Windows Server 2012 is a dynamic piece of software as it is constantly evolving. These improvements are available to users in the form of Windows Updates and patches. The results of an audit can show that without proper monitoring our system can slowly become obsolete, less productive, and potentially out of Government compliance. Microsoft is constantly making improvements or fixing bugs through a series of updates. Some of the updates are very important to keep products like Windows Server 2012 up to date and secure. Other updates may be labeled as recommended or optional from Microsoft. “Microsoft routinely releases security updates on the second Tuesday of each month, commonly known as Patch Tuesday” (Regan, 2013) With the abundance and frequency of patches it’s important for our organization to manage them in an efficient and organized manner so that we maintain the highest levels of productivity while minimizing system downtime.
Most home users are familiar with Windows Update and the basics of how it works. In a corporate environment like ours with 50 servers Windows Update is just not effective as we would have to manage it on every single server individually.
Windows Update Management
For our purposes using something called WSUS or Windows Server Update Services is the most appropriate vehicle in patch management. WSUS is included with Server 2012 and gives us the ability to manage updates for all of our servers from one location. There is another product called System Center Configuration Manager or CCM that could be used in lieu of WSUS and offers much of the same capabilities. SCCM has an associated cost and doesn’t offer enough of a reason to make the investment so in my opinion WSUS is the best solution for our org...
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...reas for improvement. MMC has a feature called Performance Monitor that is specifically designed to monitor the types of performance indicators we should be looking for.
Using WSUS allows us to implement a Windows Update management system that includes a process for updating and installing patches on a regular monthly basis as well as a procedure to test those updates before we push them out to all of our servers company wide. WSUS should become an integral part of our network management plan. In addition MMC allows us the ability to have granular control of our system performance by monitoring the servers through the Performance Monitor module. WSUS combined with MMC will give us the most up to date an efficiently performing network that we can imagine.
Works Cited
Regan, Patrick. (2013). Administering Windows Server 2012. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
...hes should be every three years and software updates fall in line with vendor roadmaps, the reality is actually defined by organizational pace, business needs and, ultimately, budget time is running out for this operating system as there have been tremendous problems resulting from using them. Such issues has call for research to reveals the benefit of upgrading from window Xp and windows 7 to adopt windows 8.in this paper I am going to outline the methods and procedures of upgrading from windows XP and windows 7 successfully to windows 8. Therefore, as it has been seen above, Window migration could be the better option.
At its most fundamental core, quality improvement of healthcare services and resources requires disciplined attention to the measurement, monitoring, and reporting of system performance (Drake, Harris, Watson, & Pohlner, 2011; Jones, 2010; Kennedy, Caselli, & Berry, 2011). Research points to performance measurement as a significant factor in enabling strategic planning processes and achievement of performance goals (Tapinos, Dyson & Meadows, 2005). Thus, without a system of measurement that accounts for the performance behaviors of healthcare professionals, managers and administrative employees, quality improvement remains a visionary abstraction (de Waal, 2004).
A company develops good performance measures by ensuring they are well balanced, they should include both financial and nonfinancial measures. Good performance measures should be associated with the organization’s overall strategies, in addition, good performance measures should be flexible, this way they are able to be changed with ease. Furthermore, good performance measures are typically timely and accurate, simple to understand, and focus on constant improvement. Lastly, a company with good performance measures, align with the acronym SMART. SMART performance measures have a Specific purpose, are Measureable, are Achievable, Relevant, and Time based. Companies have found creating performance measures utilizing these key focal points have improved the company’s overall effectiveness. (Matthews,
IT Specialist and system administrator’s job duties are to test, patch and install the latest security updates and software fixes on an organization existing system. However, this task can become a race against time in trying to mitigate a security breach. Many times the system admin has to wait for the software vendor to produce a patch to fix the problem. This is most apparent when a company is infected with a Zero-Day Exploit.
Establish and drive performance measures for the operation (including a consideration of efficiency versus effectiveness), often in the form of dashboards convenient for review of high level key indicators.
‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t management it’, [Dan vesset and Brian, M. 2009]. Performance management is concerned with the measurement of results and with studying progress to achieving objectives base on the results. Managing performance can tell you what you’re doing well in, and also reveal areas where you need to make adjustments. Measuring performance tells you how far you’ve gone achieving your ultimate
Hardware, software, support and maintenance costs grow each year with multiple systems in each local region running different types of software and hardware. The application and hardware support teams are larger than could be possible with one integrated solution.
Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS) means systematic caring, inspecting, and servicing of military equipment to keep it in good condition and to prevent breakdowns. The operator of the vehicle mission is to be sure to perform PMCS each time he/she operate the vehicle. Always do the PMCS in the same order, so it gets to be a habit. Once you've had some practice, you will quickly spot anything wrong.
As electronic commerce, online business-to-business operations, and global connectivity have become vital components of a successful business strategy, enterprises have adopted security processes and practices to protect information assets. But if you look at today's computing environments, system security is a horrible game of numbers: there are currently over 9,223 publicly released vulnerabilities covering known security holes in a massive range of applications from popular Operating Systems through to obscure and relatively unknown web applications. [01] Over 300 new vulnerabilities are being discovered and released each month. Most companies work diligently to maintain an efficient, effective security policy, implementing the latest products and services to prevent fraud, vandalism, sabotage, and denial of service attacks. But the fact is you have to patch every hole of your system, but an attacker need find only one to get into your environment. Whilst many organisations subscribe to major vendor's security alerts, these are just the tip of the security iceberg and even these are often ignored. For example, the patch for the Code Red worm was available some weeks before the worm was released. [02]
Microsoft was able in the OS segment to double their revenue per PC when Windows 3.x emerged which still needed MS-DOS to run. Most of the sales Microsoft made were to OEMs who would take the additional step of installing Windows on a computer’s hard drive. This strategy was effective in that the cost of production was relatively low, as an OEM may only need a single master copy to do the installation. The costs to Microsoft would largely be bore in R&D expense rather than production. As part of the Microsoft business model for this segment, Microsoft designed their OS to need periodic upgrades. The upgrades did come at a cost, and in essence, Microsoft was able to create an “annuity” stream for the Microsoft OS segment. In this segment, Microsoft had a monopolistic structure that allowed them to realize huge returns, especially during such a period of technological growth and rapid obsol...
To understand the effects of an update installation, the problems the update is supposed to solve and systems files that are affected should be identified along with whether the affected system requires a reboot/ restart. Should the update fail there should be a back-out procedure or a way to revert back to the old version. This should be documented to provide an audit trail of the updates that were installed, and the reason why the update was installed.
It provides performance improvement practitioners, performance technology consultants, human resource specialists, quality leaders and others interested in improvement with framework foe accountability and integrity. It is based on RSVP – the four essentials for successful performance improvement practices and the first four performance technology standards:
Furthermore, PM supports continual improvements as it doesn’t only illuminate achievement and practice impact but it also identifies and studies deviation from performance target and any faced problems and then relevant corrective actions are proposed. Rather than producing too many reports, PM help producing efficient reporting system designed to bring a meaningful image for tracking the performance and accordingly, decision-making and what are needed to enhance performance are better guided and are an evidence-base. Therefore, PM approach has been valued as an important framework to communicate, to implement strategy, and to point out improvement actions in different organizations including healthcare. Therefore Performance management is indispensable to effectively steer reforms in healthcare organisations.
Performance management is a useful and powerful tool that can be used by managers to identify what areas of their organisation they need to improve to increase the organisation’s overall performance. The idea of a balanced scorecard enforces a sensible distribution of resources and effort across all aspect of performance an organisation is, or should be, concerned with.
In conclusion, each segment of the performance management process holds a vital link to the next. Not unlike knocking over one domino in a series, it has an effect on the next domino. If one portion in the process is dysfunctional, the next may be identical in its dysfunction – and on and on.