Businesses wasting time and money solving common network problems

Research suggests that businesses in the UK are wasting valuable time resolving common network problems, resulting in several hours a week of unproductive downtime.

The research, commissioned by network monitoring specialist Paessler, found that almost half (43%) of organisations that don’t use a network monitoring tool spend more than 2 hours a week solving common network issues. In addition, 1 in 10 organisations that don’t use a network monitor spend more than five hours a week resolving these problems, equivalent to spending 30 working days per year addressing issues within their IT network.

The survey also found that without a network monitoring tool, a company’s reputation is at greater risk, with IT departments that don’t use a network monitor being less likely to be on top of problems affecting their network infrastructure. Almost half (46%) of organisations that don’t use a network monitor said they are sometimes alerted to issues either by staff working outside of the IT department, or, alarmingly, by customers or clients.

The survey suggests SMEs face the greatest risk from problems associated with IT network performance. Small businesses currently spend an average of 2.5 hours a week solving common network issues, with 41% not currently making use of a network monitoring tool. Even SMEs with fewer than 50 employees spend an average of 2 hours a week solving IT network problems, which represents a huge waste of time and money relative to the size of their business.

Dirk Paessler, CEO of Paessler, said: “This research shows that organisations in the UK - small businesses in particular - are spending an excessive amount of time resolving common IT network problems. While occasional issues are to be expected, businesses are clearly experiencing too much downtime, resulting in a huge waste of both time and money.

“For SMEs this is very concerning, as the loss of even one client or customer due to issues with IT infrastructure can be enough to have a catastrophic effect on a business’s stability and prospects.

“If a business does not use a network monitoring tool it will lack the ability to pre-empt problems that can lead to downtime, and to resolve issues swiftly before employees, customers or clients are affected. Regardless of the size of a business, it is clear that a network monitor should be considered as the key to maintaining a productive and successful enterprise.”

The survey also highlights factors that may increase the difficulty of maintaining network availability and performance in the future. Nearly a third (28%) of respondents said that employees using their own devices on the network is the most significant potential strain on their IT network, reflecting rapid growth in the ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) trend. Only 6% responded with ‘The Internet of Things’ (IoT), indicating that IoT has yet to make a significant impact on the technology investment plans of UK businesses.