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Need to justify bandwidth to a non-techie boss, HELP!

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Ok, I need to justify increasing our pipeline to our remote locations, from 512k to 768k. Will only cost and additional $66/month, so this won’t have to be a real detailed breakdown.

I just need to be able to explain it other than than “It will speed up the connection”. Speed is not a justification.

We are not dropping packets, but this is also our “slow time”.

We are using VoIP across the lines.

Other traffic is our email (Lotus Notes), access to our Intranet to get pdf’s, Autocad prints, and shipping/manufacturing scheduleds.

Internet goes out over that same line.

We are using Cisco 2801’s at all locations.

At this time, I don’t have anything to show bandwidth or the what is using it, but I do have a call into our provider to try to get this information.

Anyone know of a good resource to explain the need for bandwidth to a non-techie, it would be GREAT!

Also, if you know of any tools that would help me to pull numbers of our existing usage, it would be even greater!

Thanks!

jd

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Clarifications

In reply to Need to justify bandwidth to a non-techie boss, HELP!

Clarifications

You said it yourself

In reply to Need to justify bandwidth to a non-techie boss, HELP!

“Traffic” is the key word
Tell your boss if you send 1000 cars down a single track road as soon as they meeet something coming the other way there will be one hell of a gum up.
If you send the same 1000 cars down a 6 lane motorway (that would be a freeway to you I suppose) they will arrive a whole lot quicker and with less chance of a collision.
Good enough?

Every little bit helps

In reply to You said it yourself

of course, showing the need of a 6 lane freeway instead of a 2 lane will be important.

Thanks.

First thing.

In reply to Need to justify bandwidth to a non-techie boss, HELP!

Well the first thing I would ask is why do you feel you need to upgrade? Are users complaining about slow access to files, are you having QOS issues with your VOIP?

Either of those two issues should be pretty persuasive arguments. If users access alot of files, especially large AutoCAD prints and have to sit and wait due to poor network throughput this translates into real productivity lost which can easily exceed $66/month.

I guess it all depends on what business impact the slow connection is having right now.

Try this

In reply to First thing.

Ask the $bags how much it will cost if 1 file is late to a client. Or worse if VoIP drops a potentially new client. Im sure its a hell of a lot more than $66.

But

In reply to Try this

how will that extra 256k prevent this?

That is what I would have to show. Can’t snowball a bean counter with fluff.

First proposed update in 5 years

In reply to First thing.

We keep adding to our network, but the bandwidth has not increased as we add more and more to the mix.

We just finished a new VoIP instillation, and is too soon to tell if it will have the bandwidth that it will require, especially as (like I said) this is our slow season with half the office personnel laid off.

And the users have been complaining about “slow” for quite a while, but “fast” and “slow” don’t translate well into business costs and benefits.

Was really hoping a cisco expert would step up and help me pull some meaningful stats out of the 2801’s.

Thanks for the input.

jd

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