Pandora FMS, a leader in the Information Technology and Monitoring solutions market, is glad to announce that the unification of its brands, Integria IMS and eHorus, under the new names Pandora ITSM and Pandora RC, respectively, has been successfully implemented. 

Pandora ITSM, formerly known as Integria IMS, represents Pandora FMS IT Service Desk and Service Management solution. It provides a comprehensive platform for managing IT incidents, issues, changes and assets, enabling organizations to improve the efficiency of their IT departments and deliver a superior service to end users.

Pandora RC, formerly known as eHorus, is the Remote Control solution from Pandora FMS. It offers a safe and effective platform to access and manage servers and devices remotely from any location in the world. Pandora RC becomes an essential tool for system administrators and support technicians looking to maintain the effective operation of their systems.

This significant advance reflects Pandora FMS’ commitment to further strengthen and consolidate its position in the technology solutions market, providing a more comprehensive and cohesive service and strategy for both its customers and partners.

Such brand unification will be completed across all Pandora FMS platforms, website and social media.

We would also like to underline that eHorus and Integria have always been part of Pandora FMS family, and this change does not alter our dedication to providing exceptional IT monitoring and management solutions.

“We are excited to see how Pandora ITSM and Pandora RC brand and products are further integrated into Pandora FMS. Pandora ITSM has always represented a compelling mission and value proposition in the field of IT service management“, – Sancho Lerena CEO of Pandora FMS. 

“For a long time, IT service monitoring, IT service management (ITSM), and remote control solutions have evolved independently, but now, under the Pandora FMS umbrella, we are exceptionally unifying these three areas.”

This brand unification reflects the trend in the technology industry towards the consolidation and simplification of product and service offerings, with the aim of improving the customer experience. Pandora ITSM and Pandora RC celebrate this achievement and are committed to continuing to excel in their respective fields.

We are committed to your satisfaction and look forward to exceeding your expectations in the future.

Kind regards,

the Pandora FMS team.

About Pandora FMS

Pandora FMS is the integral monitoring solution: it is profitable, scalable and covers most of the infrastructure deployment options. 

Find and solve problems quickly, no matter if you come from on-premise, multicloud or a mix of both. 

In hybrid environments where technologies, management processes and data are mixed, a flexible tool capable of reaching everywhere and unifying data display is needed to make its management easier.

Thanks to more than 500 plugins available you may control and manage any application and technology, such as SAP, Oracle, Lotus, Citrix, Jboss, VMware, AWS, SQL Server, Redhat, Websphere and many more.

For those of you who do not yet know it, Pandora FMS is a tool that allows to control and monitor the whole infrastructure of an institution, so that the performance of computer supports can be displayed in real time and prevent failures, system crashes and cyberattacks.

With more than 50K installations in 53 countries, its customers include companies such as Salvensen, Prosegur, Repsol, CLH, Euskaltel, Adif, Santalucía, Cofares, AON, El Pozo, EMT, and other foreign companies such as Rakuten, the bank with the largest history in the USA, Nazareth University in New York, and hospitals in Spain and Canada. Also, public administrations such as the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, the Comunidad of Madrid, the Diputación de Barcelona and numerous municipalities in France, Portugal and Spain.

If you have that innate vocation to help others, and you have not been able to with the vow of chastity that the Church requires, nor with the hypocrisy of some NGOs, diving into the exciting world of customer service may be the perfect choice for you.

From the hustle and bustle of retail to the charms of hospitality, job opportunities in this field are virtually endless. 

No matter what your particular interests are, you can always find a position that fits your short and long-term career goals.

Imagine having the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis. Like Superman or, in his day, Indurain.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that the field of customer service is highly competitive.

How to make your resume and cover letter stand out from the rest?

The key is to understand the need for a specialized curriculum.

Too often, job seekers settle for a generic resume that they use to apply for any position, with hardly any modifications.

