Remote Performance Management Solutions

Remote Performance Management Solutions offer a cost-effective remote monitoring and management capability to diagnose underlying network problems, assess network readiness and monitor application performance. This advancement is allowing businesses to capitalize on powerful applications such as VoIP, video, SaaS/ cloud services, disaster recovery and desktop virtualization.

Analysts caution that “75 percent of enterprises that do not perform a pre-implementation analysis of their IP network infrastructure will not achieve a successful VoIP implementation.”

Transitioning physically separate voice and data networks onto a single shared infrastructure without compromising the quality of either voice traffic or data traffic will require new practices and procedures. remote performance management solutions play a central role in successful network assessment.

Cloud computing is growing and as a result businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on cloud based technologies to run their businesses.  One example revolves around VoIP technology. Many business owners are attracted to VoIP because of its cost savings and applications that drive employee productivity; however some business owners hesitate because they are concerned about sacrificing call quality. This often occurs when companies conduct business with a technology provider that does not have the proper technical expertise or the tools to successfully deploy IP based solutions. Leveraging  advanced remote performance management software pinpoint network drains, all the way down to the appliance. The tool provides valuable insight that can determine which appliance such as a PC within an organization is sucking up bandwidth causing poor voice or video quality.

In order to keep up with the rapid pace of technology, data networks will need to become much stronger, faster, flexible and transparent. The success of a business’s operations will be greatly affected by network performance and remote performance management solutions allow businesses to diagnose network issues and resolve problems immediately.

Data networks are the lifeblood of business operations and companies should work proactively to protect their data assets in order to increase profitability and gain a competitive advantage.

Microsoft Azure and the Information Technology Puzzle

WHAT IS MICROSOFT AZURE?

Many businesses are searching for a cloud solution. They hear news stories about data loss, security breaches and cyber attacks and are concerned. The new cloud technologies are providing overwhelming benefits.

Microsoft Azure is an integrated cloud computing platform for building, managing, and supporting applications and services.

A cloud computing environment, such as Microsoft Azure, safely hosts your server and workstations in the “cloud”. This is custom-designed and managed space for your critical business data.

You can access your “virtual desktop” from your office, at home, on a tablet, or your phone. In each case, the “look and function” is the same. This means that wherever you are, your desktop and data is totally accessible with just an internet connection.

A Microsoft Azure specialist ensures that your migration to the cloud is an easy process. Your company ends-up with a fully-managed, well-maintained, secure working environment with 24/7/365 IT Help Desk Support.

WHAT ABOUT SECURITY IN THE CLOUD?

cloud service providers deliver higher levels of security and data integrity. This is because they make huge investments in resources and technology at a level that smaller businesses cannot afford.

WHAT ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY IN THE CLOUD?

There isn't a need to worry about servers, computing hardware, space requirements, power needs or software updates. Company management can spent more time focusing on company objectives and less time dealing with IT issues and downtime.

WHAT ABOUT ACCESSABILITY TO THE CLOUD?

24x7 accessibility from any location.  Data can be accessed anytime form anywhere. Staff can also access master files easily.

WHAT ABOUT SCALABILITY IN THE CLOUD?

A cloud hosted solution gives you scalable computing power, a predictable budget, and ongoing savings. This is possible by reducing physical hardware needs and eliminating/minimizing onsite data storage.

HOW ROBUST IS AN AZURE CLOUD SOLUTION?

The Azure cloud platform is more than 200 products and cloud services designed to help you bring new solutions to life—to solve today’s challenges and create the future. Build, run, and manage applications across multiple clouds, on-premises, and at the edge, with the tools and frameworks of your choice. 

Get security from the ground up, backed by a team of experts, and proactive compliance trusted by enterprises, governments, and startups.

Continuous innovation from Microsoft supports your development today, and your product visions for tomorrow.

Where is the Biggest Threat to Cyber Security: Internal

There are numerous threats to cyber security. There are new ransomware or crypto viruses lurking everywhere that are looking for opportunities to capture business networks and hold them hostage. Even with the great strides in security, companies are overlooking their biggest hole in their security.  It is not an external vulnerability.  It is an internal threat.  It is the unsuspecting employees who open emails without thought to what the emails may be carrying. Most companies believe that if they have safeguards against external threats then the cyber security job has been done. They think they are completely safe from any data hack or breach. No, the hacker community is full of smart and cunning people..

No matter how your organization handles their current IT, regular employee training must occur on a frequent basis. Not only should the network firewall be up to date, the entire network should be secured. This false sense of security could end up being your businesses downfall. It takes very little for a hacker to launch a simple phishing attempt, to gather information that should never be shared with others.  Hackers are sending emails claiming to be the security division of the organization. Once in,  the hacker only needs a few minutes  to steal sensitive information  and gain complete access to these organizations network.

