The Power of Peer to Peer

The Case For Dedicated Peer To Peer

As technology has progressed and costs have soared, I have seen first hand a movement that is somewhat surprising. Dedicated Peer to Peer configurations in small businesses are becoming more common than ever. With the advent of DSL and the increased speed and bandwidth it provides, it is possible to purchase a $100 router and enable simultaneous internet access to a theoretical limit of 253 peer stations. Since most small businesses typically have less than 50 employees, this limit is not usually tested and may not be realistic, but I have seen actual cases where 100 user configurations share a single DSL access point and it was quite successful. No longer is it necessary to purchase expensive Cisco equipment and install a complex infrastructure. You can instead plug a simple phone cord into a DSL modem, connect that modem to a simple router and have that router provide access to your entire employee base. Many of these routers are also active DHCP servers, which gives you another feature typically associated with servers in a dedicated Peer to Peer configuration.

In addition to this exciting new technology, I have seen a dramatic lowering in the costs of internet system outsourcing. It is not uncommon to find packages for under $250 a month that provide you with 50 megabytes of web space, plenty of bandwidth and 100 or more individual Pop3 mail boxes. The complete set of Front Page extensions is common in many of these packages, allowing you to take advantage of some of the advanced data features provided by such custom configurations should you wish to go that route. These packages are often easily administrated from a simple web interface in their entirety, meaning that the need for dedicated web server experts is reduced or eliminated entirely. You can simply assign one or two key individuals the task of maintaining the configuration and they should be able to address any needs that do arise via a web browser and a secure, encrypted logon. Since the outsourcing is a service, you may find that the host is more than willing to help train and troubleshoot as problems crop up. Now, instead of investing in an expensive server based infrastructure for your web and internet hosting, and the one or two experts to run them, you can defer the costs almost entirely and have many of the same benefits with less downtime and maintenance. You may even be able to obtain uptime guarantees, and you can certain shop around for competitive bargains should you feel the need.