3.1Servers, cloud and dataLinux · Windows Server

Server management

A server nobody looks after only makes itself known on the day it stops responding. We keep your organisation's Windows and Linux servers up to date, monitored and protected by verified backups, with regular reports on the state of each one.

Signs you need this

  • The server goes down every so often, and the office grinds to a halt without knowing why.
  • There are said to be backups, but nobody has ever recovered a file from them.
  • Only one person knows the server passwords, or the person who knew them has left.

In many organisations the server was installed by someone who has since left or changed role, and it has run unattended ever since. Updates pile up, disks fill, accounts belonging to former staff remain active, and the backup runs, or appears to run, without anyone checking the result. None of this shows until the day something breaks.

We start with what is there: which servers exist, whether physical, virtualised or in the cloud, which services run on each, who has access and how backups are taken. We then apply security updates, review users and permissions, bring every machine under monitoring and confirm that the backups can actually be restored. Maintenance routines are written down so that any technician can follow them.

Administration can rest entirely with us, or your in-house team can keep it and rely on us for support. Either way, management receives regular reports on the state of the systems, written for the people who make decisions and not only for the technicians.

How we deliver

  1. Survey

    We list the servers, the services each one supports, the accounts with access and the way backups are taken today.

  2. Written plan

    We set out what is at risk and the order in which each point will be dealt with, before touching any system.

  3. Stabilisation

    We apply updates, review permissions and put the backups right, at times agreed with your organisation.

  4. Monitoring

    Every server is watched continuously, so that a full disk or a stopped service shows up before it affects users.

  5. Regular report

    We send a report on the state of the systems and a record of the work done, with the decisions that fall to management.

What you keep

  1. An inventory of the servers and the services each one supports
  2. Written, tested maintenance routines
  3. Administrator credentials held by your organisation
  4. A log of backups and verified restores
  5. Regular reports on the state of your systems
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