Small Businesses Measure up N O V E L L C E R T I F I E D P R O F E S S I O N a L

s a networking professional, you undoubtedly spend some of your precious spare time as an IT consultant, installing and managing networks for other companies. In fact, you probably perform the bulk of your services for small businesses. According to David Hunt, a product manager for Novell, the vast majority of small businesses relies on IT professionals like you to install and maintain their networks. “Small businesses typically do not have a dedicated IT person who’s going to take care of their installation for them,” Hunt points out. Instead, most small businesses “outsource network installation, and often its administration and maintenance, to a consultant.” In most cases, small businesses don’t ask you to install network software that they’ve preselected. On the contrary, most small businesses want you to understand their particular situation well enough to choose the network software that best suits their needs. The majority of small businesses need a network that meets the following criteria: