|
Maintaining a Healthy IT NetworkPosted: 2/15/2007Information is the lifeblood of any business. And, properly managing and leveraging information may well be the difference between long-term business success and failure. Sounds simple enough… but, the truth is that it’s a jungle out there! Between insidious on-line viruses, uninformed – or malicious – employees and unintentional errors, as well as software glitches and non-compatibilities, your valuable business data is placed at risk every day. 
The best way to avoid problems is to buy the proper equipment - hardware and software - and then perform all required maintenance on a regular basis. This is an area of your business where “good intentions” mean nothing! You must have a plan and stick to it. That means a Network Use and Maintenance Policy should be in place. Assuming that your business network uses a Microsoft platform, software updates to the network and all computers on it can be set up to automatically download. That is very helpful as reminders will be automatically dispatched to all users. Your network policy should establish that downloads must be immediately installed when notification is received.
Consider Spyware and Adware – anytime anyone on your network uses the internet, they may be providing covert access to third-parties, unwittingly exposing their computer and your network to outsiders. Spyware tracks internet use habits for third-party marketing purposes and could significantly slow-down your network and endanger its security. Adware are on-line advertising nuisances triggered by specific site visits that may bring similar security and speed problems. There are free spyware detection and removal programs, like SpyBot and others that can be downloaded to assist in controlling these problems. And, most anti-virus software packages are beginning to build-in anti-spyware protection, as well. Again, periodic software updates may include these upgrades.
Many small businesses are beginning to realize the potential problems looming with power interruptions. If the power goes out, does your business have the ability to continue to function without the risk of data loss? Small-sized Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units are now available that can guard against data loss in the event of a power failure. These units are silent sentinels until they are needed – and, when that time comes, they can be lifesavers!
Finally, the best defense is often a good offense! Make sure that every user knows the value of backing up files and work-in-process often. It’s a good habit to create documents and other work saved directly onto the network. This minimizes the potential of data loss or failure of an individual computer from requiring starting from scratch! We’ve all been there and it isn’t fun! Incidentally, it is possible to configure your network so that new documents opened are automatically directed to the network for saving.
|
 |
|
