Network management

Your network is a key part of your business IT systems. To keep it running smoothly it’s important you perform some basic network management tasks.

Why computer network maintenance matters

There are several reasons good network management is important.

• Prevent problems. Much like servicing a car, good network management will stop problems occurring and prolong your network’s life.
• Work efficiently. Good management ensures your staff have access to the IT they need to do their jobs effectively.
• Maintain security. Even if you set your network up securely to begin with, you need good management to ensure it stays that way.

A well-managed network will serve your business better, reducing the time you spend solving problems and allowing you to get on with running your company.

Network management tasks

There are five important areas of network management:

• Software management. This involves taking care of the software installed on your network. It includes keeping track of installed software, applying any important updates and deciding whether to upgrade when new versions become available.
• Hardware management. You need to maintain the physical equipment which makes up your network. This might involve inspecting servers, cleaning dust from vents and testing key hardware like uninterruptible power supplies.
• File management. Particularly important if you operate a central file store on a server, file management involves keeping all the files on your system organised, deleting temporary files and archiving old data.
• Security management. If your business relies on its computer network, then keeping that network secure is very important. Security-related tasks include running and testing backups, regularly scanning for viruses and testing your firewall.
• User management. You can reduce administration and boost your network’s security further by giving employees different levels of access depending on what they need to do, removing access rights when staff leave and controlling what files people can change.

It’s important you stay on top of these things. Performed regularly, network management and maintenance needn’t take a great deal of time or cause much disruption.

Keeping on top of computer network maintenance

To make sure network management and maintenance tasks get done regularly, make someone in your business responsible for them and build the tasks into your company’s schedule. If you leave them until someone has a spare moment then they’ll probably never get done!

To minimise disruption, perform some computer network maintenance out of normal working hours. Tasks like defragmenting hard drives, running virus scans or testing backup systems can slow down a network server.

You may also be able to automate some management tasks. For instance, virus scanners can be set to perform a full scan at a specific time.

Network management costs

If you don’t have a suitably experienced member of staff to take care of your network management tasks, it’s wise to find an external supplier who can do it for you. If you already work with an IT supplier or support company, they may offer a network maintenance contract. These typically cost about £250 a month for a small company network with a server and five computers.

Although this may work out more expensive than doing it yourself, it certainly reduces the hassle - and can pay for itself by preventing just one significant network failure.