Server Management and Its Best Practices

Every organization is using IT in the digital age. The foundation of most of the IT functions is server management. You need it for data storage, software, emails, and website hosting. If you don’t have a reliable server, then your IT functionality will simply collapse.

Most businesses are moving towards cloud services. However, a large number of organizations are going for the hybrid environment. They have access to both cloud and in-house servers. Thus, you can’t ignore server management completely. In this article, we are going to talk about Server management and its best practices.

What is Server Management?

Server Management will include all the maintenance and monitoring that are required by your servers to operate smoothly. It will ensure that your servers are running at an optimal level. Server management will involve the management of backups, security, software, and hardware. It will ensure that your IT environment is efficient and operational.

Server management will help you in reducing server slowdowns and downtime. The main aim is to increase the reliability of your servers. It will provide secure server environments to your IT infrastructure. You can easily scale servers to meet your organization’s needs.

Server Management Basics

Server management is going to have a huge impact on your IT. It is important to understand the basics of server management first.

1. Hardware management

Hardware is going to be the foundation of your effective server management strategy. Your entire business is going to depend on functioning hardware. There are various key hardware elements that you need to focus on. It is important to monitor these hardware elements.

2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is the brain of your server. It will perform all the computational work for your IT. They are going to be heavily used by your servers. Thus, it is important to ensure that you are constantly monitoring your CPUs. This will help you in avoiding overtaxing them. Overtaxing can lead to slower operations and sometimes even to system crashes. There are various ways to deal with overtaxed CPUs. The easiest way is to upgrade your CPU or add more CPU resources. You can also try to fine-tune the performance of your existing system.

3. CPU Temperature

Your CPUs will run hot after doing all the work. Servers generally generate a lot of heat. Due to this, server farms are mostly built-in cold locations. Amazon has built its center underwater also. If your CPU is running too hot, then it can fail.

Servers are built with thermometers and cooling systems. This will help you to easily manage your servers. If your server is getting too hot, then your IT team can shut down the hardware. They can check the situation and find out the root cause of heat. Overheating issues are generally caused due to extra strain on your system. It can also occur due to a failed cooling system.

4. Hard drive

The hard drive will provide storage for the server. All the important information and data will be stored on the hard drive. Hard drives are also used for caching in some cases. However, these hard drives can cause performance issues if you are running them on their capacity. You should monitor the usage of the hard drive. This will ensure that the storage capacity is always available for your servers. You should also monitor the hard drive’s health. This will help you in avoiding costly failures which can lead to data loss.

5. Random Access Memory

RAM is going to be the working memory of your server. It is the temporary storage that is used for caching and fast operations. RAM is going to have a direct impact on your system performance. If you are running out of RAM, then it can cause serious performance issues. Some applications might not run if you are out of RAM.

6. Operating Environment

You should keep your server in optimal environmental conditions only. Track the humidity of the server location. Your server room should allow optimal cooling. Make sure that your servers are accessible to authorized personnel only. This will help you in securing your servers.

7. Software Management

You also need your software for your IT infrastructure. It is important to monitor your software. This will help you in ensuring that your software is running optimally. You should know about the software that is running in your IT environment. This will help you in identifying performance issues. It will also help you in troubleshooting issues.

8. Power backups

You should also ensure that your server power supply has a backup. This will ensure that you won’t lose data during a power outage. There are various things that you can use for this functionality. You can go with USPs that come with built-in surge protection. Emergency power will also help you in solving this problem. These solutions will ensure that your server is running even during an outage. You will get enough time to backup your data. Thus, you can avoid data loss.

9. Security

Security is the main concern when it comes to IT. Server management should help you in keeping your network secure from attackers. Security policies will differ according to your organization’s needs. However, there are a few things that every organization should follow.

You should ensure that all your firmware and software are up-to-date. This will help you in avoiding known vulnerabilities. You should use antivirus software for protecting your systems from malware and viruses.

Firewalls will protect your network from unauthorized network traffic. You should also have a strong password policy. This will help you in protecting your network from brute force attacks. You should also set access controls. Access controls will ensure that only authorized users can access your network.

Implement SIEM log and tools. This will help you in monitoring your server performance. You might need to follow compliance standards like HIPAA and CCPA. Thus, make sure that you are following these regulations.

