Every time you deploy a new Cisco device, whether to handle network growth or as part of a product refresh cycle, someone needs to configure it to meet your unique needs. But configuring switches or routers is not a one-time event — support teams often need to add a new VLAN, change an access port to a trunk or add a new route to the routing table.

Today, IT networks are the backbone of nearly every business. Simply put, if your network isn’t performing at its best, the flow of data and services will be impeded, and your business operations will suffer. This modern reality makes effective server and network monitoring software not just a technical necessity but a business imperative.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) has been a stalwart ally for organizations for years, providing guidance on understanding, evaluating and communicating about cybersecurity risks. The release of NIST CSF 2.0, expected in early 2024, provides a paradigm shift. This blog post provides an in-depth exploration of the structure of the NIST CSF and the key changes coming in version 2.0.

Organizations often create multiple IT policies for a variety of needs: disaster recovery, data classification, data privacy, risk assessment, risk management and so on. These documents are usually interconnected and provide a framework for the company to set values to guide decision-making and responses. Organizations also need an information security policy (InfoSec policy). It provides controls and procedures that help ensure that employees will work with IT assets appropriately.

Windows PowerShell is a tool for task automation and configuration management that combines a command line shell with a scripting language. IT professionals rely on PowerShell to: Learning even a few basic set of Windows PowerShell commands and core scripting capabilities can help you achieve significant automation. To help, this PowerShell tutorial covers PowerShell scripting basics for beginners.

IT pros need local admin rights on corporate devices to install software, modify configuration settings, perform troubleshooting and so on. But all too often, business users are also routinely granted local admin rights on their computers.

There are 5 Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) roles.

Shifting a Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) role from one domain controller (DC) to another is normally done through a role transfer operation. But if the DC that holds an FSMO role experiences a serious failure that takes it out of service, you must instead seize its FSMO roles and reassign them to a functioning DC. For example, you need to seize an FSMO role if the current role holder: Important: After you seize an FSMO role from a DC, ensure that it is never reconnected to the network.

When you hear the phrase “security policy,” a number of things may come to mind — cyberattacks, malware, data breaches and the like. While these are some reasons an organization might create security policies, a security policy for an organization covers protection of not only its digital assets, but its physical assets as well.

Data classification is essential for achieving, maintaining and proving compliance with a wide range of regulations and standards. For example, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX and GDPR all have different purposes and requirements, but data classification is necessary for compliance with all of them — after all, you need to accurately identify and tag health records, cardholder information, financial documents and other regulated data in order to protect that data appropriately.