But here’s the hard truth:

Generic resumes rarely achieve success, especially when it comes to customer service positions!

If you really want to stand out, you need to invest time in updating and customizing your resume for each specific position you apply for.

At present, recruiters and management teams are looking for candidates who can actually demonstrate that they adapted their CV and previous experience, with the aim of showing why they are the best candidate for the position.

This means that you should write your goal, work experience, skills, and other sections of the resume from a customer service-focused perspective.

There is no room for duplicate resumes; each must be unique and outstanding.

But how can you achieve that? Don’t worry, we’re here to guide you through the process of writing a resume that will help you stand out from the crowd and get employers’ attention.

*Remember, your resume is your cover letter and a chance to showcase your passion for customer service. Get ready to impress recruiters and open the doors to a successful career in the exciting world of customer service.

For a specialized resume: highlight your most relevant experience

When it comes to addressing the “past jobs” section on your resume, it’s important that you focus on your most relevant experience rather than following the reverse chronological approach.

This strategy is especially useful when your most relevant professional experience is not your most recent position.

How should you address this situation on your resume?

Ideally, your most relevant work experience should appear first in the employment section of your resume, which means, we insist, that you should not follow the traditional reverse chronological order.

An effective way to achieve this is to divide your work experience into two sections:

“Relevant professional experience” and “Other work experience”, for example.

*Yes, I know they look like nondescript titles, but they’re super specific.

De esta manera, puedes resaltar todos tus trabajos relevantes en atención al cliente cerca de la parte superior de tu currículum, donde es más probable que los reclutadores lo noten, mientras utilizas la otra sección para mostrar que también ha tenido empleos estables en otros campos.

That way, you may highlight all of your relevant customer service jobs near the top of your resume, where recruiters are more likely to notice, while using the other section to show that you’ve had stable jobs in other fields as well.

Now, when describing your previous positions, it’s important to refresh your descriptions using industry “buzzwords.”

You know.

Keep in mind that those who review your resume probably won’t have time to read it carefully.

Instead, they will flip through it for relevant information.

This is where keywords become important.

Also, if you have experience using social media to attract customers, be sure to highlight it.

Increasingly, the ability of customer service professionals to manage companies’ social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms, is being valued.

Resume customization: the road to success

In job search, each position has its own particularities and requirements.

Therefore, it is essential to tailor your resume and application for a cashier position differently than applying for a retail supervisor position.

While a cashier resume highlights your cash management and problem-solving skills, a supervisor position requires a focus on leadership and communication skills.

When you are looking for job offers in customer service and you decide to apply, one of the best strategies you can follow is to incorporate all the relevant information of the position into your resume.

*For example, if a job ad for a call center representative is looking for candidates who can work in fast-paced environments and solve conflicts, you should tailor specific parts of your resume to show how you reflect those skills.

This may include specific examples of previous roles, where you worked in high-speed environments or situations where you were entrusted with problem-solving.

The more customized your resume is for the position you’re applying for, the better your chances of receiving a call for an interview.

Also, don’t forget to highlight your past accomplishments!

One of the most common mistakes when writing a customer service resume is not emphasizing previous achievements with specific examples.

This is your time to shine, like Elsa in Frozen, and stand out from the rest of the job seekers.

If you successfully led your sales team, achieved first place in regional sales, or if you received a customer satisfaction award in a previous job, this is something you should definitely include in your resume!

Dedicate a specific section at the end of the resume to highlight special awards and recognitions, and take advantage of the spaces in each job listing to include particular examples of your accomplishments.

Highlighting your job stability and relevant training in the curriculum

In the competitive field of customer service, job stability is an increasingly valued factor by companies.

With such high turnover rates, highlighting your track record of staying in previous positions can make all the difference compared to other candidates with similar skills and experience.

If you’ve worked at a company for several years, take this opportunity to highlight your commitment and reliability on your resume.

*Devote a special section to highlighting your job stability, especially if you’ve been in a position for an extended period.

