After a week of not thinking about work, have you arrived back in the office today to find some problems with your IT system?
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Tag: Servers
Servers
All Servers Great & Small
It doesn’t matter how how big your server is, without it, some critical part of your network is not going to function correctly.
It might be as simple as a home computer managing connected devices, or it could be a virtual server farm hosting business critical applications.
We’ve seen all sorts of servers over time, from old Unix based boxes, or Windows 2000 desktops, through to Virtual Server farms running on VMWare with multiple host OS’s.
We’ve had some interesting operating systems and setups that don’t usually qualify as a server environment too. But if it’s providing your network with a service, it is a server and it’s important or even critical to your needs.
What qualifies as a Server?
Like many terms used in IT, the term ‘Server’ nowadays refers to a broad range of devices and applications that serve a resource of some nature to other devices that request it.
Typically we think of a dedicated device or machine that has an operating system that is configured to perform one or more services to other computers (known as clients) on the network.
The services (sometimes called daemons) can be anything from providing information (such as DNS) configuration information (such as DHCP) storage (like Shared files or printers) or resources (such as shared processing)
Some common services you might come across (and are using even if you don’t realise it) are;
- DNS (Domain Name System) Which is like the phonebook of the internet and networks, letting one device connect to another over a network.
- DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Which is the way a device can connect to your network and be identified by a number. (IP Address)
- File (Sometimes called NAS, SMB, CIFS, AFP, NFS, FTP and many more protocols) This is how networks share files around, usually by means of a ‘shared folder’ on your computer.
- Printer (Or spooler) This is the way many computers can print to a single printer that itself is not necessarily network aware.
- Web This is a type of server that provide web pages when you visit a website.
There are many other types of daemon/service that are in common use and many many more that are specialised. Some require quite specialised knowledge on how to configure and maintain them, others are more simple or are able to maintain themselves to a certain degree.
#WeCanHelp
We’re experienced in installing, configuring and managing servers of all sizes and varieties. We’ve dealt with some very interesting configurations over time, as some networks grow they inherit peculiarities and creative thinking! so we’re used to dealing with non ‘white paper’ setups and configurations.
We know how networks grow, so don’t be embarrassed if your network is not conventional!
Network
Notwork
Don’t let your network turn into a notwork. With more and more devices using the network to communicate with each other and the outside world, your network is being put under more and more strain. On an unmanaged network, you’ll soon start to see bottlenecks and network slowdown.
Do I use a network?
Yes. Well if you’re reading this on our website then you are.
Long gone are the days when networks were restricted to large companies and universities. In one form or another, and of vastly different sizes, we all use a combination of private and personal networks today. Making those networks efficient is essential to being able to get things done.
In your home, the heart of your network is your internet router, from there you might have WiFi or cable connected devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, TV’s, heating systems, Games consoles, PC’s, lighting and so on.
In your business it could be a more complicated network setup involving routers, multiple access points and wider connected elements in different buildings or even different countries.
Network of Networks
Getting your network connected safely to the internet is essential for any business, but many people don’t want the hassle of managing the connection and just want the connection to work. We can manage your gateway device and configure it making sure your private network is protected from the public internet.
Your gateway device should be checking all incoming and outgoing data and destinations to make sure nothing untoward is being sent or received by devices on your network.
Servers
Some people want to micro-manage their servers, others just want them to work. We can configure your servers to work for you, how you want. From online hosted servers, to in-house servers, both hardware and virtual. We can design, install and manage the servers you need to get your job done.
IoT
In an ideal world, internet connected devices should just work. You don’t want a new coffee machine to take 4 hours to setup just so you can make a coffee from your smartphone! But this ‘Internet Of Things’ does still need managing. It might be configuring them to connect to your network or securing them if they have remote access facilities.
Sometimes, if a vulnerability is identified after the product has been sold, the manufacturer will release a software patch, but often these are not applied, we can make sure your IoT is kept up-to-date with security patches as required.
#WeCanHelp
Whatever size or type of network you have, from your home WiFi and internet connection, to a multi-site MPLS connected company, we can help you manage and protect your data, and streamline your network to make it work better for you.
You’ve got mail…
In 1971, an engineer working on the ARPANET sent the first ever email from himself on the workstation he was sat at, to himself on the workstation sitting next to his. From this humble beginning email bloomed into the de-facto communication tool used world over.
How we use Email
The way in which email is used, and the technology used for sending and receiving emails, has changed only slightly since it’s conception. The internet boom of the early 1990’s saw email become the most popular form of communication between connected users. This was especially significant in business, where it quickly became a hindrance to business not to have an email account.
Free Email v Paid
The growth of email was spurred by the boom in free web-based email accounts such as Freeserve, Hotmail, AOL and Gmail. Many users signed up with a free email account that they still use today. Hotmail (now Outlook) recently reported that 66% of email accounts created in the first three years of its service are still in daily use.
While having a @hotmail.com email address is fine for casual users, using a free email account for business is best avoided, not least because many free email accounts explicitly state that they are not to be used for business.
Having a registered domain name such as www.yourcompany.com gives you the opportunity to have a personalised email address such as sales@yourcomapny.com giving a much more professional look to your printed and published media.
Spam
It’s a matter of fact that spam exists and it’s practically impossible to have an email account that you use and not get spam of some kind or another. Some spam is going to be annoying unsolicited adverts, while more dangerous unwanted emails are linked to virus spreading or phishing attacks.
Being able to manage your inbound email gives you the ability to remove a lot of the junk before it gets to your inbox. You can also manage genuine emails better, filtering out and highlight potential new clients, service and sales emails from admin and other day-to-day communication.
#WeCanHelp
We can help you setup and manage your email every step of the way. We can help you if you decide to self host or use a hosted provider, with configuring your DNS records and setting up inbound and outbound email viruses scanning.
We can install a firewall to monitor incoming and outgoing emails for make sure confidential data is not being sent out without your knowledge, and to generate reports on your email so you can see which emails generate the best response from recipients.