Technology

Network congestion

The situation faced by the Evco Insurance Company is that of network congestion. This is the condition whereby there is an increase in the volume of data being transmitted or a reduction in the speed of transmission that results to a decrease in throughput. Throughput in this case refers to the quantity of data going through a network in a specified period such as the number of packets in a second (Yang, 2001). When the packets being transmitted increase more proportionately than the system can handle, then congestion in the data traffic occurs. The reason why it was difficult to send or receive mails in the Evco insurance company’s system can be attributed to a congestive collapse. This is the situation whereby the congestion is so intense leading to a reduction in the level of throughput. Consequently, there will be little or no communication going through explaining the slow process of receiving emails and sending emails.

This network congestion was brought about by the failure encountered in the network hubs. These are the components in the physical layer of the open system interconnection model. Being in the first layer of the model their failure is vital and no other component can be in a position to function properly. This therefore brought about the accumulation of data on the node or link that made the data transmission process to slow down reducing the quality of service. This case is an example of an unplanned downtime. This is the type of downtime occurs without advance warning. Downtime can be very costly especially if it is not corrected immediately (Welzl, 2005). Some of the losses suffered by an organization being faced by the downtime situation include the loss in productivity and revenue, spoilt reputation with the customers, collaborates and in the financial market, and a deterioration in the financial performance.

Human error is to be blamed for network failures such as the one experienced in this organization. In this technological age, software faults hardly occur. According to Hulme (2009), the present-day networking operating systems, clientele systems and served applications are made in a more stable way such that the chances of failure are minimal. The developers of software and hardware components have made a great effort of advancing their products such that they are effective in performing their specified tasks. Increasing the uptime is their main objective in order to have a place in the market with more than enough competitors.

Occurrence of downtime can therefore be attributed to managerial or operational errors. “These are particularly brought about by failures within the organization’s procedures or even the failure to perform offline test practices preceding the adaptation of a product’s environment” (Hulme, 2009). The process of making changes in the network-operating atmosphere is one with a high degree of risk. This therefore requires sufficient planning which includes the incorporation of impact scrutiny, performing tests on the system, training the users, integrating the off air controls and the emergency scenario. This will work towards the reduction if network downtime. Mis-configured devices are the major cause of network problems affecting the end user.

There is a high possibility that the problem is the result of defective hub installation. This should be installed in such a way as it is in a well-ventilated location to avoid overheating. Additionally, it should be near the devices that are supposed to be connected and to the electricity outlet. The correct cable specifications should also be used. When carrying out this procedure, the operator should be very careful with the slightest details since a small mistake can be disastrous to the whole organization just as it happened in Evco Insurance Company.

References:

Hulme C. (2009). Computer weekly. Sutton, Surrey: Business Press International.

Welzl, M. (2005). Network congestion control: Managing Internet traffic. Wiley series in communications networking & distributed systems. Chichester, West Sussex, England: J. Wiley.

Yang, Y. (2001). Network congestion control. Austin, TX: University of Texas press.