To have a network that performs optimally with minimal issues there are a lot of pieces that need to be set up correctly and maintained. A business network can be quite complex, and one misconfiguration can cause a multitude of issues throughout the entire network. When we take over a network, we start our process by combing through the different areas, looking for issues, and planning for future improvements. It is very common for businesses to recruit our services because they have been experiencing ongoing issues with no resolution. Most of these networks have hardware that is either misconfigured or improperly maintained.
Some examples include the network firewall having security services that are expired. We actually find this quite frequently. One of the functions of a firewall is to provide a secure point of entry into the network. When those security services expire, those security features no longer function, and this leaves your network open to threats. By maintaining your firewall in our cloud system, we are able to track the security services and make sure they are up to date as well as plan for upgrade or replacement of the hardware when it’s the end of its life. If you have a VoIP phone system, there are areas in the firewall that need to be configured specifically for that system to maintain high call quality. We typically find that these areas are either not configured or misconfigured, leading to issues with your phone system. By configuring these correctly and maintaining the equipment, you experience a much higher level of function and service.
The other equipment in your network needs similar maintenance in order to function as it is intended. When we look at the configuration of the servers we take over, we find a lot of them are misconfigured or under-resourced. We see this a lot with servers that are running virtual hosts but also find it on locally installed servers. By setting these up correctly and maintaining the patching, antivirus, etc. we are able to improve the overall functionality of your software and your network.
Maintenance of your network equipment also includes hardware like switches, wireless access points, and workstations. There are firmware updates and Windows updates that need to be maintained as well as watching for reboot cycles, antivirus, etc. When you are under our Managed Services umbrella, all of this is included. We schedule updates outside of business hours and handle all of it so you don’t have to think about it. When your entire network is configured correctly and maintained correctly, the number of issues you see is greatly diminished, which goes into improved uptime.
While maintaining your equipment is incredibly important to a quality network, it is also important to plan for the future, which we help with as well. We track your hardware warranties and original purchase dates so we can help you plan ahead for upgrades and replacements. All hardware will have an approximate lifecycle and by planning for replacing or upgrading equipment, we are able to keep you ahead of the technical issues that come from using equipment that is past its end of life.
