Why A Network Audit Is A Good Idea

Most small businesses don’t have the luxury of an in-house IT department. Even if they do have one, it’s likely a small department run by a handful of folks who have their hands full with either implementation projects or simply staying afloat. With opportunities to invest in the improvement of your infrastructure few and far between, a network audit can help you identify where your network suffers most, and what you can do about it.

A network audit helps your business know which parts of your infrastructure are working well, and which parts could use a helping hand in the form of software updates, hardware upgrades, and most important of all, security patches. We'll run through some of the best reasons why your organization can benefit from a comprehensive network audit from Directive.

You’ll Know Where Network Inefficiencies Lie
The flow of data can be a rather complex one. The same network could work perfectly fine for one business, but cause another more trouble than you might think. This is why a network audit is such an important investment. If your network isn’t set up in a way which is conducive to the success of your individual organization, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Network bottlenecks are just one example of how the flow of data could be restricted. These issues can be solved by simply finding where they are, and immediately addressing the issue before prolonged inefficiencies result.

You’ll Identify Hardware Issues Before They Happen
If your business has been around for a while, chances are you’ve experienced your fair share of hardware replacements over the years. If you haven’t, though, and you’re still using technology that served you well 10 years ago, you’re one of the lucky few who haven’t had to experience a hardware failure at a critical moment. If you run your hardware into the ground, you’re more likely to experience catastrophic hardware failure that could hold up operations and place your business at risk. Hardware solutions like workstations and servers often give hints that they are on their way out ahead of time, so a network audit can help you identify these before it’s too late to do anything about them.

You’ll Be Able to Identify Security Issues
Software solutions aren’t the easiest things to maintain, as you have to frequently implement patches and security updates to ensure that they are protected from developing threats. The problem here is that businesses often don’t have the time or resources to implement such patches on every single machine, and sometimes the patches aren’t compatible or cause problems with other software solutions on your network. A good network audit can help you by both implementing necessary patches and updates, as well as identifying problem areas that could cause trouble for your organization.

But Most Important of All, You Meet Us
There’s something that can be said about face-to-face meetings with IT professionals who love the work they do. When you request a network audit from Directive, you get a chance to see us in action, doing the thing that we were meant to do; help small businesses just like you get the IT services you need to succeed.

To learn more about what Directive can do for you, reach out to us at 607.433.2200.