Monday, July 26, 2010

Features And Advantages Of Cost-effective Network Management

Automation entered our lives with the entry of Information Technology. The ambit of automation was not enclosed to a single entity or realm but encompassed realms outside the immediate vicinity of the base or formulating entity. Networks came to be in this manner. With distanced and disparate networks all in the hierarchy of one single project, managing the network became essential. With cost factor being a key factor for any process worth its mention a Cost-effective Network Management System was the demand for the day.

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 called upon with a problem being experienced by a customer at some remote location the first necessity that the network manager requires is the visual picture of the complete network.

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.

A tool that would continuously check the network and be able to report the current status of the network along with its breakdown components becomes mandatory for a network manager for his or her functioning. The network manager also uses this tool to manage the components from the remote location.. One such class of software which provides the various programs that are running across a network as well as the networks hierarchical view is called Managed Services Provider programs (MSP). There are some MSP which do not need any user intervention and called fully automated MSP and there are others which need human intervention at each step. There are MSP which are a mix of these two also. The Network manager's availability and capability would decide which MSP be best suited for a client.

Maintaining an individual network administrator at each location and they trying to work out the problem and solution of the network when it occurs would be a costly issue. The software in comparison would be a much lower priced object. No further explanation is required for the cost savings accrued.

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.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Ways To Get Cost-Efficient Network Management

 

Finding a cost-effective network management system can be difficult for those who don't know where to look. Among the many varieties of MSP (managed service provider) software, there are certain optimum features a business should look for in choosing the best management for the job. Here are some ways that MSP systems can streamline the corporate structure for optimum money and time saving.

Activity Monitoring- One of the most common and underrated means of losing revenue is through the slacking of employees during working hours. MSP can catch any violations of company code when there are accesses to such places as video streaming or chat sites so supervisors may take a more serious look. Complete System Diagnoses- Any and all performance flaws will be caught and reported by cutting edge software, and come with suggestions and fixes to keep business operating smoothly. By keeping applications, databases, and internal information as tightly packed and clean as possible, MSPs ensure all computers in the systems run at top speed. The software digs deep into the system, checking constantly against all known history of activity, to find and fix the initial cause of the problem. Custom Control- Administrators can manually set what it is they wish for their workforce not to access, either in the business network, or within the internet. An overseeing list of rules can be placed upon the system, denying entrance to certain computers (and employees) to problems areas. This custom configuration also allows the system to more readily block connections to servers, or to allow others entrance without question. Organized Reports- On regular intervals, data from each computer in the network, and the overall processes of the network itself are gathered into easily read charts and lists for the company head to view. It displays patterns that may need further investigation and attention by keeping track of connection speeds, access history, malfunctions, and changes in the system.

Regular Backup- MSP software can save a company a great deal of time and money by servicing it with regular backup of all pertinent company files, data, and its own report histories, so everything can be restored in case of an emergency. Memory space on system hardware can also be saved for faster processing speeds by filing archival data into the separate safe-hold database as well. This feature spares companies the need to manually maintain restorative copies, saving them all of that time and technician money. Crucial Baseline- Every company operates in a unique fashion all unto itself, and the best way for a protective management system such as MSP software to function properly with this fact is the ability to form a baseline. Baselines are the plot of norms in network activity, and tell programs the difference between routine procedures, and suspicious deviations. The software's learning ability relieves corporations the need to set hundreds of allowances, and allows for changes in a system as well.

Ease of Use- Cost-effective Network Management can not only be a budget-saver, but also easy to use. Quality MSP services categorize data into various charts regarding each system connection and kind for simple access, and make the causes for error reports easy to track and identify. Along with straightforward options to customize business monitoring, there are few ways to go wrong in deciding to use MSP software to maintain efficiency and order.