledge and skills needed to supervise this area of business yourself. Previously, many small and medium-sized enterprises employed one or more qualified IT staff to manage their problems and support needs.

However, it has become much more convenient, efficient and profitable for these companies to hire the services of a reputable IT service provider who can offer complete NOC monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The business simply cannot operate at optimal levels of quality and efficiency in the advanced business arena without updated and high quality IT services.

Assistance after hours

These days, IT management has become a business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, thanks to international activities and fundamental customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, your staff needs rest. A crisis can literally happen at any moment, but finding internal technicians who are willing to sacrifice all their nights, weekends and holidays is almost impossible and not to say expensive. With a NOC MSP or White Label, you may have a dedicated team of technicians or support staff, who act as an extension of your team, working 24 hours a day and proactively solving the problems that can arise ensuring that you keep the customer satisfied while the house staff is committed to generating new sources of income.

Ask An Msp Expert

Q: My managed services business is at a time when we need more technicians to focus on resolving support tickets and providing technical support. I am arguing between hiring a level 1 help desk agent or outsourcing to a NOC and a help desk company. What are the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing my NOC and Help Desk services?

Many managed service providers (MSPs) often face this problem. The Network Operations Center (NOC) and helpdesks can be the bread and butter of an MSP service offering. Support services, in particular, can play a key role in building customer loyalty. A good experience with a help desk can strengthen the relationship with the customer, which translates into greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

However, hiring additional technicians to fill the NOC and help desk roles can be difficult. Aside from the cost of capital that adds up to PSM's business, which impacts cash can flow, these roles can be difficult to take on. The ideal candidate must be able to play a level 1 support role and be technically competent, but also have excellent customer service skills and the ability to manage customer frustrations in a friendly, and useful way.

Is It Time To Outsource Your NOC and Helpdesk?

Before moving on to outsourcing NOC services and help desk, here are some things to consider:

How many of your customers are subscribers or will sign up for NOC and Help Desk services?

One of the main considerations you should keep in mind is whether you can bear the cost of hiring multiple technicians while still being profitable. If you have multiple customers who subscribe to these services and the cost of hiring technicians can be covered, you may want to keep the service internally, as you will have greater control over quality.

However, if you have just started offering these services or if you have used your existing technicians to fill this role while working on other strategic projects at the same time, you will find that hiring new technicians is expensive. In addition to the actual cost, there are also ancillary costs associated with a new rental. Ancillary costs include benefits and insurance, training on the tools used and general expenses such as IT equipment, mileage, etc. Together, these costs can represent a significant increase compared to what is expected to invest in this new position.

Costs are also set when outsourcing the NOC and Help Desk services. Most of the Outsourced NOC and Helpdesk Services companies have a configuration or integration cost higher than the standard cost per device and technical support per customer. It's easy to calculate the total cost for your business of offering these services and the desired margin you want to earn before sending quotes to customers.

If you are using a remote management and monitoring (RMM) tool, your RMM provider should be able to offer a recommendation as they often provide these services or work with some who are familiar with their tools.

What is your growth strategy?

As an MSP, it is important to have a strategy and plan to grow your business. You could focus on cybersecurity, digital transformation or a specific vertical. Having a dedicated internal NOC and helpdesk could be an essential part of this strategy.

As you accelerate to execute your strategy, starting with an Outsourced IT Helpdesk can offer you flexibility. By leveraging the capabilities and skills of the outsourced NOC and Help Desk services, you can first create the customer base before committing to creating your own service. In some cases, MSPs have found that the outsourced company NOC and Help Desk have become a true partner in providing this service.

Perhaps the most important consideration is how you want to customize the NOC and support services. A full team is needed to ensure adequate coverage for sick days and holidays. Having a Helpdesk Outsourcing Companies guarantees coverage according to the agreed SLA, without human resources problems.

