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Ryan LaFlamme

Ryan LaFlamme

Ryan LaFlamme is Auvik’s former Senior Content Manager. Ryan has worked as an advertising and marketing professional for over 12 years, working with leading global brands in Canada and internationally. Will probably pet your dog.

Check out the best from Ryan LaFlamme

Cybersecurity

What is a Supply Chain Attack (and What Can You Do About It)?

Any cybersecurity breach is damaging to individual companies. But when it becomes a supply chain attack, the results can be chaotic and widespread. While most…
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Tech Industry

51 Types of As-a-Service Offerings

Head spinning with all those cloud acronyms? Keep it all straight with our list of 51 as-a-service offerings—everything from AIaaS to XaaS.
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Network Management

Insider Risk: The Call is Coming from Inside the House

[BONUS POINTS IF YOU CAN NAME THE MOVIES THESE GIFS COME FROM IN THE COMMENTS] In IT, we tend to think of threats as external. Hackers, scammers, bots, and…
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Network Management

Passing Grade: Top 3 Recommendations for School Network Administrators

Peace of mind. There is nothing else like it. And when you’ve planned well, taken decisive action to document, close gaps, review policies, standardize…
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Network Management

What is ITIL? IT Infrastructure Library Guide

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a framework of best practices for providing various information technology (IT) services, including…
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IT Leadership

What is IT Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is a common business practice, and the IT industry is no exception. It shouldn’t be a surprise that companies are turning to IT outsourcing,…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

What is an MSP SLA? Everything You Need to Know

As a managed service provider, your success depends largely on the satisfaction of your customers. If they’re happy, they’ll stay with you and recommend you to…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

What’s the Perfect IT Staffing Ratio?

What’s the tech to user ratio in your MSP—and what should it be? We dig into the numbers.
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Protocols & Communication

What is DHCP?

In the early years of the internet, it was common to simply use a spreadsheet to manually assign and track IP addresses. We’d be given a generous pool of IP…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

How MSPs Can Create a Future-Proof Business

Learn what areas to focus on when future-proofing your MSP business and how to approach them strategically.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

The True Cost of Switching to Auvik

In the day-to-day grind of IT, getting lost in the details can be easy. Taking a systems view of your network and understanding how it all ties together can…
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Tech Industry

Auvik’s Top Ten Blog Posts of 2022

We published a finger-aching 73 articles this year, with topics ranging from Networking 101,to Navigating to IT career, to how to play DOOM in our own…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Top MSP Books for 2023: 10 Recommended Books for Growing Your MSP Business

We asked leaders from IT channel companies and MSPs which book they’ve read that left them with actionable learning. Here are their top book picks for MSPs who…
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Tech Industry

Network Nightmares, Vol. 2

The time has come, friends… We asked you for your most frightening tales of networks gone amok! Of cabling that keeps you awake at night! Of mysterious…
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Tech Industry

IT Asset Lifecycle Management: Why Is It Important?

IT assets are a crucial part of any organization, and IT asset lifecycle management of performance and efficacy throughout helps ensure smooth operations….
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Tech Industry

Network Nightmares Vol. 2: Open Call for Submissions

Auvik wants your nightmares (your network nightmares)! Our open call for Network Nightmares, Vol. 2 is here! Spooky season is back, and it’s time for us to…
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Configuration & Troubleshooting

What is Edge Computing?

Data has become an incredibly valuable commodity for most businesses. With so many people connected to the internet, the data we generate is increasing…
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Network Management

What Does SASE Mean (for VPN)?

The basic idea is great: all your security and network services are on one platform. The problem comes when you get into the specifics. When does a set of…
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Tech Industry

IT Asset Disposition: An MSP Opportunity That’s Anything But Trash

Managing old gear is the bane of an MSP’s existence. But why not turn that problem into a revenue stream by offering end-of-life services to clients?
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Tech Industry

Sustainable Technology: Can Clouds Save The Planet?

Sustainable technology has become a hot topic in the tech world over the past few years. From the escalating environmental impact of heat and water-intensive…
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Cybersecurity

Using the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to Assess Your Clients’ Network Security

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework was intended to be used by internal IT teams, but can be used to create a network security assessment tool for MSPs.
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Network Management

Help Desk vs Service Desk: How to Choose the Right One

An IT help desk is meant to be a single point of contact (SPOC) that employees and customers can use to get support from your business. Its primary function is…
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Protocols & Communication

Agent vs Agentless Monitoring: Which is Best?

