Help/Idea for setting up a Small business network

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max2892

Reputable
Jul 30, 2015
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4,510
Hi,
I have to setup a network for a small business,

10-15 employees
Quickbooks, office
ip phone
2 ISP

Do I need a dedicated server for quickbooks and a second for others employee or Can I just have one file server (Quickbooks and other files) and a backup ?

Do I need 2 separate networks, one for computer and the other for ip phone ?

1ST NETWORK:
ISP1 -> Router -> Switch -> Server/Workstations/Printers

2ST NETWORK:
ISP2 -> Router -> Switch -> Ip phone

can I have some ideas, please
 
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QboxForYou

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Mar 9, 2015
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I do not have an answer to your original question, but I see that you will be using QuickBooks and would like to recommend a file sharing/collaboration resource if you find yourself in need of one. Qbox is super helpful for anyone using the QuickBooks Desktop verison. Check out their website if you're interested: https://qbox.coraltreetech.com/
 
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Ralston18

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Oct 11, 2014
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Max,

The question you need to answer is how much bandwidth/traffic will there be? Will everyone be transfering large files back and forth? How are the ip phones being used? How much printing is being done? Any video conferencing? Are all employees there all of the time working with Quickbooks? What about other applications and internet use?

That said, for the sake of simplicity, and perhaps requirements gathering, I would start with single network/router. Make sure that the backups are on a separate device: i.e., one server for quickbooks and a second server (if you wish) for backups.

Use wired as much as possible. Consider using static IP's and using the router's QoS to perhaps give some priority to selected devices. Block or limit internet access as warranted.

Draw out a plan (does not have to be fancy) and look for possible bottlenecks. If you have two switches off of the router, then try to keep the traffic even between the switches. Keep your options open and if having a single network does not meet the requirements then you can modify or expand your network. Search for a few online tutorials or white papers regarding network design. Will not make you a network engineer but the research may help you determine what particular issues you may face and what additional questions you need to have answered.

 
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dbatchelor

Jun 20, 2018
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10
Hey Max


*Do I need a dedicated server for quickbooks and a second for others employee or Can I just have one file server (Quickbooks and other files) and a backup ?*

No I'd stick it all on the same server, just limit people with permissions. QuickBooks has a username and password function for company files anyway but you can limit the company files folder found in the Public user folder by username to be safe.

*Do I need 2 separate networks, one for computer and the other for ip phone ?*

If you think your ip phone is going to get a lot of usage then it may be worth putting it on a different router but for 10 employees, I would have thought one would be sufficient. Alternatively, use a cloud server to host your server to keep the bandwidth low (remote desktop uses very little bandwidth). There are loads out there but check out these guys - https://www.myquickcloud.com/solutions/quickbooks

Hope this helps!
 
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failboat

failboat

Splendid
Feb 19, 2010
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Check with quickbooks on compatibility. They used to only work on windows over the network. You can store the QB data on there. Def back it up and consider offsite and/or online backups too. offline backups are important these days with all the ransomware.

For sure go with a layer3 switch for VLANs. If you ever need more than one subnet this will help. You don't really want more than one switch for that amount of people. If you are really planning for high growth look for one with a couple 10Gbs trunk ports.

Strongly consider a router with failover/load balancing. Then you can use your two connections seemlessly.
For true failover you would really need a lot of equipment to remove any single point of failure.
I feel like net goes down more than hardware. Make sure who ever puts your hardware in has a plan to get it back up fast in case of failure.
 
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