DO YOU KNOW WHAT DEVICES ARE ON YOUR NETWORK?

[Usually, in regards to small business networks the answer is - "NO"]

Many times, as an IT consultant my job is to figure out why something that has worked from day one, has suddenly stopped. I'll use a network device scanner of one sort or the other and then ask questions like: "What is this Asus device with a 192.168.1. 153?"; Is it a Router? Is it a wireless device or perhaps a PC? And somewhere between the 2nd and possibly 6th question the person who has been deemed responsible for the companies network sez...."I dunno".

No, this is not an exception, but more the norm. A small business gets a network setup and then years (and many replacement or additions later) no one really knows what is doing what on the network. To be fair with the designated "Network Guy", it's really not his fault. He (or she) is probably more of a company administrator that tries to take care of the overall needs of its employees. This is where I come in. I take inventory of every physical piece of equipment I can find, compare it to the list of equipment "Discovered" on the network, determine what each device does, then map it all out into a nice VISIO-converted-to-PDF document so the designated person can answer these questions.

Whether you company has 4 or 5 computers, or 50, it would be a good idea, as well as a good time to have your network appraised, and mapped out.

'Nuff Said