The security provision of HIPAA demands that healthcare providers take reasonable care to protect the confidentiality of protected healthcare information (also known as PHI).

Traditional fax machines don’t qualify, making network fax servers the only way to safely and securely transmit confidential patient data.

And that isn’t the only advantage of using a fax server in your healthcare business! Watch our quick video to find out more about faxing in the healthcare industry.

A recent Ponemon Institute study estimates it costs businesses $214 per single, compromised record — so just imagine what it would cost if thousands of records on your system were compromised.

Add to that the impact on reputation, lost business and potential legal ramifications and it is easy to see the additional value provided by automatic vulnerability scanning.

As a manager or business owner, you’re probably more aware than most of the risks posed by the Internet. But there is no reason to be afraid of it or avoid it altogether. You just need a little help.

A solution to monitor Internet use, block infected websites, recognize malicious programs and protect you from the worst. By implementing a solid monitoring solution and educating your employees about the dangers that lurk online, your business will benefit from much safer, more effective Internet use.

While faxing may be viewed as legacy technology, it’s far from that. Faxing has moved on along with the rest of the world to become a fast, efficient method of communication.

In many countries, it is still the only method of electronic communication that is legally binding and it is the only way of sending compliant documents electronically. Those reasons alone make it a very valid technology.

Thanks to network faxing, it has never been easier or more straightforward to use fax in the day-to-day running of your business.

While faxing may be viewed as legacy technology, it’s far from that. Faxing has moved on along with the rest of the world to become a fast, efficient method of communication.

In many countries, it is still the only method of electronic communication that is legally binding and it is the only way of sending compliant documents electronically. Those reasons alone make it a very valid technology.

Thanks to network faxing, it has never been easier or more straightforward to use fax in the day-to-day running of your business.

Watch our short video to learn more and visit http://www.gfi.com/fax-server-software/ for more information on GFI FaxMaker.

Managing your resources as effectively as possible is the key to profitability. Network bandwidth is one such resource and yet it is often squandered while employees are wasting time on the network. There are many ways to use up your bandwidth — watch our quick vid to find out more and to discover how you can manage your bandwidth with minimal effort!

Q: What’s special about the latest version of GFI WebMonitor?

A: In R2, we have made it easier for users to delegate access to the GFI WebMonitor User Interface using role-based access and, for example, each manager can be given access to their team’s data. It’s not enough to give them access but we also made sure that the data is relevant to them and their needs. The bandwidth consumption dashboard allows managers to identify any bandwidth issues, the web activity dashboard enables them to identify productivity issues, potential legal liability issues or other activity related problems, and the web security dashboard highlights security issues immediately so that remedial action can be taken.

Q: How does GFI WebMonitor address the social media issues in the workplace?

A: Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have always been problematic for Management. They can be great time wasters, and yet blocking them completely may not be the right course of action. Employees may feel they are not trusted and it could be counterproductive. GFI WebMonitor now includes more granular social controls, so it is possible to block Apps and Games on Facebook and other social media sites without blocking the site itself. You can also block these sites completely, but allow employees access during their lunch break, or simply limit the amount of time spent on social media sites.

Q: Are there any other updates?

A: Yes. We have upgraded our web security protection by including our VIPRE® antivirus product alongside the other antivirus engines in GFI WebMonitor. Other improvements include a smaller memory footprint with better performance, a tool to allow synchronization of multiple WebMonitor sites and other performance improvements.

Want to learn more about this product? Check out GFI WebMonitor and find out how you can get even more from web monitoring solution, or register for a free trial and give it a spin today!

As the saying goes, prevention is far better than cure and a similar situation to the above can be avoided by using a cloud-based network monitoring service to check on your server status and spot potential issues, before they turn into critical problems. We look at three key benefits of using this solution – to avoid hearing those dreaded words: “server down”.

1. A proactive approach to problem solving

Checking every single device on your network to ensure they are all working perfectly is a Herculean task. Remote workstations, multiple configurations, varying peak load times can make an IT administrator’s job go from difficult to near impossible. As a result, many system administrators simply respond to critical events as and when they occur.

However, by using technology to monitor server status, you will be able to spot potential problems before they happen. Items such as antivirus updates, scheduled backups, Windows® services disruptions and physical disk performance can all be monitored by the software, alerting you when something is not right.

In fact, pre-configured checks can be run continuously, allowing you to immediately see potential issues and remedy them before they become critical. In this way, your server stays healthy and you are not bombarded by user support calls that take time to fix.

2. Increased security due to configurable alerting

When you monitor server status, a good solution should enable you to set customized alerts for specific events, so that you can be instantly notified if a server or workstation is no longer performing as it should. That allows you to investigate and rectify potential problems, to ensure the smooth running of your IT operation.

In addition, by having your antivirus updates and backups continually monitored and checked, you also ensure that your system has the latest patches and updates in place, as well as recent backups in the event something goes horribly wrong.

