The Elusive Agent

By: Ernest Byrd

Backup tips for MS SQL with MOB & Max Backup

Hello Friends,

Backing up Microsoft SQL with either Managed Online Backup through your Max RM console, or the stand-alone Max Backup, is incredibly easy, and in this article I am going to share with you the differences between Simple and Full recovery modes, explain who and what is responsible for truncating logs, and guide you through the process of making any changes necessary to your current configuration.

The steps listed in this article apply exactly the same to both Managed Online Backup and Max Backup, as all the configuration is done in the Backup Manager itself.

Mix and match

By David Ianetta

We can have a tendency to look at the RM dashboard as providing us with a number of different services. Therefore it is easy to compartmentalize these services and isolate their functions.

However like any good tool box, RM provides us with tools that can be used in an endless number of combinations to get our job done.

Monitoring / managing Lenovo servers with SNMP

MAX SNMP and Lenovo servers

I know it's the old one.

Lenovo is getting more attention for IT support personnel with their new server line of products.  So can these devices be monitored using the MAX RemoteManagement platform?  Must you have a package supporting Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)? Or are there alternatives?

There is a way to monitor Lenovo via SNMP through MAX RM today.

Mastering User Security While Providing Dashboard Access to Contractors and Clients

Mastering User Security While Providing Dashboard Access to Contractors and Clients

By Andrew Crihfield

Often times you will need to provide restricted Dashboard access to an employee, contractor or client for many different reasons. This article will provide you the necessary information to provide the access you need while still providing a secure dashboard environment.

Using the API to Provide Remote Access to Your Clients

Using the API to Provide Remote Access to Your Clients   By Andrew Crihfield

Often times you have a client that needs access to their computer from home. The only obvious way is to give them access to the MAXfocus RMM dashboard. There are some downsides to that: by default they have the ability to remote into any computer in the dashboard.

The other less known way is to install the Take Control Viewer to their home PC and then create a Take Control link through the RMM API. This article will take you step by step through the process.

Bigger, Faster, Stronger

By: Ernest Byrd

     Bigger, Faster, Stronger - It's the American Way, right?

Here's a way to modify your 24x7 and/or Daily Safety Checks (DSC) for multiple MAX Agents:

Move it on ... over.

Following on the previous post: Move it on up!

The second phase of template improvements has been implemented.  So this replaces part of the previous article while making the job easier.

Communication is Key

By: Ernest Byrd

     I am sure that you have heard the phrase: "Communication is the Key to Success", but let's leave the "Call Me" to Blondie because this is not the 80's.  Instead of picking up the phone, take advantage of the tool set available through Windows and send a System Message.  Here's how MAX Remote Management can help:

Move it on up! Migration to more

OK, last year you successfully moved that stubborn break-fix client one step toward a managed contract.  At that time they had a contract with an old version of  SomeUnTech End-your-Point anti-virus.  The contract was expired and the new version was such a resource hog it couldn’t even be installed on some of their machines. All they want is anti-virus, so that made a "MAV-Only" deployment of your MAXfocus Managed Anti-Virus a perfect fit.

A year later and it’s time to revisit their agreement. It's a perfect time to move them up a notch in managed services.  So you walk in armed with an Asset Tracking report and a new contract that provides them the added security of MAXfocus Patch Management and the convenience of Remote Desktop technical support all for a fraction of the cost of on-site support, but raises their monthly cost by less than 50%.  In turn, it doubles your margin.  

What do you know, they’re ALL IN!  And now the fun begins.

… wait, what’s my password?

Yes, Passwords suck.  Two-factor authentication really helps, but we’re still using passwords for everything.  And now they have to be complex: 8-characters, mixed case, alphanumeric… pretty soon it will require Cyrillic characters and a blood test.  But what happens when one of your Super Users or Administrators forget? 

We gotcha covered…

Going, Going, Gone.

