Small Business Networking for Dummies [Paperback]

Glenn E. Weadock (Author), Emily Sherrill Weadock (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764502891 | ISBN-13: 978-0764502897 | Publication Date: March 5, 1998

Small businesses can become big businesses with the aid of a computer network. With the right network in place, you'll have all the technology you'll need -- now and in the future. And when it's time for expansion and enhancement, upgrading your network can be a matter of plug and play instead of rip and replace.

Small Business Networking For Dummies can give you the edge that your small business needs to compete in a networked world. As author Glenn Weadock clearly explains, small-business networks are affordable, easy to manage, and (most importantly) easy to use. Select the system software and hardware that's right for you, put tried-and-true cost-saving techniques to use, streamline work processes, and improve the critical interactions between clients, vendors, and partners with the powerful features of a networked system. With Small Business Networking For Dummies in hand, you'll be able to design, build, and run an affordable network in no time at all.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Few technologies will do more to boost small-business efficiency than a local-area network (LAN), which enables an organization's computer users to pool and share information easily and to communicate inside and outside the company. This book approaches networking from the point of view of an owner of a small business whose employees have been using computers for some time. The owner suspects that a LAN would make things easier but doesn't have the technical knowledge to build one or the money to hire a network consultant to do the job. After reading this book, such a small-business owner will know what decisions he or she needs to make (about network protocols, for example), what needs to be purchased, and how everything gets put together.

Weadock begins by explaining the advantages of LANs--advantages that probably are already familiar to readers of this book. He quickly moves into a discussion of the costs and benefits of LAN ownership, and it's this kind of material that distinguishes this book from regular Dummies titles. The author then reviews the technology decisions (peer-to-peer or client-server? Ethernet or Token Ring?) and purchases that you'll need to make based on those decisions. All the major network operating systems, including IntranetWare and Windows NT, get intelligent coverage. A companion CD-ROM includes a two-user trial version of IntranetWare and various other utilities and sample programs. --David Wall

From the Back Cover

"Dummies is smart." — Advertising Age Magazine "Small Business Networking For Dummies can help you realize your own vision of competing and winning in a networked world!" — Eric Schmidt, CEO and Chairman, Novell, Inc.

Grow Your Business with Dummies^™! Give your company the backbone it needs to grow effectively! Streamline processes. Share resources. Facilitate interactions with clients, vendors, and partners. With Small Business Networking For Dummies^®, you'll quickly find out how to plan, build, and run an affordable network — the fun and easy way! Build a Network That's Easy to Use and Easy to Manage

• Uncover tried-and-true techniques for keeping costs down
• Find out the least you need to know about network hardware
• Match your network style to your company personality
• Pick system software and network languages that meet your needs
• Manage your system — without hiring any additional staff

Build Your Business With:

• LANTastic 7.0: A free trial version of Artisoft's peer-to-peer network software
• IntraNetWare for Small Business: A fully-functional two-user trial version of Novell's small business network
• Microsoft's popular Web browser
• PageMill 2.0: A tryout version of Adobe's Web creation tool
• Eudora Lite: A freeware version of Qualcomm's hot email software, Eudora Pro
• ThunderBYTE: An evaluation version of the anti-virus utility designed to protect against viruses transmitted by email

Shareware programs are fully functional, free trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support. Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many PCs as you like — free — but they have no technical support. System Requirements: PC with Windows 95 or Windows NT; A CD-ROM Drive, Double-Speed (2x) or Faster; and a Modem (Regular Access Charges Apply)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (March 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764502891
• ISBN-13: 978-0764502897
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,671,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for business owners and techies alike, September 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Small Business Networking for Dummies (Paperback)

Small Business Networking for Dummies is an excellent introductory book to the world of networking. In addition, it adds the aspect of the management end of the planning process, like staffing, etc. It covers both peer-to-peer networking and client/server networking, and provides beginners with all the technical terms and definitions they need to be considered knowledgeable on the subject. I also suggest pairing this up with a slightly more technical book such as Networking for Dummies, 3rd Edition. Note that this book is not as useful if you are setting up an old network with old NICs, etc., and does not go into much detail at all about UNIX networks or MAC networks. It is mainly for those using Windows 95 (98 is almost the same), Windows NT, NT Server, and Novell products.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for some purposes, January 10, 2000

By 

"fredfresno" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Business Networking for Dummies (Paperback)

Let me start with a couple of positives. First, this book is a very good "executive summary" of networking technologies and issues. Second, the author takes the attitude that computer networks are not just about hardware and software widgets; the business culture and the financial issues involved in network structure and maintenance are just as important. On the downside, the book did not have the information I was looking for. The primary issue facing our location is "what are the ongoing costs of administering a 150-node network, and can we afford it?" The author included his business' web URL in the book and solicited feedback. When I mentioned this to him, his response was "hire a consultant to tell you that information". Perhaps this is the most realistic advice, but, since the author is a consultant, he seems to have a vested interest in that as a one-size-fits-all answer. This book did not have the information I needed. Unfortunately, there are probably none out there that come any closer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb introduction for intelligent laypersons, September 4, 2000

By 

Jim Finlayson (Carmel, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Business Networking for Dummies (Paperback)

I'm a small business owner and I had pretty much given up on understanding networking until someone recommended this book. In a nutshell, if you're not a PC expert but you're smart and you need to set up a network for your office, buy this book. You probably won't do all the work yourself, nor should you, but this book helped me understand the key decisions and what to outsource.