3. It saves money to provide you with a fast ROI

As IT budgets are being squeezed tighter, departments are under more pressure to do more with less. By using software to monitor server status you essentially add the resources of additional IT personnel to your resources at a tiny fraction of the cost. Given the array of tasks that good monitoring software can perform, ROI can actually be as quick as within six days.

In addition, because you are able to redeploy skilled personnel into development and training areas your organization could save even more money.

If you never seem to have the time to go through your daily IT checklist, you should seriously considering checking the health and performance of your servers and workstations using network monitoring software. Given the fast ROI, increased efficiency and time saved, it really shouldn’t be a hard decision to take.

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Let’s face it; workplaces are simply not the same as they used to be 20 years ago. Back then everyone worked at the office and mobile employees were lucky to have a cellphone. Today, that is reversed and more people seem to be out of the office than in it. To make things more complex, these computers are often out of the administrator’s reach unless there are policies whereby employees need to connect to the network on a regular basis or bring in the computer for maintenance. Ideally, though, the administrator would prefer to keep an eye on them remotely.

And that’s where remote workstation monitoring comes in. We look at three ways this handy toolkit can make your life easier, and more productive.

1)      Wear less hats

IT administrators wear many hats. One minute they might help a user set a new password, and the next they might be recovering a server. Their days can often be consumed in a whirlwind of activity as they try to keep up with all these different tasks – and having external employees only adds in a new layer of complexity.

Remote workstation monitoring functions as an extra pair of hands. It can monitor the machines your external employees are using, continually checking for a whole host of details such as hard disk space remaining, presence of current antivirus and backup files and Windows^® services not responding. In this way, remote workstation monitoring software leaves you free to be more productive on other tasks, because the software is wearing many of the hats for you.

2)      Prevent small issues becoming BIG

“My computer is not working. It just died on me.”

There is probably not a system administrator out there who hasn’t heard that phrase in some shape or form. Remote workstation monitoring is proactive, scanning machines to detect issues before they become a problem. That means you will receive an alert when things start going wrong on a user’s machine, rather than a telephone call from a user that just saw their screen go blank.

This proactive approach allows you to take immediate action to prevent the problem, keeping your employees productive and your system running at optimal performance.

3)      Inject a little cloud into your system

Cloud-based solutions allow you to deliver remote workstation monitoring simply and effectively. Once the agent is installed, computers are added to the cloud automatically, so your duties don’t increase beyond monitoring and responding only when you are needed

Even better, remote workstation monitoring can then be effected from anywhere, with alerts received by email or SMS text message on any device you choose, allowing you to also enjoy working from outside the regular office environment. More importantly, you can address potentially serious issues immediately, without getting that dreaded weekend call that says the system has gone down.

Remote workstation monitoring provides your system with a solid health check, even taking remedial actions where it can. Rather than be plagued by continuous calls from external workers, you can allow your remote workstation monitoring software to help you keep an eye on their machines and fix any issues before they turn into problems. In fact, this solution is so smart, the NSA probably wishes they thought of it first.

Daily health checks do not have to be a chore

Good monitoring software can check server health in seconds. The checks performed can be customized and may also include all of your workstations, giving you a complete picture of your network health. The software should monitor disk space, and check Windows^® services are running, analyze physical disk performance, as well as check scheduled backups and antivirus software updates are current.

Because this process is entirely automated, no time is lost manually performing checks or hunting for potential problems or errors. This frees up time for your IT resources, making your IT department more efficient and productive.

Have a health plan that grows with you

Organizations today demand far more from their IT. As you add applications and software into your system to cope with increased demands, will your server and workstations be able to handle the strain? By using good monitoring software you can ensure they will.

During the installation on new computers, good monitoring software will automatically determine and install the right set of pre-configured checks, allowing you to monitor your system effectively as it grows.

In addition, as your organization grows, you might have more staff working remotely, who still need to be monitored to ensure their laptops remain in optimal health. Good software that can monitor server and workstation health should allow you to do this from a single console, enabling you to spot potential problems from anywhere, and at anytime.

Be proactive when you monitor server health

You can spot problems before they occur through customized alerts, allowing you to maximize server and workstation uptime. This greatly reduces the strain on IT departments as they are notified of potential problems before they become critical. Often, they only receive a support call when something ceases to operate. That results in time wasted gathering information about the fault and diagnosing it.

Using software to monitor server health you will know exactly how your system is performing and can quickly take remedial action. This allows IT staff to funnel their resources into dealing with more pressing issues and tasks. In addition, alerts can be sent by email or as text messages and a cloud-based network monitoring solution allows your IT team to log in and respond from any location.

By continually monitoring your network and eliminating problems before they occur, you are able to keep productivity and performance across your network at optimal levels. Remedial actions, such as remote server reboots or automatic Windows services restarts, can provide rapid solutions to problems.

Perhaps it is time to get your system into the gym. Don’t let your system get lazy and develop problems that are expensive and take time to fix. Instead monitor server health in a proactive way to ensure your system stays fighting fit and productive.

Discover how cloud-based network monitoring can help you to maximize your IT resources, save money, be proactive and how it can give you a fast return on a small investment – Download your FREE ebook today!