Non-IT people do not realize that there is so much going on inside their computers and computer networks. For non-ITs, they just know that they turn on a computer and it works until it does not. If you are one of the non-IT types, you might want to learn a thing or two about how computers work internally, how networks keep your computers running smoothly, and what happens when something goes wrong with your network.

Computer Connections

Computers can work independently of the internet. It means that you can only store as much as the computer has memory for. Then you either have to transfer that information out, or connect the computer to a network via the internet in order to move your files into a larger storage space. You can test this, if you want, by starting a brand-new computer and not setting up the Wifi. It may take you months before your computer is too full, but then you have some understanding of how computers and networks fit together for business purposes.

What a Network Is

If you work for a company that has several locations across the state or country, all of the company's computers are linked together in a network. This gives any administrative assistant or telephone representative access to customer files, regardless of the location of the office or employee. (There is not a single, sizable company that does not operate without a network anymore.)

The only exception is medical files, as these are protected by HIPAA laws. Then patient files can only be viewed with the patient's permission, and usually only in the same location where the patient lives. Yet, the medical files are still a network; they are just a closed network as opposed to an open network, meaning that the files have very limited access.

Network Management

Clearly, no one in your company is handling your network management. That is almost always an out-of-house service job, due to the fact that network management involves your data centers, and the service providers that provide your internet service, storage solutions, and data centers. All of these technicians behind the scenes make sure that you have adequate internet speed, internet security, virtual storage in the Cloud, physical storage in the data centers you either rent or bought when your network was established, and repair services to all of the above.

If anything is amiss with your company's computer systems and operations, you have helplines to call to fix the problems. There are also remote repair technicians who can gain access to your system remotely when you are on the phone with them. These technicians are computer experts and will root out network problems by showing you onscreen and over the phone what they are doing and what they are searching for. When the problems are fixed, control over the computer(s) and/or network is returned to you.