5 Ways To Optimize Your Computer Network For Better Business
For most businesses, if an employee’s computer performance starts to drop, the first course of action might be to investigate that computer’s settings, antivirus, and storage. However, did you know it’s possible to make group updates to a business’s computers via a shared network?
Establishing an internal network for your business technology is a great way to set your IT systems up for success. In the long run, your internal network improves security, boosts performance, and makes it easier to make updates or changes on a large scale, rather than taking the time to change individual settings on every single machine.
If computers on your internal network are not running at optimal speed, there are a few things your managed IT provider can do to boost performance.
Clean up internal storage with a shared, secure cloud storage system.
If a computer’s internal storage space drops to 15% or less, there is a significant decrease in its performance speed as well. By storing files in a secure external storage system, like Microsoft SharePoint or OneDrive, your team’s computers can be configured to only download files when they’re needed. This frees up critical space on your computer’s hard drive for system applications.
Plus, with a remote access system in place, your team can access any file from any device, anytime, and anywhere in the world!
Speed-test your internal network.
Through network congestion and speed tests, your managed IT provider can identify areas for improvement in your internal network. These can be things as simple as establishing line of sight between Wi-Fi access points, or as complex as optimizing or upgrading network devices such as switches and routers.
Update shared antivirus and antimalware subscriptions.
Like many programs, antivirus and antimalware applications need to update regularly. Security programs both prevent and remove sneaky programs and files that clog up your system’s processes. Because so many new worms, Trojans, and ransomware are created every day, these programs need to update more often than most to keep your systems protected.
If your computer systems run antivirus and antimalware, it’s likely you paid for a group subscription to the same programs. Through your internal network, you can update or upgrade these subscriptions for every computer that has the service installed. Setting your antivirus and antimalware programs to auto-update is another way to speed up this process, and in turn, your systems.
Update network security settings for all machines on the network.
In the same way that you can update shared programs from a local network, you can also establish security settings, group policy settings (like password requirements and application access), and start-up procedures on a large scale. When your work computer boots up in the morning, how many programs automatically launch? Cutting back on programs that eat up memory like a gourmet breakfast (music players, editing software, and gaming interfaces, just to name a few) can massively speed up your computer’s performance. This is especially true for older machines or those without a lot of RAM. Also, consider company policies and group policy settings that prevent your users from accessing applications that can drastically reduce bandwidth and, in some cases, put your business network at risk.
Identify outdated technology and make recommendations for replacements or upgrades.
What is “RAM,” exactly? RAM stands for random access memory, and it’s the temporary memory your computers use to store short-term data for quick access. In other words, it’s one of the parts of your computer that directly impacts its performance. Computers with higher amounts of RAM, for example, are able to process at higher speeds.
Often, maxed out RAM is a major culprit for a computer’s slow processing speed. If your computer runs out of memory stored in RAM, it will temporarily save application data to your hard drive to run programs, and that can drastically slow down your computer. Luckily, upgrading your system memory is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to improve your computer’s speed. Other components, like your hard drive and processor, might be a little more costly to replace, but they can still have a huge impact on your business’s efficiency if implemented on a wide scale. If your computer is using a mechanical (SATA) hard drive, consider upgrading to a solid-state drive. This can result in much faster data access time, effectively increasing your computer’s performance.
A managed IT provider like GTS will look at your system as a whole, not just any one computer on its own. By identifying opportunities for improvement, like upgraded network and computer hardware components, technology, or software, we help your business operate at top speeds every day.
At Grand Technology Solutions, we offer fixes to your IT headaches that are fast, efficient, and long-lasting. We treat your IT systems as a whole, not just single machines – and with services like our remote monitoring and management protection package, we can help prevent business-impacting problems before they ever pop up.
How can we help improve your business’s internal network? Contact us today at info@helpgts.com or call (904) 606-6011.
