It's the network

Staring at the the hourglass

Do you ever think about the time an end user spends staring at his or her computer while waiting for the network to process a request? It can be frustrating to watch that animated hourglass cursor every time you open up an application.

It might take just 15 or 20 seconds for a user too execute something in a networked application, but over the course of time all these little delays can really add up.

IT services company Dimension Data recently surveyed 957 knowledge workers and 267 IT decision makers around the world about network performance frustration. The firm found that the average user spend about two hours per month waiting for network-induced delays.

Those delays include

• 35 minutes per month waiting for network logins.
• 25 minutes per month waiting to access email.
• 23 minutes per moth waiting for file transfers.

Think about this. Two hours per month adds up to one full day a year. Multiply that by 1,000 employees and your company could be losing tens of thousands of dollars per year in productivity.

Not only that, but users will be less likely to use certain applications that regularly experience network delays.. Then a company finds itself having invested thousands in a new application that no one wants to use.

And you think it’s hard to calculate ROI for investments in your network?

Be a MacGyver — not a MacGruber

Network pros must feel like they carry the world on their backs. One of my big takeaways from Interop was that with the tide of new applications being delivered across the network, network pros have to work across organizational and technological silos in order to keep things running; that they must stop pointing fingers and saying, “it’s not the network,” and fix the problems to prove their worth. By proving their worth, the network staff gains better access to coveted resources.

Network pros also have to be able to speak the language of business if they want to communicate with company bigwigs. Dr. Jim Metzler, evangelizing this message at Interop, said: “You don’t want to go to the vice president of sales and say, ‘I have MPLS.’ It sounds like a disease. You would not get a second meeting with that person; you have just screamed ‘I am a techie nerd.’”

Maybe this isn’t new or earth-shattering wisdom, but the frequency I heard it repeated got me thinking: Why is it all up to the network pro? Isn’t expecting the network guy to troubleshoot application performance sort of like expecting the highway department to fix your car?

Before you start to complain too much, though, think about MacGruber. If you haven’t seen the recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live, Will Forte plays an alcoholic, neurotic spoof on MacGyver. In the most recent MacGruber sketch with Jonah Hill, MacGruber confronts his assistants about criticizing his abilities and questioning his job performance. He’s so busy worrying about this that he fails to defuse the ticking time bomb, and — boom!

Imagine you’re MacGruber, the ticking timebomb is an application performance problem, and Jonah Hill is an application manager blaming your network for his flawed application. You could get defensive and argue with him over whose fault the bomb is. But look what happens.

Sometimes, if you don’t fix the problem, nobody will.

I asked Craig Hulbert, a senior network engineer at a major health care company in Ohio, why so much responsibility falls on the shoulders of network staff. He answered, “Lowest common denominator,” and explained that calling him is almost always the first step taken when there’s a problem to solve.

I’m not sure whether the network is the lowest common denominator. I would like to think that the smartest people with the most technical know-how are running the network, and when people have a problem that’s where they turn.

As far as I know, they’re not turning to the security team to fix application problems or asking the CEO to bone up on his geek-speak.

> Does your network take the blame for poor application performance? Tell us your story in an email.

MacGyver challenges network pros at Interop

One of the more entertaining exhibits on the Interop Las Vegas 2008 show floor this year was Mazu’s “MacGyver Challenge,” which pitted attendees against timed puzzles which could be solved with the help of the “Mazu Profiler.” Mazu tweaked some kids’ games to represent network problems. MacGyver sported a great mullet. Check it out.

Verizon Wireless wins prime C-block spectrum

In networking news on a larger level, Verizon Wireless has officially won the coveted C block in the FCC’s closely watched wireless auction. From a statement Verizon issued:

“We are very pleased with our auction results. Specifically, we were
successful in achieving the spectrum depth we need to continue to grow our
business and data revenues, to preserve our reputation as the nation’s most
reliable wireless network, and to continue to lead in data services and
help us satisfy the next wave of services and consumer electronics devices.

“The bids we won include a nationwide spectrum footprint covering 298M
Pops, plus 102 licenses for individual markets covering 171M Pops.

“In compliance with the FCC’s anti-collusion quiet period rules,
Verizon Wireless cannot comment further until that period ends.”

Google reportedly won no auctions. The spectrum will be freed up February 17, 2009. I can’t find the FCC’s official statement on their website right now, but look for continuing coverage on SearchTelecom.com. Big day for Verizon Wireless, as they also announced more information about their “any application, any device” plans.