Tips for maintaining high it performance from LRS Network Support

Transcription

1 Tips for maintaining high it performance from LRS Network Support

2 enjoy the benefits of improved it performance Just like owning a vehicle, maintaining an IT network takes time and energy. You ll see benefits by taking the proper steps to ensure your IT environment is operating at peak performance. In the long run, this will save money associated with technology-related costs, and also save precious time currently wasted on slow and underperforming equipment. Utilize the following tips on your own, or our LRS Network Support specialists can assist at any time. LRSNETWORKSUPPORT.COM TECHGUYS@LRS.COM 2401 WEST MONROE STREET SPRINGFIELD, IL BRINGING KNOWLEDGE TO YOUR NETWORK

3 Tips for maintaining high it performance TeChnology benefits reduce it maintenance Costs Avoid unnecessary repair Costs increase speed utilize Current Technologies prevent problems minimize downtime increase productivity eliminate wasted Time secure environment from viruses and hackers Keep Technology Current AdopT A 3-yeAr life CyCle for it equipment And CompuTers Computers are machines. Even with all the necessary checks and updates, the physical parts of machines will eventually wear out, as will the technology since it's evolving faster than ever before. On average, a new computer will have a 3-year healthy life cycle before it will need replaced. We recommend a 5-year life cycle for servers. AlloCATe your budget To replace 1/3 of your CompuTers AnnuAlly By forecasting necessary upgrades to IT equipment, you can adequately budget for current and future technology costs. If you replace 1/3 of your computers every year, you spread out the technology costs over three years instead of having to replace all of the computers at one time. Consider CosTs To repair old machinery You may think you re saving money by holding onto your computers as long as possible, but it actually costs more to service and repair an old machine than it does to replace your computers as needed. be AwAre of invisible CosTs To productivity Old machines will run slower. It could take twice as long just to boot up in the mornings. Think of all the time your staff may be wasting just waiting for the computer to boot up or log off, not to mention all the time wasted trying to open and close programs and documents. All this time adds up to lost productivity, which impacts your bottom line. Here s a quick formula to calculate how much money you spend just to start the day with old computers: $ (1 employee s hourly wage) / 60 minutes = $ /minute x 3 minutes (time it takes to boot up an old computer) x (number of employees that use computers) = $ (cost to boot computers) x 20 business days in month = $ monthly cost to start the day with old computers.

4 from LRS Network Support perform updates for server & Computer firmware perform regular CheCKs for service And CompuTer updates You can increase your performance by nearly double just by making sure your server and computer updates are current. We recommend checking for updates on a monthly basis. prevent problems rather ThAn repair Them If you stay up to date with your software updates, then you can ward off any unforeseen issues that may arise from being outdated. resolve issues quickly You ll also reduce the time it will take to fix any issues simply because you won t have to wade through numerous updates just to bring your system up to date. Avoid unnecessary CosTs Lost productivity and problems that arise from outdated firmware are costly. You can completely avoid these unnecessary expenses by staying current. research Alternative internet Connections look beyond The Trends from The early 2000 s The trend for business Internet connections used to be the T1 line. If you had a T1 line, then you were in good shape. T1 lines transfer 1.5 MB/sec, and costs run about $500 per month. Consider AdvAnCemenTs in internet ConneCTiviTy In the past decade, DSL, Cable, Fiber, and T3 have been introduced as highly successful and economical ways of transmitting data over the Internet. DSL transmits 6 MB/sec, Cable transmits MB/sec, and Fiber runs at about 42 MB/sec. T3 s are much faster than any small to medium-sized business would need, as most average transmission of 6 MB/sec. These options transmit data faster than the T1 and at a fraction of the cost. A DSL line runs about $129/month and a Cable line can cost anywhere from $89-189/month. So while you thought you were ahead of the game with a T1, you could be spending your business s profits on unnecessary and outdated technology. ThinK AbouT how much bandwidth your business needs Are you hosting your own website? Your Internet connection determines the speed at which the outside world accesses your website and any data you transmit over the Internet. Consider how complicated (or simplified) your website is and consider how much activity you share over the Internet with customers and prospects. This amount of activity will determine how much Internet speed your business needs. remember ThAT video streams AT higher bandwidths The employee streaming an online training video can eat up quite a bit of bandwidth just at one computer station. Always consider these types of issues when determining your necessary bandwidth. upgrade network equipment to gb speed increase your speed To AT least 1gb We recommend you run at 1GB now. Many network systems are still set up to run at 1MB or even 10MB. This is archaic and will slow your system functions down tremendously. ChAnge The switch To CAT 5e or Above Network performance suffers if the speed is too slow. Oftentimes, this means changing the switch to CAT 5E or above. Old wiring may need updated to accommodate this change.

