Top Networking Nuisances

Moves, Adds, and Changes (MACs) continue to be a leading headache for network professionals, according to a recent survey by Cablesoft, Tempe, Ariz.

Conducted by an enterprise and infrastructure management specialist, the researcher asked the opinions of 67 network managers on the main causes behind frustration and added stress on the job. According to respondents, lack of information about network changes topped their list of concerns. In fact, 82% of administrators said unauthorized and/or undocumented equipment changes (both hardware and software) led to longer hours and intolerable working conditions. In addition, participants said lack of accurate network documentation forces them to spend hours manually searching through patch panels and data points to find where equipment is located.

Unnecessary questions and lack of corporate communication also scored highly on the frustration scale. For example, 54% of respondents claimed basic questions (from opening Word and e-mail applications to locating hardware on the network) placed a heavy burden on their schedule; 42% said lack of information on future expansions by corporate offices also placed unnecessary stress during mergers and acquisitions.