Agent-based and agentless monitoring are the two main approaches network monitoring tools use to capture and report data from network devices. As the names…
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Devices

The Auvik Network Device Buyer’s Guide

Buying the right network devices is an essential part of network design, and can have an impact throughout the network lifecycle. Get it right, and your…
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Configuration & Troubleshooting

Is it Time to Retire Your VPN?

Back to the question at hand: Is it time to move on from VPN? For an enterprise-wide greenfield deployment or network refresh? Sure, consider modern VPN…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

The 5 Levels of MSP Operational Maturity

In this interview with Paul Dippell of Service Leadership Inc., we walk through the levels of operational maturity for MSPs and how to climb them.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Filling in the Gaps: Manufacturing and MSPs

Should manufacturers keep IT in-house, or leverage MSPs to support their growing networks?
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Protocols & Communication

What’s next for the Internet of Things?

As IoT expands, it’s vital to understand the future of IoT. Explore IoT trends & predictions, and what they mean for managing IoT networks.
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Network Management

What Does it Take to Run a Smart City?

From smart lighting, to waste management, to air quality, IoT devices and other “smart city technologies” are rapidly changing life in urban areas. And with a…
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Tech Industry

3 MSP Trends on the Rise

Where are the biggest opportunities for MSPs to scale? Consider adding new service offerings around these trends.
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Tech Industry

The 2021 Auvik Holiday Gift Guide for IT Pros!

It’s that time of year. We’ve scoured the internet, and plumbed the depths of our company Slack channels, to bring you a round-up of gift suggestions for 2021….
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Network Management

The Lights Never Go Out For Financial Services

The financial sector is in a constant state of change, and institutions must continually adjust to the evolving needs of their customers and the global…
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Tech Industry

Network Nightmares, Vol. 1

The time has come, friends… We asked you for your most frightening tales of networks gone amok! Of cabling that keeps you awake at night! Of mysterious…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

20 KPIs Your MSP Should be Tracking (Webinar)

Auvik’s Patrick Aubert and Larry Garcia of BrightGauge hosted a great conversation worth sharing about how to do just that: find the metrics that matter to…
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Tech Industry

What’s in a Name? “Network Specialist” vs. “Network Engineer”

Network engineers design networks, while network specialists or technicians maintain these networks. Learn more about these IT roles & how they compare!
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Network Management

The Auvik Guide to Figuring Out What’s Hogging Your Bandwidth

Knowing how to tell what users and devices are using high levels of your network bandwidth is key to proper management. Learn everything you need here.
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Network Management

Have Your Say in the new Idea Portal

Auvik is excited to launch the all-new idea portal: where great ideas can grow, build support, and help shape the future of Auvik. Find out how to access it…
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Network Management

Networks at Risk Due to Widespread Gaps in Basic Network Management Activities: Report

The Network Field Report 2021, a new study from Auvik Networks, reveals how in-house IT administrators manage their networks.
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Tech Industry

The Top 8 Frankly IT Podcast Episodes of 2020

What were people listening to in 2020? These 8 Frankly IT podcast episodes were the most downloaded of the year.
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Tech Industry

Why 50,000 Podcast Downloads Is Kind of a Big Deal

Earlier this month, the Frankly MSP podcast crossed 50,000 all-time downloads. Next month, we’ll release our 50th episode. Here’s why that’s kind of a big deal.
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Tech Industry

Office Technology You Might Someday Be Managing

Let’s hop in our DeLorean, set the date to 2029, and get a look at some smart office technology you might one day be expected to manage.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Top 6 Frankly MSP Podcast Episodes From Our First Year

Tomorrow marks the official one-year anniversary of Frankly MSP, the podcast for managed service providers who want to boost their productivity, efficiency,…
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Tech Industry

Breakouts, Beer, and Bears: Automation Nation 2018 Photo Recap

Last week, an Auvik crew travelled to Orlando, Fla., for Automation Nation 2018. Here are some of the highlights.
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Configuration & Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot Internet Connections

With Auvik’s internet connection check, you can get out in front of internet issues so you’re aware of the problem—and potentially have a solution—before the…
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Network Management

Automatically Manage Network Configuration Backups

Stuff happens—and not all of it can be predicted or avoided. But no matter what causes network downtime, getting your client back up as quickly as possible is…
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Tech Industry

IT Nation 2017: #WheresTheBear

IT Nation is the biggest conference on the MSP annual calendar, and each year the shows gets bigger and better. 2017 was no exception with a crowd of nearly…
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Network Management

7 Networking Innovations That Are Changing the Future

True networking innovations, the next next-generation technologies, are developing solutions to help the MSPs achieve what today seems like fiction.
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Tech Industry

11 Network Cakes for Hardcore Nerds

If you love all things network as much as we do here at Auvik, you’re going to love these 11 nerdy confections. Yum!
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IT Leadership

