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by GustavoG

Companies need to have reliable networks that run at good speeds on a consistent basis. Slow networks can kill profits faster than you might think. There are competitors out there that are always looking for a way to become faster and more efficient. If your network is slowing your company down, it won’t take long for your competition to swoop in and take your customers. No business can afford to deal with a network that runs slow or comes to a halt altogether. Downtime needs to be eliminated or reduced to the point where it is negligible. To keep networks running like this the right combination of network analysis and troubleshooting needs to be performed on a regular basis.

Network Analysis

To understand the problems that surface on your network, some thorough analysis needs to take place. This will mean a lot of number crunching and assembly of historical data to get a good foundation established. The more meaningful data you can collect in the initial stages of network analysis, the more equipped you will be to create a good baseline and to identify potential problems. Analysing your network will mean taking a look at all of the network equipment, the number of end users, server evaluations and even inspecting the network cabling. No stone should be left unturned. If you talk to any experienced network engineer, you will hear lots of stories where complicated issues were found to be caused by the simplest aspects of the network. There have been huge corporations that have lost data connectivity due to someone accidentally pulling a cable out of the wall. A thorough analysis will take all of these things into consideration to avoid potential problems and to find ways to improve network performance today.

Business Network Requirements

As you delve into analysing your network and performing troubleshooting, you need to have a thorough understanding of the business requirements of your organization. Some companies may anticipate having to cut back on resources in the next fiscal year. Others may be looking at unprecedented growth in the near future. Whatever the projected outlook is, it has to be taken into consideration when analysing a network. If the current problems are addressed and resolved without an eye out for future changes, there are sure to be even bigger problems down the road. Know what your company requires from its network and you will be better prepared to meet those needs.

Know the Architecture

As you progress into a full discovery of the network, you will have to consider the physical architecture of the network. This will mean more labour as walk-through and assessments are performed. Some steps may be able to be automated with network utilities and reporting tools. It is important to have a familiarity with the physical set up of the network in addition to a virtual familiarity. Laying out a map of the network can help you to spot problems that may not be otherwise noticeable. All of the pings in the world won’t help if you don’t have a grasp on the physical topology of your network.

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