Guide to Wide Area Network (WAN) Maintenance

Find out what is the WAN consulting company's availability time

Availability is key when it comes to wireless network maintenance consulting services. Questions you want to ask: Is the WAN consultant available 24 hours a day/7 days a week? What devices does it manage - e.g., will it monitor your router or firewall? Does it offer server network maintenance? Does it manage your employees' use? Does the company have a wide area network specialist you can call in case of an emergency? In addition, you want to check the specialist's credentials.

I recommend: Check out wireless network area providers in your area. You can also check with national wireless wide area network providers - AT&T and Sprint. The wireless wide area network providers may be able to refer you to a local wireless network maintenance consulting company.

Find out the WAN consulting company's maintenance agreement

Determine the length of time for your WAN network maintenance agreement. Some Wide Area Network (WAN) companies have half-year or full-year SLAs (Service Level Agreements). Does the company offer after-hours service? What are the services included? The amount paid and the term of service will determine the level of service. For example, if you commit to a year's service, the consultant may offer weekly maintenance service at no additional charge. Or if you have an emergency where your employee cannot access the network, the consultant must have your system up and running by a specific time or incur fees or penalties.

I recommend: Study the SLA to ensure that you and the consultant agree on expectations. Check Impact Network Engineering's web site. It has a good example of a WAN maintenance agreement.

Agree on a plan for WAN network maintenance

If you decide you want to expand your WAN network, how will the WAN consultant approach and implement your plan? The plan should assess your current computer WAN networking infrastructure. This should include documentation of everything that makes up your network - software, hardware, protocols, and security. A project plan should break down the phases of the work to be completed, indicate the professionals who will work in these phases, and also show the costs associated with each phase.

I recommend: Keep all of your documentation. You may not be satisfied with the WAN consultant’s service and decide to hire someone else. Use Microsoft's SharePoint to store your documentation in electronic form. Also keep hard copies.