Network Solutions Unlimited Blog

Your business runs on its data, and without an infrastructure to support your operations, your productivity will be dead in the water. Most businesses choose to host their data on servers, and if you know anything about these complex pieces of machinery, you know that managing and maintaining them can be an involved process. Let’s go over some best practices to ensure you manage your server infrastructure appropriately.

The cloud is one of the best ways providers can make their services accessible, but not all businesses have the same needs. Some might host their cloud-based services on-site, while others might outsource the management to a third-party organization. Hosted VoIP is one of the most common ways businesses utilize the cloud, but what makes it better than the traditional on-site method of hosting? Let’s dig in.

Cloud computing has changed the way that businesses function, including some organizations that have foregone the on-premise server entirely in favor of it. Unfortunately, this approach can be problematic, as the data security and privacy issues associated with cloud-based resources might prove to be less than sustainable for your particular business.

We thought we would do something a little bit different for this week’s tip. Instead of giving you some software tips or some kind of thing you can use to make your business more productive, we thought that we’d help you with the thing that you already know, but may not realize:

Your business relies on its servers in order to function - which makes it incredibly important that these servers are sufficiently protected. There are a few practices that you can put into place that will help you to secure your server room. Let’s work our way from the inside out as we review them.

A server is a very important piece of the modern business’ technology infrastructure, and so it is important to understand what it is that could cause it to crash. Here, we’ll go over some of the most common crash causes to help you determine how to best take care of it. 

Many companies have been in business for so long that they still utilize legacy applications for specific purposes within their computing infrastructure. There simply might not be a better option at the time, so they continue to rely on software that is, quite frankly, showing its age, including the server software that runs their business. Virtual machines offer these organizations the opportunity to still leverage these applications without the inherent risk that comes from using unsupported software.

Profitability is less the measure of being able to turn a profit, and more the measure of how much profit you can make. For the successful small business, the integration of technology can dictate what kind of annual margins you are looking at. For the new company, however, it can be something even more critical: the difference between setting a course for success, or wallowing in failure. Today we analyze the cost difference between hosting your IT in-house, or choosing to host it in the cloud.

Your servers are some of the most important resources your business has, and they should last for many years. After a few years, however, they may begin to struggle to handle the workloads they once did; and, they often fail leaving a whole business in a lurch. To avoid this scenario, knowing the signs of a failing server can come in extraordinarily handy. Today we will go through three ways to ascertain if your server needs to replaced.

Do you know which database management system is used by your company’s servers? Obviously your end users aren’t expected to know the answer to this question, but this is something that you, as a business owner, need to be aware of. If you don’t keep track of which database software you’re using, you might accidentally wait too long and wind up running an unsupported piece of software. For example, you need to move away from SQL Server 2005 (which is now unsupported) as soon as possible.

You don’t have time to worry about managing your email solution, but it’s still a vital aspect of your business’s operations. You never know when someone will fall for a spam message, and you certainly can’t look over the shoulders of each employee to make sure they don’t. What’s the busy business owner to do? How can you get quality email management without it eating up too much time and effort on your part?

The answer, like many technological pain points of SMBs, is to outsource the responsibility to a managed IT provider. Managed IT is great for businesses that want to focus on their operations rather than spending time managing technology. We’ll discuss three of the ways that email management helps your organization stay on task and ahead of the game.

Strengthen Security with Spam Blocking
Spam is the favored vehicle for major online threats, including phishing and ransomware schemes, specifically because it allows hackers to spread their work in a way which allows them to target as many people as possible without devoting much individual work. Users can accidentally download attachments or click on links to malicious websites. Enterprise-level spam blocking solutions allow your organization to keep threatening or suspicious messages out of your inbox indefinitely, significantly reducing the risk of finding such messages in your email solution.

Hosting and Management
If you’re the one who has to constantly add new users or check to see that your email servers are working properly, you’ll find that you have less time to spend doing your actual work. Of course, nothing is more important than making sure operations proceed as intended. Network Solutions Unlimited can manage your technology and free up incredible amounts of time to focus on building your company’s profitability. We can ensure maximum uptime and optimal mail flow so that you don’t have to.

