Can 5G make you more vulnerable to cyberattacks?

Data Center Networking

Article | July 5, 2023

Your patients have grown to trust your expertise and recommendations in matters regarding their healthcare. As the sector transitions into a more digital playing field, uninterrupted network connectivity is more than just a bonus; it’s a necessity. While there are many different challenges to completely integrating your practice into the digital world, internet outages are the costliest. Downtime can be caused by various factors, which can compromise patient safety, the faith your team instills in you, and your practice’s reputation and revenue. However, investing in the means to maintain a resilient network lets you maximize your network uptime to optimize resources. We'll look at four different strategies and their benefits for your infrastructure so you can focus on what you do best: providing healthcare excellence to your patients. Strengthening Network Infrastructure The traditional way of doing things may be great for your remedies and techniques. Still, with a growing number of patients and their contextually relevant demands, your network needs to be able to accommodate many different booking requests, increase user activity on your server, and store sensitive patient information. High-speed internet connections enhance your network performance and let you, your team, and your patients make the most of your uninterrupted uptime. Fiber-optic networks, when combined with load balancing and proper segmentation, can diffuse and direct network traffic efficiency and prevent congestion, which prevents downtime due to overload. Implementing Network Monitoring and Management Tools Much like your patients visit your practice to ensure everything is all right with the current state of their health, your network must also receive the same treatment. Identifying and pre-emptively resolving potential issues and vulnerabilities will prevent much more destructive or expensive problems from occurring. Use real-time tools to monitor your bandwidth usage and gain visibility of potential bottlenecks. Tools that offer risk monitoring deliver alerts about critical events that pose a threat to your business continuity. Your IT team will be better equipped to troubleshoot issues promptly and optimize performance. Conducting Regular Network Assessments and Audits Once you have the proper monitoring tools to manage your network topology better, proactive troubleshooting is a great way to spot-check whether your current solution is working as it should. A network audit is much like proactive troubleshooting; you are looking to see if anything could harm the overall system and catch it before it can develop. When auditing a network, the primary focus should be security measures. If patient and confidential data is not secure, the smooth operations of your business are the least of your worries. When conducting an audit, consulting with a network service provider will help identify issues with your protocols, data encryption, and firewall configuration. Establishing Redundancy and Disaster Recovery Plans Backing up private and confidential data is crucial to ensuring that sensitive information is not lost or exposed. Minimizing network downtime can often be achieved by having backup systems that will keep running in the event of an attack or outage. For example, a dedicated Cloud Access Network, power supplies, and switches will go a long way. When creating an internet contingency plan, outline steps and protocols with your team that you will take in the event of a complete failure, including things such as brand reputation management, customer service, and data loss prevention. Looking Forward As the lines between in-person and digital are blurred, navigating the complexities of implementing a robust network is paramount to your business. Strengthening your infrastructure, integrating redundant systems, and conducting regular audits and assessments with the proper monitoring and management tools will help you maximize uptime usage and minimize network downtime. Although overwhelming, working with a reputable network service provider can help you embrace your network topology to remain competitive.

Enterprise Mobility, Mobile Infrastructure

Article | June 16, 2023

In the digital era, data is at the heart of an enterprise. So, managing the data has become the topmost priority of any organization today. As the data volume increases at a 10X rate, this data growth impacts many organizations in the form of the multiplication of in-company heterogeneous storages, remote sites, and cloud storages. This will require moving the data which results in time, infrastructure, and cost constraints. So, the need for a consolidated data management solution arises which uses AI automation to reduce time and infrastructure costs across the data value chain. As enterprises are increasingly standardizing on augmented analytics, it brings together two distinct worlds of data and analytics. This collision enhances interaction and collaboration between the two worlds shaping the associated paradigm in the market i.e. augmented data management. Augmented data management (ADM) utilizes AI/ML to automate manual data management tasks allowing highly skilled technical resources to focus on high-value tasks. According to Gartner, by 2022, data management manual tasks will be reduced by 45% through the addition of machine learning and automated service management.

