Network Management
Eight ways to recession-proof the IT department
Maintain effectiveness and save money during the economic downturn.
Nearly every part of every business is affected by the current economic situation, but there are actions the IT department can take to maintain effectiveness and save money during the economic downturn.
1. Understand network demand and application behavior. Understanding the normal application behavior of the past is important in order to guarantee acceptable performance in the future, especially anticipating how the network will respond to new application rollouts. Establishing benchmarks and understanding long-term network utilization are key to ensuring effective infrastructure changes. In addition to evaluating network performance, understanding network demand and behavior is key to accurate long-term planning and handling new business requests.
2. Eliminate unauthorized application and device use. Unauthorized applications and network devices can consume significant bandwidth and resources and constitute a security threat. Daily network monitoring and asset tracking allows staff to quickly identify unauthorized application and device use.
3. Save money using PC power management. PC power-management software monitors computer activities and powers them down when they are not in use. Power-management solutions can include wake-on LAN capabilities, which awaken machines automatically for remote access, patching or maintenance.
4. Harness the power of virtualization. Use virtualization to consolidate network servers for more efficient use of network resources. The use of virtual servers reduces the need to purchase additional physical machines, reduces power consumption, shortens disaster-recovery time, and enables server and resource redundancy.
5. Align IT with business. In the current cost-cutting environment, IT departments should be able to demonstrate how it contributes positively to the company’s bottom line. To minimize the chance of having the IT budget slashed, IT costs should be organized around services and processes visible to the business. Also beneficial is establishing strong relationships and clear communication with the CFO, explaining the risks of postponing infrastructure investments or reducing services.
6. Automate business processes. Improve business efficiency with automation. Enabling videoconferencing or online meetings, for example, can reduce the need for travel. Investigate other customer care services that can be delivered online rather than in person or over the phone.
7. Prioritize projects. Faced with more project requests than dollars and staff available, prioritizing projects in the queue is necessary. Determine which projects are necessities versus nice to haves. Conduct in-depth cost-benefit analyses of each project to determine what value it offers short term and long term. Keep the company’s annual growth targets in mind and determine what IT investments will be necessary to achieve them.
8. Create policies for Web 2.0 applications. While Web 2.0 applications can boost company productivity, they also increase exposure to security and compliance threats. Adopting policies that appropriately restrict use and educate users about potential risks can reduce bandwidth demand, security threats and liability exposures.
This article was provided by Network Instruments, Minneapolis, Minn.
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