Just like a musical instrument needs tuning to maintain good sound quality, a company needs IT monitoring to keep the flow of information fast at all times.
And for this, the IT team needs to be minimalist, demanding, and responsive — after all, the slightest problem in one of the IT “gears” can cause significant slowdowns. Want to know more? Then, in today’s post, learn about the importance of IT monitoring. Read on!
The basic routine of a company without IT monitoring
Within a company, IT is a fundamental part for ensuring everything operates according to proper planning and organization. Integrated with other departments, the IT team spans across the entire organization.
Because of this, IT monitoring proves to be extremely important. Therefore, when a company ignores it, the following usually happens:
- Employees from various departments start noticing minor malfunctions but fail to report them;
- Slowness intensifies, reducing company productivity — but the system is still operational;
- Then, the operations manager raises a yellow flag — but still does not perceive the urgency of resolving the issues;
- The system finally stops working, and the company becomes completely paralyzed;
- An external IT team identifies the problem, and the solution may take a few days;
- Finally, equipment replacement is handled by a team unfamiliar with the company’s needs, which may be completely misguided;
- Then, in the near future, we return to item 1.
Bonus: Complete guide to implementing a Service Desk in your company
Why IT monitoring is so important
It is easy to see that the routine above is counterproductive and severely hinders work and proper company operations. But how, exactly, does IT monitoring prevent this? Below, check out the main advantages of this strategy:
Speed in fault identification
Nowadays, a typical IT environment works with multiple switches, websites, as well as iPBX, ERP, and CRM systems. The sudden failure of any of these services will compromise your entire company operation — besides making it difficult for IT to quickly identify the problem.
Fixing more problems in less time
Monitoring software has adapted to run increasingly advanced scripts that allow faults to be identified as soon as they show their first signs. Thus, instead of waiting for system stress to worsen, you can fix malfunctions as early as possible.
Sustainable growth of the information flow
One of the major trends for companies today is the growing digitalization of processes. Mobile applications, for example, arrive to replace processes that were previously done manually with paper — such as time tracking, production control, and inventory control. Meanwhile, Cloud Computing seeks to centralize company data storage on remote servers.
Social media, experiencing massive growth, has revolutionized traditional ways of interacting with customers. Big Data, in turn, will analyze all data flows regarding your customers to create increasingly targeted campaigns.
With these applications, IT will be an even more constant tool in businesses. Without IT monitoring, with every expansion, you will practically have to start over from scratch. By monitoring it, you will plan a more gradual, sustainable, and cost-effective expansion for the company.
A practical example: server monitoring
First, monitor the harmonic configuration of server elements. It is useless to have great processing capacity if there is a bottleneck in the operating memory or the bus — which cannot handle the processing power, for example.
Train employees in all departments to report any signs of system malfunction. Just like a sick person shows symptoms, servers always give prior signs of exhaustion — which start off very mild but escalate rapidly.
For this reason, establish well-programmed processes with periodic backups and routine maintenance. Create a testing calendar with the metrics most important to your company’s IT, verifying the capacity and stress limits of your servers.
Did you notice how monitoring can increase your company’s productivity? Have other questions? Leave your comment and tell us!
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