Performance & Fault Management for MSPs & Enterprise Class Business

The primary objective of fault management and performance management for MSPs (managed service providers) and enterprise-class businesses is to reduce downtime, so the quicker a network manager can identify a network error, the better. In this blog, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of how you can optimise your performance and fault management services.

Packaging performance and fault monitoring as a service

In network management services, it’s vital to be proactive in order to maintain user satisfaction, so it’s a good idea to have separate requirements for your remote management, such as patching and remote desktop services.

When you’re offering your services to clients, it’s important to clearly define the assistance you provide in your service-level agreement. Place your focus on how your services can improve reaction times and reduce the amount of time it takes to predict outages and come to a resolution. The pricing of your services should be tied to their value, so ask your customers what the cost of 1 hour of lost network time will be and explain how you can amend it. In order to make sure that your services are always evolving and improving, ensure you review the results of your automated network monitoring services and the actions taken on a weekly then monthly basis.

Handling overlapping IP addresses and multi-tenancy

A case of overlapping IP addresses may be out of your control, but it’s critical for you to prepare for them, both between new and existing clients. Segmenting client data into separate tenants to ensure that your logical firewalls will prevent the exposure of confidential information to your other tenants.

Putting the control back in your hands Opmantek’s NMIS system handles overlapping IP addresses and multitenancy by providing support in the form of Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN), IP addresses for devices, metadata tags (such as department and customer) and tables. Opmantek’s system also provides network scalability by using opHA to deploy multiple polling services.

Leveraging trending data to intelligently adjust fault management

IT equipment requirements and functionalities can fall short in the ‘real world’ in comparison to a vendor’s best-case lab; which is why Dynamic Trending has now replaced static thresholds for alerting customers. This has been achieved by understanding what’s normal for each device. Opmantek’s opTrend has the ability to replace static thresholds with what’s normal, creating focused, purpose-driven dashboards by client and task through automation.

Customer portal with customized dashboards

Self-service dashboards reduce client interruptions while providing them with the feeling of control and transparency; for billable customers, it can be an up-sell or a service differentiator. An implementation of opCharts is exposed to the internet via a reversed proxy. Client accounts are then created within them, which can be scripted. Custom dashboards, maps, charts and business services are then assigned to that user, but they can only see the elements you give them access to.

 

Here at Opmantek, we have seen many IT departments transformed through the implementation of our automate network performance and fault management tools. To start making data-lead decisions book a demo here. and speak to one of our engineers about your next performance and fault management projects.

To hear more about how our automated solutions to help optimise your performance and fault management services, check out Senior System Engineer Mark Henry’s full webinar for further insights and downtime reductions.

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La Tele-medicina ha llegado para quedarse.

Por lo regular cuando nos sentimos enfermos o tenemos alguna preocupación sobre nuestra salud recurrimos a un nuestro médico de cabecera o incluso a los hospitales. Sin embargo, con los avances en la tecnología de las comunicaciones nuestro menú de opciones para el cuidado de la salud se ha expandido. Con la ayuda de la telemedicina podemos recibir consultas médicas donde sea y a la hora que sea sin la necesidad de salir de casa.

Gracias a la telemedicina, podemos consultar nuestros síntomas y cuestiones médicos con un profesional de la salud en tiempo real; pudiendo así recibir un diagnóstico opciones de tratamiento e inclusive una receta, cuando esto es necesario.  Así mismo, los doctores pueden monitorear nuestros signos vitales a distancia para estar al pendiente de nuestra condición.

Existen tres tipos:

  1. Tele-medicina en vivo: También llamada “interactiva” es cuando los doctores y pacientes se comunican en tiempo real.
  2. Monitoreo remoto de pacientes: permite a los cuidadores monitorear a los pacientes que utilizan equipo médico para obtener ciertos signos vitales como presión sanguínea, niveles de azúcar etc.
  3. Archivo y reenvío: Es cuando los doctores pueden compartir los datos sobre la salud de un paciente con otros profesionales o especialistas.

 

Una de las tantas consecuencias de brote de COVID-19 en el mundo, es que la tele-medicina dejará de ser considerada como una herramienta del futuro, ya que ha llegado para quedarse como un recurso alternativo a la consulta presencial.

