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by WENDIYE NIGUSSIE

NETWORK MAINTENANCE
what is network maintenance?
Network maintenance constitutes all the tasks and systems in place to monitor, update and run
your organization’s computer network before problems strike.

That “network” itself involves your entire portfolio of physical IT assets, like the hardware and
servers, and non-physical IT assets, like the software and cloud access — also known as your IT
ecosystem.

Similar to other business functions, a healthy IT ecosystem relies on proactive, daily activities and
strategic foresight rather than reactive adjustments or ad-hoc, spur-of-the-moment patches. The
basic tenets of maintaining your network — and the basis of a successful regular network
maintenance plan — typically include the following:

Network cybersecurity: Implementing robust and up-to-date network defense layers, such as
traffic-managing firewalls, virtual private networks, user access controls, double authentication
measures, log inspections for usage documentation, real-time breach notifications and auto-
generated security reports.

Network performance: Analyzing top network performance concerns influencing the speed and
reliability of your devices, including bandwidth usage, traffic patterns, bottlenecks, frequently
down or crashed servers, connection lags, delays and more.

Network scalability: Ensuring proper software and hardware systems fitting your current
operations, number of network users, endpoint locations and businesses functions.

Regular hardware and software updates: Scheduling updates prorated across network
components and interfaces, which in turn bolsters both a network’s overall performance and
security defenses.

1. IT infrastructure compliance: Maintaining internal compliance with company practices as

well as external government regulations and industry policies.

Preemptive network repairs: Using auto-generated reports and analytics to spot and patch usage
problems across the IT ecosystem — or at the very least troubleshooting them — before they turn
existential.

Today, there are three primary approaches to overseeing network maintenance:

Internal IT staff: In-house IT employees manage top-down network devices, security defenses,
traffic monitoring, data storage and retrieval, hardware health, user controls, compliance,
scalability and more on-site within your business’ premise, with peripheral assistance from
original equipment manufacturers.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEM): Pieces of software, as well as your network’s wider
operating system, will often come with a maintenance contract delivered by the OEM. OEMs are
in a prime position to deliver maintenance tenets, such as system updates, performance audits
and smooth installation and integration, though they may not offer the most robust or cost-
effective total preventative care. Examples of some of today’s top OEMs for software and
hardware include IBM, Cisco, Dell, Arista, Juniper, Nokia, HPE and more global industry players.

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Third-party maintenance (TPM): Third-party maintenance plans provide an outsourced

alternative to shouldering end-to-end IT systems and equipment, alleviating several concerns
around managing your entire IT infrastructure on your own while juggling industry changes or
disruptions. They also tend to provide more detailed, personalized maintenance packages
compared to an OEM’s.

There are innate benefits to both internally managed and outsourced IT maintenance. The scale
of your organization, the capabilities of your IT staff and your budget will be major variables in
determining if a traditionally in-house, outsourced or hybrid approach works best for the health
of your IT infrastructure.

Network Maintenance Plan

Network maintenance plan is the detailed package of services you can expect to receive to keep
your systems running. This plan should cover the range of services your business will need to
operate, including running necessary updates, ensuring proper installations and performing
audits to detect potential errors. Often, your original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will offer
management service plans to try and minimize complications with their products. But there are
several reasons why relying on your OEM alone may not be the best course of action for your
business.

One of these reasons is that you will want your network maintenance plan to be efficient, cost-
effective and strategically flexible, which the expensive, rigid OEM contract doesn’t always
guarantee. Neither can you be sure that your OEM will complete every task that is necessary for
all of your network needs. What a third-party maintenance (TPM) provider can do is oversee your
entire system, even if you use a variety of manufacturers, and do so at a much friendlier cost.

Additionally, a TPM can create a maintenance plan that’s entirely customized to your needs and
usage habits, making sure not to overdo it on non-essential services, while also covering all of
your network bases. It can be helpful to become more acquainted with examples of what these
typical tasks are so that you can be more aware of potential needs within your system
infrastructure.

Examples of Network Maintenance Tasks

Many business operators have a basic understanding of what network preventative maintenance
is all about, but there may be some confusion surrounding the specific measures you can expect
your service provider to perform. Here are six of the most common tasks involved with keeping
your servers and devices up to speed.

