Network planning can be a very serious element of your business plan, regardless of what industry you’re in.
Today, the Internet rules the roost, meaning if your business’ website or internal online resources are not able to handle a flux in users, you might find that you’re losing money. If customers can’t access your online resources, they may go to your competition.
On the flipside, if employees can’t access internal online resources, they won’t be able to get work done, and once again, this can hinder customer relations.
It Starts with Proper Planning
In order to avoid, or at least mitigate, problems in the first place, you need proper planning.
This means hiring the right professionals to set up network components and internal software in order to balance network performance. When doing this, consider company growth as well so that your online activities can be scalable.
Remember that what works today may not work in the future as you add customers and employees.
Another point to consider is that technology changes, so your network will need to be based on a framework that can change as well without losing data.
Optimizing Your Capacity
When it comes to optimizing capacity, there are several things to take into consideration.
In the article, “Network Performance and Capacity Planning: It’s a Balancing Act” the author points out that you’ll need to consider which links are most congested, which links are the most critical for business success, how to determine the source of traffic, and more.
By reviewing this information, your company and its IT team or partner can optimize capacity to allow for smooth access of company resources without paying too much for unused capacity.
Remember That Content is Increasingly Heavy
Finally, you need to realize that, as more and more ISPs offer unlimited bandwidth, consumers and potential customers are looking for more content that is rich.
This means video and audio are becoming the norm, and as a result, your network needs to be able to not only host such content, but also deliver it 24 hours a day.
You may have created the best video ever, but if consumers can’t access it because your network is over capacity, then it serves no purpose, however great it is.
In order to solve this, you need to go back to the first point mentioned in this article, which is to “plan accordingly”.
By taking proactive steps now, your business and its network will be set for future growth, usage, and marketing of its products and services.
About the Author: Andrew Rusnak is an author who writes on topics that include business development and planning.
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