As the owner of an IT Services company, I frequently have discussions with business owners about the slowness of their network.  In these conversations, I often learn that most of these companies have network equipment that is more than 3-5 years old.  In many cases, instead of providing a quote to fix the existing network, we recommend a network upgrade.

Many business owners choose to use their existing devices for as long as possible, with the common misconception that by using equipment longer, they are saving money.  The reality however, is just the opposite; a network upgrade can in fact save a lot of money, and in this article we will explain exactly why.

1. Fixing old equipment is often more expensive than a network upgrade

Diagnosing network issues often takes many of hours of labor, because it requires analyzing the entire network to understand the existing set up.  In some cases, the slowness is due to mis-configurations and can be easily corrected.  In other cases, all network equipment may need to be replaced.  Additionally, the labor cost of diagnosing and repairing a slow network, could end up being twice as expensive as simply upgrading from the start.  After all, why spend good money after bad, when you can put that money towards a brand new network with a valid warranty and the latest features.

2. Network upgrade can save money on on-going IT support costs

After replacing network infrastructure, the environment becomes more stable and easier to support, thus reducing on-going IT support costs and resolution times.  When issues do occur, it is easier to pinpoint the exact cause, without losing extra time trying to isolate the issue.  Intermittent connectivity issues, which are often caused by failing hardware, is also less likely to occur with newer devices.

3. Higher productivity and less downtime for your business

We all know time is money, but many companies don’t truly understand the tremendous impact network slowness has on their bottom line.

Imagine a 20-employee company and each employee loses about 15 minutes a day due to network slowness.  Assuming $50 fully loaded hourly rate, the network slowness issues is costing the company over ~$52k a year in lost productivity.  The impact is even more significant when considering the downtime that a network equipment failure can cause.

The Truth About Network Upgrade

When many people hear the words “network upgrade,” they immediately assume it will be an astronomical amount of money, but that’s not necessarily the case.  Depending on your existing equipment, the size of the office, and needs of the organization, a network upgrade can cost as little as $1,500.  A network upgrade can have a significant impact on your business and can immediately generate a return on investment, especially when taking into consideration the high cost of repair and loss of productivity.

Ferrara IT Network Upgrade Process

When we receive calls regarding network slowness, our process begins with first understanding the different symptoms the client is experiencing.  From there, we begin a discovery process to evaluate the physical devices and check for damage or visible problems.  If no apparent issues are identified, we then utilize advanced network monitoring tools to scan the network for problems.  After the diagnosis, if we determine that the network issues would be best resolved by an upgrade, we will design a customized network upgrade solution based on the business’s unique needs.

A network upgrade is not the right solution for all situations, so give us a call to find out if a network upgrade is right for your business.