Mutiny Blog

It's a sobering thought that between 80 and 90 percent of start-ups fail. This is a result of a wide range of factors but one of the main challenges for start-ups can be managing quick growth. An important part of this is dealing with the inevitable IT problems that can have a devastating impact on any young business.

Networks are becoming critical components of business success - irrespective of whether you are small or large. When the network fails, your business fails. In this context, network monitoring is a critical consideration for start-ups aiming for rapid growth. The problem is that managing the network is just one of a plethora of issues start-up owner/managers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

As a result, start-ups have four key requirements for their network monitoring needs.

• Low Cost

  Network monitoring can be used by even the smallest of businesses and it doesn't even have to cost anything initially. It's important for small companies to prioritise their network management needs and implement solutions that offer these basic functions exceptionally well.

• Easy to install and use

  Network monitoring should be intuitive enough to get started without taking up too much time. Easy to deploy "plug and play" solutions are ideal for a smaller networks where often a dedicated IT person isn't present, and software solutions are available which take care of most of the configuration off site, enabling it to be installed and operational quickly easily. Monitoring should allow users to detect problems and provide insight into usage and performance with data that is easily understood by an IT administrative layman. A "good" monitoring tool should reduce the administrator's work instead of increasing the workload.

• Scalable

  Network monitoring software should be able to grow with the requirements of your business. Bandwidth needs will increase as the business grows and by keeping track of traffic patterns and analysing the data, small businesses can plan for growth and add capacity to the network earlier, before it becomes overtaxed and affects end users.

Planning for success

Your network is the core of your operations so it’s important to ensure that everything is running smoothly and you are getting early warning of any potential problems. For start-ups, getting this right can make a huge difference as more people join the company and the network becomes under more strain. Small companies are always walking a fine line between being a thriving business and going out of business. While you may not like the idea of paying for network monitoring services or other IT services, your business will save more in the long run.