Solutions / Managed IT Services
Proactive IT Management
One of the major challenges in maintaining a computer network is trying to predict what will fail and when. With our proactive managed services solution, we can prevent many network failures from ever happening. By combining regular preventative maintenance and comprehensive real-time monitoring of your critical network and desktop devices, we ensure the reliability and stability of your IT assets.
This solution is so effective, our customers see almost immediate results. A regularly maintained network means fewer failures, yielding higher productivity and savings on support costs for you. At the same time, your exposure to security risks is dramatically lessened, and frustration from unstable IT resources almost vanishes. We allow our customers to focus on their core business functions by taking the worry out of owning a computer network.
ESP has developed a 150 point proactive checklist which help us manages your network and limit our clients exposure to down time.
Server - Hardware |
Frequency |
| Event Viewer and Log files for error check | Real-time |
| Disk Space | Real-time |
| Check server performance | Real-time |
| Check CPU and Memory Usage | Real-time |
| Check windows updates | Weekly |
| Check AnitVirus Software updates | Weekly |
| Defrag HDD | Quarterly |
| Check for Bios Update | Quarterly |
Server - Exchange |
Frequency |
| Check available disk space | Real-time |
| Check for message tracking log file buildup Monitor | Real-time |
| Exchange server performance | Real-time |
| Perform database integrity checking | Real-time |
| Verify Internet mail connectivity | Real-time |
| Verify availability of Public Folders | Real-time |
| Verify the daily backup | Daily |
| Verify that the antivirus software is using the latest pattern file | Daily |
| Verify message queues | Daily |
| Check Exchange databases size - update trend report | Monthly |
| Verify Microsoft's site for hotfixes/service packs | Monthly |
| Review Email routing settings | Monthly |
| Perform offline database defragmentation | Monthly |
| Verify mailbox sizes and warn the users that are abusing the storage | Monthly |
| Validate information store backups by restoring them to an alternate server that is not part of your organization | Monthly |
| Check Exchange Administrators list. Add/remove as necessary | Quarterly |
| Review Exchange configuration. Update documentation | Quarterly |
| Perform mailbox restore | Quarterly |
Server - Active Directory |
Frequency |
| Ensure that domain controllers are being backed up | Daily |
| Verify the existence of a SYSVOL and NETLOGON share on all domain controllers in all forests | Daily |
| For each domain, check the FSMOs to ensure Infrastructure Master is not on a global catalog server | Monthly |
| Ensure that the Schema Master role in each forest is held by a domain controller in the MSA EDC | Monthly |
| Check all sites to ensure that every replica is a global catalog | Quarterly |
| Look for domain controllers or other server objects in each site that do not belong there and remove them | Quarterly |
| Perform an offline defrag of the NTDS.DIT file | Quarterly |
Server - IIS |
Frequency |
| Verify IIS availability by connecting to the hosted web sites | Real-time |
| Verify FTP availability by connecting to the FTP site | Real-time |
| Analyze IIS logs | Daily |
| Verify hotfixes from Microsoft | Weekly |
| Verify FrontPage extensions not installed (unless requried by web developers) | Monthly |
| Verify configuration and updated documentation if necessary | Monthly |
| Run the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer | Monthly |
| Perform security scan against the web sites | Quarterly |
Server - DHCP |
Frequency |
| Verify IP address pools usage | Monthly |
| Reconcile IP addresses | Monthly |
| Backup the configuration (including the registry) | Monthly |
| Review the duration periods for DHCP Leases | Quarterly |
Server - DNS |
Frequency |
| Checking the DNS Event Viewer log for error messages | Real-time |
| Use Nslookup from a workstation to verify DNS configuration | Weekly |
| Use the DNScmd command to check the DNS server | Monthly |
| Check to see that Aging and Scavenging are correctly configured for each zone | Quarterly |
Firewall - Standard |
Frequency |
| Verify firewall logs | Daily |
| Backup configuration | Daily |
| Verify manufacturer web site for updates, hotfixes | Weekly |
| Verify antivirus manufacturer web sites for latest threats | Weekly |
| Verify newsgroups, Internet resources for potential threats againts the firewall software | Weekly |
| Verify firewall performance | Monthly |
| Perform penetration test | Monthly |
| Verify free hard disk space | Monthly |
| Reboot firewall | Quarterly |
| Verify rules and protocols and update/compare documentation | Quarterly |
Firewall - VPN |
Frequency |
| Verify logs | Daily |
| Backup the configuration | Weekly |
| Verify the IP address pool for VPN clients | Weekly |
| Physically inspect the hardware | Monthly |
| Check for operating system updates/patches | Monthly |
| Verify security newsgroups for articles related to the VPN device | Monthly |
| Check and validate the existing site-to-site tunnels and VPN clients, update documentation | Quarterly |
| Compare the VPN device configuration with the requirements from IT Security Policy | Quarterly |
Workstations |
Frequency |
| Check Disk Space | Rea-time |
| Check server performance | Real-time |
| Check CPU and Memory Usage | Real-time |
| Event Viewer and Log Files for Error | Weekly |
| Check AnitVirus Software updates | Weekly |
| Check windows updates | Monthly |
| Defrag HDD | Quarterly |
| Check for Bios update | Quarterly |
Backup |
Frequency |
| Verify backup status, verify backup logs | Daily |
| Verify tape status and replace if necessary | Daily |
| Rotate backup tapes | Daily |
| Visually inspect the tape drive | Daily |
| Check backup software manufacturer web site for updates | Weekly |
| Perform restore test | Monthly |
| Clean Tape Drive | Monthly |
| Perform full system restore | Quarterly |
| Estimate required tape storage capacity for the next quarter | Quarterly |
Printers |
Frequency |
| Verify printers availability | Daily |
| Verify toner/ink status | Weekly |
| Check printer drivers updates | Monthly |
Routers |
Frequency |
| Verify log files | Daily |
| Backup configuration | Weekly |
| Archive and clear log files | Monthly |
| Verify manufacturer's site for OS updates | Monthly |
| Physically inspect the hardware (especially the fans) | Monthly |
Switches/Hubs |
Frequency |
| Physically inspect the hubs/switches (for warning lights and noises) | Daily |
| Verify the number of network port available (for capacity planning) | Weekly |
| Reboot hubs and switches | Monthly |
| Analyze statistics from manageable hubs and switches | Monthly |
Anti-Virus |
Frequency |
| Verify the latest pattern file has be obtained from the antivirus software manufacturer | Daily |
| Verify all the systems have the latest pattern file | Daily |
| Test the functionality of the antivirus system with a real virus | Monthly |
| Verify Internet email antivirus gateway functionality | Monthly |
| Review the company's antivirus policies | Quarterly |
Internet Connectivity |
Frequency |
| Verify Internet feeds by pinging the ISP routers and known resources on the Internet | Real-time |
| Check ISP bandwidth | Monthly |
| Physically inspect the providers' routers | Monthly |
IT Security Policy |
Frequency |
| Verify that the IT Security Policy contains policies for each type of hardware/software that is currently part of the IT Infrastructure | Monthly |
| Reevaluate the entry points to the IT Infrastructure and make sure they are considered in the IT Security Policy | Quarterly |
| Check for updates in legislation that may affect the IT Security Policy | Quarterly |
| Test the procedures for a security incident. Make sure that everybody understands the responsibilities they have during or after an IT Security incident | Quarterly |
