As your business’s network continues to grow and expand, the need to keep it monitored and updated becomes increasingly important. IT networks are not stagnated operations, and they require continuous management in order to remain secure and effective.
For many businesses, though – especially those without a full-scale IT department – managing the business’s network can quickly become more than they are able to effectively handle. In situations such as this, the services of a network admin are invaluable.
What is a Network Admin?
A network admin is an individual responsible for managing and updating a business’s IT network in order to keep it running smoothly. Network admins are trained to recognize areas that need improvement, enabling them to improve a network’s efficiency as well as its security. They are also informed of all the latest updates in software that come out, meaning that they are able to ensure that a business’s network remains updated at all times.
Some of the tasks that network admins handle include installing new software, repairing problems with hardware and software as they arise while maintaining the network to reduce the frequency of these problems, and monitoring the network in order to continuously improve its performance. For any business that does not yet have an IT department dedicated to these tasks, the services of a network admin can prove highly rewarding.
Benefits of a Network Admin
With network admins handling so many important tasks, the benefits of a network admin are numerous. These benefits include:
1. Quick Response Time
When issues with your network arise, they need to be dealt with as quickly as possible. The longer they are allowed to go unaddressed, the more damaging and costly they become. If your network goes down, you must deal with lost business and decreased employee productivity for the entire time that it is down. Likewise, the longer a virus or other cyber attack is left unaddressed, the more files and data you risk losing.
By having a network admin monitoring your network around the clock, you can ensure that issues such as these are quickly – and correctly – dealt with.
2. Improved Efficiency of Your Time
Time you spend trying to figure out how to update or repair your network is time you could have better spent growing and managing your business. This concept of opportunity cost as it pertains to time management is one that most business owners are very familiar with.
By hiring a network admin to handle such tasks, though, you are freeing yourself up to address other tasks that require your attention. Since network admins are trained to do their job as quickly and efficiently as possible, they’ll be able to swiftly handle tasks that might have otherwise taken you and your staff a good deal of time. In this way, network admins are not only able to save you time, they’re also able to cut down on all of the other employee hours needed to manage your network.
3. Increased Security
The security threats faced by modern businesses are now more concerning than they have ever been in the past. As businesses’ reliance on technology has grown, so has the ability for criminals to turn that technology against them. What it’s left us with is a situation where the security threats that exist are unsettling, to say the least.
The good news is that safeguards against all of these threats are available, and dedicated security professional will know how to put them to use. By hiring a network admin, you are bringing on someone who is able to analyze your business’s existing security and patch any flaws that exist, leaving you with a network that is all but unreachable. Better yet, as threats evolve, so do the security approaches of network admins. This means that a network admin is able to keep your network updated and secured against the latest threats as they come into existence.
4. Constant Access to an IT Professional
Have you ever run into a question or issue concerning your network that you didn’t know the answer to? If it’s a specific question that you can’t find the solution to on the internet, you may end up having to hire an outside IT professional to come in and solve a simple problem or answer a single question. Most often it’s a fix that takes a matter of minutes, but their fees would suggest otherwise.
By having a network admin, though, you have access to an experienced IT professional at all times. Network admins have a broad background in IT and are able to address a wide range of questions and problems that you might run into. Whether you need help with setting up a web hosting service, data storage, or simply need a little tech advice, network admins serve as a valuable source of IT expertise that are at your full disposal.
With a network admin, you’ll never again be in the dark when it comes to your business’s network and technology.
5. Save Money
If a service saves you more money than it costs you, it is easily justifiable. Such is the case with network admins. Members of your existing staff who try to manage your network will almost certainly spend more time doing it than a dedicated IT expert. Likewise, the mistakes that they almost inevitably make may end up being just as costly.
Network admins, on the other hand, can manage and update your network efficiently and correctly, costing you less money than it would take to try and go it alone.
Leveraging the Benefits of a Network Admin
For small to medium sized businesses that do not have an entire IT department, a single network admin can prove to be a tremendous advantage. From saving your business money to improving its response time and security, the advantages that network admins offer to modern businesses are significant.
Recognizing the advantages that they provide small to medium sized businesses, we are proud to offer professional network admin services at a cost that is easily justifiable for businesses of all sizes. If you would like to learn more about our network admin services, we invite you to contact us today.