Just like a well-oiled machine, your company’s network needs regular checkups to ensure optimum performance. Unfortunately, most small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) tend to put network assessments at the bottom of their to-do list. Leaving this important task unresolved can make your network system difficult to manage and secure, as well as uncover compliance issues you never knew existed. The solution is simple: get a trusted managed IT services provider (MSP) to do a network assessment.
What is a network assessment?
A network assessment is a careful review of your organization’s existing IT infrastructure, processes, performance, security, and management. Your MSP will do this to identify issues, isolate opportunities for improvement, and get a general view of the current state of your network.
Why do I need a network assessment?
This assessment provides your business with the following benefits:
- Knowing the health of your IT infrastructure – An in-depth report about your current infrastructure can help you make critical decisions regarding network maintenance and upgrades. This can also help you identify opportunities for simplification, automation, and network consolidation.Not only will this significantly reduce the cost of operations, but it will also allow your team to focus on value-added tasks and your company’s strategic activities.
- Improved network security – Cyberattacks work by targeting the vulnerabilities of an organization’s network. A good part of these cyberattacks target SMBs because most of them don’t have the budget to invest in a professional IT team. You shouldn’t assume that cybercriminals won’t go after you because your business is too small.By getting a network assessment, your MSP can isolate your company’s network vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them. From this, you can formulate a preventive security strategy and provide adequate security training for your employees that will keep your organization safe against global cyberthreats.
- Improved resource management – A key part of a network assessment an analysis of the overall performance of your company’s infrastructure. This will help you evaluate areas where your network is over- or underusing resources. The information gathered from a network assessment can help you allocate your resources in the most efficient way to improve your company’s productivity.Comply with industry standards and regulations – Outside of ensuring the operational integrity of your infrastructure, a network assessment will keep your company compliant. Some of the hardware you use comes with HIPAA and PCI compliance modules that an assessment can pick up. This helps you identify specific areas with compliance issues, giving you enough time to address them so you don’t face hefty fines or censure.
- Helps ease the implementation of new technology – If you have big IT projects like adding new hardware or migrating to the cloud, a network assessment will help you understand the advantages and potential issues that you can face even before any changes are done.One good example is Windows 7. With the end of support for Windows 7 fast approaching, having a trusted MSP evaluate your computers to see if they are compatible with Windows 10 can prevent days or even months of downtime.
A network assessment is not something you only do once. With the pace of technological advancements getting faster, doing this regularly is an effective way to ensure the safety and stability of your company’s infrastructure. A poorly maintained IT environment carries risks that can potentially jeopardize your business and employees. A network assessment will help you to see where you currently are, and where you need to go to achieve the aspirations and goals of your business. If you’re not sure where to start, give us a call and we’ll schedule a network assessment for your organization at the most convenient time.
