Nowadays developing internet world we have to learn more about some of the most common security risks, including hacking, phishing and malware and how to protect your sites and servers. Thankfully, many of these hazards can be avoided by making yourself aware of the threats.

Hacking. Someone from another location breaks into your computer remotely to cause damage or steal information. Often this will include the hacker obtaining your personal information or turning your computer into a “zombie” to further their needs. Different hacking techniques include vulnerability scanners, password cracking, packet sniffers, rootkit, trojan horses, and key loggers.

Phishing. When a website is made to look like another website for the purpose of gathering personal information from a user. Phishing usually involves fake emails that appear to come from legitimate enterprises, such as your bank or credit union. These emails contain URLs that link to malicious web pages and will ask you to enter in private information, like passwords, bank account information, or credit card numbers. Attackers can then use the entered information to steal your (or your customers’) identity.

Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. Its only there to break stuff. There are several types of malware, including computer viruses, worm viruses, spyware, adware, scareware and crimeware. To spread Malware, perpetrators can create malicious websites of their own, exploit a vulnerability in the applications a website relies on or exploit a vulnerability on the web server or its configuration.
Malware is often download from an email attachment or from a suspicious website. However, malware can also infect servers and upload malicious code or web pages that deliver malware to the site’s visitors.

There are a few key practices that can greatly increase your protection from the majority of instances. To protect your sites and servers you should choose strong passwords that can’t be easily guess by computer programs. Additionally, keeping websites up to date with security patches is one of the most important means of protection. Companies often publish patches or security updates that are built to prevent these types of attacks.

If you decide to purchase a dedicated server you need to manage it really effectively not to miss out on some of the most important benefits. In some cases, poor management results in security loopholes that cost businesses and individuals huge amounts of time and money. By keeping a few basic tips in mind, you can effectively manage your dedicated server and make the most of it at all times.
Scarabweb Company offers 3 types of OS to install on dedicated server. No matter whether you buy Linux OS, Windows OS or Virtualization OS you need to be familiar with the most effective tools for managing your dedicated server, you will be able to avoid the most common pitfalls.

Monitor your server.

First of all you need monitor your server. Effective monitoring can help you avoid a variety of serious issues. For Windows OS we have Task Manager or Event Viewer tool,  for Linux OS – Top command. It can be used to verify and monitor the performance of many server resources, including things like CPU and memory usage, cache size, buffer size, commands and much more. It’s also a good tools for monitoring and managing users because it lets you see the processes and applications that they’re using and gives you the ability to disconnect users when needed. This is a far more practical and effective way to monitor your server.

Manage processes and services.

Second tip is you should manage processes and services while monitoring your server. Different tools can be used to stay on top of various processes to ensure of easier detecting any problems and could be addressed promptly.

Manage remotely.

Thirdly, to prevent unauthorized access to your server you need to implement a change management processes and manage remotely.  There are many remote connection tools as Remote Desktop Connection tool, SSH connection or other which could warn your dedicated server to be vulnerable to attack. Try a few different options to pinpoint the one that’s right for you. By having the ability to access your server remotely, you will be better able to manage and monitor it.

 Set up a firewall.

To protect your dedicated server you also need to set up a firewall and configure it properly. It will help to prevent unknown users from accessing the server so that the server can only be accessed by trusted IP addresses. You can also choose an external firewall from various vendors like Cisco, Juniper, Watchguard, etc. Continually stay on top of the latest technologies to ensure that you have the best tools at your disposal.

]]> https://scarabweb.com/blog/2015/02/how-to-effectively-manage-your-server/feed/ 0 https://scarabweb.com/blog/2015/02/how-to-best-manage-your-own-dedicated-serve/ https://scarabweb.com/blog/2015/02/how-to-best-manage-your-own-dedicated-serve/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2015 17:19:47 +0000 admin http://scarabweb.com/blog/?p=16 Continue reading →]]> Rapid development and implementation of new technologies in the world provides society with a wide range of opportunities for running different business ideas. This is why it’s very important to consider the basis needed for that in details. Widespread of e-commerce allows thinking about a place for hosting company’s resources. A purchase of a dedicated server becomes an attractive solution in such terms, especially when traffic associated with the business has risen sharply and downloading data takes too much time. But the purchase itself is just an initial step in such a delicate matter as the more important question of what is the best way to manage this dedicated server.

Choosing between managed or unmanaged dedicated server is an important step to evaluate own capabilities to manage it personally or trust with a qualified team in this question. Most of people might say it’d be better to go with an unmanaged dedicated server, especially those who prefer saving as it wouldn’t require spending additional funds on someone’s efforts to administrate the server properly. However, further pitfalls may appear soon like protection of the data from malicious activity, grant of the back-ups in case of force majeure, as well as spend money and time to be sure the server runs reliably, etc. In these terms, managed dedicated servers appear in a winning solution as they don’t require much maintenance from the owner of the server. A managed dedicated server doesn’t require hiring additional employees to support it while it’s more easier to rely on the hosting provider that will be dedicated to this server and will do all the best to run it reliably. Another benefit of an unmanaged server is that 24/7 support is always ready to assist in issues with operating systems, software licenses, updates for said software licenses, storage maintenance of the server and others. With an unmanaged dedicated server, the owner will have to deal with all this personally, which requires not only additional investments but time also.

Uncovering the only minimum of cons and pros discussed above makes thinking about the advantages of getting a managed dedicated server, which are:

1. Removal of almost all the physical costs associated with the server.
2. Better server reliability and performance.
3. Efficient technical support and emergency.