Hackers are increasingly sophisticated and nuanced in their approach. Disguising email addresses so they appear to be coming from within the organization of their victims.  Experts in Cyber Security are working with companies to provide training to help people easily identify these attacks; whether it is phishing email training, webinars, or dark web scans to see what data has already been compromised. 

Training and vigilance is crucial for every business and is something that all companies need to take seriously.

Is Cloud Technology The Answer to Your Problem?

The COVID 19 pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty in the business world. Many businesses have made, or want to make, the jump to the “Cloud” with their IT, phone, and security technology infrastructure. Is moving to the cloud the right answer to the question of how to operate a business while complying with the COVID restrictions.  Let's look at four reasons for a move to the virtual cloud.

Work-from-Home
New virtual technologies have made working from home more feasible. The new technologies have given businesses a cost-effective way to deal with Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, social distancing, and business restrictions. Using virtual cloud technology makes it easier for company employees to access data systems, and continue working, without sacrificing security, or having to worry about the devices they use. There is no need to deploy Virtual Private Networking (VPN) capabilities, or open dangerous holes in a office network security.  Remote employees can remain connected by using tools such as Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams.

Multiple Device Environment
Current technology has created an ability to access to the data from multiple devices. These can include cell phones, laptops, desktops, and tablets. There can also be multiple operating systems across these devices including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. Cloud technology can easily allow data access from multiple device and OS types without losing control of the data,. By allowing access to the data through Microsoft Remote Apps, or Windows Virtual Desktop, the data remains in the cloud and the user can be prevented from downloading the data to the local device, all while working in the familiar Windows 10 environment.

Scalability
Using cloud-based IT infrastructure allows a data network to scale up, or down, as needed.  Only pay for the services needed at the time. Such scalability removes the need to buy an unnecessary amount of hardware and licensing. The Microsoft Azure cloud gives almost unlimited scalability and access to advanced features such as AI, Machine Learning, and Advanced Databases, and can be deployed at a speed and cost that is impossible with on-premises networks.

Security and Compliance
The Microsoft Azure cloud and Windows Virtual Desktop use built-in security services to securely store all the company data without having the data exist on local equipment. Use the cloud to leverage advanced security offerings such as Azure Firewall, Azure Security Center, Azure Sentinel, and Microsoft Defender ATP to provide end to end security. A multi-layer security approach can include role-based access control (RBAC), multi-factor authentication, and conditional access to manage risks before granting access to the environment. Microsoft Azure and Windows Virtual Desktop are also certified to be compliant with multiple standards such as HIPAA, PCI, ISO 27001, FedRAMP High for Commercial, and others. There is no 100% guarantee that a security threat will not happen, but, using cloud technology can offer the best defense against  an inevitable attack.

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency Issues Ransomware Activity Warnings

 

Who is the CISA?

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the Nation’s risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today’s threats and collaborating with industry to build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. CISA is at the heart of mobilizing a collective defense to understand and manage risk to our critical infrastructure. Their partners in this mission span the public and private sectors. The programs and services CISA provides are driven by the comprehensive understanding of the risk environment and the corresponding needs identified by our stakeholders. CISA seeks to help organizations better manage risk and increase resilience using all available resources, whether provided by the Federal Government, commercial vendors, or their own capabilities. 

What Does  CISA Do?

CISA builds the national capacity to defend against cyber attacks and works with the federal government to provide cybersecurity tools, incident response services and assessment capabilities to safeguard the ‘.gov’ networks that support the essential operations of partner departments and agencies.

From helping to secure the COVID-19 supply chain to supporting free and fair elections – See what CISA accomplished in 2020.

CISA coordinates security and resilience efforts using trusted partnerships across the private and public sectors, and deliver technical assistance and assessments to federal stakeholders as well as to infrastructure owners and operators nationwide. CISA also delivers insights on these assessments related to current capabilities to identify gaps, which—along with an examination of emerging technologies—help determine the demand for future capabilities (both near- and long-term).

 CISA enhances public safety interoperable communications at all levels of government to help partners across the country develop their emergency communications capabilities.

Working with stakeholders across the country, CISA conducts extensive, nationwide outreach to support and promote the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government officials to continue to communicate in the event of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster.

The National Risk Management Center (NRMC) is housed within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). NRMC is a planning, analysis, and collaboration center working to identify and address the most significant risks to our nation’s critical infrastructure.