 

Hoy en día, un doctor puede atender a un paciente a distancia gracias a la evolución de las telecomunicaciones, lo cual ha traído como resultado una disminución en el número de personas en las salas de espera y, por consiguiente, una disminución en   las posibilidades de contagio.

 

De esta forma, el avance tecnológico se ha vuelto clave en la industria de salud, mejorando los servicios a través de   esta innovadora forma de atención médica a distancia y generando toda clase de beneficios para todos los actores implicados en ello.

 

Si eres un profesional de la salud y te gustaría evolucionar en tu negocio, recuerda que puedes confiar en las herramientas de Opmantek para dar este paso.

 

¡No esperes más y contáctanos!

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Agile RMM Solutions For MSPs

Remote monitoring and management (RMM) is the process of tracking, monitoring, and managing endpoints for multiple clients. It is mostly used by managed service providers (MSPs) to provide IT services to organisations who outsource their IT requirements. Read on to find out how a self-hosted RMM solution can help MSPs to increase functionality and save on operational costs.

Are you an MSP that wants to replace expensive RMM systems with a better solution?

As an MSP, did you know that you can replace multi-million dollar RMM systems by combining NMIS with opHA and opCharts? FirstWave offers a full-service software solution that is made to scale. Our products can be used in synergy, as a complete solution.

What do our RMM software solution products include?

NMIS

NMIS is one of the world’s most popular network management systems. Manage anything at any scale. Extend NMIS with our modules and increase your performance, awareness and control.

opHA

opHA allows you to boost the performance of applications and deliver high scale and high availability environments, which includes the geographical distribution of the system and overlapping IP address ranges.

opCharts

Featuring dynamic charting, custom dashboards and a RESTful API to visualize NMIS data and more, opCharts provides a single pane of glass through which you can view all managed customer equipment. This allows engineers to drill down from a single device in a remote location, yet still enabling customers to view their own sites privately and in the moment.

opEvents

opEvents effectively helps to reduce the impact of network faults and failures using proactive event management.

Why should I choose FirstWave over a cloud-based SaaS solution?

In recent times, there has been a shift towards software as a Service (SaaS) and one-size-fits-all cloud-based solutions. However, we have found that our customers require flexibility and bespoke solutions that can grow with each individual business. Disappointed by current SaaS offerings, more and more MSPs are now looking for evolved solutions.

Facilitates scalability

As you have the control, scalability potential is naturally increased, to enable your RMM to grow with your business. The scalability of the software allows for your needs to be met in the future, not just at this present moment. In today’s unpredictable business landscape, scalability is essential for success. However, as businesses grow and change, many SaaS providers force their users into unnecessary paid upgrades.

More visibility and control over your network

Opmantek software can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise but because you retain ownership of the database and have access to the source code at the core of NMIS, you have more control over your managed devices and network data. Data ownership is another key security concern for many companies, a concern which Opmantek directly addresses.

Easy to integrate with other services

If you already have multiple different products performing unique functions within your network environment, it is unlikely that you will want to or be able to replace them all at once. To make it easy, at Opmantek our RMM software is easy to integrate for a fully cohesive solution. We offer multiple integration options, including for REST APIs (HTTP(S), batch operations and the information provided in JSON files and CSV forms.

Unmatched automation technology

Our automated network monitoring is above industry standard and allows you to provide the best service possible to clients.

We make it easy for you to increase profitability

You can save money for your MSP, with a solution that grows with and adapts to your business, removing the regular expensive upgrade fees charged by SaaS software providers. As part of the changeover period, we offer a full onboarding service. Your designated team will be there with you along the way, answering your questions and making the transition seamless. Our support services can be easily accessed at any time.

A bespoke solution for your business

If you want to experience a RMM solution that is tailored to your business requirements, you can try it out for yourself with no commitment! Simply opt-in for an FirstWave RMM software demo request to get started.

