Optimizing the Network Infrastructure in your Office

Cloud computing is yet to become a practical solution for many businesses, even though various business functions are migrating to it rapidly. For instance, the technical expertise necessary may not be available for all now, especially for small businesses. Besides, there are some benefits to managing the data and processes of your business in-house as well.

You can manage your data, store, and process it quickly and more efficiently by optimizing the network infrastructure in your office. This will lead to superior business efficiency, in turn helping you to generate more profits. Nonetheless, that will depend upon how well you optimize your network infrastructure. Below are some tips to help you in that regard.

Audit your Network Regularly

It’s very important to figure out where the problems are in your network infrastructure before starting with any optimization or upgrading the system. You will need to check if your computers are the actual bottleneck or if your staff members need more training to make the most of the network facilities. If you find anything wrong with either of these two, then you will have to address those issues first and then move on with any network optimization.

Yet if you see that the problem lies in your network infrastructure, then you will have to figure out which part(s) needs fixing or upgrading. This can be done by troubleshooting and testing the different components of the network in isolation.

Make Sure That your Employees Know the Best Practices

You may have the best-in-the-industry equipment, but it will not be of any use if your staff members do not make the most of it and are unaware of how to avoid common mistakes that might lead to network problems. You should never presume that your staffs know how to manage the network. Instead, you should make a checklist and ensure proper training for them regularly.

A common mistake in office environments happens when someone takes over the network resources, thereby making the network connection extremely slow for other employees. Sometimes, the employee consuming the resources might be doing something that is not related to your business at all. It may seem that a few employees streaming videos using the office network during their lunch break is not that serious, but it could drain the network resources significantly. Emailing massive files in place of using cloud-based drives is another area where you can implement best practices.

Partition your office network using VLANs

Network requests are not the same, be it in terms of importance or priority. This is why you should make certain that requests of higher priority are allowed access to more network resources. The simplest way to do that is by implementing VLANs in your office network. Although it may seem like a complicated process, it can easily create different partitions within the network for the best usage.

The partitioned networks can be allowed to share resources, but you should make sure that they allow requests of high priority more virtual network resources in case of a shortage. This will help to ensure that the C-Suite can make an important video conference with a client conveniently. Besides, VLANs will also be beneficial to enhance the security of your network. This is because a breach in one partition will be easy to deal with and contain.

Monitor and Maintain your Network

It does not matter how proficiently you optimize your office network, it will not be the same forever. That is why you should monitor your network regularly and keep tabs on its performance and metrics. This will help you to ensure that things are going on well as you have planned. You may need specialized tools to do that or have an IT expert manage your network infrastructure.

It is important to perform regular tests and fix all the faults and bottlenecks as soon as possible. This will help you to avoid deterioration. You may have to invest a little for that upfront, but the benefits it will bring in the long term will surely be worth it.

You cannot ignore the importance of having a good network infrastructure in your office for helping your business thrive. A poorly optimized network can seriously affect your business efficiency and profitability. So make sure that you tweak your network and keep your business competitive.