10. Data Backups

You should ensure that you are regularly testing your backups. This will help you in ensuring business continuity. Data loss from a ransomware attack or cyber-attack can cripple your organization. The best way to avoid this problem is by having a robust backup solution. A robust backup solution can help you in recovering your data in such cases. You can store your backup in a local or cloud server.

Your IT team should also manage these backups. They need to properly configure the backups according to your use cases. Your IT team needs to regularly test these backups. This will ensure that you have backups when you need them.

A good MSP can help you in solving this problem. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire will help you in monitoring both your network and backup solutions. This will ensure that you don’t need to worry about manually monitoring your network. They will use automated solutions for monitoring your network.

Best Server Management Practices 

Server management will help you in reducing costly downtime. It is important for every business. These practices will help you in improving your server management:

1. Use antivirus software

Antivirus programs are very important for every server. They will help you in protecting your server from malware. End-users generally have multiple security solutions. These security solutions will be running at the same time which will lead to errors and conflicts. You need proper management for ensuring that these security solutions will work without interfering with each other. Redundancy in security is a good choice. However, you need to properly manage your multiple security solutions. This will help you in ensuring that your servers are secure.

2. Monitor your drivers

Drivers are going to act as a link between your operating system, software programs, and computer components. They are very important for every organization. These files are going to control how your system will work. Thus, you should regularly update these files. This will help you in avoiding conflicts or problems. Old drivers can also cause computability issues for your server. Thus, it is important to ensure that your team is planning upgrades with time.

3. Documentation

Most companies don’t maintain documentation. Documentation is one of the most important things for your business. It will help you in keeping detailed records of issues that have happened in the past. You will also save the solutions that you used in the past. This will help you in saving a lot of time in the future. You can refer to the documentation for solving these problems.

4. Patch management

Servers are always vulnerable to viruses or malware. Attackers are always trying to gain access to your servers. Network admins need to focus on protecting your server. They should create an effective security plan for your servers. Make sure that you are regularly applying security updates. This will help you in protecting your systems from known vulnerabilities.

If you are not updating your security solutions, then you will create security gaps in your IT environment. Make sure that you have a clearly communicated update policy. This policy will help you in avoiding these issues.

5. Regular backups

It is impossible to protect your business from every disaster. These disasters can lead to data loss. Backup files will help you in restoring this lost data. It will help you in maintaining your server integrity. This will ensure that your business operations are running smoothly. Backups are very important for disaster recovery and business continuity strategy. A robust backup strategy will help you in ensuring business continuity during disasters.

6. Managing hardware

If your servers are slowing down, then you should consider upgrading your hardware components. However, you should ensure that you are not going overboard with this plan. You should give enough room to your existing services and programs. Make sure that they are operating even when you are updating your systems. The main aim is to avoid downtime during this process. If your IT admins are not sure how much space a server needs, then they should do tests beforehand. These tests will help them in determining what upgrades they need for the business.

7. Inventory control

You can install some hardware when you are setting up your server. However, some hardware like new printers and monitors will require later implementation. It is important to keep a track of the hardware and software that you are using. Make sure you know which hardware is connected to your server. This will help you in finding the possible sources for problems before they even appear. Make sure that you are maintaining a map of your inventory. You should know which system is connected to which server. This will help you in quickly debug issues related to the servers.

Conclusion

Modern organizations need IT infrastructure for conducting daily operations. The foundation of your IT environment is going to be servers that are maintained by your IT professionals. You can follow the best practices that we have mentioned in this article for improving your server management. Good server management will help you in reducing downtime. It will help you in ensuring business continuity. Thus, it is very important for every organization. It will ensure that you can operate your business with minimal downtime. There are various tools available in the market that you can use for managing servers. However, it is costly to hire in-house IT professionals for your business. Thus, you should consider outsourcing this task to outside professionals.

Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire will help you in managing and monitoring your server. They will ensure that your servers are operating optimally. You don’t need to worry about manually monitoring your server. They will give you access to the best IT professionals and tools. You don’t need to worry about hiring IT professionals. This will help you in saving a lot of time and money. Your IT team can focus on improving your core products and services. If you need more information regarding IT services, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.