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How To Fix Bandwidth Issues: Detect, Diagnose & Solve Your Network Congestion

Network bandwidth has always been a precious commodity and given our current circumstances with so many people working from home, many companies have not had the bandwidth they need in the right places. This blog will help you with some strategies on how to detect bandwidth issues, further diagnose those issues, and what actions you can take to relieve those bandwidth issues.

Detecting network bandwidth issues through congestion management.

Most issues related to network bandwidth will present as congestion, that is there is not enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of the users and applications. Users will report that “some application” doesn’t work like it did yesterday. After you have confirmed the application is up, and the user reports are correct, where do you look next?Check the network:

  1. Monitor the helpdesk cases raised in particular where users are reporting problems with applications across the network. Knowing whether this is from a branch, remote site or from home (will shorten troubleshooting), it is likely to indicate network congestion.
  2. Monitor utilisation of network links and raise alerts when bandwidth becomes heavily utilised.
  3. Make sure you monitor packet discards and errors.
  4. And finally, monitor Quality of Service (QoS) parameters available in the network device; in particular, you are looking for where QoS caused packet loss.

The first step to detection is to get NMIS installed and let it start collecting data NOW. DOWNLOAD NMIS

Diagnosing Network Bandwidth Issues

What issues are being reported by users about the network or internet speed, is the application slow due to a slow internet connection or is it unusable? For example, is there a problem with voice over IP or video conferencing? Does it occur during file transfers? Are they connected with a wired connection va an ethernet cable or by Wi-Fi? Is bandwidth throttling being used? The more qualified information you get from your helpdesk, the faster you can get to work.By monitoring the network for issues related to congestion, you are ready to start further diagnosis to determine what is causing those issues and look for possible solutions to avoid the congestion firstly or control it secondly.

Depending on the tools available to you, you should have an idea of those causes. For example, putting aside transmission, format errors, or device health issues packet discards will generally be caused by QoS classes dropping packets, so the solution is to refine the QoS configuration to prevent the desired traffic from being discarded.

Depending on the application, the dropped packets will be causing retransmissions if they are using TCP, while voice and video symptoms are voice clipping or slow refreshing video or video and voice not keeping sync.

Depending on the wired connections or wireless devices and operating systems being used, you should be able to see key performance indicators for this, which will be collected by your monitoring system, like NMIS.  For example you could monitor for TCP retransmissions on servers, this would indicate issues with internet bandwidth performance or low bandwidth for those applications.

Using systems like Cisco IPSLA are a great way to monitor for changes in latency or variability in latency (Jitter).  NMIS can collect your IPSLA data, providing graphs as well as alerts when it detects issues.

Monitoring these metrics will guide where you need to look deeper, you might need to collect more detailed information from the devices to determine what the issues are, e.g. looking at command outputs for QoS or interface information to decide what changes are available to resolve the helpdesk reports.

If you identify the QoS Classes which are exceeding their configuration limits with resulting packet loss, you will need to consider changing the bandwidth allocations for those classes, increasing the available bandwidth for voice and video, for example.

HOW TO DIAGNOSE: Use NMIS and opConfig to collect data, which can then be analysed. 

OPA can help with the detection and diagnosis of congestion problems.

Actions to fix network bandwidth problems

Ultimately to fix a bandwidth issue, you should upgrade the overall capacity at the site. If you are not able to upgrade or need to buy time, then implementing QoS features to manage which traffic is less important to the business and have it shaped or dropped during times of congestion.

Contrary to popular belief, QoS does not create more throughput. It does create better “goodput,” with critical applications protected, and applications that are hogging bandwidth, controlled.

Two standard policy options for QoS are shape or police. Policing will ensure bandwidth is never exceeded and drop the offending traffic. Shaping will delay traffic to smooth out the traffic over time. Note that as shaping limits are exceeded, it may result in dropped traffic.

Talk to us about how our solutions can give you the insight you need to make data-based decisions. You’ll reduce helpdesk stress, own your infrastructure all while improving the user experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main issue related to network bandwidth?

The main issue related to network bandwidth is congestion, where there is not enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of the users and applications.

This can result in slow or unusable applications, dropped packets, retransmissions, and issues with voice and video quality.

