When we talk about servers, we are talking about both physical servers which are found in-house and cloud servers. Your company’s IT performance does not stand a chance without server management. From website hosting to getting emails out, sever management is a fundamental aspect of a company. This is especially true of companies functioning in a digital and hybrid or remote environment.
What is a sever?
Severs give your company the chance to scale (add more users and devices), save on costs (reduce network devices), improve collaboration (between shared networks and personal access), improve reliability (systems stay online), and process power (handle network loads).
What is server management?
To enable optimal performance of software, hardware, security, and IT backups, server management is weaved into IT strategy. This includes monitoring and maintenance, to maintain the top performance of servers. The idea of server management is to:
- Reduce downtime and prevent slowdowns
- Create a protected server space
- Enable servers to perform within organization needs
- Set servers up for future needs of an organization
Server management encompasses the management of:
Software management – software dependencies, application management, uninstalling old software
Hardware – Central processing unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), hard drive, CPU temperature, operating environment
Security – firewalls, encrypting sensitive data, antivirus software, security login best practices
IT backups – regular backups, backup software for virtual and physical servers, avoidance of data loss, contingency planning for power loss
What are severe management best practices?
To improve your server management here are some recommendations your business can consider:
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Hardware management
To avoid downtime testing your hardware regularly can make sure your business and your employees or team members are using hardware that isn’t slowing them down. Your IT team will need to know how much space servers need. This can be accomplished with regular testing. If there are noticeable hindrances in functionality, then upgrades may be necessary so your team can function as best as they can.
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Record maintenance
Thorough documentation is essential for project management and a key function of your business. It will reduce redundancy because if you have a record of solutions, you’ve successfully utilized in the past you can reference that solution for similar problems that will or may occur. For whatever reason, your company is susceptible to repeatable problems, and this can happen at a variety of scales, once you find the problem note it down, and save it. Then when you see the problem reoccur at various scales or at various times a more permanent solution may be foreseeable.
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Protecting servers
Be sure servers are secure by using a trusted anti-software program that works for your security issues or potential issues. Security is something that needs constant monitoring, as new threats are being created every moment. You’ll need to confirm these systems are working and not blocking each other with interference. Protection from malware should be a top priority for your severe management routine. You’ll likely need more than one security system in place but having more than one security system in place is usually not an issue in a good security system to protect the health of your servers.
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Backup files
If you ever lose data, having a system in place to restore it will be a sigh of relief for your entire team. You can’t fully protect your company and bubble wrap it from all incidents, but you can try. Backups are a continual strategy that needs attention periodically to keep your business operating at a smooth pace. You can take a moment and imagine the horror of not backing up your most important files, like client emails, legal documents, proof of purchases, and even your website.
Conclusion
Make sure your server management is solving problems and preventing problems. To do this, and it’s been stated many times, you’ll want to do regular maintenance. Regular maintenance allows you to keep track of issues and find permanent solutions. Though you can’t be hundred percent protected because issues are a thing that evolves and there’s no way to fully stop them. Again, this is where maintenance and regular tracking and monitoring can save your team from headaches.
The above are basic best practices that are essential for every organization. There are a multitude of tools available to help you get started on the process of improving your server management. It is always better to consult professionals. Mainly because professionals have seen it all in many cases. If it is in the budget, consider outsourcing.