By: Ernest Byrd

     One of my Managed Care Customers contacted me Today and requested that I install Adobe Reader to all of their Machines.  Although my schedule is pretty packed, I told them that I can handle this within the next day or two.  I now realize the network is unstructured and there is no Domain Controller to utilize for Group Policy Deployment.  I need to figure something out, and fast...

Virtual Drive is literally here!!

         

 VD stands for Virtual Drive and it is a feature available with GFIMAX Managed Online Backup (MOB) and GFIMAX Backup and it gives additional functionality that works well with either backup solution. It is a separate download so you didn't miss it in your backup manager. (I thought I would mention this just in case you stopped reading to go and find out why you didn't have it in yours) 

        

Take An SNMP Walk - Creating New SNMP Checks using MIB Browsing Tools

How many times have you wanted to use GFI MAX to monitor a piece of hardware like a router or printer but didn't know how?  GFI MAX offers several ways to monitor IP addressable devices.

• Ping check - pings a device using its Hostname, FQDN or IP Address and fails if no response is received
• TCP Service Check - Attempts to connect to the specified port/service.  The check can be configured to pass or fail based on connection status.  In this way it can be used to check for services that should be running or alert you when ports that should be closed become open.
• Web Page Check - Checks a web page and passes the check as long as it responds with the expected text.
• SNMP Check - Used to query SNMP server hardware and SNMP enabled network devices such as routers, switched and printers.

So the first three checks are pretty self-explanatory.  SNMP checks however require a bit of digital mysticism.  Here is basic process for creating a new SNMP check that can then be used over and over again on your dashboard.

I'd like a System State Backup with a side of critical data and databases please!!

                 I'm sure all of you sit down with your clients periodically, if not you should, to go over their current state of affairs in regards to their network and their business technology needs and suggest what you feel is necessary; which should include some type of  backup solution. Translation - Tell them what they need with people skills :) These types of conversations need to be addressed because they don't have a proper working solution in place or if you've decided that you should be in charge of the backups since you will be blamed for it if your customer doesn't have the data they need when they need it. I call it the CYA (Cover Your Agreement) policy.  This scenario would give both you and your client piece of mind. So when it comes time to introduce possible solutions and alternatives, I'm also certain MSPs lead with some type of hardware appliance that does full images so that you can bring them back up rather quickly with either another image,some type of virtualization in the cloud capabilities, or maybe even both.  Then the new customer will probably give you one one of these three responses: 

OH NO! A REBOOT! ... Never fear - SysTray's here

Rebooting a computer automatically or without interacting with the desktop is quite important to the regular maintenance or health and well-being provided by Managed Service Providers.  In GFIMAX RemoteManagement this can be accomplished several ways, both automatic and "immediate" from the dashboard.

But what happens when this scares the pants off the end user???

Customize Your Branding on Client Reports

Now that you have branded your GFI MAX RemoteManagement system, what about customizing the client facing reports?  This can be done through your dashboard.  By editing the templates for the reports you can adjust where your logo resides, email address' associated with your reports, and more!

Change the settings for Automatic Updates

Microsoft did a wonderful service for "regular people" to get their operating system updated with very little fuss.  The original Windows Update web site, with a shortcut icon on the Start menu was great.  Over the years it grew ...

Work Smarter, Not Harder - Patching Shortcuts

Deploying patches to multiple machines on a per machine basis is cumbersome.  Scheduling reboots one machine at a time takes too long.  Within GFI MAX there is no need to perform maintenance one device at a time.  With keyboard shortcuts you can take three hours of work and do it in a fraction of the time!

MOB Only Deployment - What NOT to Turn On

We've said it before, we'll say it again, GFIMAX can be used not only as a Remote Monitoring tool, but as a "foot in the door" using more traditional concepts for end-users/clients.  As with our Anti-virus-only deployment allowing MSP's to have a month-to-month SaaS offering, we can also utilize the concept with a simple-to-deploy Backup solution that can backup to the cloud from anywhere.