This will show potential employers that you are someone they can trust and that you have the ability to maintain a long-term relationship with a company.

In case there are gaps in your employment history of more than five years, consider including only the last five years of work experience to avoid highlighting those gaps, especially if your previous jobs are not directly related to customer service.

Also, don’t forget to mention the relevant courses and studies you’ve taken!

Even if you haven’t earned a degree, you can still list the college courses you’ve completed as “relevant courses.”

Examine the classes you have taken and select those that are relevant to customer service work.

For example, a communication course or a foreign language can be very valuable in dealing with customers who speak different languages.

Briefly explain how these courses have helped you develop specific skills in the field of customer service, such as conflict resolution and effective communication.

Resume submission and format

Proper presentation and formatting of a customer service resume are crucial elements in capturing the attention of recruiters and standing out from the competition.

It’s essential to consider both length and design to ensure your resume is effective and conveys information clearly and concisely.

First of all, you should keep in mind that recruiters usually spend little time reviewing each resume.

*Therefore, it is advisable to keep your resume on a single printed page.

Avoid the temptation to include all the details of your previous work experiences.

Instead, focus on the most relevant and outstanding aspects of your journey.

The logical format of your resume is equally important.

Start with your contact details, such as your name, phone number, email address, and home address.

Next, consider including a short statement of objectives expressing your interest in the specific position you are applying for.

This can be especially helpful when applying for a position at a company that is hiring for multiple roles simultaneously.

Subsequently, present your relevant educational and work experience, highlighting those roles and responsibilities that demonstrate your skills in customer service.

Remember to tailor this section to each position you apply for, emphasizing tasks and accomplishments that align with each employer’s specific requirements.

*A list of specific skills could also be very useful!

Include competencies that are relevant to the customer service role, such as problem-solving skills, effective communication, and focus on customer satisfaction.

Also, if you have outstanding awards or recognitions, you can mention them in a separate section to highlight your past achievements.

As for references, unless specifically requested in the application, it is not necessary to include them in your resume.

Instead, you can indicate that references will be available upon request.

Conclusions

If you are looking for an exciting and rewarding career in the field of customer service, it is important that you stand out from the crowd of applicants.

Do not settle for a generic resume, but invest time in customizing it for each position you apply for.

Remember that recruiters are looking for candidates who demonstrate that they adapted their experience and skills to customer service.

Highlight your most relevant experience and use relevant keywords to capture employers’ attention.

Customize your resume for each position, highlighting the specific skills that are required.

Don’t forget to highlight your past achievements and awards received, as this can make all the difference.

In addition, job stability and relevant training are valued aspects in the field of customer service.

Highlight your history of staying in previous positions and mention the relevant courses and studies you have taken.

Finally, pay attention to the presentation and format of your resume.

Keep it on a printed page and organize it logically.

Start with your contact details, followed by a mission statement and your relevant educational and work experience.

Highlight your skills and mention outstanding awards and recognitions in separate sections.

So get off the couch and get ready to impress recruiters and delve into the exciting world of customer service!

With a personalized and well-presented resume, you’ll be one step closer to achieving your dream career and making a difference in people’s lives every day. Just like Wonder Woman!

Good luck and come back to this article to leave a message if you made it!

It’s time, take your things and let’s move on to more modern monitoring. Relax, I know how difficult the changes are for you, but if you were able to accept the arrival of DTT and the euro, you sure got this! 

But first let us do a little review:

Traditional system monitoring solutions rely on polling different meters, such as the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), to retrieve data and react to it.

When an issue requiring attention is detected, an event is triggered, which can be notified through email to the administrator or by launching an alert.

Consequently, the administrator responds according to the nature of the problem.

However, this centralized approach to monitoring requires a considerable amount of resources.

You knew it?

Due to the “pull” nature of the requests, gaps are generated in the data and these could lack sufficient granularity.