5G

Article | May 18, 2023

Discover the effective tools for analyzing network traffic to improve monitoring efficiency. Enhance the network's performance and raise the network's potential by choosing the appropriate tool. Automation adoption has become critical for companies in the dynamic fields of manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management. By minimizing costs, enhancing efficiency, and reducing downtime, automation delivers optimal value for manufacturers. However, selecting the right partner can be challenging with numerous warehouse automation companies available. This article provides the features and benefits of top ten warehouse automation tools, offering expertise in improving business operations. These data warehouse tools provide comprehensive solutions to meet diverse needs, whether through software solutions or tools. 1. Network Performance Monitoring Datadog Network Performance Monitoring is an exceptional software tool that enhances network monitoring capabilities, providing comprehensive visibility into all components of on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. With minimal overhead, the tool monitors the performance of connections among hosts, services, virtual private clouds (VPCs), and other elements, enabling quick identification of network-related issues. It tracks essential network metrics such as TCP retransmits, latency, and connection churn. It also allows monitoring of traffic health between any endpoints at the app, IP address, port, or process ID (PID) layers. Datadog aids in isolating network issues within Envoy-powered service meshes and troubleshooting inefficient load balancing. The software also helps manage cloud networking costs by identifying the responsible services and teams for significant traffic spikes. Deep DNS visibility allows system-wide analysis of DNS performance without SSHing into individual machines. For granular insights, users can explore S3 buckets or RDS databases. 2. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is a powerful and user-friendly real time network monitoring tool that helps enhance network traffic analysis for industry experts. It offers central monitoring for a comprehensive view of the entire IT infrastructure in one place. With on-premises installation, users have full control over data and configuration. The software supports various technologies and protocols, with automatic network discovery simplifying setup. Feature like custom maps, real-time alerts, and customizable reports provide an overview of the network and facilitate proactive monitoring. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor allows distributed monitoring across remote locations and offers a user-friendly interface for easy installation and use. With full administrative control and perpetual licenses, users have flexibility and cost-effective access to all monitoring features. It is a reliable solution trusted by businesses worldwide for efficient network monitoring, providing industry experts with enhanced visibility, control, and peace of mind. 3. OpManager Plus OpManager Plus is a robust enterprise network monitoring software that optimizes network performance and ensures an error-free network. It offers real-time health, availability, and performance monitoring, enabling proactive and reactive monitoring techniques. OpManager Plus provides critical metrics for traffic analysis, such as packet loss, response time, resource utilization, errors, and network traffic via SNMP. It includes in-depth server monitoring features, enabling efficient monitoring of servers, routers, switches, and firewalls. The software leverages Cisco IPSLA for WAN and VoIP monitoring, visualizing paths, resolving outages, and diagnosing poor performance. OpManager Plus also offers built-in network troubleshooting tools like ICMP Ping, Traceroute, Switch Port Mapper, SNMP MIB Browser, and Telnet/SSH, empowering industry experts with the necessary tools for first and second-level troubleshooting. It is one of the best network monitoring tools for industry professionals that enhance performance, ensure network availability, and enable efficient troubleshooting. 4. Domotz A powerful network performance monitoring tool, Domotz revolutionizes network monitoring and management. With its streamlined IT operations, it enhances efficiency and strengthens security measures. As one in many top network monitoring tools, it offers unmatched visibility into digital assets and data flows, empowering users with critical insights from their networks. Its feature-rich software including network autodiscovery, automated mapping, IT asset inventory, and SNMP-based device monitoring caters to MSPs, System Integrators, IT and Security Professionals. These features facilitate effective traffic analysis and resource monitoring. Domotz also offers integrated capabilities like configuration management, versioning, backup, and seamless integrations with PSA systems. By leveraging Domotz, industry experts gain a powerful tool to monitor network traffic, optimize performance, and strengthen overall security. 5. checkmk checkmk is a powerful network performance monitoring tool that enhances network monitoring and management. Its latest version, checkmk 2.2, provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring hybrid IT infrastructures, including native cloud applications and OpenShift support. The software offers real-time monitoring of dynamic cloud workloads, allowing users to map their cloud infrastructure, monitor cloud-native services, and track resource consumption and costs. checkmk seamlessly integrates with major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, offering cloud-specific dashboards and easy cloud deployment. The monitoring agents of checkmk support push mode for autonomous data transmission and auto-registration for real-time host addition and service discovery. Industry experts benefit from the robust features of checkmk for effective traffic analysis, improved cloud monitoring, and simplified implementation in dynamic cloud environments. checkmk is a reliable choice among network management tools for optimizing network performance and ensuring efficient cloud monitoring. 