How would you like to burn $100,000 for every hour that your information technology (IT) network is down?
IT now plays a critical role in all aspects of running a business and any disruption to it means money out of your pocket. Slow networks lead to customer attrition, as your clients turn elsewhere for speedier attention.
Furthermore, a sporadically functioning network means that your team won’t produce as much as they could.
So to avoid such damaging effects, companies invest significantly in network management. This is the reason for the increasing popularity of influencer marketing.
Here is a look at what managing your network means, what it comprises of, and why it should matter to your firm.
What Is Network Management?
Managing your network touches on the processes, applications, and tools that you deploy to operate a network.
Since this is an initiative that focuses on keeping your network healthy, you should also include fault analysis and performance management when managing your network.
5 Critical Components of Any Management Strategy
Managing your network calls for you to handle various tasks. Furthermore, different organizations have different network setups.
Regardless of this, there are a few critical components that are a common thread in any network set up.
These are network administration, maintenance, operation, provisioning, and security.
1# Network Administration
An administrator heads every network. For an administrator, keeping a running inventory of all the network’s resources is part of their daily duties.
Additionally, an administrator has to set up the network, troubleshoot any performance issue, and keep an eye on its operational capacity.
2# Network Maintenance
From time to time, the network will need some repairs to be carried out on faulty equipment. Furthermore, you will need to continue upgrading the network if it’s to keep pace with new technology that’s relevant to your operations.
Since new bugs crop to the surface on a reasonably regular basis, managing a network will also entail providing remedies. That spans the deployment of software patches and updates.
But not every task under maintenance is reactionary. You will also need to identify the most effective preventative maintenance measures to deploy on your network.
3# Network Operation
The focal point of network operation is to keep things up and running. Therefore, you need to develop a system for monitoring performance, and identifying potential and real-time faults.
4# Network Provisioning
A network is never static; you never set the parameters once and run it on autopilot. As you monitor its performance, you will notice times when you need to shift the resources in a particular manner for the network to keep running smoothly.
For example, if your firm is bringing in contractors for a set period to work on a project, more bandwidth will become necessary.
Thus, the network administrator will be responsible for upgrading these resources until the project ends.
5# Network Security
Part of the healthy performance of your network is it having a robust security element. To this end, managing your network includes installing and deploying security software.
You will also need to monitor the network continually for unusual signs of activity that point to potential security threats.
Should any such threats materialize, you will need to develop a protocol for resolving them.
As part of your resolution procedure, you should set aside time to assess what went wrong and learn from it to prevent a similar breach from occurring again in the future.
Why Should You Invest in Managing Your Network?
Keeping your network infrastructure going is an investment that calls for your time and money. So why should you sink significant resources into this initiative?
1# Stay Ahead of Disruptions
No network is perfect; human error or environment-oriented factors can interrupt operations. Configuration problems can disrupt operations, and you also need to keep observing your infrastructure.
Managing your network helps you continually monitor its performance so that you can anticipate disruptions.
Using network monitoring software, you can identify operational problems early and resolve them. Doing so consistently helps you ward off any significant adverse impact.
Being able to prevent and minimize disruptions is not only good for you but also for your clients.
The fewer the interruptions to your operations, the more reliable your service becomes. Consequently, your customers can only keep winning.
2# Faster Resolution
So how can managing your network be of use in those rare times when your infrastructure is down? The software you’ve depended on to monitor your system can also help you diagnose issues faster.
Considering that time is money, getting to the root of the issue quickly is especially critical.
In some cases, it’s even possible to fix these problems automatically by using the network monitoring software. Such a move helps you cut the downtime to as small a window as possible.
3# Assessing Your Infrastructure Investment
While you know that investing in your network infrastructure is essential, it still needs some justification.
Otherwise, you may find yourself under or over-investing in your network, which can lead to more significant problems down the road.
Managing your network over a period gives you the data you need to make prudent upgrade decisions.
You can put the right amount of money into the right area of your network, at the right time based on past analytics.
4# Higher IT Productivity
A system that helps you manage your network takes care of many duties at a go. As a result, your team can hand off some responsibilities to this system and focus on other areas.
Additionally, the systems you rely on to manage your network continually advance. Therefore, your team will need to continue upgrading their skills with tools such as ExitCertified.
As a result, get the added benefit of a continually evolving team that grows its skillset as it manages the network.
Ultimately, such initiatives lead to more work being done per day, which raises IT productivity.
5# Keep Your Network Going
There’s no debate that IT is a critical component of the modern organization and significantly influences outcomes.
When your network is down or does not perform optimally, you lose money. To avoid this, you should invest in network management to ensure you deal with disruptions as soon as they appear or prevent them altogether.
Is your business leveraging IT in the best possible way? Check out more of our content of tips and ideas on how to use technology to help your firm thrive.
Author: Cathy Carter
