Why Is My Office Network Slow?

From the IT Team’s perspective, network speed is often one of the most frustrating issues, both for the users experiencing it and for the person troubleshooting it. The reason why is that many things contribute to how quickly your applications function. Often, what is initially described as network slowness is actually something completely different.

To get to the bottom of the issue as fast as possible, start by reporting the facts as accurately as you can. Some questions to consider are:

• Are you noticing reduced speed on one application or all applications?
• Are the applications you’re running using local files, files on your network, cloud files, or do you know?
• Are you the only one experiencing the issues, is it a small group of people, or is it everyone?
• Are there times when it is better or is it consistently bad?
• When did you first notice this slowness?

Having answers to questions like this ready when you talk to your IT Team will certainly help find the problem quicker than “everything is slow”.

Now to the good stuff.

Possible Causes & Resolutions

Application Issues
Applications can run slowly for any number of reasons. Some of the more common issues are that application could be outdated, it could be incorrectly configured, it could have conflicts with other running processes, or it could be having trouble reading and writing data.

• Possible resolutions
  • Reboot - It’s cliché but a lot of the application-level issues can be fixed with a simple reboot.
  • Update or Reinstall - Updating or reinstalling a program that isn’t running correctly may help.
  • If these don’t work, it’s probably time to have someone dig deeper into the PC itself.

PC Issues
If it is not a specific application running slower but the entire machine, you could have a PC resource issue. Storage, processing resources, and available RAM all contribute to overall performance.

• Possible resolutions
  • Wait – Sometimes software updates are initiated automatically and can happen in the background, causing the applications that want to work faster to compete with resources for processes that you aren’t even aware are running. If the slowness is new, it might be worthwhile to give it an hour or two to finish what it is doing.
  • Remove Unnecessary Programs – Check the processes on your Task Manager. If you have unusually high resource usage, removing unwanted software may have an impact. This can include removing legitimate (but no longer needed) software as well as unwanted malware in some cases.
  • Upgrade your PC – If you have all non-essential programs removed and your PC is still running at the limits of its resources, consider upgrading or updating your PC hardware.

Networking Issues
Networking issues can range from simple local device connectivity to security tool configuration to issues with your internet service provider (ISP). However, if the issue is that your PC seems to be running slow, that does limit it down.

• Possible Resolutions
  • Connectivity Issues (Wired) – If your PC is hardwired and you have a bad connection, this could cause your PC to constantly disconnect and reconnect. As your PC reconnects, your webpages could load slower and larger pieces of content may be restarting the download process each time your machine reconnects. Poor connections can be caused by damaged or poorly assembled cables. If you suspect a cabling issue, replace what you can. For hard-to-replace cables (like the ones inside your walls), hire someone with a cable tester. Cable testers can test the copper inside the cable is damaged. Cable issues inside the walls are relatively uncommon, so try the easy stuff before hiring someone to test or replace cable.
    
    
  • Connectivity Issues (Wireless) – Similar to wired connections, constantly disconnecting and reconnecting wireless connections can cause interruptions or issues receiving all the data. Additionally, if signal strength is low, you are likely to lose more data in the transmission, which will require additional time for your equipment to sort out. If your signal strength is low, consider changing to wired connection, or changing your wireless reach by either repositioning your wireless router/access point or purchasing additional equipment to extend your range.
    
    

  • Internet Issues – Internet access and network connectivity are two different things. Network connectivity is your PC’s connectivity to internal resources like servers and on-premises equipment. Internet connectivity is the availability and speed in which you are able to connect to resources outside of your network like websites and cloud products and services. If the slowness you’re seeing is accessing internal resources or if you are unsure, contact your IT team to review. If the issue is specifically with resources across the internet, you can always run an internet speed test and compare that to what you purchase through your internet services provider (ISP). If you’re working on a home network, you will need to contact the ISP directly. At the office, your IT team can check your network and confirm with your provider that you’re getting the bandwidth you pay for.

• • Blocked traffic – Sometimes, our efforts to keep users safe can unintentionally break functionality. Your IT team or managed services provider can look at the resources you’re trying to connect to and verify that security tools like application whitelisting, DNS filtering, and firewall policies are not errantly blocking what you’re trying to access. Typically, all these issues would simply block you rather than slowing you down, but they’re still worth noting.

As you can tell, slowness can be complicated as it could be a variety of issues. Just remember, the fastest way to get to a resolution is by answering a few questions and describing the issue as accurately as possible, from there you or your IT team can start to whittle it down.