These days, just about every small business using more than a single PC has a local area network, or LAN, in place. This is the network that enables the office’s desktop computers to send each other files, to share printers and disk drives and to connect to the Internet for the purpose of sending and receiving email, surfing the Web and using a growing variety of so-called cloud-based information services.

Networks are complex entities, however, and they don’t always work as they should. They are, in a word, more than the sum of their parts. So now’s a good time to check up on your network’s health, before trouble hits and it fails at a critical moment.

Security is an obvious place to start. Are all of your desktop and laptop computers — and any tablet computers such as iPads, too — using password protection to log into the network? Are users changing their passwords regularly? Are all of the network’s computers free of viruses?

File servers warrant a look as well. Possible problems: viruses, of course, but also a hard disk drive that’s on the fritz or running out of space. The server’s operating system should include a utility program that can reveal signs of a failing hard drive.

Something else to look for is how much unused capacity is left. Anything less than around 25 percent and you should consider adding a new drive or replacing the nearly-full one with a larger-capacity model.

Finally, if your network uses wireless connections, check to see if other networks in the vicinity are interfering with its signals, which is a frequent cause of sluggish network performance.

To give your network a complete health exam before trouble hits and the network fails, talk to the professionals at Net Plus Consulting. Call us at 212-461-3300 to schedule a free consultation.

Net Plus Consulting is a nationwide service provider.  To get started, check out our website or contact us to arrange a free one hour consultation.

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