Blog | Managed IT Solutions For Businesseshttps://acsapp.com/blog/2024-03-27T06:35:35-04:00ACS IT Services Blog
The Unsung Protagonist of Your Business: Our Guide to Network Monitoring for SMEs2024-02-12T06:00:00-05:002024-03-27T06:35:35-04:00bridgetm@acsapp.comhttps://acsapp.com/blog/author/bridgetm@acsapp.com/https://acsapp.com/blog/the-unsung-protagonist-of-your-business-our-guide-to-network-monitoring-for-smes/<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Your business’s network is its beating heart, its bustling hub of activity. In today’s digital landscape, a robust, secure network is indispensable, critical to every aspect, from communication to operations. In the marathon of network maintenance, the unseen challenges are often the ones that can trip you up. For small business owners, navigating these hurdles is as crucial to success as the initial set up of your digital infrastructure. </strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Here, we take a deep-dive into the labyrinthine world of network monitoring, uncovering the challenges that often go unnoticed. We’ll map out strategies to turn these potential pitfalls into stepping stones, ensuring your network becomes proactive, predictive, and indispensable to your business’s longevity.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Navigating the Data Deluge</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Imagine your network is a bustling city, and every bit of data is a car on the road. The challenge arises when your network reaches rush hour, and suddenly, it's not just a traffic snarl; it’s a data deadlock. </strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">This is the challenge of data overload. The overwhelming volume of information generated within your network can slow down the monitoring process, making it near impossible to sift through the noise for critical issues. The first step to overcoming this challenge is sensible organization. Efficient data management and the use of advanced AI in monitoring tools can help you identify patterns and predict potential issues long before they have a chance to cause a traffic jam in your network.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The Tapestry of Complexity</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Complexity is the nemesis of network monitoring. With the labyrinth of diverse devices and systems that make up a modern network, each demanding a different kind of attention, monitoring can feel like solving a puzzle blindfolded. </strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Specialized tools and skilled personnel are keys that unlock the door to managing network complexity. By staying abreast of the latest advancements in monitoring technology, and enlisting the help of trusted IT service providers, even the most intricate of networks can be kept in check.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">A Legacy in Integration</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The tale of modern networks seldom begins from scratch. More often than not, the web you’re weaving includes threads of legacy systems, cherished for their reliability but often dismissed by modern monitoring frameworks. The challenge lies in seamlessly integrating these older tools with the new to ensure no part of your network is left in the dark.</strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The solution lies in seeking out monitoring solutions that prioritize backward compatibility and play well with systems of yesteryear. Updated drivers and firmware can breathe new life into old devices, allowing them to communicate effortlessly within a modern monitoring framework.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The Price of Security</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">In an era of omnipresent cyber threats, the cost of network security is nominal compared to the potential cost of a breach. However, for businesses operating within stringent budget constraints, the expense can be a barrier to comprehensive security measures.</strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Strategic investment is the answer. Navigating the waters of network security requires a balance between cost and capability, and IT service providers, like Advanced Computer Solutions in Winter Haven, Florida, can chart a course for your network's secure future within your financial confines.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Balancing the Scales of Scalability</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Scalability is the silent shadow that follows success. As your business and its network volume grow, so too must your monitoring tools to keep pace. A lack of scalability can lead to a stagnant monitoring solution that fails to evolve with the demands of your expanding network.</strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The art of scalable monitoring lies in employing tools that can adapt on the fly, modifying their approach to match the size and complexity of your network. Cloud-based solutions offer a flexible alternative, scaling resources up or down in response to demand.