This guide will help improve your understanding of network topology diagrams and provide definitions for network infrastructure diagrams (also known as network architecture diagrams) and network segmentation diagrams. I’ll then outline the pros and cons of attempting to manually create a network topology diagram.   I’ll also provide a summary of the benefits of SolarWinds® Network…

Here are several top cloud logging solutions offering tech pros flexibility and features for effective log management. How are you getting the log insights you need to maintain and improve your applications and services? If you’re attempting to manage logs manually or using only basic software, you probably already suspect you’re not being efficient with…

Keeping your network safe from intrusion is one of the most vital parts of system and network administration and security. If your network is penetrated by a malicious attacker, it can lead to massive losses for your company, including potential downtime, data breaches, and loss of customer trust. An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a…

Hypervisors were created in 1965 to work with the IBM RPQ for the IBM 360/65. They were originally designed to test sharing systems between virtual machines and looking at new hardware concepts without jeopardizing the main production system. Now, hypervisors are commonly used to allocate physical hardware resources to virtual machines, which are known as…

Active Directory (AD) is one of the core pieces of Windows database environments. It provides authorization and authentication for computers, users, and groups, to enforce security policies across Windows operating systems. LDAP, or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, is an integral part of how Active Directory functions. Understanding the role LDAP plays in the functioning of…

Having a tool for network and IT management is crucial for IT departments of all sizes. Spiceworks offers a suite of IT management tools that serves as a great free solution. These various tools can be used together to provide a range of functions, including help desk team management, multi-site support, and inventory management. However,…

Server troubleshooting can be a complicated process. It’s easy for SQL Server performance troubleshooting activities to be based on misconceptions or incorrect assumptions, because servers can be affected by such a wide range of factors. This can lead to hours of time wasted in attempts to identify the root cause of a server issue. To…

Hyper-V is a virtualization software created by Microsoft. In this Hyper-V virtualization tutorial, we’ll look at some of the major Hyper-V virtualization concepts. In addition to covering the basics of Hyper-V virtualization and hardware virtualization technology, we’ll consider the benefits of virtualization, how virtual machines are managed, how to use Hyper-V virtualization technology, and Hyper-V…

While Splunk may seem the obvious choice for log management and log analysis, some alternatives to Splunk are worth considering—many of which I believe lack disadvantages of Splunk and bring unique benefits to the table. Although no solution is perfect, and some will be better suited to your business’ individual needs than others, I feel…

You’re likely familiar with the concept of a “wide area network,” or WAN. But just to refresh, WANs are simply a type of network spanning a large geographical location. Businesses use these types of networks to transfer information from office to office, between staff and clients, or to work with suppliers. In my experience, businesses…

If you’re an admin, you’re likely already familiar with SolarWinds and its array of highly rated products suited for just about every aspect of IT management. But you might not be familiar with SolarWinds® Access Rights Manager (ARM). This software exists because it’s critical for you to manage and audit access rights across the system—the…

The use of container technologies is on the rise. To make the most of this technology, however, you need a way to monitor those containers. Container monitoring solutions provide an automated way to track important metrics for your containers, often with user-friendly visuals. This article will look at what container monitoring is at its core,…

Varonis DatAdvantage is a specialist software solution designed to aggregate information associated with users, permissions, access events, and data. It gives you visibility into your file system permissions, recommendations, audit information, and modeling, and serves as a base for products that enhance its capabilities. This guide will consider why you might choose an alternative to…

When operating within a large business network, it’s vital to understand which of your applications are dependent on which of your server and network resources. If a server or storage device goes down, or a part of the network stops functioning, this will have major impacts upon your dependent applications, and potentially your employees and…

With so many network diagram tools on the market, choosing between them can be a challenge. This guide will help you choose the best network diagram software for your business, considering user-friendliness, suitability for business use, sophistication of features, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. For those who don’t have time to read the full list, SolarWinds® Network…

NetFlow, developed by Cisco, is a network protocol designed for the collection of IP traffic information and the monitoring of network traffic. It’s an efficient and popular way of gaining both a broad and detailed picture of what’s happening in your network. Analyzing flow data with NetFlow gives you comprehensive insight into network traffic flow…

Nagios is an extremely popular network monitoring solution. It’s an open source program driven by a large developer community, with users including massive enterprises (like Yahoo, Amazon, and Google), ISPs, and governmental bodies. It was released in 1999, under the name NetSaint, and has been refined over the years by numerous contributors. Nagios has certainly…

MIBs, short for Management Information Bases, are hierarchical databases of information pertaining to monitored devices. They can be accessed through MIB browsers, which retrieve data from SNMP-enabled devices like servers, routers, or switches. There are several MIB browsers on the market, including professional options and free and open-source tools. All these are designed to help…

ManageEngine is a popular IT software company on the market, delivering an impressive range of services covering help desk management, desktop management, application management, IT security management, network and server management, remote work management, privileged access management, and more. ManageEngine products include Service Desk Plus, OpManager, and Desktop Central. ManageEngine is a versatile vendor with…

From keeping track of IT inventory to handling help desk tickets on a daily basis, IT service management (ITSM) has become a mission-critical aspect of operating a successful and growing organization. Accordingly, businesses and other organizations have to be sure they’re giving their IT teams the tools they need to effectively respond to help desk…

Not all IT professionals are clear on IDS vs. IPS, even though these concepts are important for overall network security. Think of it this way: security alerts and responses go together. A burglar alarm won’t do you much good if it doesn’t somehow deter crime in progress. On the other hand, having the cops show…