The majority of the time, a peer to peer network will run swiftly and efficiently but before you go out and invest in one you need to take note of the following important drawbacks to this technology:
* Size - Less is…More!
Peer to peer networking is ideal for connecting a small number of computers together but if your computers number more than ten to fifteen you may experience some technical hitches.
* Security and Administrative Concerns of a Peer to Peer (P2P) Network
Peer to peer networking doesn’t offer the best in network security. Servers are easier to control and therefore security levels can be more easily adapted to your unique needs. If your network is vulnerable to being compromised by security deficits then peer to peer networking may not be ideal.
Each user will need to allow access to folders and they have the option of not using a password and this means that your users will need to be very skilled and well-trained to avoid a breach in security.
* Business Growth and Expansion
If you know your system is going to remain the way it is for some time then peer to peer networking is a good choice. However, companies that are expanding and evolving quickly often outgrow a peer to peer network system in under a year or less. Peer to peer networking isn’t recommended for companies that make use of more than ten or fifteen computers.
* Staff Training
Peer to peer networking makes use of users to handle administration so all the people who make use of its features need to be taught how to share files, folders, and printers. Simple issues like one user shutting down a computer can cause another user to be unable to carry out such functions as printing, for example.
* Hosting Resources
Peer to peer networking means that each computer that is linked to another computer, perhaps for printing or for file sharing, will use system resources on the hosting computer. If these resources are sapped to a large degree the host computer’s speed may be compromised. In this case you may need to enlist the services of a dedicated server rather than continue to use peer to peer networking.
