BEST WAYS TO KEEP YOUR WAN AFLOAT, ESPECIALLY IN UNCERTAIN IT TIMES
The IT world is forever changing. It’s changing every second, every day. Which makes keeping your WAN up and running one of the biggest priorities. Below I have about ten tips that will accomplish this goal. Keep these in the back of your mind as you carry on with your day. The longer you can keep your WAN technology healthy and running, the better off your data and files will be.
1)You have to know when to let go of your provider. Some WAN Providers just don’t cut it anymore. Don’t hang on to them based on need or pity. If a provider is not cutting it anymore, don’t be afraid to cut them loose. Don’t be afraid to find someone who can provide the services you need. I can almost guarantee the company is not going to cry over you leaving. It’s more likely they will just shrug and move on. Why would you want to stay with a company who only shrugs you off?
2)You need to know how to handle your WAN as the industry is changing. Will the technology you have withstand any challenges the IT world might present to you. Your WAN has to be workable to whatever “new worker” comes along and begins to make changes. There is always some new “wiz kid” coming along in the tech world, looking to make this change or that change. Your WAN capabilities have to continue to stay strong during these changes, while still keeping it’s core structure.
3)What will happen if you encounter a storm? It happens to the best of us. The idea is to ensure your WAN technology is not going to be overloaded by this mess. This happens especially in the VPN channels.
If you need help with any of this, there are measures you can take. If you go onto the VPN and WAN sites there are tutorials you can watch. These show you exactly how to protect yourself during any kind of disaster.
4) Mobile data is another big one. It’s been known to slow things down. Your goal is to ensure this doesn’t happen. Your goal is to ensure your WAN technology is still running at its optimum levels.
5) There is a difference between a WAN and public cloud computing. First off, you need to understand the differences. Secondly, you need to make sure your WAN is still keeping up, in spite of what the public cloud is doing. Sometimes the two get intermixed. If you allow this to happen, this could hinder any information you are sending back and forth. It’s up to you to make sure that any public cloud consumption is not hindering your WAN performance in any way.
One final note on this. There is a difference between public cloud consumption and cloud consumption for your own use. While the two are inter-linked, they are also quite separate. The worst thing you can do is confuse the two when using your WAN technology.
6) Do you know your choices that come with your WAN? This is a mistake that many make. The engage in the WAN technology, without knowing what sort of options they have. It’s in your best interest to know and understand all your options. It’s like buying a car, without knowing how to drive it. It’s like buying a phone, without knowing everything that comes along with your app options.
7) What happens if something does hit your WAN? Do you have some sort of recovery plan in action. I might have mentioned this a bit at the top. But, you really do need some sort of recovery plan. If you have no idea where to start, there are places online which can help you out. Choose carefully though. Choose a plan that is the right fit for you. Not all plans are going to be in your best interest. Remember this.
8) One final thing to mention. You need to make sure that your WAN technology and your security work together. Everything needs to be working in sync. If your WAN and security protocol are always at each other throat’s, than you are going to have another issue on your hands.
It’s always good to do a test run on these two things first. If one is not working well, it might be because of the other. You might need to readjust your settings. You might need to find a different vendor for your security and/or your WAN needs. Always think about your protection.
This is a new world. It’s not like it was 15-20 years ago. Things are a lot different now. Which means that we all need to ensure our protection really lasts. WAN technology and security trends are going to come and go. But, how you treat your business and your files will always stay the same.