Outsourcing the NOC and support services offers numerous benefits, but it is important to link it to business needs and growth strategy. If you choose to outsource, be sure to talk to your existing technology vendors and see what they offer. It is almost always better to work with existing suppliers than to start over from scratch to establish a new relationship.

What is SD-WAN & What are the Types of SD-WAN?

Now a days SD WAN explained as the greatest trend for all enterprise networking. Organizations of all sizes are looking toward this cutting edge WAN innovation as the best option in contrast to heritage systems to associate distant to assets facilitated in the server farm and the cloud. Numerous investigators and research firms anticipate that the market should venture into the billions throughout the following couple of years.

Pulled in by the potential, merchants from all strolls are swimming in Start-ups, telcos, and edge-switch suppliers are each offering an alternate interpretation of the essential thought. Understanding the center contrasts is vital. Regardless of whether you're a moderate-sized business or a worldwide venture, the accompanying data should help figure out which SDWAN is directly for you.

What is SD WAN?

A Software-characterized Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is a virtual WAN design that enables ventures to use any mix of transport administrations – including MPLS, LTE and broadband internet providers – to safely interface clients to applications.

An SD-WAN uses a concentrated control capacity to safely and astutely direct traffic over the WAN. This builds application execution, bringing about improved client experience, expanded business profitability and decreased expenses for IT.

 Different types of SD WAN deployment model

1. Web-based SDWAN

Web-based SDWANs use apparatuses at each organization area, either behind switches or supplanting them as the branch associated with the venture arrange and to the Internet (SDWAN machines can likewise fall the run of the mill branch stack by substituting machines for WAN enhancement and firewalls).

Web-based SDWANs likewise leave the weight of dealing with the WAN on IT, despite everything you may need to put resources into WAN streamlining and different advancements to have a complete working system.

2. Managed SD WAN

With a managed service SDWAN, the client pays a specialist co-op to introduce and convey network, just as any apparatus the administration may require. The managed SDWAN is a worth included help and may accompany administration level understandings (SLAs), yet the oversaw the administration is ordinarily conveyed utilizing a portion of a similar equipment to help Internet-based SDWANs, and will normally depend on the open Internet for access to cloud/SaaS applications, which means similar admonitions apply: application execution and client experience will endure over more noteworthy separations.

3. SDWAN as-a-Service

With SDWAN as a Service, organizations get SDWAN much the manner in which they purchase cloud benefits today, utilizing a consumption model. Rather than building their own SDWAN utilizing the Internet, or having a specialist co-op convey that equivalent tech, cutting edge systems, for example, Organizations can depend on a quick and secure private center system without working out the overwhelming foundation and deal with extra equipment at the edge, making it easy to grow branch workplaces or move areas however, they see fit, settling on unwavering quality and application execution.

Empowering this quicker availability through a worldwide private system layered with WAN enhancement guarantees each representative around the globe has consistent access and gets predictable execution while getting to strategic applications anyplace on the planet.

What is an IT Service Desk?

The IT service desk is intended to be a primary point of engagement between users and an IT organization. According to ITIL, the service center is the single point of contact (SPOC) between the service provider (IT) and the users for daily activities. A typical service center handles incidents (service interruptions) and service requests (routine service tasks), as well as handles user communications for things like planned service interruptions and changes. A service center is generally broad in scope and designed to provide the user with a place to go for all of their IT needs. As a result, the service desk plays a central role in facilitating the integration of business processes with the technology ecosystem and a broader service management infrastructure.

Where Did IT Service Desks Come From?

The IT support function was born in the late 1980s as an assistive capacity for solving IT problems. It was a highly technical function focused on technology rather than end users. Early IT support services had no SLA concept or time objectives for problem solving. It wasn't until ITIL came on the scene in the 1990s, capturing best practices in IT service management, that the concept of a user-centric IT service center began to emerge. The service center was considered an essential part of "IT management as a service".

In the mid-1990s, research by Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University revealed that the value came not only from a responsive response to user problems, but also from the unique position of the help desk to communicate with daily. with many customers or employees The information obtained on technical issues, user preferences and what satisfies users can be invaluable for planning and developing IT services.

