Operations | Monitoring | ITSM | DevOps | Cloud

April 2021

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How the technology gap grew during 2020

Apr 30, 2021 By Patrick Hubbard, Head Geek In SolarWinds
Even before the emergence of a global pandemic that disrupted and catalysed modern workplace IT, IT professionals were under pressure. In a few years, many have learned to deliver more new technologies and advanced services than perhaps in the previous decade. Today's hybrid, distributed tech environments already pressured even senior admins to equip themselves with new skills to adapt to these changes and manage systems confidently.
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Un-Excuse-ing Upgrades

Apr 30, 2021 By Leon Adato In SolarWinds
When we talk about upgrades here at SolarWinds, we spend a lot of time discussing the beneficial features, performance, and capabilities you can gain. That’s not by accident. The honest-to-goodness truth is, the most compelling reason to upgrade ANYTHING—from our phone to our game console to our monitoring software—is because we’ll be able to do something both new and useful to us.
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The Case for Cost Containment With Professional Services and Staff Augmentation

Apr 29, 2021 By Chrystal Taylor In SolarWinds
At the start of our enterprise cost containment series, Leon examined what cost containment is and why IT pros should care. Basically, you should care how your projects and work affect the business’s bottom line and should understand enough about it that you can communicate effectively with management. Even though you may not think about the business in this way most of the time, it directly affects your job.
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The IT Skills Gap-A Downside of Innovation

Apr 29, 2021 By Richard Douglas In SolarWinds
Innovation is widely accepted to be a great thing—think of all the new products, technologies, methodologies, services, etc. unveiled at any given time. At this point, you’re probably thinking, "This all sounds great! Why would someone be writing about a downside of innovation?" Innovation is great when it pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved and inspires people to build upon things others have built or dreamed of. But innovation is useless without adoption.
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Security Starts With People, Unfortunately.

Apr 28, 2021 By Sascha Giese In SolarWinds
One of the findings of our investigations pointed to a compromised account as a possible cause of the cyberoperation. While I was reading the results, I thought, “That could have been me. In fact, it could have been any of our employees,” and I began asking myself what I as an individual could do to increase the security of the company I’m working for. Let’s face it, most of the risk is produced by us humans and our behavior.
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Application Performance Management 101

Apr 26, 2021 By Pingdom In SolarWinds
To stay alive and growing, tech organizations are always on the hunt for ways to increase the quality and stability of their applications and services. Doing so is essential if they want to prevent their customers from becoming their competitors’ customers, after all. This post is all about a specific process organizations can—and should—use to increase the availability and performance of their offerings and delight their customers: application performance management (APM).
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Hybrid IT and Virtualized Workloads Preparing for a Shift to Microsoft Azure

Apr 26, 2021 By Brandon Shopp In SolarWinds
Though government agencies continue to move to the cloud to accelerate their digital transformation plans, the majority have embraced a hybrid IT environment. This mix of on-premises and cloud implementations highlights the need for comprehensive, full-stack visibility across the entire hybrid IT environment. Without a broad view, agencies may not be able to see their cloud environment as clearly as they see what’s in the data center.
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Using Dokku On DigitalOcean

Apr 23, 2021 By Papertrail Team In SolarWinds
Dokku can be a cost-effective, convenient way to deploy apps to DigitalOcean. SolarWinds® Papertrail™ can make monitoring the logs of those apps simple and frustration-free. Combine these two technologies and you have an effective deployment process and log management system. Let’s look at Dokku first. Dokku is an open-source platform-as-a-service (PaaS). If you’re familiar with Heroku, you can consider Dokku a private Heroku that you manage.
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A DBA's Habits for Success: CMMI (Part One)

Apr 23, 2021 By Kevin Kline In SolarWinds
Finding the perfect flow for your business can take time and patience. Like almost anything else in life, a business must go through stages of maturity before it reaches its final form and only requires regular maintenance. In this five-part series, we’ll dive into Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and what phases businesses and their DBAs must go through to successfully manage IT as a business.
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Securing Azure SQL Database, Part 3: Service Endpoints

Apr 23, 2021 By Mike Wood In SolarWinds
In previous installments of my “Securing Azure SQL Database” series, I covered Azure SQL Database firewall rules and private endpoints—the first of which is a way to help reduce the public exposure of your database endpoint and the second being a means to remove all public access if necessary. Each option has unique benefits, and some scenarios might call for a mix of the two options.
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Optimizing Load Times on Apache Web Server on Digital Ocean With SolarWinds Pingdom

Apr 22, 2021 By Pingdom In SolarWinds
Introduction We all want the fastest application possible for our customers. At the same time, we’re under pressure to continuously add new features. These new features add complexity, which makes our application heavier, which in turn slows our applications down. So, how do we add new features, yet keep the performance of our application high?
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3 WFH Struggles Service Desk and Remote Support Software Help Solve