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The Privacy Predicament</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">In an age where data breaches are daily news, the privacy challenge is the onerous task of ensuring your network monitoring practices not only secure your data but also meet stringent compliance standards. The consequences of falling short can be not only financial but also severely dent your business’s reputation.</strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The answer encompasses encryption, stringent controls on data access, and a proactive approach to compliance. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, has redefined the way privacy is approached, and by adhering to its standards, you safeguard not just data but trust.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Bridging the Gap in Expertise</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">The skill gap is a chasm that can swallow your monitoring efforts whole. Expertise in network monitoring is not just an advantage; it’s a necessity. Yet finding the right people with the right skill set is a challenge all of its own.</strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Cultivating an environment that encourages learning and development can go a long way. Investing in the training of your IT personnel or partnering with service providers that boast a team of seasoned experts can turn your business’s Achilles heel into a source of strength.</strong></b></p>
<h2 class="font-bold text-gray-800 text-h3 leading-[36px] pt-[21px] pb-[2px] [&_a]:underline-offset-[6px] [&_.underline]:underline-offset-[6px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Keeping Pace in a Dynamic Environment</strong></b></h2>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Networks are living entities, constantly evolving. Monitoring efforts that remain static will be swiftly outpaced by the rapid developments that define our digital age. </strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Agility is your ally. By adopting continuous monitoring solutions that can adapt to change, automating repetitive tasks to free up your team’s time, and fostering a culture of ongoing improvement, you transform network monitoring from a task into a strategic advantage.</strong></b></p>
<p class="text-body font-regular text-gray-800 leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="font-bold">Network monitoring is not just about keeping the lights on; it’s about lighting the path to your business’s future. By recognizing and tackling these challenges head-on with the strategies outlined above, small business owners like you can transition from merely surviving in the digital world to thriving within it. For businesses in Winter Haven, Florida, Advanced Computer Solutions offers a beacon of hope with tailored IT services that can transform your network monitoring into a proactive, predictive asset for your business. Ready to take the next step? Download a copy of our <a href="https://www.acsapp.com/media/uploads/how-healthy-is-your-network-checklist-advanced-computer-solutions.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="Download a copy of our Free checklist">FREE checklist</a> and then <a href="https://www.acsapp.com/schedule-appointment" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="Schedule a free consult">contact us for a no-obligation consultation</a>, and together, we’ll chart a course for your network’s secure, scalable, and successful future.</strong></b><b></b></p>Protecting Your Network2019-08-14T15:33:18-04:002024-03-25T05:34:57-04:00David Castlehttps://acsapp.com/blog/author/davidc@acsapp.com/https://acsapp.com/blog/protecting-your-network/<p>While many organizations have vastly different operating policies and goals, there is at least one goal that every organization should strive for: Protecting their network. While it's the role of your IT provider to properly setup devices and systems to be resistant to breaches, improper communication and protocols outside of your IT departmen's reach are far too common the cause of weakness within the network. Over the last month several of our articles have covered topics that directly associate the end users in your organization and how they can learn to be better at spotting attacks that target them.</p>
<h3>Recognizing Where Attacks Occur</h3>
<p>Many users, especially with the right training, will be able to recognize at least a few different areas where attacks can occur. Most users; however, may not be able to recognize that inactive accounts can be an open door to your network or various services that your company uses. These are accounts that exist, but they may not be in use for lengthy periods of time. Sometimes these accounts don't have a user that exists within the organization anymore (someone that left or may have been let go). These accounts can create unseen holes that could allow bad actors (either external attackers or possibly disgruntled ex-employees) a back door into important systems. Depending on what services these accounts are associated with, this may allow them free-reign to access important data.</p>
<h3>Disabling Inactive Accounts</h3>
<p>Luckily, there is a simple solution to prevent this type of intrusion: Disable or remove the accounts in question. Most of the time these accounts are remnants of an employee in Active Directory or Office 365. Many services allow you to disable login to accounts, thus keeping any important data and limiting the possibility of intrusion. Other systems may require you to completely remove the account. All of this can be best accomplished with good communication between you and your IT department/ provider. When offboarding a user, contact the necessary technicians/ administrators to have them remove access to the accounts and systems of that user.</p>
