How Does Server Monitoring Keep My Data Safe?

ProactiveIT creates an environment of knowing. Axis monitors every factor that affects server performance and data security, 24 hours a day, every day, and it’s this proactive approach that lets us know what’s going on with your network. But as the old saying goes, knowing is half the battle. We also solve any problems that arise. Any red flag will show up on our radar, from disk-usage levels rising beyond allowed parameters, to stumbles in timely email function, to approaching disk-space thresholds—even attempts by hackers to gain access to your data—we’re constantly watching for all of it, and more. Making checks of Anti-Virus pattern files, event logs, and backups ensures we know your data is safe, and we know what to do if something is amiss.

What Should I Think About When Considering Server Monitoring?

Server Monitoring is the review and analysis of a network server and its operation-related processes, including availability, performance, operations, and security, through manual techniques, automated software systems, or a combination. The primary objective of server monitoring is to protect a server from potential failure.

Depending on the types of servers, the monitoring protocol can be set up to achieve varying goals. An administrator will want to review responsiveness and availability on application servers, while data servers are also observed for capacity, data loss, and delay. Security, speed, and user load are the primary metrics on web servers.

Knowing how servers are holding up under the load and watching the operations and performance of the hardware means tracking metrics closely for CPU utilization, storage availability, and the responsiveness of communication interfaces.

When you sign on for server monitoring as part of your managed services with Axis Computer Networks, network service technician reviews your network and begins the process, setting parameters on a suite of refined monitoring applications. The goal of our server monitoring goes beyond just preventing failure of servers, but also seeks to ensure peak performance and enhanced hardware life through proper server maintenance and management. The result is better capacity planning and IT strategy over the short, medium, and long terms, as well as optimized experience for the end user in all circumstances.

By monitoring server data relating to a client’s operating system and used in conjunction with other monitoring data from the respective applications, Axis Computer Networks server monitors can get an accurate view of how a client’s system is faring.

But it’s often more complex than that, since many clients operate multiple servers, and have varying levels of staff utilizing the data and applications, both on site and through remote access. The challenges of server monitoring really begin as server numbers increase and, with the increased investment, performance is also expected to grow, yet maintenance and management resources are limited. When server numbers are expanded to accommodate the necessary volume, the roles of the servers change, and are not all used for every task. The heterogeneous server cluster can be a model of efficiency, but the different servers will have disparate operating systems, which means their management and monitoring will have different parameters.

What Metrics Should Server Monitoring Track and Review?

When undertaking server monitoring for a client, Axis Computer Networks considers the metrics that are critical to measure and track to ensure server performance, availability, security, and longevity. While every client network has different needs and priorities that our server monitoring experts will take into account, these four points are often considered indicators to watch.

• Server Availability and Uptime
  Uptime reflects the availability of servers and also their reliability. Clients generally want to have their servers up and running at all times—anything less than 99 percent uptime is a red flag. Uptimes of less than 95 percent are considered a problem.
• Performance Metrics on the System Level
  Axis Computer Networks sometimes notifies clients regarding network activity, CPU, memory, and disk usage, and usually the client’s data centers will be exhibiting performance problems. The symptoms may indicate such issues as insufficient RAM, high CPU use, limited hard drive space, or bandwidth slowdowns. Monitoring allows us to help clients deal with these issues before they become major problems that slow down the business.
• Performance Metrics on the Application Level
  By monitoring every process and service that is running on the server, we can tell which of. them are having a negative effect on server performance. This granular detail level allows our technicians to analyze the server load, and manage resources to make the system run better. Gaining an understanding of the multiple services running on a network and how the intra-service dependencies can affect performance may not be obvious at first, but that’s why you work with us—we can root out those connection patterns and solve the issues.
• Performance Metrics on the Security Level
  Improper changes to files on a client’s network can cause data breaches or compliance failure. Server monitoring can keep tabs on unauthorized access and minimize loss of sensitive data. Tracking the modification of certain files or tracing resource access can identify incidents of intrusion and help maintain secure infrastructure. Servers, security devices, and applications also generate logs that can be monitored for patterns and rules, flagging problems and errors that may identify a trail of unauthorized activity.

Server monitoring will help any company effectively manage IT resources by giving an accurate picture of where resources need to be allocated in the near as well as the long term. As a business confronts unpredictable markets, growth can come from unforeseen areas, and understanding the allocation of resources allows for nimble management to capitalize on market shifts. A good server monitoring program should be able to ensure that the system is functionally stable and working efficiently. Axis Computer Networks server monitoring provides a complete picture of service levels and insights into how systems provide complete coverage and monitoring.