Disadvantages of networking

A network brings sharing and communication, but it also brings costs and risks that a group of stand-alone computers does not have. The three main drawbacks are the cost of the network hardware, the difficulty of managing a large network, and how easily malware can spread between connected devices.

Cost of network hardware

Every device that joins the network needs a way to connect, so you need a network interface card in each one, plus cables, switches, wireless access points and on many networks a server for central storage. The more devices you connect, the more hardware you buy, and someone has to be paid to install and configure it all.

For example, a bakery opening a second shop wants its two tills to share stock records. It needs cable runs in both buildings, a switch in each shop, a wireless access point and a server, plus an installer's time. The bill can be far higher than the price of simply buying two separate tills, so the network only pays off if the sharing really saves enough work.

Managing a large network

Someone must create user accounts, set permissions, run backups, install software updates and fix faults. On a big network that is a job for trained technicians or a paid support company, and it never stops. Faults also hit many people at once: if a switch fails, everyone plugged into it loses access to shared files, while a single stand-alone computer breaking down only affects its own user.

Malware spreading

Because the devices are connected, malware can travel. Malware that gets onto one machine can spread to other devices and to central storage, where other users then open the infected files. On separate stand-alone computers the infection would stay on the device it started on.

For example, a worker plugs an infected memory stick into a reception computer. The malware reaches the shared drive, and every computer that opens those files is infected too. The connection between the devices is exactly what the malware uses as its route.