Chicago Network Management Services Built For You
In the fast-paced digital world that we’re now living in, your business’s ability to thrive depends on its ability to stay connected. This means that you need more than just straightforward Internet access. You need a forward-thinking approach to network-managed services in Chicago in every sense of the term.
Yet at the same time, even seasoned entrepreneurs can make the mistake of assuming that the term “network” simply refers to a business’s ability to get onto the Internet. It’s about making sure that you and your employees are able to communicate, collaborate, and innovate anywhere, anytime, and on virtually any device.
If you’re merely judging the success of your current network management efforts by whether your devices are literally online, you’re only tapping into a fraction of the full potential in front of you.
To find out more about how the right approach to network management can help enhance your availability, reduce costs, and more, contact one of our team members at Genuity today to get started.
From Cost Center to Revenue Generator
In an over-arching sense, network management involves all the processes and procedures that monitor and maintain everything connected to a network. That includes connections, hardware, software, and more.
Think for a moment about all the different components that are connected to a business network at any given moment.
In addition to desktop and laptop workstations you also have smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. You have network equipment like printers and VoIP phone systems. There is also the hardware that brings it all together – from switches to access points to servers and beyond.
Simply making sure that this is all functioning properly can quickly become a full-time job. Because everything is so interconnected by design, there’s no such thing as a “small problem” any longer. One mistake could cause downtime for a large number of people, harming productivity as a result.
It’s also important to note that this is an issue that will only grow more complicated as time goes on. As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow in popularity, the number of devices connected to the average network will explode thanks to all the sensors and other devices creating and sharing data with one another at any given moment.
This is why people tend to make the mistake of seeing network management, and IT in particular, as a cost center. It’s an area that you seem to pour money into solely to keep things moving.
But with IT supplementary support services and managed IT network services in Chicago, it can become a core component of what keeps you moving forward.
An Approach to Network Managed Services That Evolves With Your Business
A holistic approach to network managed services in Chicago requires you to carefully examine five core pillars of your business’ digital operations:
- Performance. Only by proactively keeping track of every device or asset connected to the network will you be able to see how it all fits together. You can identify performance issues proactively and put a stop to them before they have a chance to negatively impact the larger whole.
- Security management. Every device on the network is a potential vulnerability waiting to be exploited – don’t let yourself forget that, especially when experts at IBM put the average cost of a single data breach at $4.45 million as of 2024.
- Administration. This refers to the tasks and processes associated with granting access to users, adding new users to the existing infrastructure, and more.
- Configuration. A device that is connected to an improperly configured network is ultimately pointless, as users won’t be able to use it to accomplish anything. Configuration refers to maintaining hardware and software updates, and more.
- Fortification. In network management, this is called fault management. Potential problems are identified, along with their sources. You identify the process used and document it, all so that it can be used again if you need it.
When developed and maintained properly, a business network (and the assets connected to it) can literally take that which is impossible and bring it into reality in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. It can transform not only what your business is capable of today, but what it will be capable of tomorrow.
This is why our point-of-view about network management in Chicago has always been so clear: we want to help you utilize your network to enhance your availability and reduce costs in equal measure.
Because there’s no “one size fits all” approach to managed network services in Chicago, our approach always begins in the exact same way: with a conversation. Contact one of our team members at Genuity today so that we can learn more about you, what your network needs to enable you to do, and what steps we can take to help.