The promises and challenges associated with the Internet of Things (IoT), the fragmentation of mobile devices at the workplace and the diverse applications and services we use to get our daily work done, are just some of the issues IT pros have to deal with these days.
With the ever-growing IT environment infrastructure, security breaches and the rising cost of downtime, IT leaders are increasingly under pressure to ensure the IT backend runs efficiently and seamlessly.
Here are three tips to keep IT complexity from running you off course.
1. Take Control of Your IT Environment
The results of an Ipswitch report called "The Challenges of Controlling IT Complexity" also show that an overwhelming number of IT pros feel that today's IT environments are extremely complex making it increasingly difficult for them to do their jobs successfully.
The challenge comes about because IT teams have to manage a whole range of new, disparate and unsynchronized communication devices and applications while having to cope with the constant changes brought about by increasingly convoluted technology stack.
Related Article: The Challenges Of Controlling IT Complexity
It is important to recognize that these challenges can be circumvented and addressed with appropriate preparation and strategy in place. IT leaders should analyze and understand what are the key obstacles their teams are facing and take control of the complex IT environment.
2. Stay On Top of What's Up and What's Down
Technology innovation is happening fast and most of the IT teams can't keep up with the resulting IT environment complexity. IT teams feel concerned that they might lose control of their company's IT infrastructures in the face of the new technologies and requirements, including the growth of cloud applications, virtualization or BYOD policies.
It's important to plan ahead and equip the teams with scalable and flexible monitoring solution, one that can expand with the company and instantly respond to the growing demands of the infrastructure.
The potential network or application downtime can have many negative effects, not only financial ones. Demotivated staff or unhappy customer can negatively affect company's reputation.
The most effective way to prevent failures is to understand when and where they will occur and take measures to prevent them. According to the Ipswitch report almost half of respondents stated that they were not monitoring everything that they would like to in order to ensure control. Top reasons for this include: budget, lack of staff and the complexity of the IT environment they have to deal with.
Infographic: Controlling the Complexity of Today's IT Networks
One quarter of respondents reported that "all of the above" were preventing them in one way or another from monitoring everything they thought they should. An appropriate network monitoring solution can proactively detect issues before they escalate to cause downtime.
3. Avoid Using Too Many Tools
IT teams often use multiple tools to monitor their network. As a result, they spend too much time switching from one tool to another trying to get an accurate and comprehensive view of the application and infrastructure performance. This time end effort could be used elsewhere if they had a solution that would make it easier to have a holistic view of their performance.
Even across multiple devices, applications and networks a centrally monitored, end to end solution will allow IT teams to understand how their infrastructure is performing and monitor the entire IT infrastructure in a holistic manner.
Related Article: More Network Management Tools, More Problems
No two IT infrastructures are the same so it's hard to imagine a monitoring solution to work on a 'one-size fits all' principle. IT leaders need to find a management software that offers flexibility with minimal restrictions at no additional cost. In order to be able to pick a solution that addresses specific complexity of the organization's infrastructure, IT teams should opt to try the software for free in their specific environment. This will ensure that it meets the needs and addresses the complexity the organization specifically cares about.
New technologies are continuing to proliferate throughout the enterprise creating an environment of IT complexity that is making it increasingly difficult for IT teams to do their jobs successfully. Ipswitch research clearly shows the IT teams' growing concern about losing control of their company's IT environment in the face of the new technologies, devices, threats and requirements. This is no longer just an IT issue but a business one too as failure to respond to the dynamic environment can handicap companies and prevent them from competing effectively in the market.
It is imperative for IT leaders to assess unique challenges their teams are facing and consider the use of solution that enables them to monitor and control their entire IT environment with one cost-effective product that will also give them the flexibility to adapt their monitoring approach to changing and growing business priorities.