<p>If you would like to learn more about how ACS can help provide you with the managed IT services that your business needs to succeed, <a href="mailto:info@acsapp.com">email us</a> or call us at <a href="https://www.acsapp.com/blog/tag/networks/feeds/atom/tel:8774048224">877-404-8224</a>.</p>Be Proactive: How to Avoid Potential Network Failures2018-11-23T00:00:00-05:002024-03-24T16:54:25-04:00adminhttps://acsapp.com/blog/author/admin/https://acsapp.com/blog/be-proactive-how-to-avoid-potential-network-failures/<p><br/>Be Proactive: How to Avoid Potential Network Failures<br/> <br/>For small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), an IT network failure can be devastating because they don't have the resources of large corporations to bounce back from such disasters. Preparation against such devastation may be the only course for them to avoid failure and survive with the least damage if failure occurs. SMBs must be proactive in recognizing the eventuality of a cyber attack or human error that can cause data loss and disrupt business continuity. This is what needs to be done to help prevent a potential failure.<br/> <br/>Be prepared: Being proactive is an essential step for preparation against a disaster. There are two ways to determine how to best prepare to prevent potential failure of your infrastructure. First, you need to identify the weaknesses throughout your systems, and second, determine how you are going to eliminate those weaknesses and protect your network.<br/> <br/>Identify the weaknesses: Determine how and why your system could fail. Examine all aspects of your hardware and software. Assess all the internal and external factors that could contribute to failure of your networks. Here are some questions you need to know the answers to.</p>
<p>Does customer access and/or employee productivity often stall because of downed systems? In these situations, how quickly is your IT support able to minimize the damage?</p>
<p>Can you say with certainty that your business will be back on line and be able to access lost data with minimal disruption in case of failure?</p>
<p>Your critical data should be backed up frequently. The data on personal laptops, iPads and other mobile devices should also be backed up. Are all these steps being taken, and how often?</p>
<p>Are all backups stored in a location off-site and are they quickly accessible in the event of corruption, fire or flood?</p>
<p>Are you using any custom made software? Can it be reinstalled and updated when needed?</p>
<p>Are your systems truly protected from hackers and viruses? Do you change passwords when employees leave the company?</p>
<p>How often do you test your backup processes?</p>
<p>The answers to all these questions should give you a clear picture of your network's ability to survive in case of a catastrophe.</p>
<p>Here are five steps that you can take to protect your networks</p>
<p>Backup files every day: There are a large number of businesses that never backup data. Only 23% of SMBs are backing up their data daily, and only 50% are doing it weekly. A number of issues can result in loss of data. You should backup data every day.</p>
<p>Check backup procedures regularly: Don't find out accidently that your backup system is not working properly. By then it could be too late. It may seem like your data is being backed up normally, but check frequently if it is backing up the way it should be. In this age of BYOD make sure all employees are also following procedures to backup data on their laptops, iPads, etc.</p>
<p>Make sure virus protection and firewalls are always enabled: Many companies either don't have virus protection installed or it is disabled. That renders their networks vulnerable to virus attacks from emails, spam and data downloads. Corrupted files will not only bring your systems down but they can spread to your customers and email contacts. That will spell disaster for your reputation. Hackers are always looking for unprotected and open ports online that they can attack with malicious code or files. That can cause permanent data loss.</p>
<p>Monitor server drives: Dangerously full server drives can cause many problems, ranging from program crashes to sluggish email delivery. Servers should be monitored and maintained regularly to avoid these problems.</p>
<p>Check built-in logs: Frequent reviews of built-in logs can reveal small issues. You will have a chance to prevent them from becoming bigger, harder-to- manage problems that can bring your systems down.</p>
<p>Summary: We now know IT system failures have very serious consequences for SMBs. We also know that they can avoid such failures by being proactive. Many SMBs are now turning to cloud-based services and virtualized backup solutions to mitigate downtimes and network failures. Virtualization and cloud computing have enabled cost-efficient business continuity by allowing entire servers to be grouped into one software bundle or virtual server - this includes all data, operating systems, applications, and patches. This simplifies the backup process and allows for quick data restoration when needed.</p>