To successfully manage virtual machines (VMs), organizations have relied on virtualization technology, or hypervisors. Virtualization allows IT professionals to set up multiple virtual machines on the same hardware. These tools allow users to create self-contained virtual environments designed to mimic a discrete piece of hardware, often a server. By doing so, users can operate multiple…

Network design is a crucial aspect of any enterprise-grade network. The way a network is designed impacts your network monitoring capabilities and your overall system performance, making it as important a factor as the infrastructure itself. Your topology structure will be the foundation for conducting quality of service monitoring and troubleshooting, so having a strong…

Website users have higher expectations now than ever before, and many companies find they must adopt new technologies to stay competitive in our digital world. Because of this, user experience testing and optimizing website user experience has become an increasingly important part of developing and maintaining a website or web application. This guide lists the…

If disaster strikes, do you have a plan? Backing up your files, devices, and configurations can mean the difference between bouncing back from temporary data loss and letting it drive you out of business. In this guide, we’re breaking down network backup and network backup software. You’ll learn what network backup is, how it works,…

When using a Hyper-V, VMware, or other hypervisor, you’ll occasionally see a virtual machine marked “orphaned.” Virtual machines in this state are unusable, and you have two main options when dealing with them: recover them or remove them. This process is usually done manually through the hypervisor itself, such as through VMware vCenter server (part…

If you’re as tapped in to the computer software community as I am, you might’ve noticed some chatter about JBoss. Red Hat, ASRC Federal Holding Company, and other multimillion-dollar software companies use JBoss application server as a framework for their products. So, what is the JBoss enterprise application platform? How do you use a JBoss…

Every event on your network is recorded as a log. Because logs use a standard data format, you can easily search and analyze them to troubleshoot problems or catch security issues. If you efficiently manage your Windows Server logs, you can help your business with profiling, auditing, and creating statistics for growth. It’s possible to…

Looking at the server event log is a critical part of taking care of your Windows servers and your network as a whole. Without keeping track of logs, you can miss important issues in your IT environment, and you won’t be able to troubleshoot problems as quickly. With server event log software, you can stay…

Thanks to garbage collection (GC), memory management in languages like Java is a nonissue. As a developer, most of the time, you don’t have to do anything. But things aren’t always perfect. The garbage collection process certainly isn’t. It’s important to keep an eye on it so you can quickly diagnose and fix issues to…

In a world with data flowing constantly through our devices, efficient logging practices have become a fundamental tool for modern businesses. By using logging best practices, logging data can give your business valuable insights, and you can use these logs and the information they hold for several purposes. With efficient logging tools and best practices,…

Server monitoring starts with collecting data (such as error rates or CPU usage), and analyzing this data can help you determine the health and performance of your IT services. Your DevOps team can analyze these metrics to shift from reactive to proactive monitoring. Instead of waiting for a problem to occur, you can create alerts…

Devices enabled for using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) send out various SNMP messages to convey information. SNMP traps are a particular kind of message including information on alerts and problems. It’s important to be able to view and use these pieces of information when managing your data ecosystem, as they provide critical device…

Table of Contents Router and Switch Configuration Benefits What Is a Switch? How to Configure Router Settings Switch and Router Configuration Management for Business Changing the settings on your router can feel like a daunting task. But as most IT professionals know, default settings aren’t necessarily the best settings, even if abiding by them requires…

Networks are growing in size and complexity. For many, this growth is being driven by the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, Cloud, and even Software Defined Networking (SDN). As these trends, and the many changes they bring, impact your network, the big question you need to answer is this: Do I have the network configuration…

You might be asking yourself, what is an audit log and how do I use it? Understanding how a log audit operates and why an admin might want to audit their logs is crucial to business success. In fact, effective audit log management supports compliance, accountability, and security. Audit log management often goes overlooked in…

Protecting security in enterprise environments is critical for several reasons, not least of which is the risk of a data breach or service disruption. The use of enterprise software and operating systems, and associated add-ons, can cause vulnerabilities that allow malicious actors access to your IT environment. Updating your systems regularly is important and patching…

VLAN configuration and management involves maintaining and organizing all the data associated with your network. This information is crucial when a network needs to be repaired, modified, upgraded, or expanded. The main role of network configuration management is to replace a device’s operations if a failure occurs, but different devices save and store configurations in…

When managing a large enterprise network, having a clear overview of your entire network infrastructure and connections is critical for both troubleshooting and performance. One crucial piece of the puzzle is using a network graphing tool, or network topology tool. Network graphs show you your network’s physical and logical connections and allow you to have…

Wondering if your IT infrastructure is secure? You may need to consider an IT security audit, which can provide invaluable information about your security controls. Risk management audits force us to be vulnerable, exposing all our systems and strategies. They’re uncomfortable, but they’re undeniably worth it. They help us stay ahead of insider threats, security…

Your computer’s hard drive is one of the most important components of your machine. Without it, you can’t run an operating system or keep any data. And if it dies unexpectedly, you could end up with massive data loss if you haven’t created a backup (and even then, backups can become outdated). That’s why it’s…

Access management, sometimes referred to as identity and access management, is the umbrella term for the processes involved in certifying your team members have appropriate access to IT resources. This includes preventing unauthorized personnel from accessing certain resources and information. Access rights management is of critical importance to the security, efficiency, and regulatory compliance of…