Beyond Speed : Nine Dimensions of Computer Network Quality Perceived by Its Users

The trend toward globalization and competitive advantage is increasing the importance of international data communication . The more companies attempt to be globalized and competitive, the more critical the problems of the computer networks are. To improve computer networks in the business world, it is believed that the network shoud be approached from the viewpoint of service quality : we need to understand what network quality means to network users, those who use the network. The purpose of this study is to develop a dimension that captures the aspects of network quality that are important to network users. Many articles show that speed is very important factor in network systems. But the more important thing is that speed is just one of the factors contributing to network quality. It is suggested that a quality network meet nine dimensions : (1) speed (2) accessibility (3) connectivity (4) security (5) compatibility, (6) government restrictions (7) complexity (8) sustainability and (9) sharability.