IT has become such an important and intrinsic feature of today’s business landscape that it’s not only tech companies who are realizing the business value of investing in their IT infrastructure and networking systems. Organisations in virtually every industry around the world are becoming aware of the central role that IT and networking play in the 21st century business landscape, and those that capitalise on this trend in good time will certainly have the advantage over those who don’t. But how does the shift towards a more technological workplace impact companies with only a peripheral dependence on technology, and are there quantifiable business benefits for organisations such as these?

In this blog, we’ll look at the business benefits of a good Network Management System, and how to make sure you’re getting the value you should from your technological assets.

In the business landscape of the 21st century, every company is a tech company.

In an article on the O’Reilly Radar, Jon Bruner makes the assertion that in today’s technologically-dependent business world, every company is essentially a tech company. To illustrate this, he draws a comparison between Uber – the notoriously disruptive smartphone taxi service, and in many ways a classical ‘tech’ company – and what many would consider ‘non-tech’ companies – the example he uses being John Deere, the agricultural equipment manufacturer. His point is that both rely on network systems and technology in their own respect: Uber employs a huge number of software engineers and its business proposition depends on using this software to deliver a service, but John Deere’s tractors are also loaded with sophisticated software. Similarly, every company in the marketplace of today, ‘tech’ or no, has come to depend on technology for even its most critical business processes. And, with the increasing trend towards cloud computing, virtualization and “as a Service” platforms, the modern business is only becoming increasingly dependent on technology and network systems.

Greater visibility into your network environment means enhanced security.

One of the major concerns around business becoming increasingly entangled with technology is the ever-present threat of sensitive data being compromised in security breaches and hacks. The frequency and intensity of these hacks seems to be unabating – more than 1 billion records were compromised in 2014, and 2015 looks to be no less dramatic. Having a good Network Management System means that you have more visibility into your network environment, and can keep better informed of how data flows from one end of your network system to the other. By monitoring your network with the right tools, you can be notified the moment any suspicious or unwanted activity is detected on your network.

Capacity planning makes forecasting business growth easier.

Another significant business benefit of a good Network Management System is the fact that it makes planning for growth more accurate and reliable. For every employee in your organisation, you need to budget accordingly in terms of networking resources such as bandwidth and storage space. Conversely, this means that growth rates can be inferred from the rate at which your networking resources are being allocated. Using a good Network Management System means that you won’t be stuck with too many people struggling for bandwidth or suffer from performance-hindering bottlenecks in network service.

A robust network system makes business decisions easier.

Whether your organisation processes a huge amount of data per day or uses network connectivity for the bare minimum, having a good Network Management System keeps you one step ahead of your technological budget. In many ways, monitoring your network system diligently means it will be easier to make critical IT decisions when the time comes: Should you outsource your network management, or does an in-house IT department work out cheaper? Would it be beneficial to supply employees with company-sponsored smart devices, or should you encourage staff to bring their own? Forewarned is forearmed, and having a good handle on your company’s dependence on data will only empower you to make more meaningful business decisions.

To find out more about IRIS Network Systems, and how network performance monitoring can benefit your business, download our free Network Manager’s Guide to a Stable and Highly Available Network.

Image credit:www.bloomberg.com