Tag Archives: hardware
Why Managed Servers Are Better Than The Rest
Managed servers mean that the time involved and tasks necessary to keeping a server up and running are taken away from you and placed with an outside company. This is the preferred choice of hosting for many webmasters who are looking for security and a cost effective solution to having their websites hosted. It is very important that you choose the right type of hosting package for your needs when you are branching into the online world. Choosing shared hosting may not provide the right kind of security for you, or choosing to look after your own servers may just take up too much time or place you short on resources. Before choosing a hosting package, take five minutes to read this article if you are new to the world of websites and hosting.
Security, reliability and costs are the most important factors. First and foremost you don’t have to buy your own servers, the company you choose will provide them. As well as saving money on the hardware costs, you also avoid having to carry out tasks such as network monitoring or maintenance work.
For example, it can be quite time consuming and expensive for a small business to obtain, or develop, their staff to the required level of technical knowledge. Then those staff must carry out operating system updates and install security patches. They must also carry out regular file maintenance to ensure that there is plenty of free disk space and memory. They must monitor cpu usage too. They would need to troubleshoot any problems that arise, plan for disasters and implement disaster recovery planning or DRP. By the way, DRP is a complete subject in itself.
When you have a website, there are a number of technical reasons that the site could go offline. If you are not careful, your site could be down and you have no clue about it. Websites can lose custom and visitors can be driven away. The reality is that the online world is quite a fickle place – by that I mean that you only really have one chance to impress. If your site is slow to load or is down completely then the visitor is unlikely to return.
It is not worth taking any risks when it comes to networks and servers. By looking after this yourself you are placing a lot of responsibility on your own shoulders, so it is often more sensible to use the services of an outside company who are perfectly set up and equipped to provide this service well. They can monitor the network, carry out routine checks, ensure the hardware is working at its optimum performance and make any necessary changes as and when it is necessary. The result is a better performance from your website and minimal if any downtime. If you have more than one site or the website is critical to the health of your business or income in general then it is just not worth taking any chances.
Colocation is also a possibility and many large companies choose this kind of hosting package because of the ownership they have of the hardware. There are hardware costs involved however and regular checks need to be made to the data centre where the server is located. If you are a small company then the chances are high that you don’t have the resources for this. Constant network monitoring is another activity that involves time and money and again, this may not be readily available unless you are running a very large company. Managed servers are a much more suitable option for the vast majority of website owners and administrators and for this reason it is a popular option.
Managed dedicated hosting is very cost effective. Although the costs are slightly higher than those associated with shared hosting, the security more than makes up for this. Colocation goes even further in terms of security but there are much higher costs and more time is needed from you in order to have this type of hosting.
Managed servers are the perfect compromise between shared server hosting and hosting via a colocation data center. If you find a professional and experienced company then you can rest assured that your server management is second to none and your websites are in safe hands.
Update Old Drivers Easily and Quickly with a Driver Updater
Many of the hardware components that make up your computer, such as graphics cards, controller cards and sound cards need drivers to be able to work correctly. Drivers are what enable your hardware to communicate with the operating system. Keeping drivers up to date is very important, since it improves the performance, reliability and security of your computer. This is why a driver updater utility can be so useful. While you can update your drivers yourself manually, it is much better to have a driver updater such as Smart Driver Updater do the job for you. This will ensure that all drivers get updated to the newest versions as quickly as possible. This minimizes the risk of human error and driver-related issues.
Most computers have many hardware devices installed including the internal add-in cards, various drives and many external devices such as network devices, printers and scanners. While some devices, such as processors and memory chips might not need drivers, most devices do use drivers in order to function. Most hardware manufacturers regularly release new drivers to stamp out bugs and other issues which were found in the old ones. New drivers sometimes also add new features to improve performance and usability as well as other factors. To get the most out of your computer, you should always avoid using outdated drivers. To get the full benefit from your computer and to make sure that it runs as reliably and securely as possible, you should use a driver updater to ensure that everything is kept up to date at all times.
