For instance, a vendor is more likely to discount the price on ten units of a product than on one or two. Vendors are more likely to negotiate price if they believe it will result in repeat purchases as your network expands. In addition, by using standard technology, the cost of upgrading your equipment will be minimized. Your investment in used equipment may not be lost, as a software installation or simple replacement of a card may be all that is necessary to increase performance of the equipment. Older yet reliable equipment may be re-installed as an upgrade to a smaller site or to an area with less demanding requirements.
Security is a concern on every network.
The network needs to be designed to prevent users either inside or outside the school from obtaining unauthorized access to restricted data. There are trade-offs between ensuring that a network is totally secure and limiting the freedom that users have in taking advantage of all of its resources. Networks which handle sensitive materials may be made entirely inaccessible to other users. Users on these secure networks may be able to send email to others but it may be impossible for them to share resources or to access other materials. There are less limiting ways to secure a network, but they may be expensive or lower the network's performance.