What Is System Management

Imagine hundreds of computers that are interconnected, each one needing maintenance and troubleshooting should one individual unit fail. The idea behind systems management is that there is a systemized administration of each of these computers, from top to bottom. This may involve, even at the simplest level, the administration of certain patches or bug fixes on the individual computer systems, taking into consideration the fact that they also operate as a whole functioning unit.

Systems administration can also refer to hardware administration and management. Each unit is individually labeled and catalogued, as well as the parts that make up each computer system. In the event of a hardware failure, individual computer hardware must be assessed and eventually replaced, the logic being that once a part needs to be replaced, you will have to keep track of your inventory to avoid any mistakes in logging errors.

System administration also involves periodic maintenance of each individual computer unit. In this aspect, hard drives need to be regularly defragmented and scanned for errors. In terms of upgrades, eventually each unit will also have to be upgraded in response to the rapid evolution of computer technology. With regard to security, and enterprise-wide security system should be in effect, to prevent intrusion by viruses and malware that could jeopardize the entire operation. Frequently, these security systems will require updates as well, and this too falls under the responsibilities of system administration.

In set ups where there is a large number of users, errors can and will happen. Systems management also involves setting individual user rights, in terms of network logins and email access. A well managed system is able to keep track of all users by requiring logins, and can track events that happened in the system through change logs and the like. In terms of setting user rights, the system administrator holds complete control over who can access the system, and what functions certain users can perform on the system. System management also involves the careful setting of these user rights, as doing so will be more helpful in the long run as it prevents unregistered users from altering critical system files and downloading harmful content into the system.

Storage management is another facet of system management that takes into consideration the amount of space needed by individual users. The storage given to certain systems is allocated based on user preferences and must always be in line with business operations. If your system is designed to be data-heavy, i.e., it must be able to create, store or edit massive files, storage management comes into play because you never want yourself to be in a situation where you will not be able to save all of your painstaking work into the hard drive. That being said, a well-managed system should also be able to adapt to the individual storage needs of each user. There are many more references on system management, so continue to research on the Net and you should come up with a great number of articles dealing with specific areas of system management.