1. Troubleshooting Network Issues

If warning signs or small troubles go ignored for too long, you may run into problems that are
disruptive and potentially expensive to repair. What you network maintenance provider can do
is use their experience and knowledge to troubleshoot any issues your network is experiencing,
and they’ll be able to recognize if there is a simple fix. If there isn’t, you can be sure to receive
several suggestions on the most viable and cost-effective solutions.

2. Installing and Configuring Products

Whenever you get new equipment or have software to update, it is very likely that there will be
some form of installation and configuration needed. Similarly, when inevitable shifts occur in the
office or a new user is added, your network settings may need to be reconfigured to accommodate

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those changes. If done incorrectly, the growth of your company could be hindered and valuable
time may be taken away from your employees as they try to navigate improper settings.

For these reasons and more, getting started on the right foot is crucial. Your network maintenance
provider can help with that.

3. Monitoring and Improving Network Performance

Network performance can be a quiet killer of your company’s potential. If the performance of
your network is not up to par with other companies, then your company will have a much harder
time keeping up with your competitors in other ways.

Network performance can be difficult to judge if you have nothing to compare it to. But by
bringing someone in to troubleshoot and monitor your network, you’ll be able to see the truth
about how it is operating and what can be done to make your system function more efficiently.

4. Planning for Growth

As a business, you are always looking forward. If you are not maintaining your network diligently,
it may not be able to handle the weight of expansion as your organization grows. It’s essential
that you have a server that is capable of adding more workstations if you plan on increasing the
numbers in your workforce. You’ll need to be able to add these new users without any difficulty
as they enter your network.

Additionally, by creating network documentation and keeping it up to date, the growth of your
business will be obtainable without the risk of slowing down due to a lagging network. Making
sure scalability is structured correctly in your system will optimize performance and reduce
growing pains down the line.

5. Ensuring Compliance

An essential part of maintaining your network is making sure that all of your tools are compliant
with your company’s policies and legal regulations. Compliance should always be a top priority.
Not only do you want to avoid putting yourself and your business at risk, but it’s also critical to
protect your customers. This responsibility may seem daunting, but with the right network
maintenance plan, you won’t have to worry about regulatory upkeep constantly.

6. Establishing Reliable Network Security

Unfortunately, anyone can be susceptible to network breaches, especially without the right
precautions in place. Considering the vast amount of data on your server, you don’t want to leave
it unguarded. Fortunately, your network maintenance service can help secure necessary
firewalls, VPNs and intrusion prevention tactics, while also setting up user validation systems
that use a dependable authorization, authentication and accounting (AAA) method.

The security of your network is one of the most important elements to maintain, and consistent
upkeep will help your company remain safe against potential threats. If a breach still occurs, a
properly maintained network will have procedures in place for logging the event and automated
responses to streamline the process of moving forward.

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Network Maintenance Hardware

It’s good to be familiar with typical network maintenance tasks, but it may also be beneficial to
understand the variety of firmware involved in helping your network run smoothly. Aside from
regular workstations, your network is powered by an arsenal of other devices, including a cable
modem termination system, servers, switches and routers. Here is a closer look at each of these
and how maintenance keeps them at their best.

1. CMTS

A cable modem termination system, or CMTS, is a device that allows for the exchange of digital
signals. It takes incoming traffic on a single channel and routes them to an ISP. A CMTS can serve
different cable modem population sizes, and the cable modems associated with it do not change
in quality dependent on distance.

Network security is helped with a CMTS, as they are capable of some basic filtering for protecting
against attacks and unauthorized users. It is one of the reasons that it’s essential to perform
updates and maintenance on devices like your CMTS, which prevent the decay of the systems that
keep bugs and security threats at bay.

2. Servers

Having a reliable and working server is an integral part of having a secure, robust and profitable
business. It allows you to manage network resources and stay consistent as a company.
Technically, any capable computer, device or program can be a server, as long as it is a dedicated
central repository that helps provide resources, such as the access to hardware, disc space or
other necessary files and information, to any other computer on that network.

