Strengths

• Analyzing the strength side of a network, the SWOT analysis should look at the benefits the current network provides its users. The beneficial aspects are the strong points of the IT network, such as automation and more efficient work processes, the leverage of mass amounts of information into a cohesive database, and the production of real-time statistical reports on information management and utilization.
  
  

Weaknesses

• The weaknesses of an IT network tend to be associated with its inability to deal with internal decision-making needs. A SWOT analysis should identify where these kinds of weaknesses occur in business processes that rely on the network to function. Examples of these kinds of situations would include choosing which data reports should be available from the network or determining which traffic in the network takes priority over others when capacity is fully reached. Ultimately, these are issues that affect a business or organization using the network, and some kind of conscious determination needs to step in and fill the vacuum to make the decision needed.
  
  

Threats

• Network threats are areas that most folks are familiar with. These include such things as viruses, hackers, trojans and other types of electronic attacks on the network integrity. Lesser known threats also include organizational issues such as changes in software platforms by product providers, changes in technology that is used by the network, and changes in regulatory rules by government for how networks can operate. The SWOT analysis should examine and look at all these factors and how much they impact a specific network. Critical items should be highlighted the most so that a developing strategy addresses them first.
  
  

Opportunities

• Opportunities provided by an IT network are not always so apparent, because most folks assume benefits and advantages should already be designed into a working network. However, when networks begin to be used to manage an organization's information electronically, they highlight areas where previous processes were grossly inefficient in comparison. This can lead to further identification of similar problems and as a result identify areas where savings can be achieved. These opportunities should be highlighted in a SWOT analysis and credited to the network for identifying them or at least making these opportunities for improvement visible.
  
  

Conclusion

• A SWOT analysis can be a very helpful mapping tool for strategy development, and the model can be used to quickly highlight alternatives and issues to watch out for. Keep in mind it is only one tool of many that can be used for strategy development. It is not an end-all, be-all of analysis, so the results should not be treated as a final say on a network's viability for an organization.