What usually brings people to this.
- A design that was correct three years ago and has not been revisited
- Undocumented configuration changes accumulating across devices
- Hardware approaching end of support without a plan
Check the network design still matches what the business needs
A network architecture review is a critical process that ensures a network’s design is aligned with an organisation’s needs, providing scalability, performance and security. We assess the current architecture, identify issues, and recommend improvements — then present them to your stakeholders rather than emailing a PDF.
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01
Topology and design assessment
Review of the current topology against documented business needs.
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02
Configuration review
Routing, switching, VLAN and routing-protocol configuration assessed against the intended design.
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03
Security review
Firewall rules, encryption and alignment with compliance frameworks.
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04
Cloud and data centre integration
Data centre configuration and design, cloud integration and hybrid data centre configuration.
How the engagement runs.
A defined sequence, so you know what is happening at any point and what comes out of each stage.
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01
Define objectives and scope
Agree what the review is for and where it stops.
- Understand business needs
- Identify key areas
- Set goals
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02
Gather documentation and information
Collect the current-state evidence.
- Network diagrams
- Device configurations
- IP addressing
- Prior audit reports
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03
Assess network topology and design
Compare the running topology against the documented intent.
- Current topology
- Design intent
- Divergence and drift
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04
Review routing and switching configurations
Verify the forwarding layer behaves as designed.
- Routing and switching configs
- VLANs
- Routing protocols
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05
Review network security
Assess the controls protecting the network.
- Firewall rules
- Encryption
- Compliance and frameworks
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06
Assess cloud and data centre integration
Review how the network extends beyond the on-premises estate.
- Data centre config and design
- Cloud integration and design
- Hybrid data centre configs
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07
Performance management and monitoring
Establish whether the estate is observable and sustainable.
- Monitoring
- Capacity management
- EOS / EOL review
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08
Present findings and recommendations
Take the findings to the people who will act on them.
- Prepare review reports
- Meet the stakeholders
What you receive.
- 01Network architecture review report
- 02Current topology assessed against documented design intent
- 03Configuration findings across routing, switching and VLANs
- 04Network security findings including firewall rules and encryption
- 05Cloud and data centre integration assessment
- 06EOS / EOL and capacity position
- 07Stakeholder presentation of the findings
What changes afterwards.
- A design checked against what the business needs now, not three years ago
- Undocumented configuration drift made visible
- Hardware approaching end of support identified with a plan against it
- Findings presented to the people who will act on them
Also in Consulting & Infrastructure
All consulting servicesBefore you get in touch.
Do you just review documentation, or the live configuration too?
Both — the review compares the current running topology and configuration (routing, switching, VLANs, routing protocols) against the documented design intent to identify where they've drifted apart.
Do findings get presented to our team, or just written up?
Both — the final stage is presenting findings and recommendations to your stakeholders, not just emailing a report.
How long does the review take?
15 days for assessment plus one week for reporting.
Does this cover cloud and data centre, or just the on-premises network?
All of it — cloud and data centre integration is one of the eight review stages, alongside topology, configuration, security and performance management.