With the release of ITIL v2 in 2001, the Service Desk role and its role in incident and request management became one of the main components of IT service operations in many organizations. Over the decade, globalization and increasing pressures to reduce IT operating costs have led many organizations to centralize IT Service Service functions with many attractive external support partners to staff them. Outsourcing of IT service center functions has led to greater standardization of processes and growth in the help desk ticket software market.

Modern technology trends, including cloud services, the widespread use of third-party components in the IT ecosystem, and advances in discovery and monitoring capabilities have led to the integration of independent ticket assistance systems into ITSM platforms more Complete that serve as an operations center not only for IT support, but for the entire IT function. As companies seek to modernize and pursue their digital transformation initiatives, Service Desk IT is evolving again to focus more on business, with greater awareness of business data and processes, in many cases becoming an integral part. of commercial operations.

The IT support function was born in the late 1980s as an assistive capacity for solving IT problems. It was a highly technical function focused on technology rather than end users. Early IT support services had no SLA concept or time objectives for problem solving. It wasn't until ITIL came on the scene in the 1990s, capturing best practices in IT service management, that the concept of a user-centric IT service center began to emerge. The service center was considered an essential part of "IT management as a service".

In the mid-1990s, research by Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University revealed that the value came not only from a responsive response to user problems, but also from the unique position of the help desk to communicate with daily. with many customers or employees The information obtained on technical issues, user preferences and what satisfies users can be invaluable for planning and developing IT services.

With the release of ITIL v2 in 2001, the Service Desk role and its role in incident and request management became one of the main components of IT service operations in many organizations. Over the decade, globalization and increasing pressures to reduce IT operating costs have led many organizations to centralize IT Service Service functions with many attractive external support partners to staff them. Outsourcing of IT service center functions has led to greater standardization of processes and growth in the help desk ticket software market.

Modern technology trends, including cloud services, the widespread use of third-party components in the IT ecosystem, and advances in discovery and monitoring capabilities have led to the integration of independent ticket assistance systems into ITSM platforms more Complete that serve as an operations center not only for IT support, but for the entire IT function. As companies seek to modernize and pursue their digital transformation initiatives, Service Desk IT is evolving again to focus more on business, with greater awareness of business data and processes, in many cases becoming an integral part. of commercial operations.

What is the Difference Between an IT Service Desk and a Help Desk or Call Center?

Businesses often use the terms "call center," "helpdesk," and "customer service" interchangeably, which can be confusing. ITIL considers call centers and support services as limited types of services, offering only part of what a support service offers. With ITIL taking a service-centric perspective and focusing on IT, it makes sense. For many companies, the definition of ITIL does not correspond to operational practices, which makes the distinction much more complicated. Here are explanations of the helpdesk and contact center features to help you create a contrast to an IT service center.

Help desk

A help desk is a resource intended to provide the client or the internal user with information and assistance related to the processes, products and services of a company. The purpose of a help desk is to provide a centralized resource for answering questions, help desk problems and solutions. Common examples of help desk services include: technical support centers, product / warranty support functions, benefits offices, and facility service centers. Technical support can be provided through a variety of channels, including physical locations, toll-free numbers, websites, instant messaging, and email.

Call center

A call center or contact center is a central point to manage contacts and interactions with customers. office responsible for handling a large number of requests, usually by phone (but may also include letters, faxes, social media, instant messages, or emails). Inbound call centers are often used for things like product support, customer service, order processing, and 24/7 phone service. Outgoing call centers are used for things like telemarketing, debt collection, and market research. A company may have multiple call centers that support different parts of business operations (including IT) and can be managed internally or through an external agency.

As you can see, there are many overlaps between the definitions of helpdesks, call centers and IT departments. The distinction between them really centers on the scope of what the function covers and the way they are structured:

A helpdesk is focused on providing "help" and "fix" assistance. Help desks do not need to be IT-centric and can be used to handle exceptions to normal operations that take place across the enterprise. These can be physical locations that interact directly with applicants in person or remote / virtual locations using technologies such as phone, email, chat, and other technologies to facilitate virtual interaction.

