Network Assessment: Can This Test Tell You If You Need A New IT Company?
Here’s something you may not know — the state of your network is a key indicator of your IT company’s performance. Are you sure your IT company is delivering the quality of service you need?
If you’re reading this article, you may be worried about your IT company. Maybe you think you’re not getting your money’s worth. Maybe you don’t believe them when they say a problem is fixed, or when a problem can’t be fixed.
In either case, you need to figure out if your IT company is right for you — I can help you figure that out. A great way to measure the quality of your IT company’s service is by having your network assessed.
Why Is The Network So Important?
Often the least thought of aspect of an IT infrastructure, the network is just as vital as any other part – why? Because it’s everything. Both literally and otherwise, the network ties everything together, and by definition, includes all aspects of the environment.
Think about it this way. Your heart may be the “star”, the big name of your cardiovascular system, but in reality? It’s your veins, vessels, capillaries, arteries, and other connective parts that make the whole system work. Without them, your heart could pump all it wants – nothing would get anywhere.
Similarly, it doesn’t matter how new and expensive your desktop computers are if they’re not connected to anything. Especially given the prevalence of cloud computing in today’s business world. Whereas at one point, locally-stored data on desktop computers that weren’t connected to a network were “good enough”, these days it’s more likely than not that you’re storing data in the cloud. That means a network is a must.
In the same way, it doesn’t matter how fancy and well maintained your servers are. Whether you manage an optimized onsite server farm or pay a huge monthly fee for access to server space in a Tier-3 data center, that will all amount to nothing if your network isn't managed properly.
How Do You Know When It’s Time To Have Your Network Assessed?
There are four key indicators that your network isn’t being taken care of:
- Your team has been complaining about slow and/or lagging performance
- Your business is upgrading, expanding or introducing a new software
- Your management team is uncomfortable with the lack of documentation
- Your business is undergoing an audit in the near future
However, knowing you need a network assessment and actually getting one done are two different things…
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What Should You Expect From A Network Assessment?
A network assessment will cover a range of areas to determine the health, reliability, and security of your network, including:
- Infrastructure: The operating system versions, application types, circuits, and other equipment that make up the design and implementation of your network.
- Security: All internal/external entry points, as well as any vulnerabilities within file or database servers or applications.
- Management: The network management strategy, including schedules for monitoring, maintenance, and patching.
- Performance: All information gathered will be combined with a thorough analysis of traffic to determine over-utilization and/or availability issues.
Globalquest Will Assess Your Network
Whether your network isn’t performing how you need it to, or you want to find out how well your IT company is meeting your needs, my team and I can help. If you want to arrange a network assessment, here’s how:
- Get in touch with our team to arrange a consultation at a time that works for you.
- Tell us about your network and IT issues.
- Let us walk you through our network assessment process.
- Find out what state your network is in, and get a better idea of the ROI you’re getting on your investment in IT support.