When you put Auvik on a network for the first time, the software automatically starts monitoring that network for more than 40 potential issues. When Auvik finds an issue, it triggers an alert. Network alerts range in severity from emergency at the top all the way down to informational. As you work with Auvik, you may see a lot of alerts coming your way. It’s obvious you need to deal with the emergency and critical network alerts. But what about the simple warnings and informational alerts?

When a critical system goes down, every second counts. That’s why IT and network professionals need to get comfortable with tracking incident response metrics like MTTR. MTTR (which you’ll soon come to find has several meanings) is a set of key metrics that measure how fast your team can repair and recover from incidents, directly impacting your system uptime and service quality.

Network access control (NAC) is a critical component of any organization’s cybersecurity strategy. As companies adopt increasingly flexible work environments and emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), their networks have expanded rapidly. More users, devices, and access points mean more potential vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. Implementing NAC solutions lets organizations stay securely connected despite relying on a complex, dynamic infrastructure.

In separate incidents this past month, I’ve helped clients troubleshoot network problems that turned out to be due to misconfigured switches. In all cases, the errors turned out to be things that I don’t think should ever have been changed from their default settings. So I thought it might be useful to have a brief discussion about how switches work and what features should or should not be used in normal office environments.

Bring your own device (BYOD) policies are more important than ever since smartphones became pervasive. I’d argue that even if you don’t want to allow personal user devices to access corporate data or applications, you still need BYOD policy best practices if only to acknowledge the fact that users are already bringing their personal devices into your organization.

At its core, ITSM aims to align IT services with business objectives and coordinate all the moving parts required to keep operations running smoothly. But as IT infrastructure continues to explode in complexity, ITSM has become more complex in recent years, as it’s now indispensable for enterprises of all types and sizes. Why? ITSM brings order and efficiency to IT ecosystems spanning numerous departments, teams, applications, servers, networks, and devices.

Have you ever faced a situation where a sudden network outage or slowdown impacted your workday, leaving you wondering what could have been done to prevent it? Along with the many frustrations and risks that come with network downtime, this common scenario illustrates the importance of staying one step ahead in managing your network health. But what is network monitoring, and how can it help you address issues before they escalate into major disruptions?

As our world becomes more connected through the internet and networking, it’s important to understand how devices communicate with each other via network protocols. So what are network protocols? In essence, network protocols are established sets of rules that determine how data is transmitted between different devices on a network. They provide common languages that allow devices to exchange information reliably, regardless of differences in their internal structures, processes, or standards.

Picture a calm Tuesday morning at the office. You login to your desktop, ready to tackle the week, when suddenly the screen goes blank. The IT systems are down—your heartbeat just skipped a beat. Now picture an alternate scenario where before you even realize there’s a problem, it’s already being solved. This isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s the reality for businesses that partner with a Managed Service Provider (MSP).