What Are Network Management Consultants?

Network management consultants operate as independent, third-party companies that manage the setup and maintenance of computer networks for other organizations. These professionals assess a company's network administration needs and recommend products such as servers and database management software applications. They may also be in charge of overseeing and monitoring the daily performance of a company's computer networking system. Periodic troubleshooting, maintenance, system upgrades, and repairs could be a part of the consultant's responsibilities.

When companies need advice on and assistance with designing and installing local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs), they may use the services of network management consultants. As part of the planning process, consultants will assess a firm's resources, including its budget, physical capacity, and employee expertise. Recommendations for network products, bandwidth, and software will be based on the company's strategic objectives, internal functions, and client needs. The job of the network consultant is to help the firm figure out what it needs and to deliver a networking solution that will allow it to accomplish its goals.

Quite a few companies and organizations may not have enough staff members who are knowledgeable about information systems and network administration. Network management consultants are often used in place of internal staff to plan a computer network's design and make sure that it continues to function properly. As specialists, consultants focus on acquiring knowledge and experience related to computer network configuration and the types of hardware and software available. In some cases, consultants may recommend hardware and software upgrades, as well as changes to bandwidth, and network and server configuration.

Services that network management consultants may support include network performance monitoring and repair. Virus protection and security against unauthorized network use are additional services that consultants may perform for their clients. Network traffic patterns, use, and bandwidth performance may be periodically changed to enhance the system's speed and consistency. After performing some troubleshooting, a consulting firm may take care of upgrades and repairs to hardware.

Since network management consultants are third-party vendors, they may provide a variety of services to a diverse client base. Those clients may include school districts, universities, corporations, and small businesses. To simplify their operations, some network administration consulting firms may specialize in a particular type of platform, operating system, or server software application. Others might offer services for several types of networked systems, providing their clients with more flexibility when choosing hardware and software packages.