Should You Switch IT Companies?

Are you worried that your IT services company isn’t doing enough? Are they really doing all they should be doing? This article explores a simple way to find out. In the modern business environment, IT is essentially the cornerstone of all your functions. From product development to human resources to customer service, practically each of your departments depends on a robust network. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated or expensive your technology is. To get full value from your IT investments, you need to back it with the right support. As a leading managed IT Services Company, we’ve been providing reliable IT solutions to companies all over Denver. During that time, we’ve met with the representatives of many companies that are considering parting ways with their current technology partner. After experiencing several chronic IT issues, they had started to doubt the performance of their MSPs. However, they didn’t have any means of pinpointing the root cause of their recurrent problems. Have you also been searching for an easy way of gaining the full picture of your network? Would you like to find out what your MSP could be doing wrong? There is a simple solution: network assessment.  At initial.IT, we realize it’s our duty as a trusted MSP, to educate business decision-makers so they can make decisions that benefit their organizations. With that goal in mind, our experts came up with this article. So, how can a network assessment show you whether it’s time to switch IT services companies? Find out below.

What is a Network Assessment?

A network assessment refers to a comprehensive analysis and report of an organization’s IT infrastructure, processes, security, and management. In a nutshell, it is a detailed catalog of every component that makes up your network. That includes each device and software in your network. It’s usually aimed at finding opportunities for improvement and giving a detailed picture of your network’s present state. With this information in hand, you’ll be better placed to make strategic business decisions.

How Does a Network Assessment Work?

The process of assessing your network is technical and meticulous. However, network automation means device inventory and network auditing are more convenient. Briefly put, the assessment program compiles data on your IT infrastructure, organizes it before outputting meaningful information. The process of network assessment takes place in three stages:

• Preparation Stage. As the name suggests, it mainly has to do with setting expectations regarding the scope of the assessment, its duration, etc.

• Performing the Network Assessment With Various Tools: To complete a successful network assessment, you need different tools. The tools are grouped into several categories, such as:
  • Security assessment.
  • Network inventory, analysis, and network diagram.
  • Network performance assessment.
  • Post-assessment reports and recommendations.

These tools can be used to identify your organization’s network devices, carry out analysis on them, or even come up with automatic network diagrams using the recognized devices.

• Post Assessment Reports and Recommendations. Once the network assessment has been completed, you have to make sense of the collected data with your IT services provider’s help. For example, if there are any obsolete devices in your network, they need to be immediately replaced. Alternatively, your server could be overloaded, resulting in performance issues that need to be resolved.

What Areas Are Covered in the Network Assessment? The network assessment will cover the following areas:

• Infrastructure: this includes all the equipment that your organization’s network comprises. These include the types of applications, versions of operating systems, and circuits.
• Security: this includes all internal and external points of entry together with weaknesses within applications or servers.
• Management: your network management strategy that includes your monitoring, maintenance, and patching schedules.
• Performance: the information you collect will be combined with a thorough traffic analysis to identify any availability or overutilization issues.

When Is the Right Time to Assess Your Network? Is your network due for an assessment? To help you find out, we crafted the following list of questions:

• Have your staff been complaining about lagging performance?
• Is your organization experiencing rapid growth or upgrading its software?
• Is your management team worried about the lack of records?
• Are you expecting an audit soon?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions above, you urgently need to perform a network assessment. A well-executed network assessment will help you evaluate the performance of your IT Services Company. How? Let’s find out.

What Issues Will a Network Assessment Help Identify?

By shedding light on several problem areas, a network assessment enables you to take stock of your MSP’s performance. The four main issues assessing your network will highlight are:

• Underutilized/Over Utilized Resources. A network assessment will enable you to distribute resources among your departments according to their needs.
• Bandwidth Bottlenecks. These could be a result of streaming videos, large file downloads, or running software that need more bandwidth. A network assessment will help to identify and correct the bottlenecks and have your network running optimally.
• Security Vulnerabilities. Any glaring security concerns revealed by the network assessment must be addressed immediately to protect your network and departmental functions from harm.
• Possible Pros and Cons.  When you launch new technologies, how will the new platforms work with your existing network? Which integration points should you think about and get ready for?

A network assessment is the best way to evaluate your network’s current state and your IT Company’s performance. You don’t need to lose sleep over an MSP that can’t get the job done. Let us provide you with the premier IT services your business deserves. Call us now on (303) 893-4350 to discuss custom-tailored IT solutions for your business.