6. NinjaOne RMM NinjaOne RM, recognized as the top-rated network performance monitoring tool. It offers powerful and user-friendly RMM software that efficiently manages client endpoints. With NinjaOne, industry experts can monitor, support, and control a wide range of devices, servers, virtual machines, and networking devices from a single interface. The real-time network monitoring software features include alert notifications, automated patching for enhanced security, one-click device actions for streamlined management, secure remote access for fast support, endpoint task automation to optimize workflows, and a self-service portal for client end-users. Its scalability, intuitive UI, and comprehensive support make it one of the best network monitoring tools. Industry experts benefit from improved technician efficiency, reduced complexities, and enhanced service delivery, leading to greater profitability and customer satisfaction. 7. Fortra’s Intermapper Fortra's Intermapper is an intuitive network mapping tool to monitor network traffic autodiscovery features. The network map is constantly refreshed, ensuring an up-to-date representation of any network. This software offers SNMP-based network monitoring, performance alerts, and a capacity planning tool. By implementing Intermapper, industry experts can efficiently analyze network traffic and detect performance issues in real-time. The tool allows users to set performance threshold levels and receive alerts via email or text, ensuring proactive monitoring and reducing the need for constant screen monitoring. 8. Site24x7 Network Monitoring Site24x7 is one of the leading tools to monitor network traffic that enhances network monitoring capabilities with its comprehensive features. With granular visibility at the device and interface levels, Site24x7 enables thorough network performance monitoring. The tool offers intelligent features for deep observability, proactive insights, and root cause analysis, all within a single window. This cloud-based solution help users have complete control over their network. It monitors network traffic, allowing users to analyze traffic, packets, errors, and discards, providing actionable insights for optimizing network performance. Additionally, Site24x7 offers automatic network discovery, real-time application and device monitoring, and powerful reporting, analytics, and alerts. 9. Nagios Core Nagios Core is one of the top network security monitoring tools that serves as an event scheduler, processor, and alert manager. It offers a robust architecture and extensive scope for monitoring various elements. With its APIs, Nagios Core allows easy extension and customization to meet specific monitoring requirements. Implemented as a highly efficient C-based daemon, it delivers optimal performance on Linux and Unix systems. Nagios Core provides a solid foundation for network security monitoring, enabling industry experts to analyze network traffic, detect issues, and receive timely alerts. Its scalability and flexibility features make it a valuable tool for enhancing network traffic analysis and ensuring the security and stability of IT infrastructures. 10. Catchpoint Network Experience Catchpoint Network Experience, part of the Catchpoint platform, is a comprehensive network performance monitoring tool that ensures the successful delivery of web applications. It offers key features such as internet connectivity checks, BGP assessments, and the ability to assess ISPs and other services. By monitoring network performance, Catchpoint helps identify the root cause of performance issues and ensures optimal delivery of web systems. It analyzes virtual networks, identifies performance issues with remote access and site-to-site VPNs, and traces connections from LAN to web servers. Industry experts can benefit from its website delivery performance tracking, root cause analysis, and virtual network performance monitoring capabilities, making it an invaluable tool for enhancing network monitoring and optimizing web application performance. Final Thoughts Maintaining a robust and efficient IT infrastructure relies heavily on effective network monitoring. Integrating server, application, storage, and network management functions enables companies to deliver services seamlessly to end users. A comprehensive suite of network monitoring tools is essential for addressing various aspects of networking technology, including physical components, security measures, and environmental conditions. The ultimate goal is to proactively identify and mitigate potential network issues, reducing their impact on user productivity. In the event of failure, prompt detection and resolution become crucial, and a responsive help desk plays a valuable role in quickly receiving user alerts and uncovering previously undetected problems. By leveraging top network traffic analysis tools, businesses can elevate their network monitoring capabilities and establish a solid foundation for optimal performance and unwavering reliability.

Article | May 20, 2021

Demand for data center compute continues to be strong and we believe 1Q21 would have been even stronger had it not been for the semiconductor supply shortage. We learned from vendors that the flow of server CPUs out of TSMC and Intel’s fabs was steady in 1Q21 but supply of other components necessary to build a server was tight, including power semis, BMC and PCB substrate.