NRMC works in close coordination with the private sector and other key stakeholders in the critical infrastructure community to: Identify; Analyze; Prioritize; and Manage the most strategic risks to our National Critical Functions—the functions of government and the private sector so vital to the United States that their disruption, corruption, or dysfunction would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued alerts for increased Ransomware activity of the business and public sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CISA has seen increased attempts to utilize ransomware. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has also seen an uptick in phishing attempts.

Management should be diligent  to ensure that their business are safeguarded from cyber threats. During this time of heightened security concerns, they should follow the CISA guidelines 

Additional Information

For additional information about on-going threats go to the CISA website.     Also, if you suspect  potential cyber incidents report them to the FBI 24/7 CyberWatch Command Center at 855-292-3937

Data Protection Solutions: Six Questions to Ask

 

Company management is under growing pressure from government regulation and the business environment to make sure the company's operation is not jeopardized by a data loss. You have been given the responsibility of determining what type of data protection solution would be appropriate for the company. Where do you start? What should you look for when evaluating data protection plans? Read this article to find out.

Many network administrators are considering an all-in-one data protection solution because it can greatly simplify data protection process. These solutions also tend to be less expensive than buying each component separately, and they provide a single point of contact for all their support needs.

In a recent survey it was found that over half of the respondents indicated that they would prefer to rely on a single vendor for their data protection solutions whenever possible.

An all-in-one Data Protection solution for the purposes of this article includes the hardware components and necessary backup software to backup an organization's critical data, maintain the backup data both on-site and at secure off-site locations, monitor the system 24X7, provide server virtualization, and data restoration so the data network can be up and running as soon as possible.

There are a few things to consider before making a decision about going with a particular solution.

What type of hardware is being used?
A network attached storage (NAS) server with internal storage capacity is attached to the network and the server hard drive is mirrored in the NAS storage.

What software is included?
There is client software loaded on the server for the backup process. The resident NAS software is used for compression, encryption, bare-metal recovery, and continuous data protection.

Is the solution secure?
Most solutions offer encryption. Encryption is a critical component in backup data protection. The solution should support AES-level encryption. The backup data should be encrypted on site and while in transit to the off-site location and at the hosted site.

Can the solution scale to data storage demands?
The data protection solution should be capable of running efficiently and scale without a lot of specialized hardware

Is offsite backup included in the solution?
Most companies today need not only onsite backup, but they also need the capability to have a redundant copy of their backup data stored off-site so the data can be recovered in the event their site was unusable. Both on-site storage and remote storage should be part of the solution.

How often is the data backed up?
The frequency of the data backup determines how much data will be lost. If the data is only backed up once a day then 24 hours of data will be lost. Most businesses could not accept that kind of loss. They require a shorter recovery point. Most solutions provide backups take place every 15 minutes. The best practice is to determine an acceptable recovery point and pick a solution that meets that objective.

There are a lot of all-in-one data protection solutions. Some companies prefer to purchase deploy, and maintain the solution themselves. The in-house option also requires the labor and expertise to administer the system. Some solution providers bundle the data protection equipment and software into a bundle that also includes the labor to monitor the system 24X7 as well as the labor to maintain and respond to notifications and outages. The system should be flexible enough to scale as needs change and provide a one-point-of contact when there is a need for service.

Connecting to "The Cloud"

 

"The Cloud" has become a hot term in the data services industry. The cloud is used as a representation of the Internet in computer diagrams, and as a metaphor used to describe technologies such as server processing, data storage, security and voice applications that are gaining popularity among companies. The widespread use of the Internet has given birth to the idea of using the internet as a shared off-site data infrastructure. Read this article to find out about the advantages of Cloud Computing.

There was a time in the not too distant past when "cloud" meant only a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the upper atmosphere.

But now "the cloud" has become a hot term in the data services industry. The cloud is used as both a representation of the internet in computer diagrams and a metaphor used to describe technologies such as server processing, data storage, security and voice applications that are gaining momentum among companies. The widespread use of the internet has given birth to the idea of using the internet as a shared, off-site data infrastructure

Another term used in conjunction with the cloud is "Cloud Computing." This term refers to the real-time delivery of services and technologies over the internet that allows end-users to instantly access data and applications over the internet from any device. Cloud Computing allows companies to get more bang for their computing buck by accessing services on a pay-as-you-go basis that they may not otherwise be able to afford.

There are several advantages to Cloud Computing.

One advantage of Cloud Computing is it enables small to mid-sized businesses to leverage storage space and application solutions without having to make significant capital expenditures on hardware or software. As a company's needs increase the service can scale to meet the demand. The company pays according to use. And not only is this often more economical for users or companies, it also means that the amount of on-site computing infrastructure is greatly reduced. This becomes important as smartphones and tablets come to populate the computing landscape.