Archive Messages for Future Viewing
Email archiving is a great way to ensure that your business retains a record of any incoming and outgoing messages for your business. This helps you keep a better track of who shares information with who, and more importantly, why information might be shared with those outside of your business. Furthermore, if an employee has recently left your business, but you weren’t privy to their reasons, you might find some clues in your email system that could strengthen retention and prevent turnover in the future.

If you want your business to flourish, managing email effectively is a great place to start. In the hands of professionals like those at Network Solutions Unlimited, you can focus on operations without worrying about keeping mail flow from working as intended. For more information about email management, reach out to us at (217) 428-6449.

If there’s an issue that everyone is hesitant to acknowledge, it is said that there is an elephant in the room. Many companies may find that today, these elephants live in their server rooms. We’ll acknowledge these elephants and talk about a few ways that you can evict them from your company’s IT.

While proxy server is a tech term that is frequently cited, it is not understood by a vast majority of people. Today we will describe what a proxy server is, and why organizations like yours use them.

Virtually every business needs data to function, yet not every SMB has the skills or resources needed to maintain their in-house server units. If you’ve found yourself struggling with server upkeep, then you’ll be happy to learn that this responsibility can easily be outsourced to a third party.

When you look at the benefits of outsourcing your server needs to our cloud, it becomes difficult to go back to “doing IT the hard way.”

Server Hosting Takes One More Thing Off Your Plate
Essentially, having a third party handle the management and maintenance of your data means one less responsibility that you don’t have to worry about. For the busy business owner, freeing up time so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff and instead focus more on running your business is what outsourcing is all about.

Server Hosting Prevents Expensive Downtime
It’s just common sense that having a computer maintained by a professional prevents downtime by making sure that the equipment is running in tiptop shape. When it comes small server problems that go unchecked (perhaps because you may not even know that these issues are problems in the first place), it’s only a matter of time before these unknown-to-you issues develop into serious problems that can hinder your workflow. When your company finds itself in this most unfortunate predicament, you’ll kick yourself when you realize that the downtime you’re experiencing could have been avoided with proactive maintenance.

Server Hosting Saves on Expenses
You may not know much about the technical side of how servers work, but it’s easy to know that a server is quite expensive to purchase. Plus, having to pay for the upkeep of hosting a full rack of servers in your office adds up. Think for a moment of the electricity it takes to run these machines and the maintenance bills from unplanned repairs. By simply outsourcing your server needs to a third party, you’re letting them handle the hosting, along with all of the upkeep and other associated expenses.

Although, outsourcing the care of your servers doesn’t necessarily mean having your data hosted off-site. If you already have an IT infrastructure that you’re happy with, then an outsourced IT company like Network Solutions Unlimited can assist you remotely with the maintenance and upkeep of your in-house equipment, as well as the management of your data. Whether you outsource the care of your in-house servers, or you go so far as hosting your data in the cloud, either way, you’ll save money.

Server Hosting Ensures Compatibility
One of the challenges of managing your own servers is having to be familiar with which applications are compatible with specific operating systems, and which ones aren’t. Otherwise, you run the risk of performing a software upgrade that unintentionally disables a mission-critical app used in your business’ day-to-day operations. A misstep like this can be costly.

The advantage of hosted servers is that they are often virtualized, which means you can run various operating systems to ensure compatibility with the legacy apps your business relies on. With this being such an easy way to mitigate such a serious risk, it’s a move that every business owner should consider.

If your business needs assistance with server management and hosting, reach out to us at (217) 428-6449.

When an organization implements new software solutions, they are usually trying to either replace deprecated applications or find a solution to a particular problem. These solutions are often implemented without regards to the older software, and they’ll just collect dust on the network until someone decides to remove them. These unnecessary apps could be wasting precious time and resources for your business. In fact, up to 38 percent of enterprise applications aren’t being used on business networks.

