LONDON -- Telecoms test and monitoring specialist Spirent Communications (LSE: SPT; NYSE: SPM) is warning firms to adopt a more proactive approach to network testing.

At the peak period on Christmas Eve retailers were processing a record 5,460 transactions per minute, according to research from credit fraud prevention company Retail Decisions, placing a huge strain on Internet sites. As a result, many retailers struggled to deal with a greater-than-anticipated volume of online customers, which sent websites crashing.

“For most firms it’s a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted,” said David Hill, vice-president at Spirent Communications. “Businesses have to realise that testing must be an ongoing process which deals with problems before they arise, rather than something that is carried out in an ad-hoc fashion.”

Hill said that the Christmas boom highlighted a much deeper problem endemic within UK businesses. “Firms make a big deal of testing how applications work under heavy loads, but often overlook the network itself,” he said. “This is rather like a dentist giving your teeth the okay, but failing to examine your diseased gums.”

“Adopting a proactive approach to problem resolution is much healthier than operating on a reactive basis,” he said. “Firms need to automate the testing process as much as they can to ensure that it is done efficiently as well as cost effectively.”

Spirent Communications