With so many people working from home, many companies have struggled to have the necessary bandwidth in the right places to support their employees.

To detect, diagnose, and fix network bandwidth issues, it is important to monitor network utilization, packet discards and errors, and Quality of Service (QoS) parameters.

How can I detect issues with my network bandwidth?

To detect bandwidth issues, you can monitor helpdesk cases raised by users reporting problems with applications across the network.

You can also monitor the utilization of network links and raise alerts when bandwidth becomes heavily utilized, monitor packet discards and errors and monitor Quality of Service (QoS) parameters available in the network device.

For a better, and more automated approach, installing NMIS and letting devices connected to it start collecting data can also help in detecting network bandwidth issues.

What is NMIS?

NMIS (Network Management Information System) is a comprehensive network management system that assists with fault, performance, and configuration management.

It provides performance graphs and threshold alerting, as well as customizable notification policies with different types of notification methods.

NMIS monitors the status and performance of an organization’s IT environment, identifies faults and assists in their rectification, and provides valuable information for IT departments to plan expenditures and IT changes.

It features a sophisticated business rules engine, automated health live baselining, configurable alert thresholds, policy-based actions, escalations, and planned outage management.

NMIS is customizable, scalable, and has pre-configured out-of-the-box solutions, and can be used by Telco and Internet Service Providers, enterprises, and governments.

It offers community support and has predictable and transparent pricing that scales with the user’s requirements.

How can I diagnose issues with my network bandwidth?

Diagnosing network bandwidth issues requires gathering qualified information from your helpdesk and monitoring the network for issues related to congestion.

Depending on the tools available to you, you can determine the causes of the issues.

For example, packet discards will generally be caused by QoS classes dropping packets, so refining the QoS configuration to prevent the desired traffic from being discarded can solve the issue.

Using systems like Cisco IPSLA can also help monitor for changes in latency or variability in latency (Jitter).

What is QoS?

QoS stands for Quality of Service. It is a set of techniques and mechanisms that aim to ensure that network traffic is prioritized according to certain criteria in order to meet the requirements of different applications and users.

QoS mechanisms are used to manage network congestion, reduce latency, and ensure that important applications receive the necessary bandwidth and resources.

QoS can be used to prioritize different types of traffic, such as voice and video, over other types of traffic, such as file transfers and email.

This is done by assigning different levels of priority to different types of traffic and using mechanisms such as traffic shaping and prioritization to ensure that higher-priority traffic is given preferential treatment.

QoS is particularly important in real-time applications such as voice and video conferencing, where delays or dropped packets can seriously affect the quality of the service.

QoS mechanisms can help to ensure that these types of applications receive the necessary resources and are not affected by other types of traffic on the network.

Overall, QoS is an important tool for network administrators to manage and prioritize network traffic, ensuring that important applications and services receive the necessary resources and perform as expected.

What are the steps to fix issues with network bandwidth?

Actions to fix network bandwidth problems include upgrading the overall capacity at the site or implementing QoS features to manage which traffic is less important to the business and have it shaped or dropped during times of congestion.

QoS does not create more throughput but creates better “goodput,” with critical applications protected, and applications that are hogging bandwidth controlled.

Two standard policy options for QoS are shape or police, with shaping delaying traffic to smooth out the traffic over time, and policing ensuring bandwidth utilization is never exceeded and drops the offending traffic.

It’s worth noting that while QoS can help control bandwidth usage, it does not create more throughput.

However, it does create better “goodput,” with critical applications protected and non-critical applications controlled.

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El poder de la Tecnologia Para Momentos Como Este.

En esta cuarentena muchas organizaciones se han visto obligadas a confiar y basarse en las nuevas tecnologías para poder seguir funcionando y tener disponibles las métricas que afectan de forma directa su operación.

 

Así como las empresas, las escuelas, hospitales y otras entidades económicas han tenido que reinventarse y adaptarse a una nueva modalidad de trabajo.

En la medida en que sigamos acostumbrándonos a este nuevo panorama, debemos contar con las herramientas que nos den la certeza y seguridad de que estamos haciendo nuestro trabajo en la forma correcta.

