Intro
Whether you’re a government contractor, a healthcare provider, or an SMB operating in any sector, a robust and performance-optimized IT network serves as a critical foundation for the systems and processes you depend on.
As we discussed previously, IT systems often take on new components and software additions that undermine system performance, expose new vulnerabilities, and drag the network further out of alignment with operational goals. A network health assessment provides a valuable opportunity for a network reset, offering insights that can be used to address existing shortcomings and plan intelligently for future growth.
In our previous article, we provided an introduction to network health assessments and explored the network components and organizational considerations that fall within their scope. Now let’s look at the business benefits these assessments can bring, as well as some of the circumstances that should prompt you to have one carried out.
When Should You Carry Out a Network Health Assessment?
A Network Health Assessment is never a bad idea, and rarely proves anything other than a fruitful exercise. However, there are number of specific circumstances where they can prove particularly advantageous:
Following Major Network Changes
Introducing new hardware, software systems or reconfiguring network components can often have unanticipated effects on network performance, security and stability. A network health assessment can be used to identify the impact of changes, so that corrective action can be taken.
Following a Suspected Security Breach
If, for whatever reason, you suspect a security breach may have occurred, a Network Health Assessment can be the key to identifying and correcting security vulnerabilities, and taking informed measures to further mitigate risk.
In Advance of Compliance Audits
Undergoing a Network Health Assessment prior to an upcoming compliance audit can help to ensure that your data security protocols, and technical security defenses meet the required standard. Whether you’re a government contractor, healthcare company or financial services provider, Network Health Assessments can form an indispensable part of your compliance toolkit.
When You Experience Performance Issues
Assessments can be helpful for getting to the bottom of network performance issues like intermittent connections and slow data transfer speeds. Not only that, the assessment report will likely feature solutions that can be used to enhance performance.
Before Business Expansion
The growth of your IT network often runs in parallel with the expansion of your business. Carrying out Network Health Assessment prior to a growth period ensures the network’s architecture and layout is calibrated with easy expansion in mind.
As Part of Your Routine Maintenance
As a best practice, a Network Health Assessment should be conducted regularly – such as bi-annually or annually – as part of a proactive IT maintenance regime.
Why Your Organization Should Undertake a Network Health Assessment: 4 Key Benefits
Network health assessments help you streamline, simplify and align your IT with your organizational goals. Here are 4 of the most compelling reasons to book a network health assessment today.
Identify and Fix Performance Bottlenecks
Have you ever experienced a significant decrease in the speed of an application? Network changes frequently lead to unintended consequences on network speed when new applications and processes are introduced. Scoping out the root cause of such issues can be very tricky to do manually, requiring close examination of each software program, application and routing protocol.
A Network Health Assessment will help you get to the bottom of performance bottlenecks across the length and breadth of your digital ecosystem. Enjoy faster speeds and responsive applications that help improve business productivity.
Explore Better IT Solutions
At the end of a Network Health Assessment, a detailed report is provided documenting its findings. This may include a list of recommended technology solutions to replace parts of your infrastructure that were found to be sub-optimal. This could include a list highlighting hardware at the end of its life or past its best, insecure devices that represent security liabilities or simply components that are a poor fit for your network. This list will likely prioritize equipment for replacement, allowing you to introduce upgrades incrementally to spread the costs and minimize disruption.
Set Performance Benchmarks
So, you know the goal of an assessment is to identify poor network performance, but how do you define ‘normal performance’ without a useful point of comparison.
This is where the experience of your assessment provider comes in to play. They’ll be able to derive baseline performance characteristics across a range of metrics from the results of the assessment. This will allow you to establish minimum performance benchmarks, which can be used as a trigger for investigative and remedial work, thus promoting a culture of continuous IT improvement.
Understand Your Network’s Strengths, Weaknesses and Limitations
A Network Health Assessment gives comprehensive insights into the highs and lows of your network in a way no other exercise can. Uncover the most pronounced risks facing your data, identify the biggest hurdles to achieving compliance, locate the source of your network traffic troubles and root out underutilized programs and resources. The assessment will arm you with the data and insights you and your IT team need to make meaningful changes that transform your IT network.
Invest in Reliability, Reap Resilience, with a Network Health Assessment from Infinity Technologies
Our Network Health Assessment provides far-reaching actionable insights that can be used to enhance, optimize and align your IT infrastructure with your strategic objectives. Discover new possibilities, achieve heightened operational resilience and transform your IT into a growth-enabler that powers you forward.
Claim your free network health assessment by contacting Infinity Technologies today. We’d love to hear from you.
Infinity Technologies, the best IT provider in Virginia
Are you ready to take your business to new heights in the dynamic landscapes of Virginia, Fredericksburg, and its surrounding areas?
At Infinity Technologies, we’re dedicated to being your premier technology partner right in the heart of Virginia. Our mission is to empower your team, fortify your data security, and propel your business forward with our proactive Managed IT Services. Since 1996, businesses in Fredericksburg, Virginia, have turned to us for swift, personalized, and efficient IT Support, Cyber Security, and compliance solutions.
If you’re seeking to leverage technology to enhance your security, compliance, productivity, and innovation in Fredericksburg and beyond, connect with Infinity Technologies today. Let’s uncover the vast potential that technology offers for your organization. Reach out to us now and embark on a journey toward boundless success.
