Designing a global network for a business requires careful planning, consideration of various factors, and adherence to best practices in networking. Large global IT teams tend to include members with diverse areas of expertise, but it still helps to engage a resource like Macronet Services who specializes in the design, implementation, and support of complex global networks and who has visibility into the strengths and weaknesses of the various Tier 1 suppliers.  Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to design a global network for business:

  1. Assess Business Requirements: Understand the specific needs and objectives of the business. Determine the scale of operations, the number of locations worldwide, anticipated growth, and the types of applications and services that will be used on the network.
  2. Baseline Existing Circuits and Costs: Generate a complete inventory of existing network circuits and their costs to document a current cost/Mbps.  This calculation is important for internal business case data.  All other associated costs (hardware, licensing, etc.) should be documented for the final analysis of various solutions and for inclusion in the internal business case.  The finance team will want to see all the financial metrics as well as a clearly defined case of benefits derived from the WAN transformation.
  3. Define Network Architecture: Choose the appropriate network architecture based on the business requirements. Options include centralized, decentralized, or hybrid architectures. Consider factors such as scalability, redundancy, performance, and security. In the new era of multi-cloud connectivity, a clearly defined solution that is scalable and cost effective (considering ingress/egress costs) needs to be a well-defined inclusion.
  4. Select Network Technologies: Identify the networking technologies required to support the business needs. This may include WAN (Wide Area Network) technologies such as MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network), VPN (Virtual Private Network), and Internet connections.  Conversations will need to include the security team, particularly when defining a SASE solution and the necessary integrations.
  5. Consider Network Security: Implement robust security measures to protect the global network from cyber threats. This includes firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), encryption, access controls, DDoS, and security policies. Consider compliance requirements and industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.  Understand and design for network microsegmentation.  As noted above, most current designs will include elements of a SASE architecture and the security team is now a critical stakeholder.
  6. Plan Network Connectivity: Determine how the various locations will connect to the global network (transport). This may involve establishing dedicated leased lines with private connectivity or internet transit, 4G/5G wireless, free space optical (point to point), and cloud-based networking solutions.  Classifying site types will help to ensure that all sites will receive the applicable connectivity solution and the level of availability required per-site.
  7. Address Performance and Latency: Optimize network performance and minimize latency by strategically placing network infrastructure and leveraging technologies such as content delivery networks (CDNs), caching, and traffic shaping.  The team at Macronet Services has extensive experience with global network latency and can guide you to the optimal service providers based on your geographic footprint.
  8. Implement Redundancy and High Availability: Design the network with redundancy and high availability to ensure continuous operation and minimize downtime. This may involve deploying redundant links, redundant hardware, and failover mechanisms at critical points in the network.
  9. Consider Network Management: Implement network management tools and practices to monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize the global network efficiently. This includes network monitoring systems, configuration management, performance analysis, and automation.
  10. Ensure Quality of Service (QoS): Prioritize and manage network traffic to ensure that critical applications receive the necessary bandwidth and performance. Implement QoS mechanisms to prioritize traffic based on application requirements, such as voice and video conferencing.
  11. Test and Validate: Thoroughly test the global network design before deployment to identify any issues or bottlenecks. Conduct tests for performance, scalability, security, and failover to ensure the network meets business requirements.
  12. Deploy and Maintain: Once the network design has been validated, deploy the network infrastructure according to the plan. Regularly monitor and maintain the network to ensure optimal performance, security, and reliability over time.  In general, carriers will provide dedicated project managers, but Project Management Oversight is generally required to hold carriers accountable and to manage deployments with multiple suppliers.
  13. Continuously Improve: Continuously evaluate the global network performance, identify areas for improvement, and adapt the network design to meet evolving business needs and technological advancements.  Engaging a third party network consultant can offer a low-cost opinion from the outside to offer insight into areas that your team might not be able to see.
  14. Governance:  IT teams often fall short in the governance phase.  Hold suppliers to regular business reviews and plan the agenda to include reviews of team contacts (including escalation points), inventory, spend, trouble tickets, and performance to Service Level Objectives.  Network Diagrams should also be updated for each review.
  15. Consider a TEM provider: Telecom Expense Management (aka Technology Expense Management) service providers can be a very valuable resource to your IT and sourcing teams.  Some even provide a ROI guarantee that they will identify and track savings that exceed their annual service fees.

By following these steps, businesses can design a robust and resilient global network infrastructure that supports their operations, enhances productivity, and facilitates collaboration across geographically dispersed locations.  Take a look at our WAN RFP Template.  The team at Macronet Services has many years of experience in the design of complex global networks with hundreds of suppliers.  Contact us for a brief conversation about how we can put your team on the path to success from planning to governance!