El rendimiento óptimo de la red, la disminución o erradicación de interrupciones y la disponibilidad constante, son   hoy en día factores cruciales para el éxito de las empresas, por ejemplo: una Universidad que está impartiendo clases en línea requiere tener en un excelente estado su infraestructura para poder asegurarse de que el servicio se está entregando de una forma adecuada y no se diga en un hospital, que es de suma importancia monitorear todos los equipos médicos.

-Mira como este operador ferroviario a aumentado su productividad en gestión de redes en un 30%-

En resumen, entre más complejo se vuelva un ambiente, más grande será la necesidad de gestionar los sistemas de redes. Afortunadamente, herramientas como las que tiene Opmantek pueden lograr el trabajo de una forma eficiente y personalizada con el fin de que los administradores de red tengan menos preocupaciones   y puedan realizar sus tareas de una forma ágil y productiva.

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How AI is Transforming Banking and Financial Services

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming a norm for a wide range of industries — and for good reason. A report by the Harvard Business Review pointed out that it could save around $150 billion annually for the national healthcare industry by 2026. It’s this major cost-saving benefit that makes AI such an attractive technology for many industries other than healthcare, as the banking and financial services industry has caught on to this trend, too. Inside Big Data reported that Business Insider Intelligence estimated an impressive $447 billion in cost savings by 2023 for financial institutions that incorporate AI applications in their front, middle, and back office operations.

Here’s how tech’s real life applications are saving costs and generating revenue for the banking industry:

Customer intelligence and support

Sifting through mountains of consumer data is a challenge for established banks and up-and-coming fintech services alike. Not fully understanding what to do with data poses a threat to a company’s productivity and ability to meet consumer demands, and it’s in this area where AI can play a pivotal role. Instead of coming up with new products and services, banks can use AI to better understand and meet the needs of consumers based on what the data says.

For example, credit inaccessibility is a major issue for young generations. Petal Card found that around 10 million of Gen Z and millennial consumers are not able to start building their own credit because of restrictive initial requirements. This is a major loss for financial agencies and businesses alike, given that the two generations combined account for billions in purchasing power. This means that finding ways to prove a person’s credit worthiness through AI can address a crucial need of this major demographic.

Another customer-oriented aspect that AI enhances is support. Intelligent chatbots and voice assistants are becoming more and more common even for established banks like Standard Chartered. The company uses a conversational AI platform specifically trained in the language of finance. Reaching out to a bank with such technology is like talking to a real human that is trained — and is continuously “learning” — to answer any questions pertaining to the services offered. These cases are examples of how AI can bolster the front office operations of the financial services industry. Our own NMIS (network management information systems) can be particularly useful in managing data, which in turn can help banks provide better products and service.

Lending and risk management

Instances of banking discrimination and bias are still rampant in the US, where minority groups and women are ignored by financial institutions. This is where fintech services can step up, with machine learning solutions that generate more accurate risk assessments based on hundreds of variables gathered from existing data. AI-based underwriting tools can help with minimizing losses from borrowers, regardless of their background, offering more equitable rates, and maintaining a culture of fairness when it comes to lending.

AI-powered contracts are another example of improved risk management, which is currently being used by big names like JP Morgan Chase. The financial services giant uses smart contracts enabled by both AI and blockchain technology to increase transparency between lender and borrower, as well as automate payment mechanisms without risking privacy.

Fraud detection and enhanced verification

Last but not least, AI is proving its worth in increasing banking security, particularly in the form of detecting and preventing fraud. However, fintech company Socure conducted a survey on banks and other financial services, which concluded that only one-third of their participants employ AI in detecting fraud and risk. Machine learning and predictive data analysis can prove to be useful in verifying user identity and the legitimacy of their application.

Overall, its uses on enhancing service and minimizing risks for bankers and clients prove just how invaluable AI has become in the financial services industry. Given these cost-saving and revenue-generating benefits, we can expect a wider adoption of more fine-tuned applications of AI in banking this year and the years to come.

If you’d like to adopt advanced automated network management solutions into your own company, Opmantek products like opTrend , opEvents and opConfig can help you with the transition process.

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