IT compliance and governance strategies

On premises vs. cloud: The major similarities and differences

An organization deciding whether to run a workload on premises or in the cloud must carefully evaluate security, reliability, costs and other factors -- and ask four key questions. Continue Reading

Data center security compliance checklist

In five steps, create a security compliance plan for your data center. Discover different standards, learn audit schedules and develop procedures to align with compliance. Continue Reading

IT industry standard training for data center admins

Axelos, IDCA and the Uptime Institute each offer training courses and certifications for data center admins to increase their knowledge of common data center standards. Continue Reading

How to successfully automate GRC systems in 7 steps

There is more to automating GRC programs than technology alone. This implementation roadmap helps IT leaders effectively plan, deploy and monitor GRC activities and tools. Continue Reading

Mega Hopex update focuses on aligning IT to business goals

Mega's Hopex upgrade adds IT Business Management, Information Architecture and Risk Management features designed to help users keep their technology in line with business goals. Continue Reading

A quick primer on the ANSI/TIA-942 standard

Industry standards help organizations minimize downtime and ensure operational quality. With ANSI/TIA-942, IT teams can certify their infrastructure for mission-critical sites. Continue Reading

6 steps to prep your organization for ISO 9001 certification

ISO 9001 is a quality management standard. Before your team decides to become certified with an official audit, you should have all the gap analyses, documentation and fixes in place. Continue Reading

Considerations for SIEM logging software and storage

SIEM systems aggregate a lot of data across all types of infrastructure. For regular audits, admins should address notification settings, analysis protocols and storage locations. Continue Reading

7 top open source network monitoring tools

Network is an essential part of infrastructure health and requires constant monitoring. To meet specific OS and hardware requirements, open source tools can be the best fit. Continue Reading

Safeguard data center power with regular UPS maintenance

There are several levels of testing to address when developing a UPS maintenance checklist. Be sure to conduct visual, thermal and load tests to verify UPS health. Continue Reading

Disaster recovery regulations complicate data compliance

Many organizations struggle when it comes to compliance with recent data regulations. Modern disaster recovery adds an extra layer of difficulty for meeting these requirements. Continue Reading

Initiative aims to improve data center incident reporting

The Data Center Incident Reporting Network hopes to pull back the smoke screen on software and hardware issues to improve operations and reduce downtime risks -- with admins help. Continue Reading

Guidelines to tackle multi-cloud and hybrid IT management

Managing infrastructure isn't just the on-premises data center anymore. Software selection, architecture configuration and governance are key components of any hybrid IT setup. Continue Reading

Addendum sets ASHRAE 90.4 as energy-efficiency standard

The publication of ASHRAE 90.4 in 2016 brought a new set of energy guidelines, but the industry still used Standard 90.1. A new addendum has changed protocol and best practices. Continue Reading

5 steps to include on your software update checklist

Training, testing and automation are all essential components to software updates. Implementing these concepts makes version maintenance a less herculean task. Continue Reading

A 6-step guide for hardware disposal

Asset tracking, information logging and security measures should all be a part of hardware decommissioning. Don't miss a step with these considerations. Continue Reading

Discovery functions, FIPS compliance increase DCIM security

Data center infrastructure management is one way to track security patches and unauthorized hardware access. There are a few features you can use to increase security. Continue Reading

14 SIEM reports and alerts to boost security

Setting up an SIEM reporting infrastructure requires an overall knowledge of what data capture is available. With standard reports and event categories, you can ease implementation. Continue Reading

SIEM software basics and use cases for IT administrators

Security information and event management products use algorithms to stop cyberattacks in their tracks, but they also offer other workflow benefits for admins. Continue Reading

Get to know SIEM software basics and benefits

Security information and event management tools give organizations enhanced network management functionality, such as automatic reporting, data stream analysis and anomaly detection. Continue Reading