Unlocking Greater Performance From Your IT Team With Workplace Meditation

In the fast-paced world of IT, meditation might seem counterintuitive. But research says it results in a happier, healthier, and more productive team.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Sell More Prospects on Your Managed Services Offering

We encourage MSPs to use Auvik during the proposal phase with new accounts for four key reasons.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

MSP Productivity: The High Cost of Sleepy Employees

With so many tickets, projects, and deadlines, IT pros are often overworked and under-rested. But sleep matters. Here’s why.
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Network Management

Clock Signal issue: These Are the Vendors and Devices Affected by Intel Atom C2000 Chips

Intel Atom C2000 series chips have a clock signal problem that can cause devices to brick. Check this list of affected vendors and devices.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Could Your Tech Team Be More Productive by Working Less?

A short work week can boost productivity, employee wellness, morale, recruiting, and retention. Could a reduced work schedule work for your IT team?
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Tech Industry

IT Nation 2016 Recap: Breakthrough

We have the scoop on what went down at one of the biggest tech events of the year.
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Tech Industry

Threat or Gold Mine? What Lies Ahead for Managed Services

“This is the shift that will dominate the future of IT services,” says Arnie Bellini, CEO of ConnectWise. Are you ready?
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Tech Industry

The Network Admin’s Role in Saving the World From a Hackerpocalypse

By delivering a secure network, you’re not only providing the best service to clients, you’re helping stop the hackerpocalpyse and save the world.
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Tech Industry

As Network Value Skyrockets, Network Managers Become Increasingly Essential

Networks are an indispensable part of life in the 21st century. Just how much is one worth? And how much does that make network admins worth?
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Network Management

Rogue IT Almost Cost This MSP’s Client $1 Million. Almost.

At 2am, ITque got the call: The network had crashed at one of their biggest clients. Learn how ITque came through looking like heroes.
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Tech Industry

17 Network Stock Photos So Terrible They’re Great

Here’s what happens when you search a stock database for photos about networking, of the computer kind.
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Network Management

Setting Up Auvik to Post to Slack

Slack is a go-to office tool. Did you know there’s an Auvik/Slack integration? Here’s a step-by-step on how to feed your Auvik alerts into Slack.
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Tech Industry

Tech Marketing That Doesn’t Stink

Marketing. There are few words that inspire as much fear and loathing in IT pros as that one. But is marketing’s stinky reputation deserved?
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Network Management

9 Ways to Use Network Audits to Grow Your Business and Reputation

Network audits can help you build and enhance your service reputation, identify upsell opps, troubleshoot problems, and more.
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Tech Industry

22 Network Industry Statistics to Use and Share

A well-placed stat can give a client presentation, blog post, or business plan greater power. We hope you’ll find this list of network statistics helpful.
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Tech Industry

8 MSP Peer Groups to Support Your Business Success

Networking—the person-to-person kind—is critical to running a successful business. Here are 8 great MSP peer groups and their major events.
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

12 Must-Read Books for Growth-Focused MSPs

We asked 12 leaders in the MSP community, from advisors and marketers to service providers themselves, about the one book they’d recommend to other MSPs who…
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Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Warning: Your Best Employees Could Be Your Biggest Weakness

Employees are your MSP’s greatest asset. But they can also leave your business vulnerable. Take these steps to protect yourself.
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Tech Industry

The 12 Days of Networking

On the first day of networking my true love gave to me…
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Tech Industry

Best of the Rant’s Just for Fun Product Picks 2015

Here are our picks for the top 15 Just for Fun products of 2015.
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Tech Industry

IT Nation Conference 2015: Photo Report

Auvik’s time at the biggest MSP conference of the year: IT Nation. Here’s what happened on (& off) the conference floor.
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Network Management

My Network Toolkit: Korey Rebello

Network engineer Korey Rebello explains the essential tools he carries in his network toolkit.
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Network Management

8 Common Network Topologies & How to Use Them [SlideShare]

Get 8 of the most common network topologies for LAN and WAN construction, along with diagrams, tips, best practice recommendations, and more.
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Network Management

My Favorite Network Tools: René Molenaar

René Molenaar, network trainer, shares the tools that make his life—and his students’ lives—easier and better.
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Tech Industry

11 Costume & Pumpkin Ideas for a Network Admin Halloween

It’s time to get your Halloween on, network admin style!
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You will learn:

  • The impact shadow IT has on an organization
  • How to evaluate tools
  • Tips on security
  • A quiz to help you determine the severity of shadow IT in your org
  • Solutions to solve these problems