echnology is constantly changing and evolving and increasingly boundaries of
Tperformance are set by the network . A poor level of connectivity can really thwart a business ’ operation , yet are businesses sometimes responsible for failing to consider it ?
Connectivity and the infrastructure are seen as a utility similar to gas and electricity , a must for businesses to have , yet a somewhat unexciting poor relation . Even though it is in demand , its intangible nature means that it ’ s rarely focussed upon until it becomes the wall for a business ’ operation .
Before companies look at the many developments in software and cloud based services they must first figure out can the foundations actually support it . Do they have the infrastructure to support a change ? Have
Are you fit for the future ?
they considered the costs of that change ? It becomes central in an entire investment decision . It ’ s a cost to upgrade the network infrastructure but without it being right , things just don ’ t work .
As innovation moves forward it requires more reliable connections , ones that flex with the business . As most business & consumer products are Internet driven , it ’ s all dependent on high speed and reliable connections . The bright new world of the Internet of Things ( IoT ) just drives this need further .
Companies have and do drive headlong into new technologies yet ignore the foundations . It ’ s not only the Internet or other network connections that they fail to consider .
Office WiFi is a perfect example . Ever more used and demanded of , it is by its nature , a limited technology compared to the network cable plugged into your computer . Wireless connections have a much lower limit before bandwidth problems strike compared to connecting in by wire . When things in the office struggle to perform , the Internet or the “ network ” is blamed , but the expectancy is sometimes too high and the infrastructure is not capable .
We work with companies who ask us to help with their connectivity and the diagnosis is often that they are demanding too much from a limited network . It is easy to see why this can happen ; the transfer of consumerbased marketing and perception into the business environment . ‘ My WiFi works better at home ’ is an occasionally heard cry of despair . Laptops today no longer come with the network socket as a standard item like they used to . It ’ s a new world of sitting anywhere in your office , or another office and just pressing go . It ’ s the epitome of flexible working . It is a great image but try doing it in an office of twenty people all serviced from the WiFi on a broadband router .
Aging , as well as insufficient network infrastructure , is a common problem for those who want to take a step forward . If you are bringing in new ways of working , new software or new online capabilities , take the time and effort to look at the pipes , both wired and over the air , they are carried on . It may cost to make it better but it is a lot less painful than struggling because it was not considered when other investment choices are made .
Richard Simpson , Managing Director of Atlas Communications . Atlas provides inpremises and hosted data , network and telephony solutions to businesses across Northern Ireland and can be contacted on 028 9078 6868 .
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