An oft-cited piece of IT admin advice when a computer or workplace system becomes unresponsive is that the person experiencing the problem should try turning it off and on again. The truth of the matter is that in any network environment or computer configuration, just pressing a button can be a vital part of endpoint management. At the same time, IT administrators need to be on top of the core challenges that a digital workplace brings, especially if the solutions available can prevent unwanted computer downtime.
With that in mind, here are four areas that IT administrators need to be on top of on a daily basis.
IT Security
A recent report from IDC said that global spending on security-related hardware, software and services will reach $133.7 billion by 2022. According to IDC, security spending is now the prime focus for the vast majority of the private sector, with managed security services expected to deliver at least 50 percent of that total. In addition, endpoint security software will be the largest segment during the forecast period, driven by the needs of large, medium and small businesses alike, IDC said.
Data breaches are part of the digital world in which we live, so much so that people treat the event as an accepted daily hazard. On the flip side, the existence of malware and the ever-present work of external threat actors should not diminish the fact that effective endpoint management can alleviate security concerns, especially if those attacks can be detected from a single console. And while zero-day attacks—one in which an attack occurs on the same day a software weakness is discovered—are relatively uncommon, companies should be looking to install a Layered Security Framework, consisting of
- Application Control
- Antivirus + Anti-malware
- Firewall + Web filter
- Instant Baseline Restore Mechanism
Managing Mobile IT Environments
The demands of the connected society have inevitably meant that workers are likely to be mobile on a regular basis. The vast majority of people expect to have remote access to workplace systems via a smartphone, laptop or tablet, with the shift to telecommuting prevalent across the private sector. The challenge for IT teams is that a remote workforce can be unmonitored by the boundaries of the corporate network.
Mobile devices are exactly what they say on the tin, and endpoint management can be limited when the number of potential endpoints can—in theory—change on a daily basis. When you take into account that people are unlikely to inform IT every time they buy the latest iPhone or switch between laptops, then endpoint management for mobile devices becomes essential. Add into the mix that the two major mobile operating systems—Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android—are probably spread fairly evenly among workers, and it becomes even more important to have software that can be deployed quickly with little fuss.
Usage Monitoring and Management
Without wishing to pass aspersions on most workers, people are flawed. Careless or negligent employees can be responsible for all manner of computer-related problems, with a recent Ponemon Institute study revealing that internal (and often unintentional) data breaches alone can cost companies an average of $283,281 per incident to resolve.
By the same chalk, employee behavior or habits is ranked among the top challenges to overcome by IT professionals, while there is a consensus that people are often blissfully unaware of the responsibility they have while they sit at their workstation. In addition, when a computer becomes unresponsive, the user can spend valuable time trying to fix the problem themselves, irrespective of their level of technical ability. A software solution such as ‘reboot to restore’ that removes this particular pain point can be invaluable in endpoint management, allowing both the user or IT administrator to restore the computer to its former settings without manual intervention.
Endpoint Maintenance
Computer and software maintenance is part and parcel of an IT administrator’s day. As software has continued to eat the world, the constant flow of updates, patches and fixes can seem overwhelming. Most companies have multiple installations of popular products, all of which need updating on a regular basis. The challenge is that if these updates are either not installed correctly or (as is occasionally likely) have been attempted by a non-IT person, then it can have a negative effect on both hardware and software.
An endpoint management solution that includes automated maintenance schedules simplifies the process by not only ensuring that the update is installed with ease but also takes into account where that software has originated from. As most IT administrators already know, the distribution of software across a network can be time-consuming, even more so if the update is merely just a patch for an existing software package. At the end of the day, the old adage that time is money rings true, which increases the need for simple and effective system maintenance wherever possible.
Faronics has studied core IT challenges affecting IT teams, for over 20 years and been providing solutions that ensure high system availability and simplify IT management. Faronics suite of products, used by over 30,000 organizations to manage over 10 Million endpoints, are geared toward removing the most pressing headaches that plague IT administrators on a regular basis.
To learn more about how Faronics’ solutions have ensured high system availability for over 30,000 organizations worldwide, contact us today.
