Cloud networking and IT firm Exponential-e provides business customers with access to a range of networking solutions (see what is a wide area network for more information), not least establishing, managing and optimising wide area networks. When you establish a wide area network of your own, the efficiency gains and practicality benefits make the business case straightforward. But when it comes to the ongoing impact of usage on your wide area network, your focus should with time shift towards optimisation. WAN optimisation is a whole industry in its own right, and companies spend millions to gain improvements to their WAN and the way it operates.

While there are countless different techniques, methods and hardware devices that can improve the flow of your wide area network, very few businesses inherently understand the scale of the advantages from the off. Here are just three reasons why it makes sense to optimise your WAN network.

1. Improve network speed and capacity

The speed of your network is a limiting factor, with the potential to get in the way of the work you do day to day. As your network and your company grows, an increasing number of staff will come to rely upon it. With an unoptimised network this can lead to system failure, outages and lag times which can damage the user experience. If you want to improve the responsiveness and the total capacity of your network, simple optimisation steps can ensure your connections are functioning in the most efficient way, so your business can get the most from its WAN.

2. Improve inter-departmental communications

With a faster, slicker wide area network, you have the ability to improve communications throughout your business, thanks to the potential for unifying communications between people within your organisation. That means voice, video and IM chat facilities, available within your network interface, for faster messaging throughout your business. When the network itself is quick, it makes it far easier for colleagues to reach out to others, and to work together to achieve your business objectives across the WAN you have established.

3. Improve collaborative options

Collaboration is now the new modus operandi for many businesses, especially in creative sectors where there is arguably more to be gained from sharing direct input into the same files. By creating fast, secure workspaces where individual members of staff can share files, work together in the cloud, and exchange information in the blink of an eye, you make for a more efficient digital workspace, which will translate into tangible results. Plus, optimising your network reduces the frustration factor your employees experience when they’re battling against old or unoptimised network infrastructure.

4. Ensure a faster experience for all users

Time is money, and even a second gained on a daily process can be worth a great deal in efficiency savings and productivity increases. When you multiple this ‘small gains’ effect over a wider network that encompasses a wide number of your staff, you put yourself in the best position to remain competitive.

The effectiveness of your communications technology goes to the core of how profitably your business performs. While it may not be the sole factor in saving your business money and improving productivity, an optimised WAN can deliver on both of these fronts to create a more productive workplace where communication through the network is a joy, rather than a time-consuming chore.