IT directors rely on users more than on monitoring systems
to find out about problems on their networks, a survey of 100 IT
chiefs has found.
The survey, conducted by Vanson Bourne and commissioned by supplier
Network Associates, found that two-thirds of respondents were not
aware of problems until users alerted them.
Two-thirds also said they experienced significant downtime once a
quarter, and more than one third said such problems occurred every
month.
A quarter said they did not know how much bandwidth was being used
for non-work activities, while almost three quarters said they have
had to increase bandwidth and server capacity over the past
year.
"IT staff are being forced to work blind and IT directors are
taking a major gamble with the health of their networks," said
Graham Opie, director at Vanson Bourne.
"It is the same as a surgeon asking a patient what is wrong with
them before starting an operation, rather than conducting the
appropriate scans and x-rays.
"In the same way, a user only goes to an IT person once the damage
has been done and the network is already suffering."