Computer consultants offer the following ten tips to help boost network performance and give companies and individuals the edge they need to get their jobs done in the best way possible:
1. Buy new equipment. Prices have fallen as more hardware has emerged in recent years, and many businesses have not upgraded since prior to Y2K. While an investment, buying new equipment is more affordable than you think and will have a profound effect on network speed. New equipment can boost business that will directly influence revenue.
2. Rethink bandwidth availability and costs. More bandwidth should be available than before, even though many providers may not have cut prices or increased. Many T-1 and T-3 lines are now priced affordably for even medium-sized and small businesses.
3. Don’t skimp on storage. A large number of companies have not increased their storage capabilities since Y2K, and like hardware and equipment, there are many affordably-priced options out there now. Increasing storage capacity can free up the network to do what it needs to do.
4. Improve network security. Spyware, Trojans and worms are a real problem for everyone and can infect network performance while putting companies at risk for losing important data or leaking sensitive information. Most updates for security programs can be done automatically, which helps eliminate human error and can ensure better network performance.
5. Use automated resource monitoring systems. These systems can identify bottlenecks and help speed network performance.
6. Get user and manager feedback. Ask users and managers about their experiences with the network; they may be having issues you haven’t thought of before, and their insights can shed light on ways you can improve performance.
7. Use applications that reduce data entry. Sometimes information can be added multiple times. Certain types of software or middleware can prevent this from happening and make sure the system isn’t bogged down by too much information.
8. Use e-mail consolidation and acceleration techniques. E-mail, especially that with attachments, is the biggest hindrance for networks. According to experts, 70 percent of e-mail now contains attachments of 5MB or more, which can inundate the system with unnecessary data. E-mail consolidation and acceleration technologies can save e-mails without the unnecessary attachments and free up space.
9. Wide area file services are important. They provide better WAN communication and improve the interface between users and senders, thereby making the network run more smoothly.
10. Use data reduction and pattern matching. This will allow appliances at different points of the WAN to only exchange file changes and not the entire file, thus freeing up the network and allowing it to be faster and more powerful.
Created By: Computer Consulting 101
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