During the pre-pandemic times, the open-space office was always a hive of activity with people bustling about. Fast forward to today, and the scenario is totally different. Now we have “ghost workplaces” as companies, both small and large, close up their offices and urge their employees to work from home.
As the massive work-from-home movement gains momentum, the network traffic that formally took place in the office has now shifted to networks serving residential users. The same network infrastructure that remote workers utilize at home is the same one that other residents are using to e-learn, download music, stream videos, play games, and more.
Why You Need to Do a Complete Network Overhaul and Not Just Patchwork
As a network infrastructure encounters a higher volume of use than it can handle, it experiences performance issues. When such issues occur, they can cause a severe slowdown or even a complete halt in operations, something that facility managers and IT departments cannot afford to let happen.
Besides performance issues, security issues can also occur when utilizing older and overloaded networks. With a congested network, operating systems are more vulnerable to cyber attacks, putting crucial company information at risk.
Since the network hardware is the backbone of your entire infrastructure, you may need to replace it with a completely new system instead of as-needed additions. By network hardware, we mean access points, switches, firewalls, and cabling. A complete network overhaul is important as it is the only thing that will ensure that performance issues and security threats are averted.
5 Signs Your Network Infrastructure Needs a Complete Overhaul
The following are the five signs that your network infrastructure doesn’t need patchwork but a complete overhaul:
1. The Infrastructure is Old
Most facility managers wait until they have a major debacle to realize that it is time for an upgrade. Many of them also wait until all 20 of their computers are eight years old and then have an enormous task to pep up all of them at once. Both scenarios present both a major user interruption and considerable upfront cost.
If your network equipment is over five years old, the odds are that it will experience performance issues sooner rather than later. At this point, you should give your network a complete overhaul before a major malfunction occurs and causes a halt in operations. The best approach would be to replace the hardware components individually to keep disruptions at a minimum.
2. Hardware Failure
For most organizations with remote employees, the leading cause of downtime is a hardware failure. When working remotely, users can experience different kinds of hardware failure, including:
- Random shutdowns
- Unexplained freezes
- Startup with system checkup
- Bluescreens
- Unsystematic crashes of the server
- File system issues
- Command-line freezes
The good thing about network hardware is that the lifespan of most of the components is predictable. After years of use, you will start to see switches, ports, adapters, and physical cables failing more regularly. If the repairs you make now and then are not helping, it is time to consider doing a complete network overhaul.
3. Your Network Connection is Too Slow
Older networks cannot support the technology demands of today’s mobile workforce. If your network environment is poorly constructed, it may not be able to keep up with user demand, particularly during increases in activity, resulting in a slow, unresponsive connection.
Luckily, modern converged wired and wireless technology makes it possible for remote workers to work from anywhere at record speed. If your network connection is sluggish, you should do a complete overhaul to boost the speed and performance of the network connection.
4. Your Network is Wired
If you don’t already know, the future of networks is wireless. Now that users are mobile, cables are soon going to be a thing of the past. Wireless connections are substituting a lot of wired connections, enabling users to utilize the network conveniently and without a hassle. If you are running a wired network, you should replace it entirely with a wireless one.
From the users’ perspective, wireless connections are more accessible and convenient compared to wired networks. With wireless networks, users don’t need to find cables and go scrabbling around the flow to locate an active data point. With a wireless network, all they need to do is to switch on their device and connect to the available network.
5. Your Network is Insecure
While working from their homes’ comfort is quite convenient for remote workers, this luxury also comes with its downsides. Not only does it put the remote workers’ privacy at risk, but it can also result in breaching their respective companies’ security as well.
The last thing you want is your network to be a prime spot for cybercriminals. The best way to ensure that hackers won’t spy on your internet traffic and gather confidential information is to replace your unsecured public Wi-Fi network with a highly secure one. By doing so, you will ensure that all remote workers within the building will work safely without worrying about their privacy or their company data.
Hire E & E Tech and Give Your IT Environment An Instant Boost!
For remote workers who work for small- and medium-sized companies, the network infrastructure they use can either be their biggest asset or their greatest liability. When the network begins to drag, the employee productivity decreases and revenue streams start to dry. E & E Tech is here to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
We are a Michigan-based IT solutions provider dedicated to providing easy technology solutions for businesses of all sizes. Whether you want to put a new network infrastructure in place, perform partial upgrades, or want to do a complete network overhaul, we can help. We will listen to your goals, assess your needs, and help you choose the right IT solutions for your business.
Are you ready to do a complete network overhaul? Feel free to Contact us or call us at (248) 963-0000 today, and we will be more than willing to assist!
