Furniture arrives to people in typically one of two ways: already assembled and ready or disassembled in a box.

The first way makes life easy for the recipient, allowing them to enjoy their item as soon as possible. The second option gives the recipient a sizeable challenge. With so many pieces to organize and assemble just right, there’s more room for error and damage (and lost tempers), especially if one lacks pre-existing knowledge and experience.

Companies may use and acquire their IT network in much the same way as furniture. As our previous blog discussed, some companies with a DIY mentality opt to build and manage their own IT network.

However, unless that company has an internal IT expert, fixing problems and making network upgrades may yield even more troublesome and costly problems in the future. This is why many companies choose the “already assembled” and external-maintenance route.

Your network is what makes your company live and breathe, so why risk the possible detriments to your success?

For instance, a survey by Avaya found that companies lost between $140,000 and $540,000 US dollars per hour because of network outages. Especially for growing businesses, this monetary loss can mean a difference between a solid fighting chance against the competition and falling behind in innovation and reputation. Lost money (and time) means lost customers and profit.

To reduce the risk associated with network instability and failure, companies should turn to an IT company for network support. CIO had a thorough article that discussed 20 ways businesses could reduce network costs.

Some of their most important points included the following:

• Asking questions upfront saves money in the end: Rushing head-first into a networking decision without proper thought and planning can lead to both IT need miscalculations and high levels of stress.
• Use a team of IT experts to solve the problems, not the business employees: Knowledgeable parties will spend less time compared to employees who are important in non-IT aspects of the business, thus reducing funds needed
• Invest in people, not just your network: When your employees are out of their element and learning their way through solving IT network problems, morale and productivity take a hit.
• Monitor the network: Being proactive about your network concerns not only can help identify problems before they occur, but also allows you to anticipate network-related budget needs.

Experts at IT companies understand what your network is built of and what makes it tick. They’re also keenly aware of how to structure your network in a way that will streamline functions in your business without overburdening your budget or valuable time.