Easy ways to continually assess your IT service
Do you know how well your IT equipment is performing? If you don’t, now may be the time to start checking in.
Evaluating your IT services ensures they’re performing well on the tasks they’re set to execute. 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.
Why you should monitor 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 function and identify any flaws before they cause significant 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. So big that research anticipates a business is attacked by a cybercriminal every 11 seconds, and damage costs from these attacks will hit around $20 billion by 2021.
How continuous IT monitoring works
Continuous IT monitoring is adapted to fit your particular organization. Many companies will monitor how their servers are operating and look for ways to make them more efficient. Such monitoring looks at your IT systems’ overall health 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. You do not want to skimp here. According to some statistics, cybercrime is the biggest threat to every company. Cybersecurity Ventures predicted that cybercrime would cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021.
Mobile device management
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 putting 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 control what your employees can and cannot access remotely. 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.
