In both the in-house and managed service provider (“MSP”) environments, managing and monitoring performance is a key task.  Every IT department should have a performance monitoring strategy. In a typical IT environment, the service that a customer receives is dependent on: Server performance, measured by a server monitor; The overall server performance is defined by […]

When you work on the Internet, you leave a lot of footprints. Common knowledge, yes, but it is surprising how many otherwise savvy users ignore it.   We all know cookies, and that website operators, especially Google, track our movements around cyberspace, ostensibly to improve performance, but more likely to collect information that can be sold […]

The pandemic and the consequent move to remote working, working from home, and the move to e-commerce have highlighted IT Security’s role in the IT workplace.  Networks must be efficient, responsive, and above all, secure.  They must be resistant to DDoS and other external attacks,  prevent malware attacks as far as possible and provide a […]

Whether in an organisation or providing hosted services, any IT department needs to monitor server performance.  Users generally rate service levels on such subjective things as online response times, which critically depend on server performance. Servers can and do go down, either through human error, mechanical failure, or other external reasons.  In all businesses, downtime […]

Most major network suppliers including Cisco and HP have taken up the concept of the Software-Defined Network (“SDN”), intending to move to a full-blown Intent-Based Network (“IBN”) in the future. Simply put, an SDN reduces the capital and operational costs of network infrastructure by automating the basic configuration and management of the network. This moves […]

Preventing unauthorised access to corporate networks is a major priority for most network managers. A firewall is an essential brick in the wall against hackers, and network managers need to pay close attention to it.  Changes in network organisation, updates to existing systems and introduction of new applications can all change the optimal configuration of […]

A key element of the management environment in any IT Networking scenario is the ability to manage and monitor network activity. It is usually split into two main areas, network security and network performance management. To be sure there are areas where requirements will overlap, and information from one may trigger activity in the other.  […]

Recently, WiFi has moved from large corporate environments to implementation of home networks for home and small business offices, domestic internet connections and other IP based applications such as home security and CCTV. Network designers need to keep some practical issues in mind when designing WiFi implementations. There are no real shortcuts to a good […]

As business networks have evolved, they have become increasingly complex as digital convergence requires that they support different applications, including data, voice, and other media content.  In addition, separate applications like CCTV and Access Management may also run on the same infrastructure. Network management from design and configuration onwards is no longer a simple task. […]

The current drive by the major network equipment manufacturers and software houses towards network automation is driven by several, potentially competing factors.   These factors include the inevitable budget pressure on IT departments to do more with less. Current pressures include moves towards a Cloud environment, and the demands of the mobile warrior who needs access […]