How A Managed IT Services Provider Can Help You Handle Updates
Posted on: 5 November 2021
Of all the problems in the IT world, the update process can be among the most challenging. Worse, update issues can come out of nowhere. A system might fail to update, or a company might roll out a path in the middle of the night.
Many businesses keep up with these tasks by hiring managed IT services firms. If you're wondering how an outside company can help, here are four things you ought to know about the process.
Keeping Up with the Updates
The top thing a managed IT solutions provider can do is to regularly monitor updates as they become available. Especially when you're running several major software stacks across different systems, it's not easy to know what's out there.
Managed IT folks, though, have to keep systems operational all the time. Consequently, they closely follow tech news and software update servers to see what's new each day. Also, they subscribe to manufacturers' services for immediate notifications regarding critical updates.
Scanning and Monitoring
Not all update issues are self-evident. Particularly in an environment with many systems running, it's easy to lose track of assets. A firm may not even know how many assets require updates, let alone where they are and what they need.
Fortunately, managed IT services companies prepare for this scenario. They use scanning software to check networks and find assets. Once they have a complete catalog of the systems, they can then implement monitoring tools. This ensures you won't encounter the same problem down the road.
Roll-Outs
Okay, you know where the systems are and what they need. How do you get updates onto hundreds, thousands, or even millions of devices?
You need to have a purpose-built infrastructure to track updated and non-updated units. Likewise, you need to be able to remotely send files and commands to them. This allows you to halt their operations, accept update packages, and begin the process. A roll-out of this kind across even a small network demands planning, and that's where managed IT firms shine.
Life Cycles
As you stabilize the broader situation, you can also start to find opportunities for improvement. Older systems often represent the bigger threats on networks because they may no longer accept updates. Also, manufacturers eventually discontinue updates for everything at some point.
You can establish a system life cycle, though. This will make it easier to handle updates because hardware and software will go out of service before manufacturers discontinue support.
Contact a company like KFM Network Consulting for more information.
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