by Joe Gleinser
11. August 2009 06:13
Perhaps I'm on a 'failure' kick, but that word will appear heavily in this blog entry too. What do you think are the most common design or management failures of a business network? Trends have developed through assessing hundreds of different networks from 1 to 1000s of PCs, Here is my list, in order of severity and also expense:
1) Data Backup: Is this surprising? I regularly run across companies that don't have a functioning backup system. Most of the companies have invested thousands of dollars into these non-functioning backup systems. Backup failures are split pretty evenly between design (never could have worked) and management (might have worked before).
2) Security: Does everybody in the office share the same password? Or maybe your file permissions allow Full Control to all users? If not, those than your users share accounts to access critical data. All of these and much, much worse are common.
3) Over-Spending: Sad but true, wasting money ranks #3 on my all-time failures list. Overstaffing is easily the most expensive form. Excessive hardware, unused licenses, and 'managed services' are all common budget busters.
4) Licensing: Though much improved in the last 10 years, licensing comes in at #4. Even small businesses can own a large number of licenses with various contract terms, quantities, installed locations, and versions. Figuring out what is owned can be surprisingly difficult. The Business Software Alliance campaign that awards $50,000 to those who turn-in an employer should make every owner think twice.