5 Keep on Top of security don T use defaults on passwords Default passwords are easy for computer hackers to crack, plus they are hard to remember. So be sure to switch settings and passwords when you set up any configuration, especially a wireless network. AlwAys secure your wireless network An open network is highly susceptible to hacking. War driving happens when hackers literally drive around looking for an open network to use. When they find one, they use the connections to look at all of the web traffic, such as bank and credit card transactions, to access passwords and private information. AlwAys CreATe unique And CompliCATed passwords Create passwords that use uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and special characters. This may seem like an inconvenience every time you have to type it in, but it can help prevent brute force attacks and dictionary attacks. Brute force attacks programmatically run batches of characters until they hit on the string of characters you have chosen to combine. The more challenging your string of characters, the less likely it is for this program to guess it correctly. Dictionary attacks are more common and systematically run word-by-word through the dictionary until they hit the single word you chose for your password. If you add numbers or characters to your chosen words, it is less likely to be successful. be wary of using open networks for secure TrAnsACTions While it is convenient to sit at Panera, sip coffee, and surf the web, the guy sitting two tables over could be side-jacking. Side-jacking happens when a hacker sits close enough in proximity to be able to grab your passwords and private data over the open wireless network. back up daily TesT your backup monthly Open random files monthly to double check that your backed-up files are accurate. You could be backing up corrupt data and not know it. CheCK The management window every backup Be sure to read the management window as you complete the backups to see if they finish successfully or are failing. You may think you are backing up each night, when actually the backup has failed due to an unresolved error. purchase TApes for your small business On average, a small business needs tapes to adequately back up data. Cycle out the tapes weekly and store them in an off-site location as part of your disaster recovery plan. upgrade TApe drives every 5 years Just as server and computer technology advances, so does storage. If you don t stay current, you risk the integrity of your data backups. Another option is to partner with a company that provides storage services, as they stay current with hardware, software, and all updates. don T use hard drives And flash drives While these are inexpensive and convenient, we don t recommend backing up to external hard drives and flash drives. First, these aren t secure storage devices. And secondly, if you back up to these local devices, chances are you ll leave them right next to your computer or server. Then your data is highly susceptible to disaster should something unforeseen happen, such as a fire or burglary. FOR MORE INFORMATION: LRSNETWORKSUPPORT.COM install proper internet firewalls install proper firewalls Without proper Internet firewalls, your system can be compromised by hackers, viruses, unwanted pop-ups and banners. We recommend using a Cisco ASA or a Fortinet FortiGate. make sure your firewall And operating system Are up To date To create a safe environment, make sure you have installed all patches and updates. Malicious code is constantly evolving, so your protection must evolve with it. be AwAre of sources of malicious Code Sometimes these destructive codes can reside in the most innocuous places. For example, you may not want to restrict access altogether, but you may want to consider blocking access to games and recreational activities on social sites such as Facebook. Unless your security is always up to date, your network is susceptible to malicious code.

6 BRINGING KNOWLEDGE TO YOUR NETWORK LRSNETWORKSUPPORT.COM WEST MONROE STREET SPRINGFIELD, IL LRS Web Solutions. All rights reserved. LRS is a registered trademark of Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. Cisco is a trademark of Cisco Technology, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. Fortinet and FortiGate are registered trademarks of Fortinet, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.