In response to this limitation, the adoption of a telemetry-based monitoring solution has emerged as a promising alternative.

The day has come: discover more modern monitoring

By making the switch to a modern approach to monitoring, you gain access to smarter and richer solutions in terms of anomaly detection.

This transition represents a great advantage in the field of system monitoring.

In addition, another compelling reason to implement modern monitoring is the growing number of systems that rely on accurate monitoring to enable automated infrastructure operations, such as scaling nodes up or down.

If monitoring fails or is not accurate enough, disruptions can arise in the expected scalability of an application.

Therefore, reliable and accurate monitoring is essential to ensure the proper functioning of the systems.

To improve the efficiency and accuracy of surveillance systems, organizations are exploring smarter, more advanced solutions.

Telemetry vs. Poll: Differences and benefits in modern system monitoring

When it comes to implementing telemetry in surveillance systems, it is important to understand the differences between the streaming and polling approaches.

While streaming telemetry can be more complex, its design offers greater scalability, evidenced by public cloud providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

These tech giants manage millions of hosts and endpoints that require constant monitoring.

As a result, they have developed telemetry and monitoring channels with no single points of failure, enabling them to gain the level of intelligence and automation needed to operate at a great scale in their data centers.

Learning from these experiences can be invaluable when building your own monitoring solutions.

In contrast, survey-based monitoring solutions may face scalability challenges.

Increasing the polling interval for a specific performance counter increases the load on the system being monitored.

Some meters are lightweight and can be probed frequently, but other heavier meters generate significant overhead.

Consistent data transmission may appear, at first glance, to involve greater overhead compared to a polling solution.

However, thanks to technological advances, lightweight solutions have been developed.

In many cases, data flows through a flow query engine that enables outlier detection while storing all data to support trend analysis and machine learning.

This architecture is known as lambda architecture and is widely used in applications that go beyond monitoring, such as in the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors.

It provides real-time alerts for values outside normal limits, while enabling cost-effective storage of recorded data, providing deeper analysis in a low-cost data warehouse.

The ability to have a large amount of recorded data allows for comprehensive analyses of transmitted values.

System monitoring: Smart approaches and machine learning for accurate alerts

In the system monitoring area, it is crucial to ensure data quality to obtain accurate and relevant alerts.

Most monitoring tools offer the ability to customize alert ranges.

*For example, you may want to receive an alert when CPU usage exceeds 80% on certain systems, while on other systems a high level of CPU usage may be part of its normal operation.

However, finding the right balance can be tricky:

• On the one hand, you don’t want alerts to overwhelm administrators with irrelevant information.
• On the other hand, you also don’t want to set too lax thresholds that hide critical issues in your data center.

To address this dichotomy, it is advisable to use intelligent or dynamic monitoring approaches.

These approaches capture a baseline for each system and only trigger alerts when values are outside normal limits for both the specific server and the corresponding time frame.

As more data is collected, many monitoring tools are deploying machine learning systems to perform deeper analysis of the data.

This advanced processing makes it possible to generate smarter alerts based on the specific workload of each system.

Machine learning is used to detect subtle patterns and anomalies that might go unnoticed by traditional alert rules.

However, it is important to note that it is essential to verify that these smart alerts work correctly and provide the expected alerts.

Extensive testing and result validation is necessary to ensure that alerts are generated accurately and in a timely manner.

*That way, a more efficient and reliable surveillance system will be achieved.

Monitoring continuity: Key strategies and approaches for detecting problems in systems

As your organization seeks to implement smarter monitoring, the crucial question arises:

How do we detect problems or outages in our monitoring systems?

As automation connected to these systems becomes increasingly reliant, monitoring becomes an even greater challenge.

