[PretendingtobeITengineer]

Hi

We are two small businesses sharing one office premises. Each business has its own computers. However we share one internet connection.
It would seem that we really need to split the network into two separate parts (one for each business).
What is the recommended or suggested way of doing this but still onle need one internet connection that can be shared between the two networks?

All the computers are Windows XP.

Thanks

PretendingtobeITengineer

[DaBaAd]

Hi

...
It would seem that we really need to split the network into two seperate parts (one for each business)...
PretendingtobeITengineer

I would ask you the following questions to decide how to best answer this question:

1. Who is paying for the internet connection?
2. What reason would you have to keep separate internet traffic other than just to ensure data security?
3. Is cost an issue?
4. If the router goes down (assuming a router is already in place) who is responsible to get it back up when the office that has the router is inaccessible?
5. Are you or the other office planning on growing the business and adding more computers?

[PretendingtobeITengineer]

Cost is shared
Only reason for separate internet traffic is security
We are hoping to keep the cost very low (few hundred pounds at most)
Guess I am now as the router that is in place belongs to my company
Eventually growing but not for probably a year or so

Hope that makes sense

PretendingtobeItengineer

[biggsie]

I would think you could have modem and router for each business

Two separate networks and using one internet connection

Share the internet -- but not allow networks to be shared

[chuckhole]

How is your infrastructure designed so far? Are all of your computers on the same switches, etc.

Are you using a server for each network to centralize security? What type of Internet connection do you have and how is it being shared?

Are the two companies part of a parent company or just sharing office space? Corporate and social structures have a lot to do with the design.

As Biggsie has paraphrased it, your challenge is to maintain separate security for each company yet trust each other enough to have a single Internet Proxy Server.

This is certainly achievable within a Windows Server environment with Active Directory (AD). Each of the domains can trust the other but maintain separate user and computer accounts. The Proxy Server could be allowed to see both domains and access rules can be set up individually for each set of users.

Many basic Cable/DSL routers have built in Firewalls and Proxies. They are fairly simple in nature but can allow you to restrict access based on MAC addresses. The more sophisticated (and expensive) route would be to install a full Proxy Server that integrates with AD Security.