In more specific terms, 30 percent of applications went unused, while only eight percent were used infrequently--less than once a month. A recent study by 1E claims that between the United States and United Kingdom, $34 billion is lost every year on unused or rarely used software solutions. Furthermore, the typical large enterprise could lose up to $7.4 million every year on unnecessary software solutions. While it must be mentioned that small companies won’t waste nearly this much, it’s still important to realize wasted resources when you see them. Software licenses aren’t cheap, and if they’re set to automatically renew, you could be wasting plenty of assets on software that you don’t even use.

Granted, it’s easier said than done to discover which applications your business uses, and those which it doesn’t. Unless you have an internal IT department that manages your organization’s technical assets, you could accidentally be renewing software solutions for apps which you barely use at all. Thus, it’s your responsibility to put a stop to it, and soon.

Through a comprehensive network audit, you can find ways to improve your infrastructure, be it identifying bottlenecks or discovering resources allocated toward apps that you don’t use or need. If your network is chock-full of unused and unnecessary applications, you can use a network audit to discover where they are and to jumpstart your network cleanup procedure.

Network Solutions Unlimited can perform a network audit that takes a comprehensive look at your IT infrastructure and identifies weaknesses that can be shored up. For example, it can identify bottlenecks or unnecessary resource allocation that can help you streamline operations. Furthermore, we can introduce you to new and improved solutions that can completely replace or consolidate your current assets into a more budget-friendly option.

It’s also necessary to mention that you should only be paying for software licensing on solutions that you actually use, and to keep tabs on when licenses expire. It’s usually better to pay as you need them, as something could come up and completely replace it somewhere down the line. If you outsource remote monitoring and maintenance through Network Solutions Unlimited, we can keep an eye on your network in real time and automatically issue updates to your software solutions as they are released. Furthermore, we can act as a single point of contact for your software vendors, so you only have to go through us to renew your software licenses. This takes away the pain of contacting multiple software vendors, which can be a time-consuming and downright annoying process.

To learn more about network audits, remote monitoring and maintenance, or vendor management, reach out to us at (217) 428-6449.

Your business can benefit greatly from colocation services that are designed to keep your business in top working condition. When we talk about colocation, we’re referring to the ability of a business to manage one or more of their solutions in a private cloud hosted off-site. In most circumstances, businesses that utilize colocation are responsible for maintaining their own IT infrastructure. However, to make things easier, a managed service provider can easily fill this roll, which would allow a business to enjoy the benefits of colocation services without having to put in the time and effort.

Rowland Kinch of Custodian Data Centres writes to Data Center Knowledge explaining the great convenience that your business can reap from colocation services:

For financial directors and IT directors, colocation provides the perfect win-win scenario, providing cost savings and delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure. When comparing the capabilities of a standard server room to a colocation solution, an assessment of the power alone demonstrates the gap between in-house solutions and utilizing the expertise of a specialist.

Some of the major benefits that colocation presents to SMBs include:

• Consolidation of solutions and space: If your organization focuses on running its infrastructure out of a colocated data center, there’s no reason to be hosting your data internally or on-site. This helps you use your office space and other resources more efficiently.
• Decreased operational costs: When you host solutions off-site in a data center that’s managed by a third party, you’re saving yourself from hosting them in-house and paying for operational costs. Take a moment to consider how much revenue you can save by eliminating air conditioning and electricity costs. If you do this for multiple pieces of hardware, the savings can quickly add up, and you’ll potentially save a significant amount of revenue that can be used elsewhere.
• Management and maintenance from professional technicians: Technology can be a hassle to manage, especially if you don’t have a team of dedicated technicians who are responsible for maintaining your infrastructure. When you use a colocation data center to host your technology, it can be maintained by professional IT workers who make it their sole responsibility to keep your systems working properly.

If your business wants to take a modern approach to technology maintenance and management, colocation is as good a start as any. To get your technology infrastructure and your budget under control, give Network Solutions Unlimited a call at (217) 428-6449.

Technology, while a great asset that can be leveraged for your benefit, can also frighten businesses due to how unpredictable it can be at times. The constant threat of data loss, identity theft, and hardware failure can cripple your business’s ability to retain operations. Specifically, businesses can learn about risk management by analyzing the processes used by an industry where risk management is absolutely critical: nuclear power plants.