A Network Manager’s Prized Tool
IT admins, more often than not, have a myriad of tasks to perform on a daily basis. Often the sole warriors in the business, they must keep systems running, incorporate requested changes into the network and deal with a number of interruptions that are often related to simple support issues. Unfortunately, these distractions take the focus away from more important, critical tasks.
What if you could have a tool that monitored and allowed you to fix issues on workstations and servers, in such a way that freed up your time and allowed you to focus on other tasks? In addition, this tool would also alert you to potential problems before they affected your network’s operations. Does that sound too good to be true? Well that tool actually exists. Even better, we are going to show you just what this prized tool for IT admins should look like.
Turning network management on its head
Network management tools tend to come in several flavors: complex, expensive and inappropriate for small to medium size business needs. It’s enough to give you indigestion.
Cloud-based network monitoring soothes this stomach upset by providing IT managers with a proactive tool that can identify and fix potential issues. To make it even better, this cloud-based service is not only accessible via a web interface, but it can be set up in a very short time, doing away with hours spent installing or configuring an on-premise solution. For full-time and even part-time admins with a massive workload, it is a godsend. These cloud-based services keep an eye on the network for you, allowing you to get on with the rest of your job.
Gain an extra IT technician, at a fraction of the payroll
A cloud-based network monitoring solution essentially provides you with a dedicated IT technician who monitors network critical events 24×7, watches over physical disk health, ensures backups are made, monitors disk space on HDDs to ensure they meet the IT manager’s preset thresholds, keeps an eye on Windows services, as well as checks that your antivirus is up-to-date with the latest definitions.
Depending on the size of the organization, the cost of a yearly subscription could work out to be much less than the equivalent of a week’s wages. Now that is some return on investment! In some cases, literally, you could protect and manage your IT systems for the price of a cup of coffee a day. Sweet music to an IT administrator constantly checking his budget sheet! Moreover, the costs are predictable.
Keep IT simple
For a tool to be effective it must be easy to use. If it is too complex, it will quickly be ignored. You want tools that make your life simpler, allowing you to do your job more effectively and more productively.
A web-based interface enables technicians to access the cloud-based network monitoring solution from anywhere, anytime meaning issues are resolved quickly and easily. It is designed to provide a clear view of the required information, without being cluttered by complexity.
Safer, as well as smarter
In today’s business world, corporate data is highly valuable; and that means there are many out there who would like to get their hands on it. The cloud-based network monitoring solution offers comprehensive security by having multiple alerting options, asset and inventory tracking, and proven antivirus and malware technologies to keep attacks at bay.
A solution that grows with you
Wouldn’t it be nice if your technology grew along with you, essentially making it future proof? Cloud-based network monitoring tools do exactly that. By having a solution that can adapt and expand to meet your changing business needs, you ensure that you don’t end up having to continually invest in new software and hardware every time you expand.
Support is also important, and the vendor of your solution should provide it 24/7. In addition, you should also expect to have access to trial versions of the software so that your team can test it and ensure it meets with your needs.
Head for the clouds
Cloud-based network monitoring tools are going to bring big changes for IT managers. Offering help and assistance as a virtual pair of skilled hands, excellent ROI, additional security for you network, and the ability to grow with your needs, this really is tomorrow’s product made available today.
The only question that remains is: are you ready to step into the cloud and revolutionize the way you work?
About the Author: Christina Goggi
Christina is Web Marketing Content Specialist at GFI Software. She is a keen blogger and has contributed content to several IT sites, besides working as an editor and regular contributor to Talk Tech to Me. Christina also writes for various publications including the Times of Malta and its technology supplement.
The cloud is good but I personally go there only when I have to – security concerns mainly. In the cloud I feel less in control and this is too much of a problem when sensitive data is concerned.
Thanks for your comment Robert.
Security is still a big concern for many companies exploring the option to move some IT services or applications to the cloud. A survey this month by GFI found that one in four small businesses cite security as an issue that prevents them from adopting a cloud-based or hosted service. This concern is justified to an extent.
I would argue that cloud service providers have invested a lot of money to build their infrastructure. They understand how the financial and reputational losses associated with data breaches and downtime can be detrimental to their business. In order to be able to offer services that will be acceptable to their customers, they invest much time and money into the application or service they provide to their customers – an investment that is far beyond what small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can dream of being able to afford – and why should they? Cloud providers have data centres, multiple layers of security including physical security measures, redundancy, backups, round-the-clock support and so on. Certainly, a lot more defense-in-depth that your average SMB has.
Therefore, SMBs should feel confident that cloud services vendors are now doing everything in their power to protect clients’ data, including implementing a layered approach to security with firewalls and other solutions that secure sensitive information and prevent data breaches, and offering the highest levels of redundancy and reliability to ensure clients can access their data 24/7 from any location.
At the end of the day, it all depends on how comfortable the client is with migrating the data to third parties offering hosted or cloud-based servers but the safeguards in place with any substantial provider are well tried and tested.