While any computer could work as your server, the functions that the server performs are going
to differ from those of other workstations within the system. Most dedicated servers have unique
features and configurations to boost their performance. A server might also be connected to
separate power supplies, networks and even other servers. Because of any added high-
performance RAM, faster processor, several high-capacity hard drives and the critical tasks the
server performs, server maintenance on these computers tends to be much more intensive than
that of your average workstation.

3. Switches

A switch receives incoming data and redirects it to the destination on the local area network.
Essentially, a switch creates an electronic tunnel between a source and its destination where no
other traffic can enter. Because of this, there can be communication with no collisions. However,
if something goes wrong with the switches, your communication will likely be disrupted. Your
network needs to be able to share information, and the proper maintenance can help you ensure
that such connections remain strong.

4. Routers

While a switch creates a tunnel, a router connects networks. Routers are similar to switches, but
they can also forward packets of information between different networks and are not limited to
node-to-node communication on the same network as a switch is.

With routers, as with any of these devices, the software they run and the firmware itself are both
susceptible to damages without the right regular upkeep. As part of your network maintenance
plan, there should be a component to check over hardware for warning signs, like clogged fans or

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overheating. And just as with other computers in your network, making sure they have the latest
updates to their code can help you avoid unwanted situations.

Different Approaches for Maintaining a Network

There are two main philosophies behind maintaining your organization’s network — with only
one fitting a true preventative-plan definition:

Interrupt-driven: In an interruption-driven model, network testing and troubleshooting occur

after a problem is detected. This method calls for reduced daily IT oversight, yet courts higher
risks of system downtimes, errors and costly fixes as well as an “all-hands-on-deck” mentality to
fix whatever errors strike that may put other business functions on the back burner.

Structured: In a structured network-maintenance environment, system updates and activities

are done consistently, on a day-by-day basis. A structured network philosophy aims to minimize
service disruptions by spotting potential issues or anomalies before they spread across system
environments.

Network Maintenance Schedule

When successfully implemented, a routine network maintenance plan keeps all major
components of your network running in its safest, most updated conditions while simultaneously
identifying errors or potential problems before they grow into business disruptions.

Network Monitoring and Defense

Organizations today manage an increasingly complex array of devices, platforms and endpoints.
With the exponential rise of mobile, cloud and related virtual environments as well as
proliferating work from home or BYOD (bring your own device) policies, both traditional and
wireless infrastructure must be helmed under a synthesized system able to register and control
user access around the clock, then alert you when it detects strange activity.

Such robust network monitoring also includes defenses such as:

➢ Advanced breach and threat detection

➢ Recorded activity data logs
➢ Antivirus protections
➢ Robust security software
➢ Overall “packet” capture tools to track out-of-the-ordinary network or server behaviors
➢ Comprehensive and calendar-set data back-ups
➢ Device Maintenance

Benefits of Network Maintenance Plans

Compared to those that are interrupt-driven, organizations with a network maintenance plan
leverage distinct advantages, including:

I. Reduced System Downtimes

Fully implemented maintenance plans ensure go-to protocols when unanticipated incidents
strike across your devices or software. With an action plan in your back pocket, you can react
quickly and acutely, identifying the source of the issue and providing precise, informed remedies.

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II. Increased Data Retrieval, Usage and Connectivity

Network maintenance plans with dedicated performance and data storage activities improve the
speeds and safety of how your devices exchange data. This is pivotal in an age when enterprise
data has never been more vital to operations — or more expensive to reinstate when lost or
stolen.

III. Greater IT Infrastructure Visibility and Communication

There are multiple layers to network topologies, each of which is objectively defined, mapped and
improved via a TPM maintenance plan, namely:

❖ Network inventory
❖ Physical topology layer
❖ Wireless topology layer
❖ IP addresses
❖ Configuration history
IV. More Digital Productivity

network maintenance plans ensures employee applications don’t suddenly go dark during a
reconfiguration. Teams are better kept in-the-loop on scheduled updates, understand the
rationale behind those updates and experience shorter system downtimes and delays hindering
their work.

V. Bolstered Security

Strongly maintained networks regularly examine their security features, make frequent updates
to workplace software and applications, patch security holes and reconfigure antivirus software
to remain in peak condition.