Updating drivers manually is not a quick and easy task and there is always likely to be something that gets missed. Searching for the right driver for your hardware can also be time consuming. People often end up making the mistake of downloading and installing an unsuitable driver as well. This can cause further problems for your computer, even stopping it from booting up altogether. If you insist on updating your drivers manually, it is essential that you know exactly what you’re doing. Drivers are important system software components which your computer relies on to work and problems with drivers can lead to major system problems. Fortunately, driver updater software is available to help. Smart Driver Updater automatically scans your system and replaces drivers with the most recent and most suitable versions with minimal user intervention.
Smart Driver Updater will, with just a few clicks of the mouse, thoroughly scan your computer for installed hardware of all different types. It will then download and install updated drivers as required. This will leave you with an optimally functioning computer which is constantly up to date.
The driver update software also provides a user friendly driver backup and restore feature. This is extremely useful if you are upgrading Windows or you are reinstalling your operating system. With all of the updated drivers already installed thanks to Smart Driver Updater, you can back them up and archive them so that you can easily reinstall them once Windows is up and running again. Learn more from smartpctools.com/driver_updater .
Effective Ways to Optimize Security in it
Chances are your computer network or PC has been attacked at some point or another. Perhaps a worm caused your system to slow down severely, a virus erased your entire hard drive, or, malware plagued your registry and browser, leaving you helpless and frustrated. What you probably learned from these attacks was how or where to find a quick-fix while your overall security remained unchanged. What you may not know is that there are a few fundamental practices in relation to the hardware, software and people that can help to improve or optimize the safety level of your computer network and personal system. These practices or ways are sound, easy to implement and highly effective.
* On the Hardware/Software Side
While they may appear relatively basic at the onset, some practical measures should be taken to not just establish and maintain but also to increase ongoing security to computer hardware and software. Failure to adhere to these measures or ways of implementing security can potentially lead to disaster. Of course, you can further add to or enhance these measures depending on your particular situationsuch as budget restraints, time-frame, etc.
Specifically, you will want to:
– Upgrade or replace: Older hardware can malfunction and become unstable; older software can have security holes and vulnerabilities or could fail to properly integrate with newer technologies.
– Patch up and harden: Whether its a domain controller or your home PC, install anti-virus software, configure a firewall, update the OS using service packs and remove unnecessary services.
– Limit access: Keep the system away from prying eyes and unauthorized users. Implement strong passwords; use encryption. Locks and biometrics are strongly recommended, too.
– Monitor regularly: Make a habit of watching network activity and reading system logs to find inconsistencies and unusual traffic patterns.
– Maintain good backups: Backup often and verify your backups always. Keep one or more copies off-site, if possible.
* On the People Side
When it comes to security, people usually are the weakest link in the chain. They can be lazy, indifferent, uninformed or represent some other security liability. Because you, too, may possibly exhibit such characteristics and behaviors yourself, here are ways to address these people problems and successfully increase and ensure IT security. For example, you should:
– Establish controls: Rules and policies can help to specify what is or isnt acceptable use. Enforce them. Be prompt at acting on the slightest deviation.
– Train and educate: You and your staff can never be too knowledgeable about the newest technologies or the latest types of attacksworms, viruses, Trojans, malware and others. Be prepared to learn and learn to be prepared.
– Be safety aware: Dont expose yourself or your systems to potential attacks by linking to questionable websites. And, opening an email attachment from an unknown source could quench much more than sheer curiosity.
– Go “long” on commitment: Engage people by assigning them (or yourself) duties and responsibilities with realistic goals and rewards. Foster loyalty and support alongside accountability for non-performance.
Experiencing a malicious attack is sometimes the result of weak or ineffective security practices. And, while finding quick solutions to the attack may be reactionary and expected, it is not necessarily the only or best course of action in securing PCs and networks. There are far more sensible and fundamental ways to implement and address security in relation to the hardware, software and people involved in day to day operations. It is, in fact, by applying those ways and practices that you can effectively and successfully improve upon and optimize security in it.