Tips for Increasing Network Speed

Perhaps nothing is more aggravating than a slow network. It hampers employee productivity, which goes directly to an organization's bottom line. Here are four simple ways to improve network speed

Disable What's Not Needed

The more protocols and services a network uses, the more congested it gets, which can slow it down significantly. Think of it like a congested highway. The more drivers on the road, the more likely traffic is to move slower.

What's the best way to clear up a clogged highway? Get some drivers off the road. The same principle applies to speeding up your network.

With this being said, one way to do this is to immobilize network protocols and services that are not required. To explain, when a connection starts between a client and the server, the first thing they do is exchange information about which protocol to use. If only the necessary (ie, standard protocols) are supported, then there is no need for them to trade information about other protocols.

Less talking/traffic means less congestion, which leads to more speed.

Improve Workflow Efficiency

Link departments and team members so that they can share information and collaborate on projects. Many times, for example, collaborating teams may store their own version of files of a project they may be working on.

This can lead to many different versions of the same-project files. This means they have to be copied, uploaded, downloaded and sent to other team members all over again. Working like this is a huge drag on system resources.

Hence, linking departments can significantly improve workflow and solve a lot of network speed problems.

Improve System Navigation

Another thing that hampers network speed is high volumes of traffic - particularly during peak times. By simply making information easier to locate, you can cut down on the amount of traffic and actually stabilize your network.

Use Security Measures

Use security features to enable only authorized personnel to access data. This not only protects it from theft, it conserves system resources and cuts down on traffic, which leads to increased speed.

 

There are really a number of networking issues that can affect your network speed. But for starters, how you utilize your network will significantly dictate your network's performance.

 

Written by: Sean Pellegrino, a self-proclaimed computer geek, tech-writer and webmaster of various websites.