Evaluating your IT services
Have you checked your IT equipment recently? Do you know how well it is performing? If you don’t, now may be the time to perform an assessment.
Evaluating your IT services ensures they’re running at the fullest efficiency and performance. It’s also a reliable way to make sure you’re getting value for money and avoiding potential security flaws. If you’re not yet continually evaluating your IT service, here are some ways to do so.
Monitoring your IT services
Like most business owners, you’ll probably find that your IT services are the cornerstone of your day to day operations. This makes periods of downtime potentially disastrous. Continuous monitoring allows you to see how well your systems are functioning, as well as identifying any flaws before they cause major problems.
You should also monitor your IT services for potential vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities include security flaws that could result in data being stolen or processes that may inadvertently introduce malware or ransomware to your systems. Ransomware is a particularly big problem to look out for in 2020. In 2019, 205,280 organizations submitted files that had been hacked in a ransomware attack — a 41 percent increase from the year before
How continuous IT monitoring works
Continuous IT monitoring is usually adapted according to the organization it’s taking place in. A lot of companies will monitor how their servers are operating and look for ways to make them more efficient. Such monitoring looks at the overall health of your IT systems and helps you find ways to make it better. It gives you the chance to spot problems at the earliest opportunity. Once you’re aware of them, you can act to reverse the damage.
You can also use vulnerability threat management to keep your IT systems safe. This type of management identifies threats as they arise, assesses the potential damage, and then remedies the issue. Usually, this type of monitoring is automated. It’s also not something to skimp on. According to some statistics, the cybercrime economy is estimated to be worth $1.8-trillion. Seeing as there’s big money in exploiting cybersecurity flaws, you don’t want to take any chances.
Mobile device management (MDM)
In addition to monitoring the IT systems at your premises and any cloud-based services you use, you should consider mobile device management. As the name suggests, mobile device management monitors any mobile devices you and your employees use. It allows you to operate a BYOD policy, without placing too much strain on your existing IT workforce.
Mobile device management can also help you oversee issues such as access control and the type of data your employees have on their phones. You may want to use it to remotely control what your employees can and cannot access. In doing so, you make it easier to remove data and revoke access once an employee is no longer with you. Additionally, you are preventing your employees from introducing security flaws to your network.
Continuously monitoring your IT services isn’t about wielding too much control. Instead, it’s an opportunity for you to keep your systems safe and ensure they’re reaching peak efficiency. By outsourcing IT monitoring to another organization, you can achieve 24/7 cover without over-burdening your IT staff.
