Before you know it, Sysadmin Day will be here again! As we all know, sysadmins (sometimes written SysAdmins) play a critical behind-the-scenes role in keeping technology up and running smoothly. However, they often go unappreciated until something goes wrong. That’s why System Administrator Appreciation Day serves as the perfect opportunity to recognize the sysadmins that work tirelessly day in and day out to support your organization.

If you’re new to IT, the “what is syslog?” question can get confusing fast because when someone says syslog, they might mean: And, frankly, it’s fair to use the word syslog for all of those. By the end of this article, you’ll understand why. This article will explain the syslog protocol in detail, including its definition, formats, best practices, and challenges.

As networking environments grow increasingly complex, keeping pace presents an ongoing challenge for network managers. With more devices, users, and applications to account for, it’s now more critical than ever to have comprehensive visibility and understanding. The 2023 Network IT Management Report shows some progress in this area. Of IT professionals surveyed, 45% don’t have full knowledge of their network configurations, down from a whopping 57% in 2022.

On some of the best and worst days of our lives, we rely on the people, processes, and technology of the healthcare system to take care of us at our most vulnerable. This is why healthcare IT is unlike IT in any other industry. From data privacy regulations to digital transformation, healthcare IT pros must continuously navigate new challenges and technologies to deliver better patient care. In our 2024 IT Trends Report, we identified the healthcare IT trends shaping these shifts.

RMM—meaning Remote Monitoring and Management—has been a challenge for networks and IT departments since the very first ethernet cable sent a bunch of 1s and 0s in 1973. The challenge, of course, is that no administrator, either network or IT, can be everything everywhere all at once. Although if you’ve ever accidentally rebooted a device you weren’t supposed to, it certainly seems like they are.

Before I go into the well-worn reasons why nobody cares about IPv6, I’ll tell you the one absolutely compelling reason why you should care: IPv6 comes pre-enabled on a lot of devices you have on your network right now. When services are enabled without your knowledge, that’s just dangerous.

Troubleshooting is more art than science. When diagnosing a problem, the most important tool is an intimate understanding of your network: what connects to what, and where everything is both logically and physically. You almost need to visualize the packets going from one device to the next. That includes verifying physical connectivity. That’s where network diagrams, topology mapping, and cabling spreadsheets become extremely important.

“My computer’s not working!” “I can’t connect to the internet!” “My emails aren’t sending!” You’re probably used to hearing common requests and complaints like these from end users. It’s our job to take these issues, troubleshoot them, bring them to root cause, and get the user back up and running as quickly as possible.

Having access to all kinds of digital resources, no matter where you are or what sort of network connection you have, is a necessity in today’s connected world. Businesses need to share data with other businesses, and travelers need to stay in touch at all times. VPN protocols make secure, stable digital connections possible. While applications hosted in the public cloud go a long way towards making location a non-issue, many resources are hosted privately for security and privacy.

Understanding emerging networking trends is increasingly important for IT professionals and companies of all sizes to stay competitive. The global network infrastructure market is expected to reach $197.8 billion by the end of 2024 and increase to $256 billion by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.67%. This is a projected $58.2 billion increase in just four years. Staying current with developments in the industry, as well as anticipating where these trends may lead, is vital.