Apr 22, 2021 By Sean Sebring In SolarWinds
It looks as though remote work will be a part of our lives for at least the foreseeable future. Even with some offices reopening their doors, don’t be surprised to see a change in work policies and a more open mind for a hybrid work structure. With this shift in our workplace reality, many organizations will be reliant on a service desk with integrated remote support software to address some of their biggest and most common struggles while working remotely.
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SolarWinds Improves Placement on Completeness of Vision Axis in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Performance Monitoring

Apr 21, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
Company acknowledged in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for third straight year; also listed in the 2021 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Application Performance Monitoring.
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Using AI and Automation to Enrich the Employee Service Experience

Apr 21, 2021 By Jason Yeary In SolarWinds
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to take its place in the tech field. From virtual assistants to software capable of self-remediation, AI enhances everyday user experiences and increases the use of IT automation solutions in the workplace. Most of the tech workforce welcomes AI with open arms and understands the advances smart technology can bring and how it can improve business objectives.
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Outdated Calculus of Cloud Cost Containment

Apr 20, 2021 By Patrick Hubbard In SolarWinds
“Cost” would seem to underpin almost every decision IT teams make. Sure, business requirements drive overall operations budgets, but it’s always in tension with decades-old certainties about cost. It’s long been the unyielding constant of IT equations. In particular, IT pros migrating application infrastructures out of the data center have discovered the on-premises math of cost containment no longer works.
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THWACK Livecast Series - Session 1: Keeping Your ISP Honest and Troubleshooting SaaS Applications

Apr 19, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
During this THWACK® Livecast series, we'll highlight SolarWinds network management tools designed to help IT professionals navigate increasing complexity with easy-to-use unified solutions. At SolarWinds, we create solutions to help users develop better team collaboration to tackle complex issues and reduce mean time to resolution. Using interconnected modules, users can troubleshoot network connectivity issues across the entire delivery chain, hybrid environments, advanced devices, and applications.
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Cloud Migration: A Race You Shouldn't Try to Win

Apr 19, 2021 By Jason Hall In SolarWinds
The race to cloud migration can seem like a good idea for most businesses, but a common trend has been to get there as soon as possible. Much like with the story of the tortoise and the hare, there are lessons to be learned from moving too fast. When it comes to cloud migration, businesses would be smart to choose a more strategic route and take their time.
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Troubleshooting Firewall Issues in DigitalOcean

Apr 16, 2021 By Loggly Team In SolarWinds
DigitalOcean is a cost-effective virtual private server (VPS) provider popular among the developer community. The platform also offers services for rapid development, deployment, testing, and maintaining modern distributed applications. One of these services is a managed firewall solution that allows blocking unwanted traffic. It’s relatively easy to manage and deploy as an infrastructure component. Sometimes, however, operations teams need to dig deeper when the firewall blocks network traffic.
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Gamify Work: How to Apply Gaming Skills to Your Day Job (Part 1)

Apr 16, 2021 By Chrystal Taylor In SolarWinds
Do you like to play video games like I do? Recently, I discussed using skills taken from gaming to level up your career. Once I started thinking about the skills you pick up in video games that are transferable nontechnical skills, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. By now, you may have noticed I like to talk about how important “soft” or nontechnical skills are to your career, so I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to tie this to my favorite pastime.
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The SolarWinds 5 Essential IT Tools Pack Overview

Apr 14, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
Discover the 5 must-have IT management tools for your business. The SolarWinds® 5 Essential IT Tools Pack contains basic management and monitoring software to get even the smallest IT operation up and running. The pack includes: Web Help Desk®, Dameware® Remote Support, Serv-U® FTP Server, ipMonitor®, and Engineer’s Toolset™.
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The Anatomy of the Perfect Knowledge Base Article

Apr 14, 2021 By Jessicah Raynor In SolarWinds
Anatomy was always one of my favorite subjects in school—it just made sense. I still know the structure of a human cell, I remember the different parts of the ear, and because I’m active, I know the soreness I feel in my muscles is caused by lactic acid fermentation. Lessons from anatomy have proven to be some of the most practical for my everyday life.
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Multipath World

Apr 13, 2021 By Patrick Hubbard In SolarWinds
Picture a network—any enterprise network. What do you see? In almost every case, in almost every environment, you’ll find hubs and spokes of hubs and spokes all the way down. For network engineers, their focus may be even more narrow: innumerable clients, lots of switches, and fewer routers connected to a core. This classic on-prem topology has served reliably since the dawn of Unix time.
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Optimizing Load Times on Apache Web Server on Digital Ocean With SolarWinds Pingdom

Apr 13, 2021 By Pingdom In SolarWinds
Introduction We all want the fastest application possible for our customers. At the same time, we’re under pressure to continuously add new features. These new features add complexity, which makes our application heavier, which in turn slows our applications down. So, how do we add new features, yet keep the performance of our application high?
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How Important Are Application Performance Metrics to Mission Success?

