Importance of Remote Monitoring to IT Management

IT management

Even before a global pandemic created a paradigm shift that increased the hybrid and work-from-home (WFH) models, certain business functions like IT departments had been strongly utilizing remote operations, specifically when it came to keeping track of computer systems and IT assets in the form of remote monitoring. Remote IT monitoring is IT management from a separate location, more so referring to the observation of an organization’s network systems, servers, and computer devices in order to service maintenance issues.

Although remote monitoring can be done through internal departments within an organization, it is most commonly used by managed-service providers (MSPs) and IT consultants to manage IT operations from a remote or offsite location. Regardless of how your business manages their IT assets (self-managed, co-managed, or full MSP arrangement), there should be some form of remote monitoring built into your IT strategy and management plan to reap its cost, productivity and security benefits.

IT Management Flexibility

The flexibility of remote monitoring extends to what you can monitor and where you can monitor from. Just about any type of technology system or device (including hardware) can be monitored as long as they are “in sync” with the monitoring software. This way IT management personnel don’t actually have to be in the presence of the technology to monitor it.

On top of the various types of technology that can be accessed through remote monitoring, there is also flexibility in the information that can be gathered. IT operators can view numerous reports and statuses of device health, operating speed, user access logs, and how well the technology is interacting with one another. Some of these can be difficult to check if someone was attempting to do so onsite.

IT personnel also are not geographically restricted to where they can manage from. They can choose where to oversee the IT operations from, and thanks to some innovations within monitoring software, they can even check in while on-the-go through mobile capabilities.

IT Management Efficiency

Remote monitoring is an extremely efficient method of tracking IT systems when referring to both cost-efficiency and IT operations productivity.

For monetary costs, it is usually going to be less expensive to contract with an MSP (hybrid or fully) than to hire full-time IT staff. This doesn’t just include the hiring, training and payroll costs, but also the expenses associated with an organization purchasing and maintaining their own hardware and software for these technical tasks.

Additionally, because of the way monitoring software is developed, IT personnel can typically see issues coming into fruition before it actually causes issues. This allows them to offer proactive solutions that can prevent any business operation downtime that may occur as a result of a reactive problem-solving approach.

Lastly, remote monitoring is done on a 24/7 basis with a streamlined approach allowing for issues to be resolved quickly. IT monitoring personnel have the knowledge and pre-built processes to handle all types of service tickets, which ultimately allows other departments of your business to focus on their own productivity.

IT Management Security

The last and arguably most important element of remote monitoring is the security factor. Remote monitoring allows a visual on cybersecurity technical controls to make sure they are up and running as well as all IT “ports-of-entry” to check for potential breaches. There is also the value of automation from remote monitoring, where if a breach is detected, there are immediate remediation solutions being activated and notifications being deployed to the proper parties. Remote monitoring serves to offer proactive, detective and reactive functions when it comes to the security of data systems, endpoint devices, networks and applications. It’s important to note that remote monitoring should be used in addition to solid remote work practices, for more information check out this article on remote work best practices to learn more.

Time to Take Action

Remote IT monitoring plays a critical role in a firm’s IT management plan due to the flexibility, efficiency and security attributes provided. Be sure to request a consultation with our team to see how we can assist with your remote monitoring solutions. Also check out some other articles below to learn more about various technology and cybersecurity topics: