Server Monitoring & Alerting

Managing IT infrastructure for a bank or a healthcare unit poses different challenges than managing a network for any other small business. These business verticals today are watched closely and need to comply with SOX or HIPAA regulations, making it difficult for third parties to provide services. You have to understand the numerous security and privacy regulations of what can be done and play within this narrow window to provide service and comply with your SLA. With increased demands for improved uptime, better response time and 24x7 monitoring requirements, Service Providers are faced with the challenge of creating and maintaining NOC facilities. You are required to constantly keep redefining how the NOC works and improve processes to improve service quality. Hiring staff to provide services 24x7 – over the weekends, holidays, day and night – is easier aid
than done.

APEX NW Technology Solutions's Server Monitor solution can help you eliminate the requirement of setting up your own Network perations Center (NOC), and provides you with comprehensive back office infrastructure – people, tools and processes – so you can now attract Server monitoring and management business from those vertical market segments that need to meet HIPAA and SOX compliance.

Highlights

APEX NW Technology Solutions's Server Monitor solution is comprised of several components that work in tandem – to ensure you can deliver your services to SMBs within a given SLA. These components include: the Technology platform, autonomic Server monitoring policies, provisioning processes for alerts, 24x7 NOC monitoring, the Critical and Non-Critical alert categorization processes at the NOC, the process for conducting problem analysis and the ticketing system. Let us look at each of these components and their unique features more closely:

• Technology Platform: The platform provides a completely secured environment for monitoring and managing Servers – Windows OS, Linux and applications.
• The autonomic Server monitoring policies: When the Server Agent is installed on a Server, it runs automated processes and a self-check routine to determine what ports, services and processes are currently running on the machine. This information is analyzed carefully and based on our knowledge base, policies are applied to monitor the Server.

• The provisioning processes for alerting: Advanced provisioning process allows you to define the alert escalation mechanism on a per-site basis. This gives you enough flexibility to automatically send alerts to different staff members when a Critical event occurs.
• 24x7 monitoring processes: NOC is staffed 24x7 to provide monitoring services. The NOC has more than 130 staff members, who work in 3 shifts to provide monitoring services within our given SLA.

• Categorizing Critical and Non-Critical Alerts: Over the years, the NOC has developed processes wherein the alerts coming in from Servers are segregated into Critical and Non-Critical categories. Every Server sends about 10-15 alerts per day and categorizing these alerts is a time consuming process that requires skilled staff.
• Personal Phone Alert and Problem Analysis: On receiving a Critical alert, the NOC team looks into the provisioning system and makes a personal phone call alerting your team about the occurrence of that Critical event. This call is made within 15 minutes of receiving the alert. Subsequently our expert team swings into action to analyze the cause of the problem and document the steps for resolution.
• Ticketing system: NOC team opens a ticket in the ticketing system informing you about the Critical alert, the problem analysis and possible steps of resolution.

• Security/Preventive Maintenance Services: NOC services include White and Blacklisting of critical Microsoft (OS & applications) security patches and many more preventive maintenance services.

• Bundled Anti-virus package and management: Our NOC conducts checks to ensure Anti-virus signatures are updated on Servers at regular intervals. Server Monitor program comes bundled with AVG Anti-virus network edition and e-mail server edition.
• Asset Tracking: There is a comprehensive tracking of all software and hardware on each server. Changes are also tracked and aid in problem resolution.

Primary Benefits:

• Reduced investment in infrastructure: Eliminates the need for building and maintaining infrastructure for providing 24x7 monitoring services under an SLA of 15 minutes response time.
• Manpower (staff to monitor alerts around the clock, Server experts).
  • Building processes for internal NOC operations – knowledge base for what to monitor, understand what is Critical and Non-Critical, etc.
  • Your investment in Ticketing System.
  • Buying expensive tools that provide for extensive monitoring, detailed reporting, trending and remote control over the WAN.
• Proactive approach:
  • The NOC carries out multiple preventive checks each week reducing chances of failure.
  • Trend reporting on critical parameters makes it possible to capture and analyze important parameters before they turn into an error.
• Less work for Internal Staff:
  • When a Server is monitored, it generates about 10+ alerts a day. Our trained staff at the NOC spends time separating them as Critical and Non-Critical to prioritize next action.
  • Expert team at our NOC helps in problem analysis and we also provide possible steps for resolving issues observed and researched.
  • NOC expert help is available by e-mail or phone when someone goes onsite to fix the problem
• Increase profitability:
  • Focus on profitable verticals like banks and healthcare units leaving the monitoring and intricate technical issues to NOC.
  • Deploy your senior technical staff to more profitable project work and increase billable hours.

Service Packages

Give us a call today to find out about special pricing on Complete Managed Services!

Call (206) 605-6987 or E-mail Sales@APEXNWTS.com