Apr 12, 2021 By Brandon Shopp In SolarWinds
Federal IT pros have tracked application performance for decades. Today’s environments are far more complex than they’ve ever been, particularly with the quick and steady rise of cloud computing, mobile devices, and remote work. This enhanced complexity demands an improved ability to collect and track application performance metrics to ensure things are operating as expected and needed. But not all federal IT pros have the time or knowledge to keep up with the demand.
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Troubleshooting Firewall Issues in DigitalOcean

Apr 9, 2021 By Papertrail Team In SolarWinds
DigitalOcean is a cost-effective virtual private server (VPS) provider popular among the developer community. The platform also offers services for rapid development, deployment, testing, and maintaining modern distributed applications. One of these services is a managed firewall solution that allows blocking unwanted traffic. It’s relatively easy to manage and deploy as an infrastructure component. Sometimes, however, operations teams need to dig deeper when the firewall blocks network traffic.
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6 Best Bandwidth Monitoring Tools

Apr 9, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
Your network relies on reliable data transmission. Not only could troublesome connections yield negative results for customers, but connectivity issues could also indicate deeper problems within your network. However, if you monitor your bandwidth consistently and carefully, you can maintain your network’s health and solve issues as they arise.
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3, 2, 1 Liftoff! Launching Your ITSM Implementation

Apr 8, 2021 By Liz Beavers In SolarWinds
We have service desk liftoff! Well...almost. Completing an IT service management (ITSM) evaluation is no easy feat, but selecting a new solution doesn’t mean it’s time to take your foot off the pedal. Transitioning to a new solution shouldn't be a burden or take away from your day-to-day responsibilities. Developing a strategic approach to tackle your ITSM implementation can help expedite your time to value and maximize your resources.
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9 Best Network Discovery Tools

Apr 8, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
Your organization’s network is large, complicated, and constantly expanding. While you might think you have a handle on it, manually monitoring your network can lead to inaccuracies due to outdated data, undetected devices, and other common visibility issues. A network device discovery tool can help you find devices on a network to manage your device’s health, troubleshoot performance problems, and prepare for your network’s future.
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5 Best Network Uptime Monitoring Software

Apr 7, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
A slow website or unreliable server caused by uptime issues within your network can drive away potential customers and could be costly and time-consuming to address if it happens repeatedly. A network uptime monitor will enable you to detect, diagnose, and aptly solve problems related to uptime while continuously observing your devices and automatically updating data visualizations.
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IT Infrastructure Management Tools Help Transform the IT Department

Apr 7, 2021 By Sascha Giese In SolarWinds
IT is ever-changing. The underlying technology demands change, but even more important is the change of the role of information technology itself. For a long time, the IT department existed to support the business, and it was merely a cost center. But modern IT should be driving change and innovation, and it should create a competitive advantage for the organization as a whole. Sure, it’s a process and a transition, and no matter what step IT is in right now, there are different challenges.
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Secure Your IT Assets for an Optimal Return

Apr 6, 2021 By Liz Beavers In SolarWinds
We’ve officially entered everyone’s favorite time of year—tax season. You can find me rifling through the stack of mail and records I’ve been hoarding over the past year, while my husband calmly reviews his neatly archived digital documents. Completing your tax return forces you to review all your fiscal actions from the past year, which can be made easier with secure digital tracking, tagging, and maintenance along the way.
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Conquering the Next Normal: Monitoring Techniques to Keep Up With the Pace of Change in 2021

Apr 5, 2021 By SolarWinds In SolarWinds
In 2020, IT pros across the globe had to make snap decisions to keep the business running. Now, organizations are revisiting those decisions, ensuring they work as expected and adjusting as needed. The unavoidable truth is the only way to know how things are operating now is to monitor them. The question in the mind of many IT practitioners is whether monitoring solutions are up to the task of encompassing the vast array of technical solutions organizations embraced in the last year.
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How to Be the Hero (Company) They Need AND Want (To Work At)

Apr 2, 2021 By Chrystal Taylor In SolarWinds
If you’re like most companies, you made many changes to your business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. You may have adopted new tools, implemented new processes, or completely changed the way your business runs. Your workforce has likely gone fully remote—at least for a while—which requires more tools and processes to support remote employees.
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The Unprecedented Transformation of IT Goals in 2020

Apr 1, 2021 By Sascha Giese, Head Geek In SolarWinds
At the end of 2019, IT pros were making bold predictions about what 2020 would hold. But they weren't bold enough-time makes fools of us all, and hot takes fizzled rather than sizzled. From the continued evolution of smart devices and blockchain's continued rise in prominence to the falling price of compute workloads, there was rational thinking behind the predictions made at the end of 2019.
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Consolidate Knowledge Base Articles from Multiple Departments in 5 Steps

Apr 1, 2021 By Kelli Buchanan In SolarWinds
After adopting foundational practices of knowledge management many organizations aim to expand this practice outside of IT. While comprehensive knowledge management is an effective way to connect employees to solutions from multiple departments, maintenance can be a major challenge. This post will dive a little deeper into how to consolidate knowledge base articles from multiple departments.
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