5 Top Causes of Poor Network Performance

Downtime costs companies thousands of dollars per minute, according to Forbes. Network outages are top of the reasons behind these disruptions. They not only grind every operation to a halt, but they also come at a cost. They lead to lost revenue, dissatisfied customers, unhappy employees, and a ruined reputation.

At a time when businesses heavily rely on networks to perform almost every task, you need to ensure your connection is performing at its peak at all times. Before you decide to upgrade your speed, you need to identify what is currently causing it to perform poorly. Here are some potential causes of its degradation.

Old Equipment

Most businesses don’t upgrade their systems as often as is recommended. Old routers, access points, and computers may not be running the latest versions of network protocols. When such hardware is allowed to operate beyond its shelf-life, it can cause network performance problems. The old systems may also be incompatible with the current programs and may struggle to handle the workload.

Not only do old equipment and devices degrade performance, but they also pose a security risk since they are easier to hack. To mitigate this, you need to upgrade to hardware that is in line with the current standards. Modern equipment comes with the latest firmware upgrades, which will help your network to perform better. If you want tools that can help you identify the root cause of network downtime, you can check out dnsstuff.com.

Speed Mismatches

When too many users try to access a network at the same time, it can create performance issues. In a scenario where there is enormous traffic, a digital bottleneck develops, which affects the speed. A mismatch occurs when a PC is unable to send and receive data at the same time, and instead either sends or receives data one-way. Most times, this problem occurs when your equipment isn’t correctly configured or isn’t up to standard. An enterprise needs to have business-grade systems to handle high traffic.

Poor Cable Choice

The type of cabling you install across your network infrastructure plays a critical role when it comes to performance. Poor cable quality and improper installation are a recipe for a slow web. Current ones are increasingly running at high speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps; therefore, you need to go for modern cabling. During installation, ensure the wires are correctly crimped, and there are no loose ends.

Poorly Designed Network

An improperly designed network can never reach its full potential. When the designer fails to take into account the expected traffic, the network may be trouble-prone. One of the signs that can tell you about a bad design or poor configuration is when your applications become problematic during peak hours.

To remedy this, ensure you perform detailed analysis to determine your business needs before establishing a network. This will ensure you set up a system that has a firm foundation. A well-designed network will have the capabilities needed to function flawlessly during normal and high traffic times. The set up should also follow the best practices and allow hardware and software scaling.

Malware

The age of the internet has given rise to an era of digital threats. One of the major threats companies are facing is malware. Malware such as viruses, trojans, and worms not only poses a risk to your computers but also your networks. Some have the capabilities to flood your network with traffic or use up your bandwidth allocation, thus causing performance issues. You can solve this by deploying a strong antimalware program.

Summary

Network performance issues can disrupt your business operations and cost you money. To avoid frustrating problems, learn to detect signs of network degradation. By identifying the factors behind network degradation, you’ll be in a better position to solve the issue.