Most businesses rely heavily, if not exclusively, on their office computer network to handle and perform all day-to-day business operations. When something goes wrong, the entire company can come to a grinding halt. To avoid this doomsday scenario, it’s best to recognize the signs that you need to upgrade your network before you NEED to upgrade your network. Here are some surefire signs you’re in need of an upgrade:
I’ll go brew a pot of coffee while this file opens. If your system is getting slower and slower, it’s time to take action. Whether it’s an individual device or the server itself, sluggishness causes delays, and delays mean decreased productivity. When you’re feeling like your network is bogged down, take a look at your CPU and disk usage. If you’re around 80%, it’s time to upgrade.
Sorry I missed your call, I couldn’t hear the phone ringing. Just like with cars, noise seems to be a good indicator of something going wrong, and you can only put on so many miles before things start falling apart. As fans and hard drives age, they will become noisier, which is a pretty good indicator that a hardware failure is in your very near future. If you can’t spring for new hardware right away, be sure that everything is backed up for when the inevitable happens.
Was that a hiccup or a sneeze? When you start to experience glitches in performance, you may be pushing against the limits of your network’s capacity. Chances are, these seemingly isolated incidents will continue to increase in frequency until there is a network failure. These incidents may be hard to track and even go unnoticed, because they may be experienced by different users.
My newborn didn’t need me this much. If you or your IT providers are spending more and more time solving network problems, it’s time for an upgrade. Network problems will suck up your time and keep you from the tasks that actually make you money.
Is it just me, or is it getting a little crowded in here? Servers fill up. Software changes. When the software you’re running, or that you need to add, exceeds your server’s specs, you need a new server. This can be a huge expense, and it may be tempting to just use a stopgap measure to manage the current crisis. In the long run, this lack of planning will cause you even more headaches. Instead, upgrade your network to handle the needs your company will have in the next couple of years.
What was the name of that asteroid movie? Oh yeah, Armageddon. The day of reckoning has come and your server has officially died. Your network is completely down, and your business has come to a grinding halt. As you scramble to replace everything, you find that your software is outdated, discontinued, and no longer has technical support.
To keep your network running smoothly, planning ahead is absolutely crucial. Life will be happier when you’re conducting a managed upgrade and planned server migration than when you’re scrambling to resolve a crisis. Working with IT support will help you to keep your system up and running.