There are several measures that can be taken to ensure monitoring continuity:

• First, it is critical to create redundancy in the infrastructure, either by deploying virtual machines or leveraging platform-as-a-service (PaaS) services across different data centers or cloud regions. This ensures that, in the event of failures at a point, alternative systems are in place to support monitoring.
• Another option is to establish a custom or secondary alert mechanism that verifies the status of the primary monitoring system and acts as an additional security layer.
• It is also possible to implement an alert process, which generates alerts at regular intervals, and have a scaled mechanism that issues an additional alert if the process is not activated as expected.

In addition to these approaches, it is important to ensure that the alert mechanism covers all application layers and it is not limited to just one.

*For example, it is necessary to perform tests and monitoring in the web layer, the cache storage layer and the database, to detect any failure or anomaly in any of them and receive relevant alerts.

Keeping online supervision requires a proactive and solid approach in terms of architecture and strategy.

By implementing these security and verification measures, it is ensured that any problems or interruptions in monitoring systems are quickly detected and addressed, allowing a timely response to maintain the proper functioning of critical systems.

Conclusions

Taking the leap to more modern monitoring is a smart and necessary decision to ensure proper system functioning.

Although the changes may seem intimidating, remember that you survived the Ibook and egg-free mayonnaise, so this should be a piece of cake!

Telemetry is presented as a promising alternative, offering smarter solutions and more accurate anomaly detection.

In addition, the implementation of redundancy measures, custom alert mechanisms and extensive testing at all layers of the application will ensure reliable and timely monitoring.

So get ready to embrace modern monitoring and leave outdated methods behind!

Remember, in the world of monitoring, to be modern is to be more modern than the average human.

And you’re ready to be the “cool kid” of monitoring!

Hello again, Pandoraphiles! Today on our beloved blog we want to introduce you to a video. You know that from time to time we do just that, don’t you? Bringing back some video from our channel, the nicest and most relevant one, no question, and break it down a little bit in writing. 

All of that so that you may have the book and the audiobook, so to speak.

Well, today we are going with… drum roll:

In this article, as in the video, we will guide you through the installation process of Pandora FMS environment, using the handy online installation script.

With this tool, you can quickly set up your system and start taking advantage of all the monitoring and management possibilities offered by Pandora FMS.

Before we begin, make sure you meet the following requirements to ensure a successful installation:

1. First of all, your machine must have access to the internet, since the installation script requires access to multiple URLs and official repositories of the distribution you are using.
2. Likewise, check if you have the “curl” command installed, which usually comes by default in most distributions.
3. It is important to have the recommended minimum hardware requirements, for optimal system performance.
4. When you are ready to start the installation, make sure to run the commands as root user.
5. Finally, make sure you have a compatible OS. In this case, the installation can be done on CentOS 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, or Rocky Linux 8. If you’re using a Red Hat distribution, make sure it’s activated with a license and subscribed to standard repositories.

In the specific case of this video/article, we created a machine with Rocky Linux 8.

If you already have all the other requirements, just check that you are actually running the commands as root user, and proceed with the execution of the online installation tool. This process will install the latest available version of Pandora FMS.

Installation

Now wait for the installation process to finish.

Once the installation process is completed, you will be able to access Pandora FMS console through your browser.

In the video, in addition, we present you with a valuable addition:

We will check out the environment variables that you may modify prior to installing Pandora FMS.

Among the variables that you may adjust there is:

• The time zone, through the TZ variable.
• The database host, as well as the database name, username, and password.
• You may also specify the database port and password of the root user, which is “pandora” by default.

In addition, you are given the option to skip checking for a previous Pandora FMS installation, skip the installation of a new database, or the recommended kernel optimization.

These options allow you to adapt the installation to your specific needs.

Likewise, there are variables such as MYVER or PHPVER that allow you to define which version of MySQL and PHP you want to install.

With MySQL, you may specify “80” for MySQL 8 or “57” as the default option for MySQL 5.7. In the case of PHP, you may specify “8” for PHP8 or “7” by default for PHP7.

Continuing with the customization of Pandora FMS environment, you will also have the option to define the URLs of the RPM packages of Pandora FMS server, console and agent.

