Network architecture and design
Logical and physical designs for offices, campuses and data centres, with redundancy, IP addressing, VLANs and growth planned from the start.
Network design & administration
Office, campus and data-centre networks designed for resilience, built to standards and documented so anyone on your team can understand them. From a single office to multi-site and hybrid cloud.
- CCNPCisco certified, routing and switching
- 10+ yrson a national government network
- Multi-vendorCisco, Fortinet, Juniper and more
Why it matters
A network that stays up and stays understandable
When the network goes down, everything goes down. Yet many business networks have grown without a design: switches added as the office grew, VLANs nobody remembers creating and no diagram that matches reality.
A well-designed network is resilient, segmented, monitored and documented. It survives a failed link or device without users noticing, keeps sensitive systems separated, and can be changed safely because everyone understands how it works.
I have designed and run networks ranging from small offices to the Government of Malta network, including the networks used during Malta’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. The same principles apply at every size.
What’s included
How I can help
Routing and switching
Configuration and troubleshooting of BGP, OSPF and EIGRP, spanning tree, link aggregation and first-hop redundancy with HSRP and VRRP.
VPNs and multi-site connectivity
Site-to-site IPsec VPNs between offices, data centres and cloud providers, plus secure remote access for staff.
Wireless networks
Enterprise Wi-Fi designed for coverage and security, with separate staff, guest and device networks and 802.1X authentication where appropriate.
Load balancing and high availability
Load balancers and redundant designs that keep business-critical services available during failures and maintenance.
Monitoring and documentation
Network monitoring with Zabbix or PRTG that alerts you before users notice, plus up-to-date diagrams, IP plans and operational runbooks.
Technologies and standards
- Cisco IOS / IOS-XE
- Cisco Nexus
- Cisco ISE
- Fortinet FortiGate
- Juniper
- BGP
- OSPF
- EIGRP
- IPsec
- 802.1X
- Zabbix
- PRTG
- SolarWinds
- IPAM
How it works
From first call to handover
Survey
A review of your existing network, traffic, sites and requirements, including a walk of the physical installation where relevant.
Design
A documented design with diagrams, addressing, equipment list and migration plan, agreed with you before anything changes.
Implement
Configuration and cut-over in planned change windows, with tested rollback plans to keep disruption to a minimum.
Document and support
As-built documentation, monitoring and a handover session, with ongoing administration available.
What you receive
Deliverables
- High-level and detailed network diagrams
- IP addressing and VLAN plan
- Equipment and licensing list
- Configuration standards and templates
- Migration and rollback plans
- Monitoring dashboards and alerting
FAQ
Common questions
Do you supply the network equipment?
No. Proton IT Services does not resell hardware, so recommendations are vendor-neutral. I help you specify what to buy and can work with your preferred supplier.
Can changes be made without disrupting our business?
Yes. Changes are planned in advance, scheduled for agreed maintenance windows and always come with a tested rollback plan.
Do you work with equipment other than Cisco?
Yes. Designs are based on standard protocols, and I regularly work with Fortinet, Juniper and other vendors alongside Cisco.
Do you provide on-site work in Malta?
Yes. On-site work anywhere in Malta and Gozo can be arranged, and much of the configuration and monitoring can be done remotely.
Related services
Often combined with
Let’s talk about your infrastructure
Tell me what you are working on. The initial consultation and quote are free, and if I am not the right fit I will say so and point you to someone who is.