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Network Capacity Planning
Assess utilisation, uplinks, wireless demand and growth forecasts to identify where a Cisco or Meraki network needs additional capacity.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Network capacity planning helps you decide where additional network resources are justified and where a different change would be more effective. MCI examines demand across Cisco and Meraki environments, relating observed traffic and device use to the applications and growth plans that matter. The goal is a defensible investment decision, not simply the fastest equipment available.
A slow application does not automatically indicate a bandwidth shortage. Equally, a low daily average can conceal short periods of congestion that affect important work. Capacity planning separates the evidence from the symptom and considers how the network behaves under both ordinary and degraded conditions.
A clear requirement
Turn the business need into a practical network scope with visible dependencies.
A controlled delivery
Plan implementation, testing and rollback before production changes begin.
A supportable result
Leave useful records, ownership and escalation routes behind.
Establish a meaningful demand baseline
We identify the links, devices and services that need assessment and the periods that represent normal and exceptional demand. Business cycles, backups, software distribution and concentrated office use can create different traffic patterns.
The quality of the available monitoring data matters. Sampling intervals and missing observations can limit what a graph tells us. We record those limitations and identify whether additional collection is needed before reaching a conclusion.
A network performance assessment may be the better starting point where the primary question is why a service is slow. Capacity planning then uses the relevant findings to determine whether growth or resource limits require investment.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Look beyond the headline link speed
Capacity exists at several points in a network. Access ports, uplinks, firewalls, VPN services, wireless airtime and device resources can each influence the result. Increasing one resource may move the constraint elsewhere rather than remove it.
We examine the path used by important applications and the functions applied along it. A platform’s published throughput figure needs to be understood in the context of enabled services, packet characteristics and the intended deployment. It is not automatically a prediction of performance in your environment.
For Cisco and Meraki networks, this means checking the relevant model, software and feature combination rather than treating all devices in a family as equivalent. Where a proposed configuration is close to a material limit, testing may be more useful than relying on a single specification.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Include failure conditions in the calculation
A network can have sufficient capacity during normal operation and become constrained when one path is unavailable. We consider the work that must continue after a circuit, uplink or device failure and the resources available to carry it.
The business may accept reduced performance for lower-priority activities during an outage. That is a valid design decision when it is explicit. It is not the same as assuming that a backup connection can carry everything because it exists on the diagram.
Capacity planning therefore connects closely with resilience design. The assessment can identify where additional headroom, different traffic policies or a revised failover arrangement would make the recovery plan more credible.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Translate growth plans into specific changes
A larger workforce does not necessarily increase every part of the network in the same proportion. More video meetings, a new cloud application or a data-replication requirement may affect particular paths much more than ordinary office traffic.
We map the planned changes to the resources they are likely to use. Where the forecast is uncertain, the recommendation can include monitoring thresholds and review points rather than immediate replacement. This gives the organisation a way to act before a constraint becomes disruptive without buying capacity solely from speculation.
Physical resources also matter. Additional access points or powered devices may require more ports, power budget and cabinet capacity. An upgrade plan that considers bandwidth alone can overlook the prerequisites for installing the new equipment.
Receive a prioritised capacity recommendation
The output explains the observed position, relevant limits, forecast assumptions and proposed response. Recommendations distinguish configuration or policy changes from additional resources and hardware replacement. Each material proposal should identify the constraint it is intended to address.
We also record the evidence needed to confirm success after a change. A faster interface is not the final outcome; the relevant service should behave as intended under representative demand. Post-change measurements can establish whether the investment addressed the original issue.
Where several changes are needed, a technology roadmap can place them in a sensible sequence alongside lifecycle and resilience work. This avoids treating capacity as an isolated programme with its own competing maintenance windows.
Capacity planning questions
Can you work from our existing monitoring system?
Yes, where its data is suitable for the question. We review coverage, collection intervals and the period available. Any gaps are identified so a conclusion is not presented with more certainty than the evidence supports.
Does high utilisation always require an upgrade?
No. It may justify more capacity, but traffic scheduling, policy or an application change could be relevant. The assessment examines the effect on the business service and the available options rather than treating one utilisation percentage as a universal replacement trigger.
Can you plan capacity for a new site?
Yes, using a clearly stated demand model and relevant evidence from comparable activities or existing sites. Estimates remain estimates until validated. The design can include review points after occupancy to check whether the assumptions reflect actual use.
What should we share first?
Describe the growth plan or capacity concern, the affected applications and any known busy periods. Arrange network capacity planning so the assessment targets the resources and decisions that matter.
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
Existing customers should use their agreed support and escalation channels. This form is for service enquiries, not a monitored emergency ticket.
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