Just a few years ago, a small to medium sized business had very little option when it came to protecting their own data network. Although redundancy, server virtualization and mirrored systems existed, they were often beyond the financial capability of many organizations. These solutions required multiple servers and additional hardware and software which were often outside of the IT budget.
As IT networks and security have gotten more intricate , more integrated – and frankly, more dangerous, with increased cyber threats – the job of making sure that operations are safe and secure is increasingly important. Remote monitoring is one way which organizations can take advantage of the economies of scale and expertise which managed service IT companies can provide.
What is Remote Monitoring?
In the most basic terms, remote monitoring allows a company to ensure that their network is fully operational, safe, and protected. Onsite client hardware and software is monitored by an alternate location, whether within the company’s own organizational structure, or with the help of an outsourced managed services firm.
This is done from a remote location for several reasons.
- Timely Response: If a company does not have IT staff working around the clock, an overnight cyber breach or disabled website may not be noticed until the following morning. However, your clients will most likely notice -as your order processing may be down, or your website unavailable. Studies have shown that when clients run into an issue with a website, they are far more likely to simply go to a competitor than to wait for you to fix the issue. Therefore, having real-time notifications of any issue – as well as the available staff to address the problem – should go a long way to minimizing downtime and getting you back online.
- Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity Planning: Cyber threat response, redundancy, and mirrored data are all an integral part of today’s disaster recovery plans. In addition to timely response to any unexpected outages, you can hire a managed services firm to have a redundant data and hardware backup in the case of a problem. Having it offsite protects your redundancy, as the chances of the same event taking down both locations is generally considered to be slim.
- Reducing Threats: Having an outside firm monitoring your hardware and software configurations may help you to identify inefficiencies, missing software updates, and needed security patches. A 24 x 7 shop will also give you the best chance at fighting against cyber threats, as they can notify you as soon as a breach occurs; as well as to advise you how to best contain the problem. A managed services firm can also simply apply updates and patches for you, ensuring that you will never be behind in important network maintenance and security. In a small-to-medium sized data center, employees are often stressed for time and may put off these seemingly mundane tasks – putting your company unnecessarily at risk.
- Identifying Strange Behavior: A remote monitoring service can quickly identify any strange behavior or operating anomalies which may be a problem. Even if it turns out to be innocent, setting up a system to flag events which do not fall under normal circumstances may save you a lot of headache.
The team at Alliance IT are proficient in all areas of remote monitoring and offsite services. From a technology and business assessment, to data backup and managed services, our experts are here to make your organization more streamlined, efficient and secure than ever before. If you are in the Sarasota or Tampa area, call us today to learn more about the wide rage of data services which we can provide.
