Four Tips to Keep your Network Running Smoothly
Whether you own or operate a small business with ten employees, a mid-sized company with 100 people
or a corporate entity with more than 1,000, you likely have one thing in common: a computer network that’s
essential to smoothly and effectively running your company. You spend every workday doing a number of
computer-based tasks that possibly include sending and receiving emails, processing orders, transferring
files, sharing applications, and more. So it’s important that your systems be in excellent working condition.
First, let’s define what a computer network is. At its most basic, a network consists of two or more devices
that can communicate. In a company, a network generally refers to several different connected computer
systems that provide access to a variety of functions including email, instant messaging, chat rooms, and
others. They also allow employees to share hardware like printers, data, information, and software.
Sound complicated? It is. Depending on its size and levels of functionality, a network can have various
levels of complexity, but knowledgeable tech consultants, including myself, are extremely comfortable and
experienced in this environment and can provide expert recommendations to help you address your needs.
In a perfect world, networks would work perfectly. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, as a variety of
problems can and do occur. The good news is, there are a number of ways you can prevent problems.
Below are four of them.
Educate your employees
It’s important to teach your employees how to safely use their computers and warn them about potential
problems. Many companies develop computer use policies that clearly articulate approved guidelines. In
some cases, it’s simply doing things differently. For example, sharing large files via email can place a strain
on the system, whereas using a cloud drive or authorized third-party file sharing application can eliminate
this problem. Also, it’s helpful to compress files before sending.
Safeguard against viruses and malware
As long as there have been Internet-connected computers on office desktops, there have been all manner
of viruses, malware and Trojan horses that make their way into and infect networks through email, rogue
websites and malicious attachments. When this happens, they can often cause significant amounts of
downtime until the problem is addressed and eliminated. Fortunately, there are some good virus protection
applications that can be installed on the network, and every company with a network should be using these.
As with the previous point, educate your employees about what to watch out for and not to click links that
aren’t absolutely familiar and trusted.
Install regular updates
When most software applications are released, there are still a few bugs in them. In many cases, even with
all the pre-release testing that occurs, the developers might be unaware that they exist. It’s not until customers
install and begin using the software that problems are discovered. This is why you receive notices about updates.
Often, updates not only include patches and fixes for the bugs, but also new features for users and security
enhancements. This is why I advise clients to install updates as soon as possible after you receive them.
Keep your hardware clean
To keep your system running smoothly, do periodic checks to ensure that your hardware is up to par and doing
what it should be doing. This includes computers, routers, modems, switches, printers, scanners, and other
items that are used on a daily basis. If you don’t have a dedicated I.T. help desk, take the time to ask employees
about any problems they might be experiencing. Run diagnostics when possible. Update or service them regularly.
As with a car, if you perform regular maintenance your network should work well with minimal interruptions.