Numerous network organizations fail to track the costs of WAN/LAN services and the resulting support provided to business units. The end results are network budget problems, support issues, and the inability to assign usage costs to the business units to help them understand the network services they consume. Use the following best practices to identify, categorize, and manage the costs of network services supplied to enterprise business units:
• Identify and catalog the specific network services provided.
• Determine the estimated hours/costs for the services provided.
• Assign staff members to track the costs and quality of business unit services.
Even if the cost categories for network services provided to business units are just an estimate, they still provide valuable information to help network managers identify the specific types and quantities of services being consumed and their related costs.