When it comes to your organization’s IT services, are you being reactive or proactive? Getting ahead of potential problems is an essential component of your IT strategy. Simply reacting to issues puts you in danger of data breaches, costly technology upgrades, and even system failure.

So how can you anticipate and plan for challenges that inevitably arise? It is a far-reaching concept, so we have created a checklist of areas where you can take the reins and be proactive with your technology.

Monitoring:

Monitoring will depend on the types of technology your company uses, but here are some areas to consider:

Network monitoring examines traffic to prevent failures and bottlenecks that can slow or break your network. If you have onsite services and other technology, this is especially important.

System monitoring involves keeping tabs of servers, databases and other devices for efficiency and uptime. Be sure to monitor the servers running your business management software and email system.

Web application monitoring is important if you have web facing applications and want to see how users are interacting with your apps. One metric might be to measure how long it takes for a page to load.

User monitoring can be achieved in several ways including whether users are actively working and logged in. You can also ensure that accounts are being accessed from a secure location.

Backup Management: 

Proactive backup management is important because your data is unique and expensive to replace. It is not as simple to replace as a server or router, for example.

Again, monitoring plays a significant role here. Avoid bandwidth problems, data limitations, and hardware issues by keeping an eye on your backup system.

Evaluate the general management of your backup to determine if you are backing too much data, causing technical problems, and to see if you are getting what you really need from your current method.

Regularly testing your backup system is the best way to ensure its reliability. Schedule tests to protect data integrity in the event of an incident or disaster.

Maintenance:

Maintenance tasks such as patches for new vulnerabilities will be reactive, but there are still some guidelines for being proactive. Consistent technology maintenance can help prevent future issues whether they are minor in scope or costly to an organization’s time and bottom line.

Perform critical security patches as they are released and implement less critical patches on a regularly scheduled basis.

Create a lifecycle and version management plan to replace or upgrade old, unsupported devices. Check the End-of-Life dates of devices and put the dates on your schedule.

Perform maintenance on your anti-virus and anti-malware solutions to be sure they are running the newest versions and that they have received any necessary patches.

Review rights management and configuration management on a regular basis to be sure that your system is operating as securely and efficiently as possible.

Creating a technology management plan that includes the areas discussed above will help you minimize risks and maximize efficiency. Avoid expenditures and lost production time by planning to protect your critical technology assets. If you need expert guidance to implement these tasks and more, reach out to our team today. We understand the importance of being proactive with your IT services, and we can help you stay ahead of challenges.