* IT managers work hard to keep network resource-consuming and bandwidth-hogging activities from impacting performance
IT managers tasked with keeping networks running smoothly and applications available report that it can still be a struggle to prevent network resource-consuming and bandwidth-hogging activities from impacting performance.
Network resource and bandwidth challenges often arise when IT managers are supporting remote end users depending on the WAN for application access, but just as many issues can crop up with end users taxing the network with day-to-day activities supported by the organization.
For instance, Tim Antonowicz, systems engineer at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, says courses at the college require students to make films — which involves big files, more storage and better performance from the network. His department must support the classes that require more storage and network resources than in the past, but he says balancing that with controlled growth is the key.
“Our infrastructure is growing because people are using multimedia, which is creeping into everything,” says Antonowicz. “We monitor all this stuff to make sure that all these files, pictures and videos don’t end up on the network storage and network back ups. We have to remind end users that storing files on a workstation or desktop is not the same as doing so on [network-attached storage] or a [storage-area networks]. It is a lot more expensive when it’s stored on your network.”
But Antonowicz says IT will not restrict the college from engaging in multimedia activities — partly because they can’t prevent innovation in the courses — and partly because he understands the role of IT in supporting the educational endeavors of the organization.
“We will give them the tools they need and we will work on our end to provide better resources and find better ways to support them on the system side,” Antonowicz says.
For James Maas, network monitoring engineer at Fresenius Medical Care in Lexington, Mass., preventing one end user from eating up most of the bandwidth is top on his agenda. He says there is enough bandwidth to support business — until someone starts streaming or downloading from the Internet and performance slows to a crawl.
“It is still a concern when one end user can kill the network by going on the Web and streaming media,” Maas says. Maas uses technology from Websense to monitor such activity and prevent bandwidth from being eaten up by both work and non-work activities. “We don’t love IM but it doesn’t eat up bandwidth so it’s more about making sure the network is available and not being tied up with one or a few users.”
Jim Farmer, manager of systems administration and telecommunications at Superior Essex Communication in Atlanta, faces similar issues with end users consuming more than their fair share of bandwidth. He says his organization restricts file-sharing and actively blocks access to Internet sites that promote file sharing.
“We try really hard to cut them off at the knees and work to block sites, but there is always another one out there,” Farmer says. “I am worried about resource-consumption and security. We want to keep end users in business and act only to make their work experience optimal.”
