Heart of Texas Network Consultants Blog

Many companies have been in business for so long that they still utilize legacy applications for specific purposes within their computing infrastructure. There simply might not be a better option at the time, so they continue to rely on software that is, quite frankly, showing its age, including the server software that runs their business. Virtual machines offer these organizations the opportunity to still leverage these applications without the inherent risk that comes from using unsupported software.

Your servers are some of the most important resources your business has, and they should last for many years. After a few years, however, they may begin to struggle to handle the workloads they once did; and, they often fail leaving a whole business in a lurch. To avoid this scenario, knowing the signs of a failing server can come in extraordinarily handy. Today we will go through three ways to ascertain if your server needs to replaced.

While proxy server is a tech term that is frequently cited, it is not understood by a vast majority of people. Today we will describe what a proxy server is, and why organizations like yours use them.

If there’s an issue that everyone is hesitant to acknowledge, it is said that there is an elephant in the room. Many companies may find that today, these elephants live in their server rooms. We’ll acknowledge these elephants and talk about a few ways that you can evict them from your company’s IT.

Hardware refreshes are often a time of great turmoil for businesses, particularly because of the cost of new servers and the time it takes to migrate data from one location to another. Thankfully, with the advent of virtualized servers, businesses have a viable alternative to the outright purchase of expensive, new hardware solutions. Instead, a virtual server that’s hosted in the cloud offers not only a more immediate reprieve, but can also significantly reduce costs for your organization in the long run.

Which database management system is running on your company’s server units? For end users, it’s not something that they put a whole lot of thought into. However, if you completely overlook your Microsoft SQL Server, you may end up running an expired version that puts your data at risk. Case in point, SQL Server 2005, which Microsoft recently ended support for.

Technology solutions for small and medium-sized businesses can be complex, which is why simplification is at the top of a lot of executives’ priorities. To this end, virtualization is a key component, helping organizations make their IT easier to manage. What effect does this have on data security?

Most IT administrators see virtualization as a means of increasing efficiency, and they’re not wrong. Virtualization of your hardware is a great way of decreasing operating costs and improving accessibility to mission-critical applications and information. However, network virtualization has the potential to increase the security of your business’s data, too.

During the broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX, Coca-Cola premiered a bold new commercial meant to inspire viewers, make the world (wide web) a happier place, and of course, sell Coca-Cola. To be sure, it was a monumental marketing effort, but for those of us in IT, we find it cringeworthy and must object to the commercial’s content.

American healthcare organizations must store and exchange patient data in ways that comply with the HIPAA law, or else face hefty fines. One mental health service in Alaska recently learned this lesson the hard way after being hit with a $150,000 fine. Is your healthcare organization’s IT infrastructure 100 percent HIPAA compliant?

Everybody knows operating a computer under cooler temperatures increases its performance. This is why some server closets feel like a walk-in refrigerator. One thing about computers that you may not have known is whether or not running a PC at cooler temperatures extends its life. Logically, one would assume yes, however, the research says otherwise.

When we last left our young office administrator, Chosimba, he was framed by his rival Scarn for leaking sensitive company information that led to the arrest and outing of Pride Inc.'s CEO. Scarn set up Chosimba because he was in line to run Pride Inc. We now find our hero hiding in Africa, attempting to avoid litigation--based on the advice of Scarn.