As part of the planning cycle for the network, it is necessary to study
network growth over a period of time. This study may provide a better
understanding of how to manage future network growth and provide information
for requesting funds for network expansion.
As stated earlier, baseline
studies should be scheduled on a regular basis. By comparing the data from each
baseline, long-term growth trends can be isolated.
These types of
reports tend to be formatted in terms of total bandwidth or total capacity for
each link, for each device, and for the network as a whole.

Network
growth tends to occur in large bursts. Monitoring the hardware components is
just one aspect of maintaining the performance of the network. The network
administrator must also coordinate the use and upgrade of software
applications, adjusting the network configuration, accordingly.