The Gist on Network Maintenance
March 17th, 2021 by admin
Recent estimates revealed that 80% of total IT costs occur after the initial purchase, making network maintenance decisions even more critical than asset acquisition talks. Networks need maintenance because they are the lifeblood of your operations and running with a malfunction or improper settings can lead to downtime and damaged equipment. Partnering with a network maintenance managed services company can provide your organization with access to highly- qualified network engineers to minimize downtime, maximize service, and offer you and your team critical peace of mind.
The more work you do to protect and maintain your servers, routers, switches, cabinets, racks, cables, and other equipment, the greater your likelihood of mitigating risks and data loss as well as minimizing downtime. You’ll be happy to learn that maintenance best practices are also efficiency best practices because you’re continually monitoring your network for the chance to improve it. In turn, this will improve your team’s productivity and visibility of your operations. So, it’s really a win-win!
Server maintenance includes a variety of preventative steps that vary based on your specific server but will typically need to include reviews for security risks, testing of backup protocols, reviews of backup power supplies, tests of internal monitoring operations, routing and IP control reviews, and a physical check of the hardware to look for damage, dust or debris. Many of these utilities will come with your server’s hardware package, but it’s smart to also look for external tools to help ensure that everything is running properly.
How to Evaluate Your Network Maintenance Needs and Costs
The most common reason organizations overspend on network maintenance support is because they do not understand what they need. Many businesses purchase support that is already included in other service level agreements or included in the purchase of the hardware. So, double-check your agreements for redundancies and understand where one plan ends and the next takes over.
Another common misstep is businesses buy unnecessary support simply to gain access to higher levels of service. As a result, some hardware is over covered or even double covered (same support for the same equipment provided on multiple contracts) while other equipment may not have the coverage it needs.
To avoid this, work with a network maintenance company with a robust assessment strategy. Maintenance firms that are equipped to evaluate your equipment and have experience understanding the nuances of service level agreements and entitlements ensure that your support budget is optimized and that each piece of hardware has just the right amount of coverage.
Network maintenance can include several other things, including maintenance on other pieces of your critical IT infrastructure. These can be broken up into a few different categories.
Network Maintenance
Your computers and networks need regular care to perform at their optimal level. Array monitors networks daily. Having this information allows us to maintain your systems before trouble starts proactively.
Server Management
We will make sure that your server is running optimally.
VPN Management
A VPN creates a secure “tunnel” by which you can access your network remotely. The array can establish, manage, and support your firewall services for you.
Router Management
The array will ensure your router is configured properly to optimize network performance and ensure critical business systems run.
Asset Management
The array will work with you to review your corporate assets and develop a lifecycle plan for both software and hardware. This process will ensure that each member of your team is working with the right technology that will increase workforce productivity.
Now that you know why you need network maintenance get a custom estimate from Heron today and let us help you get the security and coverage you need. Stay tuned every week for a fresh new blog.
Posted in: Security