Mobility is another benefit of Cloud Computing. Since the application and data are stored in the cloud it's easy to access them anytime, anywhere. This gives companies with virtual employees extreme flexibility and increased productivity.

Cloud Computing can facilitate user collaboration. Multiple users can easy work together on the same project

Another benefit of cloud computing is disaster recovery. The data and application software are off-site. The information is protected by multiple, geographically-separated data centers with backup, archive, and failover capabilities.

Cloud Computing is has been slow to gain widespread acceptance, but the value proposition is quite clear. Though, there are security issues that still need to be worked out, the technology provides both a reliable and scalable solution that has the potential to greatly reduce an organization's computing expense and boost employee productivity.

As time passes, the trend is toward our online life being in the cloud.

Business Continuity -- Downtime and Data Loss

At some point in time an organization will experience a business interruption that involves a data network outage and data loss. It might be something as "simple" as an application crash, or as severe as losing an entire building. According to a recent survey more than 40 percent of all companies that experience a disaster do not reopen, and over 25 percent of those that do reopen close down for good within two years. But the threat to any organization can be lessened by having a comprehensive and practiced business continuity plan.

At some point in time an organization will experience a business interruption that involves a data network outage and data loss. It might be something as "simple" as an application crash, or as severe as losing an entire building.

Whatever the cause, when it does happen the natural inclination of the network users is to go into freak-out mode. Management will be bombarded with frantic inquiries that turn to urgent demands to get the system back up. There will be worry over lost customers and revenue. The network administrator will be fighting two fires: working to get the system up while trying to identify the cause of the failure.

The possible sources of a business interruption are endless: user error, equipment failure, cyber-attacks, bad weather, a UPS plug was disconnected by mistake, or a car ran into the power pole in front of the building. The moment access to the network is lost the organization is in trouble. According to a recent survey more than 40 percent of all companies that experience a disaster do not reopen, and over 25 percent of those that do reopen close down for good within two years. But the threat to any organization can be lessened by having a comprehensive and practiced Business Continuity Plan.

What Recovery Time Objective does the Business Continuity Plan call for? The time between a network outage and the time when the system is up again would have been pre-determined, and the necessary infrastructure would have been put in place to achieve the objective. How much downtime an organization can tolerate is a question that must be answered by management as they develop the disaster recovery plan.

What Recovery Point Objective does the Business Continuity Plan call for? Another question that management must answer is how much data and software can the organization lose and continue to function. How much is the information worth? How much of a financial hit can the organization tolerate? The BC Plan would specify how much time between the last backup and the business interruption would be acceptable.

Preparation for a disaster is a value judgment. How much of a risk can the organization absorb? How much of the organization's budget can be allocated to disaster preparedness?

Every organization should have a Backup and Disaster Recovery solution! The BDR solution should be automated so the system can react to events and problems in real time and minimize the down time. It should have speed and accuracy. The need for quick restoration is driven by loss of revenue and marketplace competition. But also important is the necessity to have confidence that the lost information is restored accurately. It should be scalable so that as the data increases or decreases the system has the capability to handle the fluctuation. It should be adaptable enough to respond to simple problems as readily as it would be a full-blown disaster. And, it should be professionally managed by competent, expert people who can monitor the system 24X7, and respond to problems promptly.

No organization is immune from disaster. It is not a case of if, but of when.

Are You Absolutely Sure Your Critical Data Is Secure?

 Today's business environment is pressing business owners and managers to reexamine the threats that could cause business interruption.

Organizations of all sizes are generating and depending on growing amounts of data, and the network administrators find themselves caught between providing adequate performance and capacity when access is needed and taking security measures to ensure the data is protected in a timely manner.

Many risks are unavoidable, but companies operating without a business continuity plan to protect your critical data are extremely vulnerable to unexpected downtime and data loss.

Studies show that 93% of businesses that lost their computer network for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster, and 50% of businesses that found themselves without a way to restore or reconstruct their data for this same time period, filed for bankruptcy immediately.

But even if a company doesn't experience this level of catastrophe, it can still end up losing a considerable amount of productive work and man hours due to a system crash, virus, power outage, or even human error. Not to mention the money it will take to restore the data system.

All businesses face a certain degree of risk, but savvy business owners and managers are looking to eliminate unnecessary risks as well as uncertainty. Business continuity solutions provide business owners and managers with a safety net that enables their organizations to continue to operate. Regardless of the cause of the business interruption, a business continuity plan provides businesses with the assurance that they need to stay competitive in today's markets.

