By Phil Blincko, Global Head of BT Advise Connect Practise, BT
I talked in my last article about planning for your holidays, and making sure everything is in order. So how was it? Did it all go to plan? If you’re anything like me, you’ll always have a few little stories to bring home with the sand in your shoes — of things going not quite as you had expected…
I took a trip to Cornwall in the very south west of England, and it wasn’t without the classic incidents. First there was the ten mile traffic jam on the motorway as a result of an accident, then there was the tail-end of the US hurricane which brought an unexpected downpour of rain.
But unlike years ago, I now have a major advantage which makes a huge difference: I have prior notice of these incidents. The satnav told me that there was a jam coming up and suggested an alternate route, saving me two hours of journey time. I checked the weather app on my mobile the night before we left and saw the bad weather forecast so our plans rapidly changed and we spent the day enjoying some indoor culture and sights rather than getting drenched on the beach. Such prior warning can mean a world of difference for you and your passengers/kids —even if they are completely unaware of what they avoided. You can adapt and react. You have access to information in advance, so you can take action.
This is exactly the same with networking:
- If you see increasing traffic on a network — it’s going to slow down
- If you’ve implemented Microsoft Lync — you might be faced with more video conversations than you’d planned for
- If you put a fantastic offer on your website — the traffic will go crazy.
So, there’s a choice. Take the time to regularly check the information, then make a plan based on what you know — or ignore it, sit in the three hour tail-back and get your picnic soaked on the beach…
In my view we spend a lot of money on holidays, so it’s in our best interests to take the time to check that plans are appropriate and still on track. I think we should do the same with our network and IT infrastructure. What do you think?