Create your best GRC program with business continuity and DR

Any governance, risk management and compliance program should work with an organization's business continuity process. There are challenges to consider, though. Continue Reading

Ten server deployment checklist considerations

Use this server deployment checklist to make sure you've covered all your bases. From power distribution outlets to available network connectivity, server deployment can be an arduous process. Continue Reading

IoT devices, data use developing faster than common standard

The onslaught of data from IoT devices may not happen until a set of common standards is developed. Continue Reading

Data center metrics and standards guide

From energy use to server performance, data center metrics form a foundation for improving IT operations. Continue Reading

Checklist of IT KPIs for responsive data center ops

The right metrics, aligned with business needs, strengthen data center monitoring and capacity planning. KPIs orient IT performance to specific goals. Continue Reading

Hybrid cloud command and control

Expectations set by the public cloud around self-service and speed of deployment are beginning to creep into the enterprise. In the early days of cloud, developers were so wowed -- and the controls around accessing it were so loose -- that many organizations didn't even bother to try to control it. That's changing.

Social collaboration and sharing paradigms have revolutionized consumer behavior and habits. Consider the effects of sites like Facebook, Twitter-esque notions of followers and crowdsourcing knowledge on Wikipedia. IT is usually at the forefront to embrace new ideas, but it has been relatively slow to adopt these constructs.

No longer does every application require its own dedicated hardware; with server virtualization, IT pros can could simply package it up in a virtual machine and make better use of precious resources.

 Continue Reading

Data center maps lead IT to server treasure

Can't find the server that needs repairs or the right reboot button when the host blue-screens? A data center map is vital when disaster hits. Continue Reading

How do you define data center size, density?

With shifts in the scale and density of data centers, one industry organization is drawing up ways to standardize how we talk about data center size and power needs. Continue Reading

A data center checklist for facility design and IT ops

Choose the right data center provider or facility now, and prevent costly errors and inadequate services later. Continue Reading

How well do you know the ITIL v3 framework?

Test how well your team knows its roles and responsibilities with this ITIL quiz. It might help you handle future IT service problems. Continue Reading

How to write server documentation

A data center should be prepared for the worst, but try to avoid that at all costs. Appropriate system documentation helps avoid critical errors. Continue Reading

Controversial hot aisle containment practices

Is your hot aisle too hot for OSHA? New data center trends are causing concern. You might need to adapt to adhere to the law. Continue Reading

What to look for in a Tier III data center provider

Don't believe just any sweet-talking colo provider claiming to be Tier III. Make sure you're getting what you pay for with a true Tier III data center. Continue Reading

Why Facebook and the NSA love graph databases

Graph databases play six degrees of separation to find real connections. See how IT teams can use the database approach for businesses. Continue Reading

Getting started with ITIL service management

Promised cost savings, alignment with business, and operational efficiency are encouraging more organizations to take up ITIL service management. Continue Reading

Major changes in data center fire suppression standards NFPA 75 and 76

Fire standard changes can add a lot of work and expense to a data center operator's job, but the updates to NFPA 75 and 76 address real safety risks. Continue Reading

Take the Data Center Decisions 2012 survey

Help us learn about your technology preferences and trends among data centers like yours. Be sure to enter our prize drawing for completing the survey and get a chance to win a range of gift cards! Continue Reading

What to look for when conducting benchmark tests with PerfMon

Microsoft's PerfMon benchmark tests measure a wide range of processes and server aspects, but it can be difficult for IT professionals to understand the numbers and interpret the results. Continue Reading

Calculating carbon emissions in the data center

While data center carbon measurement is in its infancy and lacks hard standards, it still may benefit IT admins to know basic methods for calculating carbon emissions as carbon legislation begins impacting data centers. Continue Reading

Calculating costs of data center cabling infrastructure

In part two of our series on data center cabling decisions, data center infrastructure expert Carrie Higbie offers a cost calculator for determining TCO on a cabling project. Continue Reading