The data backup method for most companies has been to backup vital information on a data tape and let an employee such as an IT manager take it home for safe keeping. It's a simple and cheap plan. But you get exactly what you pay for.

The problems with tape backup are well known; companies have been dealing with them for decades.

Tape backup requires a significant investment. Tape hardware and backup software are expensive, as is the labor required to set up and maintain them.

Tape is physically delicate and easily compromised by environmental factors such as heat, humidity and magnetic interference, and tape cartridges must be replaced every 6 to 12 months.

Tape sensitivity contributes to high failure rates; with analysts estimating that 40 percent of tape restores fail.

Tapes are subject to loss or theft, and may be in the possession of an employee or vendor unable to reach a recovery site.

Tape is seldom encrypted, compounding the destructive impact of tape theft. Very few people encrypt backup tapes

The backup process is inconvenient. Tape backup can involve downtime, known as 'backup windows', since the system being backed up cannot be used during the process

The backup and restore process is inconsistent. The odds are high that neither the tape backup nor the restore would work at the critical moment

Tape backup is unable to achieve an acceptable recovery point objective (RPO) - the point in time to which system data can be recovered should disaster strike. Periodic tape backup guarantees hours of lost data in the event of a disaster. Suppose, for example, that a critical system fails anytime today; the most recent data that can be recovered is yesterday's data, which will be at least twelve hours old.

Traditional tape-based backup solutions have fallen behind and are no longer meeting backup/restore requirements.

Organizations have performed their backups to tape and carried a copy of these tapes off-site. However, installed disk capacity has grown faster than tape performance. There was a time when tape-based backup was widely believed to be the only feasible backup solution for small to medium businesses, but when evaluated on such criteria as total cost of ownership, scalability, data security, automation, reliability, ease of data restoration, required length of backup window, and server virtualization, it becomes obvious that alternate solutions have much to offer.

5 Steps to Prepare a Disaster Recovery Plan

You don't have a team to do a risk analysis, or business impact analysis, or recovery option analysis, but you do need a business continuity and disaster recovery plan for a company with a limited budget.

To develop a good BC / DR plan, you have to address all the issues that will affect your business in the event of a business interruption. Here are 5 steps that will help you develop your plan.

1. Define the scope and objectives of your plan.
Lay out the groundwork for what your plan must accomplish. Put together a decision-making team that has the authority to define goals, investigate assumptions, set completion times, and allocate resources.

2. Gather information.
The purpose of the information gathering phase is to identify "risks" and "impacts", and the best method of gathering information is to interview the company's employees. There are several methods of conducting interviews: one-on-one, or by business units or departments. Groups will never be as good as one-on-one discussions, but may reduce the information-gathering time. The decision-making team may also be a good source of information about how the company operates and what vulnerabilities exist. After the information has been gathered, you will need to identify and analyze options for the business continuity process. The options should be identified by personnel that will be the most affected and who know the area of the business the best. The planners will assist them in identifying and analyzing their options; provide them with guidance; but the employees should draft the continuity requirements of their area of responsibility. Restrict the options to those that come reasonably close to satisfying the recovery time objectives. The decision-making team will use the recovery objectives as criteria to assess options.

3. Develop a Business Continuity Plan Budget.
As costs begin to be identified put together a preliminary "option" budget. If the recovery objectives have been set to be within less than 2 hours following a disaster, then only options that meet those demands should be examined. the cost those options should be weighted against the possible loss that might be incurred if the plan was not implemented. Part of the research includes assigning a dollar value to each hour of down time. How much is the survivability of your business worth to you?

4. Finalize the Business Continuity Plan.
The final business continuity procedures and the budget will have been reviewed by the decision-making team. Everyone must be in agreement that the final plan comes as close as possible to meeting the plan objectives as possible. The business continuity procedures will specify how the business will continue to perform its mission critical processes during the interim period of interruption and until recovery is complete. In other words, the plan will detail the when, where, and how the business will operate from the time the interruption starts until recovery is finished.

5. Regularly Test The Plan.
Devise a testing procedure. Test different parts of the plan at the same time using the same simulation. Pick the least intrusive time to test. Some people will not want to participate, and there may be a tendency to minimize the scope and frequency of participation, but it is important that everyone understand the importance of disaster preparedness. The company must be ready to execute the plan when a disruption occurs, otherwise the recovery objectives will not be met. Keep the plan current and usable. Keep the plan up to date at all times. Reviews should be performed when major changes take place. It is important to keep the plan maintained, but not over-maintained.