There are many factors to consider when planning or designing a computer network. Such factors include meeting the needs of the business, traffic and bandwidth requirements, budget considerations, scalability, etc. "Scalability refers to the extent of network growth that should be supported. For corporate network, scalability is a major consideration. Provision must be made to add users, applications, additional sites, and external network connections" (TutorialsWeb). It is important to have a system or methodology to follow to ensure you account for the necessary and critical aspects of the design process that will provide the best possible network solution for your company. The first step is considering the needs of the business. This is accomplished by understanding what the company does, how they currently function and operate to generate revenue, as well as having a good understanding of the company's business model. Once you have a good understanding of the company's business requirements, you can then determine specific design requirements. The second step then is defining the technical requirements of the network based on the information gathered from assessing the needs of the business. In this step of the planning process, technical considerations such as performance requirements, availability, scalability, standards compatibility, and rapid deployment are evaluated (Hummel). Only when these first two steps are followed in this order will you succeed in designing a network that best suits the customer and the specific needs of their business. The third step is assessing the current network infrastructure. Information is collected and then reviewed for trends, problems and issues that are negatively affecting the present network. "This information is then utilized for making effective strategy recommendations and design proposals to the client