When Was Your Last Network Assessment?
A network assessment is a thorough examination of your entire IT Infrastructure, including on-site hardware, as well as security policies, device performance ratings and processes around managing the technology. Network assessments can be conducted proactively or reactively. Although healthy businesses proactively and regularly conduct their network assessments.
A network assessment is not a one-off event for the life of your business. To really reap the benefits it offers, you need to have one conducted at least once a year. Too often, network assessments are left sitting at the bottom of the to-do list as regular daily tasks keep taking priority. The issue is the longer it sits at the bottom of the list, the harder it is to convince yourself it needs done. The longer it goes undone, the worse problems become within your network.
Proper preparation before the actual network assessment is important to help streamline the entire process, which can seem daunting to a business. Preparation includes defining the scope of assessment, including the length of the assessment. There is also some technical prep work that needs to be done to ensure compatibility with the network assessment tools that will be used.
Various tools will need to conduct the audit, as not one tool can effectively tell your business everything you need to know about your technology. You need different tools to evaluate:
- Network inventory, analysis, and network diagram
- Network performance assessment
- Security assessment
- The post-assessment reports and recommendations
Once the tools do their job, post-assessment reports are created that will help you understand what the data that was gathered means. These reports should have recommendations for areas of improvement, whether it is replacing some obsolete hardware or an upgrade path for a legacy software. These detailed reports should help a business access their overall risk posture, including risks to the network, as well as vulnerability management.
When you engage a third-party partner to conduct your network assessment, their objectivity is a benefit. With a fresh perspective, they can deliver unbiased recommendations to achieve improved capacity planning and performance. They can also help create a network infrastructure strategy aligned to your business goals. Not to mention, the tools they have are designed specifically for a network assessment, saving your business countless time and money trying to replicate that on your own.
When was the last time your business had a network audit conducted? If you do not know the answer or if it has been well over a year, do not put it off anymore. It is time to move this item to the top of your to-do-list. Looking for a dependable third-party to conduct your network audit? Look no further. 2W Tech is a technology solutions provider specializing in solutions for the manufacturing industry. Let our team of IT Consultants come in with our tools and expertise and help get your network and systems ready to take on 2023!
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