Your employees might not be working around the clock, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to sleep on security. Chances are your business’s digital data is its single most valuable asset, so you certainly won’t want it falling into the wrong hands. To help make sure this doesn’t happen, you’ll need to take a proactive approach toward network monitoring and security.
Proactive monitoring helps reduce system downtime, which can itself become expensive and frustrating. Consider, for example, how often you experience problems with your network, such as slow downloads and bandwidth bottlenecks. These problems might seem minor by themselves, but they all lead to lost productivity, demotivated employees, and reduced customer support.
24/7 Cybersecurity
Enterprise IT infrastructures tend to incorporate a complex lineup of hardware and software resources both on-premises and remote. The more complex your network, the more complex your cybersecurity measures need to be. After all, there are likely to be many access points and potential vulnerabilities where hackers could exploit or malicious software might be able to penetrate.
Manually monitoring a typical business network and all the systems associated with it is highly impractical and subject to the increased risk of human error. Remote monitoring, by contrast, uses automated tools to proactively watch over your entire system to expose any potential threats before they have a chance to become a problem. A remote monitoring service will also alert you should an issue arise.
Data Movement and Scheduled Backups
Round-the-clock monitoring will help ease the burden and responsibility on your employees by reducing disruptions and allowing you to mitigate any potential issues before they can get out of control. Among the many routine tasks that remote monitoring offers is the automated monitoring of things like scheduled backups. This will ensure that your data backup schedule is always adhered to.
Remote monitoring will keep a close eye on all data going to and from your network both during and after office hours. If there is any data that shouldn’t be transmitted, such as confidential data unexpectedly leaving your corporate systems, you’ll be alerted immediately. To reduce the chances of this happening in the first place, your firewall and antivirus systems will also be under constant scrutiny.
Software and Firmware Updates
As just about every major cyberattack over the world has proven time and again, an outdated system is a vulnerable one. Back in May, for example, the WannaCry ransomware targeted computers running the now long-deprecated Windows XP, which Microsoft hasn’t supported for years. If any of your connected resources have outdated operating systems, firmware or applications, they’ll be more susceptible to malware and hacker attacks.
Proactive monitoring requires a complete inventory of any hardware and software connected to your corporate network so that the system knows where to look for any vulnerabilities. As such, it will make sure that nothing gets forgotten about when it comes to security updates. With remote monitoring, sticking to your update and maintenance schedule will be much easier.
Does Your Business Need Remote Monitoring?
Remote monitoring is about more than just offering peace of mind. It’s about keeping your network safe around the clock every day of the year and negating the risk of human error in the process. By outsourcing network monitoring to a third party, you’ll be better equipped to focus on core areas of your business while knowing that your data is under constant protection.
Smaller businesses can rarely afford to maintain the on-site expertise and other resources needed to meet new cybersecurity standards — hence the need for outsourcing network monitoring. The same is doubly true of businesses in highly regulated industries, such as healthcare, which are subject to strict compliance laws that are often tough to meet without additional help.
Truewater prides itself on the unique ability to align technology to your goals, allowing your business to take advantage of the latest innovations without the associated headaches. Contact us today to learn more about our fixed-cost, worry-free IT services.