When folks enter into business computer support contracts, it's easy to lapse into seeing the arrangement as a failsafe for when things get messed up. You should be taking advantage of business computer services in a lot of other ways, though. Here are four concerns you ought to talk about with a professional
Upgrades
Both software and hardware systems will get dated as time rolls by. A lot of companies don't see this as an issue as long as their computers keep doing the job.
Unfortunately, having a poorly conceived or nonexistent upgrade cycle can leave you in a lurch when support runs out. Not only do companies cease support for software, like Microsoft did with Windows 7, but hardware can become obsolete due to changes in support for a processor's list of operation codes.
Connectivity
Internet connections represent another area where businesses often treat systems that seem to be "good enough" as perfectly okay. Improving the switches, routers, network cards, and cabling at your company's buildings, though, is one of the best bang-for-the-buck investments you can make. Even relatively simple upgrades from Cat 5 to Cat 6 cabling, for example, can speed up file transfers and reduce time wasted waiting for internet browsers to load.
Businesses that save a lot of large files across their networks may want to look at upgrading to fiber optics. These systems can provide gigabit bandwidth in surprisingly cost-effective packages. However, putting them to good use requires installing components that support fiber connections.
Security Monitoring
Folks often assume that having a few firewalls and an antivirus software package is sufficient. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Setting up security monitoring is a great way to identify threats sooner. Especially if your company is dealing with privacy or banking concerns on behalf of customers, there's no excuse for not having security monitoring.
Auditing
Even small businesses can have some surprising machines running on their networks. Old servers get overlooked, and it's easy to assume they've been inventoried just because they have some stickers with handwriting on them.
You should always know what devices are running on your network. A system-wide audit will allow you to conduct a complete inventory. You can then track down and label machines accurately. If older and out-of-use ones are identified as consuming resources, you can hunt them down and eliminate them.
A competently done audit can also spot people leaching off your network. For example, if the folks across the street are using your Wi-Fi, an audit will pick them up so you can eliminate the connection.
To learn more, contact a business computer support company.
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