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How to Maintain Your Computer Network
A computer network needs maintenance to keep it healthy. Just like you visit the doctor for check ups, your I.T. dept. must be giving regular, hands-on checkups to your network. And the highlighting ought to be on preventive mechanism. You don’t like to hang around till you are deadly ill for your doctor to tell you there is something wrong. In the same way, there are things your I.T. dept. or I.T. person should be doing to keep your network from fatally breaking down. This article lists just the top 5 proactive things that your I.T. dept should be doing to keep your network running smoothly with loads of uptime.
Preventive Measure #1: Current AntiVirus Protection
Internet threats such as viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware are serious issues for network security and health. All your servers and workstations need the most up-to-date in AntiVirus protection. This has to be done proactively or it is of little help. Update virus protection is easy and should be part of regular maintenance.
Preventive Measure #2: Up to Date Service Patches
Whatever software products you are using (Microsoft Office, Windows Server, etc.), you should always stay up to date on the latest service patches. Service patches are simply additions or corrections to software which are released after the product has been put on the market. Again, this is easy to do, and it can even be automated, but if it is not done, it can lead to security and other problems. Don’t put off this simple task.
Preventive Measure #3: Monitor Firewall
Your firewall is your network’s protection against all the threats on the internet. It is important to monitor and analyze intrusion detection logs to verify what threats there might be to your operations. These logs are records of what happens on the firewall level and can yield important information on how to keep your network safe.
Preventive Measure #4: Monitor Mailbox Use and Abuse on Server
Mailboxes are for company use. Does your company have an email use policy? If it does, then how do you know that your employees are in compliance. I.T. staff should be monitoring the use of mailboxes to ensure security and policy compliance. This could cause serious damage if not handled properly. Proper checks must be in place to ensure the mail server is not abused with spam.
Preventive Measure #5: Backup of Data Files
Do you have a backup system in place in case of emergency or disaster. It is crucial that as a regular part of maintenance, your data is backed up safely and securely in case it needs to be restored. This is a simple procedure that can mean the difference between the success and failure of your business.
