Monday, August 30, 2010

Smart Choice - Software Patch Management To Create Security

The use of software patch management easily automates the distribution of problem fixing patches across an entire network. Depending on the software, these updates can be scheduled beforehand or setup to coincide with your development team or third party patch providers. Many programs also offer the ability to scan the computers on the network for any vulnerabilities that require a patch.

 

Trying to perform a patch on every terminal in your company manually is a lengthy, time consuming process. It is also completely unnecessary and problematic. Instead of having an IT staffer waste another employees time by taking up the computer, the IT tech can automate the process with a program. It also saves money on payroll by ensuring work continues by everyone. If you have to have someone download patches on an employees computer, that person will have to stop what they are doing. This could potentially be devastating for any department from sales to accounting to customer service. Nobody wants to lose clients because of a minor detail that could have easily have been prevented.

 

There are many different software to choose from. Selection will depend upon your business needs and company size. Choosing the one that has the most features is not necessarily the best move. However, selecting the program that allows for the most customizing to suit your needs would be beneficial. Managing patches is one of the many ways to protect your systems from malicious intruders. Hackers are able to get past firewalls and security if one terminal on the network is compromised. This can be an easy fix as long as the patches are maintained. Companies have been disabled or completely shutdown for days because of hackers manipulating security loopholes created by not patched computers. The hackers are able to gain full control of one computer that is not entirely protected and then use it to tie up bandwidth for their own purposes. They are then also able to install viruses and worms on your network. These attacks can be prevented and stopped by continually checking the terminals on your network. If one fails to meet the patch update standards then it will be immediately patched. This means that the opening that was left for the hacker is no longer open and the system is once again protected.

 

Most of the work of a software patch management software is done behind the scenes. Most workers will not even be aware that their computer is being updated to protect the company. The only time that it would be of any concern is when the system might need to be rebooted. The worker would be warned with a prompt and asked to save their work. This can be a very slight inconvenience having to wait for the system to reboot; it is however, a lot better than having to wait for an admin to go through every prompt. Most workers will be appreciative of the quick work that the software provides. There will be less inconvenient visits from the IT staff to have to see to issues related to the workers computer.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Improve The Efficiency Of Your Network Management Operations With MSP Software

One of the most important programs at the disposal of managed service providers today is known as MSP software. This type of software is specifically designed to assist network managers with the monitoring and managing of networks. These programs can help network managers assess the efficiency of an entire network, but it can also help network managers assess the efficiency of individual devices and programs within a network as well.

 

Due to the extraordinary demands that are commonly placed on network managers today, this software can be very useful when you need to relieve some of the burdens you are currently facing as a network manager. Network managers often face many difficulties, especially when they are managing multiple networks. If you are having trouble keeping up with the demands of your customers, you will definitely find the services and tools that are provided by MSP software to not only improve the quality of the services you provide to your customers, but you will also find that this software makes it easier for you to efficiently service the needs of your customers.

 

Network managers find this type of software to be incredibly useful, because it can provide an abundance of detailed information about a network's activities. Whether network managers need to assess the efficiency of individual devices within a network, or they need to assess a network's overall efficiency, they can easily do so by reviewing the information that is provided by this type of program.

 

By reviewing detailed information about individual devices within a network, as well as having the ability to view a network as a whole, you will not only be able to fix problems that may be arising within the network, like an improper use of network devices, insufficient computing power being provided by devices, or other problems, but you will also be able to improve the overall efficiency of your network as well.

 

In fact, this software can make the process of improving the efficiency of a network incredibly easy to handle for network managers. This software makes the process of managing multiple networks easy to handle, because it can automate the entire process. MSP software can automate the task of managing a network, because it can provide alerts when a serious problem is arising within a network. By being informed about the problems that are arising within a network, network managers can fix the problems before they cause any communication disruptions within a network.

 

Network managers also commonly find the feature that lets them access devices from a remote location to be very useful. By having the ability to access devices remotely, network managers can make their services more efficient. By making their services more efficient, clients are assisted in a much more timely manner. In this way, the services of a network manager become more valuable in the eyes of customers.

 

Along with monitoring the connections between different devices in a network, this type of software can even provide monitoring services for reviewing the efficiency of individual device components as well. As a network manager, you will be able to access detailed information about each device that may be present within a network when using MSP software. By accessing this information, you will be able to assess whether or not the components currently being used in a network can handle the demands a company is currently facing.

 

So, MSP software can assist network managers in a variety of different ways. Network managers who use this type of software can improve the overall efficiency of the networks they manage by assessing the efficiency of individual devices and the communication connections between those devices. If any issues ever arise within the network, network managers will be notified immediately by their MSP software about any serious issues that may affect the efficiency of the network.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Cost-effective Network Management: The Benefits And Advantages

With the advent of Information Technology in business came the feature of business automation. Automation not only within one's own sphere of work or operation, but in synchronisation with operations outside the local sphere also. This gave rise to networks. To manage individual networks as an integrated entity came in Network Management and nothing on earth this day is worth if it not be cost effective. We therefore end up with Cost-effective Network Management as a necessity for the day's activity.

Individual objects make up the network in totality. These objects are both hardware and software components. It needs practical experience to be able to appreciate the large number of objects and their variety that form a network. Uncanny problems are faced by the Network administrator in his day to day work that makes his job extremely demanding. When any one of these components faces a bug that retards or stops its working the Network Manager is the individual who is called upon to provide a solution. A complete view of the network and its operations from wherever the network manager is located becomes a necessity for providing the solution.

The task of the network manager becomes even more difficult due to the fact that the network map is never the same even on successive days at some instance. This occurs as every business house has to continuously adapt to the changes in the market and thereby effect changes in the procedures that he conducts his business.

Given this scenario, there is need for such a tool that provides a continuous updated view of the complete network components to the network manager as also allow the network manager to manage the components from a remote location.

Software tools that provide this type of facility to the network administrator is called Managed Service Provider. This tool provides a complete overview of the network along with the various programs that are running at each location. It could be a fully automated software, in which case no human intervention is necessary, or it could be a fully manual system. It could also be a mix of the two that is a hybrid between automatic and semi automatic. The choice of which version is to be used would depend on the availability and ability of the network administrator on the company's payroll.

Cost saving factor of such software requires no amplification. Rather than having individual network manager at each individual physical location trying to talk with each other, one network manager sitting remotely is able to monitor and provide solutions to the individual network system. To judge the ability of an MSP solution, two major issues are taken into consideration. How deep and wide does the software present the network hierarchy to the network administrator and how strong is its reporting process. However there are various other factors and features that each individual company would indicate in their product manifesto. Features like ease of deploying the MSP software itself across the entire network. The demand for system resources that the software be inherent with.

Cost-effective Network management is the key in today's 'e' prefixed business and market which has the factor of profit as one of its prime consideration. The role of Managed Service Provider in bringing down expenditure for managing the networks and its components has been prominent with time and therefore proven to be the most cost-effective tool to manage networks of a business house.