Patching VMware, which is often used as a platform for many of your other servers, can be frustrating. If the patch causes a problem, there is a risk that all your servers hosted on that machine will go down.

This is one of those risk vs. benefit decisions that is so important, business executives must be involved.

On the one hand, the patch could interrupt business, but not applying the patch could be considered reckless.

Test the patch prior to deployment, when possible. Having a pre-planned, if not pre-tested, roll-back plan is crucial in case the patch causes a problem.

Preferably patch one server at a time so that, if the patch does cause a problem, at least the interruption is limited to that server.

Without the patch, someone could run programs on your computer, potentially taking control of the server.

The patch fixes a vulnerability in the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program, even if a customer is not participating in the program.

Please emphasize the last phrase to your IT pros.

Ask your IT pros to look at VMware’s information by searching for VMSA-2017-0007.

Please forward this to everyone who may be using VMware, so that they can alert their IT pros just in case they don’t know already.

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These days, without IT, your organization may come to a grinding halt.

Have this realization engrained upon your brain as you make the right decisions that relate to IT.

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Therefore, IT professionals must—continuously—update their knowledge and skills in order to stay abreast of, and combat, the latest attack techniques.

Be sure IT Pros who advise you about IT security have earned the CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional (www.isc2.org/cissp).

If you ever have an IT audit, insist that the auditor possess a current CISA Certified Information Systems Auditor credential (www.isaca.org/cisa).

If your organization processes, stores, or transmits credit card or debit card data, then the PCI DSS Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard applies to your organization. Be sure you require anyone who assists you with PCI to have their PCI QSA Qualified Security Assessor qualification (www.pcisecuritystandards.org).

Insist that IT Pros who help you in any of these areas be certified: IT Security (CISSP), IT Audits (CISA), and PCI compliance (PCI QSA).

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Depending on your IT Pro’s expertise and their roles and responsibilities at your organization, facilitate their earning their MCSE Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert level certifications in one or more: Server infrastructure, SQL Server, cloud, messaging, etc.  Additionally, there are certifications for Windows 7 and Windows 8.

For IT Pros that support your users, Microsoft even has certifications for Word, Excel, etc.

More info about Microsoft Certifications: www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification-overview.aspx.

IT changes so fast that IT professionals must—continuously—update their knowledge and skills. Your business depends on it.

The post What Your IT Pro Doesn’t Know Can Hurt You appeared first on Foster Institute.

The single most important reason that “great” IT professionals still need to undergo the certification process: He or she will learn what they didn’t know that they didn’t know.

Facilitate your IT team’s obtaining certifications related to their roles in your organization. When choosing external IT companies, demand certification.

Yes, someone’s having a certification doesn’t guarantee a qualified professional. That is not an excuse for allowing uncertified people to support the life-blood of your business. Over the next few weeks you’ll find out certifications are important.

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At the same time, it is important that you don’t remain archaic when your competitors pass you by. An example of where organizations are being left behind is when they fail to adopt workstation virtualization. Workstation virtualization comes in many forms, and one way is when programs all run on a server and the computers your users use merely act as screens and keyboards. This means the users can be using Windows, a Mac, a Tablet, or just about anything. Workstation virtualization solves a myriad of problems—probably more than you can imagine—that organizations otherwise have to spend a great deal of money, increase complexity, and choose not to implement due to the cost. For example, just by moving to workstation virtualization, there are business continuity and disaster recovery features “built in” for no additional expense.

Use server virtualization to save money on servers. Server Virtualization is when you use fewer physical computer boxes that “behave as if” they are three, five, or even more physical servers. In technological language, the physical servers host other guest operating systems.

Even though you are a business, don’t be afraid of allowing your IT professionals to buy refurbished equipment and sell your old equipment on auction sites. There are security concerns that need to be addresses, but other than that, reusing equipment is a lot better than having tons of it stored in offices and storerooms around the world. Some of the IT professionals I get to visit during on-site portions of IT Vital System Reviews show me storerooms full of old equipment. Sometimes, due to space constraints in the company facilities, so much old equipment is stored in the IT professionals’ offices that it is squeezing the IT professionals out of their desks! Even manufacturers sell “previously owned” refurbished equipment backed by a warranty—and it is often more than adequate for your needs.

And last, stop killing alligators and drain the swamp. Too many IT professionals run around like fire fighters rather than just fixing the root of problems.

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Second, just like with about everything else, stop paying for extended warranties. Paying for “on site emergency responses” may be important in some circumstances where equipment is mission critical. Just be sure the risks are high enough to justify the cost of the warranties.

Third, stop paying for bandwidth you don’t need. It seems like the large carriers are always offering a “special deal” to upgrade to their “new faster service.” It is a good idea to “shop around” every 12 months or so to find out the lowest going rate. Additionally, unless the price is the same, there is no need to pay for a 100Mbps connection to the Internet when you never exceed 30Mbps of traffic.

Fourth, use the power of the IT hardware and applications that you have already invested in! Most of you already own hardware and applications that can perform more functions than you’ll ever need. Most everyone wants to find happiness in life by getting rid of old frustrating technology. That sometimes makes us over-eager to adopt the “latest and greatest” solution that we decide “will finally make all our problems go away.” Often, executives and even IT Professionals have unreasonable expectations of what technology can solve. It is often better to utilize what you already invested in.

Next week, expect part 2 of this topic about saving money in IT.

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