Call centers are the largest in the scope of the problems they cover, including technical and non-technical issues. Call centers do not interact with applicants in person and always involve some form of intermediate technology to facilitate participation.

IT service centers only focus on taking care of IT services, but they handle both responsive "help" services and routine tasks like resource provisioning, access management, etc. . IT service desktops can be physical locations that users can visit in person, or they can be remote operations, such as a call center. Those familiar with ITIL may say that the help desk is tactical while the help desk is strategic; This may vary from one organization to another.

What Does an IT Service Desk do?

The primary role of an IT service center is to serve as the primary point of contact for monitoring / owning incidents, responding to user requests/questions, and providing a communication channel between other service management functions and the community of services. users. In addition to these essential functions, the service the center often plays an active role in capturing change requests, managing third-party support contracts, managing software licenses, and help with problem management.

In some organizations, the service desk is integrated with other business processes, such as:

• Employee integration
• Integration acquisition
• Data access management
• Integration and disconnection of suppliers/partners.
• Reports and metric management
• Business continuity management
• Infrastructure/service monitoring

Benefits of an IT Service Desk

Savings and scalability

Cost savings and scalability are the two most common benefits companies look for when implementing an IT support service. A well-staffed, well-staffed service center can handle much of your routine IT work. The service center offers organizations a relatively inexpensive option to transfer the simple work of expensive engineering teams and subject matter experts, allowing them to focus on activities that add more value to the business. The service center can also provide the company with a means to provide ongoing support to global operations and distributed user communities.

A finger on the pulse of user sentiment

The service center is the starting point for many key IT processes and services, and as such is often the primary interface between users, business processes, and the IT departments that activate them. Monitoring this interaction provides valuable insight into user satisfaction, service sentiment, and unmet features and needs that IT departments may address in the future.

Early warning of possible problems.

Due to the volume of problems and requests handled by the service center, with the appropriate data and tools to assess patterns and trends, the organization can use the service center as a monitoring tool to identify and resolve preventive service problems. " early warning system "provided by the service center can enable proactive problem management, preventive maintenance, and service modifications to reduce the impact of interruptions and service degradation on users.

IT Service Desk Best Practices

Businesses have operated IT service centers for many years and some of the best practices have emerged from these operations.

Customer commitment

• Examine the customer's behavior and expectations to make sure they understand your needs.
• Provide a 24-hour self-help portal for the end-user (even when their service center is closed)
• Use SLAs and priority / severity rankings to differentiate requests so you can answer the most critical questions first
• Try to resolve issues at the first, point of engagement and avoid transfers, escalations and the need for reminders
• Conduct regular customer satisfaction surveys to understand what your customers think about the services they receive

Service Desk Management and Reports

• Use real-time support reports, dashboards and analytics to monitor operations and initiate corrective action before problems become problems.
• Make sure the escalation and transfer processes are clear and well understood to avoid lost SLAs
• Take advantage of the analytical capabilities of your ITSM system to reduce the time and effort required to generate reports
• Make sure management is experienced in your service center operations to better understand what service center staff are doing and the challenges they face
• Treat service center staff as professional communicators and problem solvers, giving them the tools they need to succeed

Use of technology to support the computer support service

• Implement service request workflow capabilities in your support software to help orchestrate escalations and transfers
• Provide automation capabilities for common user requests (login, password reset, etc.)
• Use your service center software to facilitate and record communications between agents and requesters.
• Integrate your Service Desk systems into your larger ITSM to provide agents better access to information about the IT environment

Knowledge management

• Implement a knowledge management system to capture knowledge in a location accessible to multiple people.
• Provide answers to frequently asked questions directly to end-users, eliminating the need to contact an agent
• Keep your knowledge records up-to-date and accurate by reviewing and purging knowledge records frequently