OpsRamp, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, updated its state of the MSP market survey for the first time in two years with some surprising results. The survey was the largest of its kind with more than 600 participants across three geographic regions and 24 countries.

Today’s IT and security environments have gone from “big” to “massive” in just a decade or two—endpoints have practically exploded (think hundreds of thousands of servers, not just a hundred). Add in a dizzying array of data types and vendors, and what do you get? A whole lot of chaos. So why, oh why, does agent management still feel like it’s stuck in the early 2000s?

“Elevated.” That’s the word often used to describe the ideal modern shopping experience. “Convenient” is another. I think they’re often one in the same. It doesn’t matter if you’re an operations manager for a c-store, big box store or a luxury boutique, your customers will never rate the shopping experience with your brand as “elevated” if they don’t find it convenient in some way.

Balancing cost, performance, and security in cloud infrastructure is challenging, but cloud-mature companies are proving it’s possible to optimize without compromise — here’s how they do it.

SolarWinds Day has consistently been one of the most enlightening events of the IT year, offering rich insights into technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and more. This quarter's event, SolarWinds Day: Observability Anywhere. Precision Everywhere, tackled the complexities of IT infrastructure observability. I was delighted to host the panel discussion; here’s my overview of the key talking points.

Network bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be transmitted over a network connection in a given time. Essentially, it’s the highway for your data. Bandwidth is often measured in bits per second (bps), but in larger systems, you’ll see measurements like megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps). Bandwidth plays a critical role in IT infrastructure because it determines how quickly data can move.

Availability and reliability are crucial for modern software applications and digital services. Meeting service requirements and avoiding downtimes promote customer satisfaction, trust, and credibility. A multi-region deployment strategy can help. Systems that are not reliable or available when needed can cause lost revenue and business, unplanned maintenance, and decreased productivity. Companies can lose up to $9,000 per minute during service downtime.

Vulnerability Management plays a crucial role in the world of cybersecurity addressing both security vulnerabilities and software vulnerabilities to keep digital threats and cyber attacks at bay. What started as simple antivirus programs has transformed into complex, AI-driven solutions built to combat increasingly sophisticated threats. This evolution has shaped Vulnerability Management into a vital part of any modern security strategy.

On October 9, 2024, Gartner released its first-ever Magic Quadrant dedicated to AI applications in IT Service Management (ITSM). As artificial intelligence continues reshaping ITSM, Gartner's recent report takes a close look at how AI is impacting the tools and practices businesses use to deliver support. Artificial intelligence is helping IT IT Service Management (ITSM) shift into a faster, more efficient process that’s set up to handle increasing demands.