How to Choose a Good Network Assessment

Yes, You Really Do Need One

You wouldn’t drive your car without regular checkups and maintenance. Networks are just as complex – yet many businesses put off assessing their networks due to time constraints or cost concerns.

But every day you delay doing a network assessment, your intricate systems become harder to proactively manage and keep secure.

A network assessment puts you back in the driver’s seat. It analyzes your company’s existing IT infrastructure, management, security, processes, and performance. In other words, it shows the current state of your network and flags areas for improvement.

With this information, you can:

• Feel confident you know what’s going on everywhere in your network
• Catch problems before they impact performance
• Pinpoint the causes of ongoing issues
• Improve your network security
• Uncover potential cost savings
• Make strategic decisions to drive better future performance
• Be prepared to take on major improvements like hardware upgrades or a cloud migration

Bringing in a neutral third-party IT partner you trust to do your assessment is best. That's because they’ll take an objective look at your network – and give you unbiased reports and recommendations.

But not all third-party network assessments are created equal. So let’s explore what a good assessment should cover.

14 Items a Network Assessment Should Cover

The more comprehensive and thorough an assessment is, the better for you. A good assessment should examine:

1. Servers
2. Firewalls
3. Switches
4. Security
5. Wiring
6. Desktops
7. Anti-virus
8. Anti-spam
9. Applications
10. Mobile devices
11. Storage platform
12. Power protection
13. Backup and recovery
14. Internet service provider (ISP)

Also, consider these questions when choosing a network assessment:

• Is it a canned report from an assessment tool or a highly customized examination of your network?
• Does it present the information so you can easily see where your network performs well and where it could use some attention?
• Is each issue clearly explained in language you can understand?
• Does it educate you on what the industry best practices are?
• Are there strings attached? Are you required to buy something or sign an agreement as part of receiving your network assessment?
• Is it a sales tool that tries to get you to purchase equipment or services?

Where Have All the Good Assessments Gone?

Assessments that meet these criteria DO exist – and ours is one example. Elevity’s network assessment was custom-built by our Director of Solutions Paul Hager, incorporating his decades of experience helping companies with every sort of IT problem.

Each assessment is assigned to a seasoned network engineer who carefully examines every aspect of your network to identify risks, vulnerabilities, overspending, inefficiencies, and more.

The assessment results show how your network components compare to industry best practices. Beyond that, the assessing engineer also includes their thoughts on what you should be most concerned about and smart next steps to take.

Few firms offer assessments with this much depth and insight. So if you’re ready to get a better handle on your network, consider working with Elevity.

Request Your Network Assessment