By default, these URLs point to the latest available version, ensuring that you are always using the latest improvements and bug fixes.

It is important to note that there is also the possibility to indicate whether you want to install the packages of the latest beta version available.

However, it is recommended to use this option only in test environments, as beta versions may contain experimental features and may not be as stable as stable versions.

If you want to install specific packages, this option will be automatically ignored.

Working in the field of software monitoring may seem boring or too technical, but let me tell you that there is more fun and excitement than one might imagine at first.

Not that we’re all day doing barbecues and celebrating, but once we almost did our very own Olympics in the office! Kind of like The Office, you know.

*Long live Michael Scott.

Anyway, join me on this journey for a day in the life of a software monitoring expert, where code lines mingle with laughter and soluble coffee.

Our protagonist, whom we will affectionately call “Captain Monitor”, will face in this pseudo-documentary of flora and fauna, a day full of technical challenges and unexpected surprises.

From the moment he opens one of his lazy, rheum-covered eyes to the moment he closes his latest generation laptop, his life is a roller coaster ride of hilarious emotions and situations.

Early morning

Let’s start with the morning rush hour, exactly when Captain Monitor faces the dreaded flood of alerts in his inbox.

While trying to classify and prioritize alerts, he comes across one that says:

“The main server has become an orchestra of mariachis who just got completely wasted, from the Tenampa Hall to Plaza Garibaldi!”

Yes, you read that right:

It turns out that a “fellow” prankster decided to play a little joke on him and change the alert tones to Lucha Reyes rancheras.

But the surprises don’t end there!

Late morning

During a team meeting, Captain Monitor discovers that his charming cubicle companion has turned his desk into a jungle of cables, pins, modems and other electronic devices…

Between the giant monitor and the stacks of hard drives, the Captain seems to be lost in a kind of modern version of Alan Parrish’s Jumanji.

No matter how much he insists that monitoring modern software doesn’t actually require a work environment of such high technological sophistication, his partner continues and continues to pull plugged-in tinkerers to mock up his particular digital fantasy world.

Early afternoon

In the midst of testing and system tweaks, Captain Monitor also faces the challenges of dealing with “forgetful users.”

Yes, that user who calls all the time with problems that could be solved with a simple reboot.

But our hero doesn’t give up easily and becomes the master of basic reset instructions.

Sometimes he even dreams, as he sleeps in the toilet at nap time, of a life where he doesn’t have to say:

“Have you tried to reboot your device yet?”

Deep Afternoon

But it’s not all chaos and micro-ulcers in the world of software monitoring. Captain Monitor, who as you guessed works in the Support Department, also has his moment of glory when he manages to detect and solve a critical problem of global scale before it causes a collapse in the system of the floral commissioning company he monitors.

In that moment of triumph he feels like he’s on the main stage of a rock concert, with the crowd cheering and the fireworks bursting on top.

“Yes, this is the life I have chosen and I like it!,” exclaims to himself.

Just before the end of the day

At the end of the day, when not all danger is over, but he starts just ignoring it anyway out of pure exhaustion, Captain Monitor relaxes and shares some funny anecdotes with his colleagues in the break room.

They all laugh their asses off and share similar stories of technical madness and tense situations with customers.

It is, more than ever, in those shared moments when Captain Monitor realizes that, despite the challenges and the three thousand crises he suffers daily, there is a special camaraderie among the experts in software monitoring.

They are a close-knit, adventurous, cool community!

Here we go again

And so, the next morning, we are confident that Captain Monitor will rise and shine with renewed energy, ready once again to face another challenging day in the exciting world of software monitoring.

Because while there may be times of frustration and stress… There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of discovering and solving problems to look good with the boss!

Dimas Pardo

Dimas P.L., de la lejana y exótica Vega Baja, CasiMurcia, periodista, redactor, taumaturgo del contenido y campeón de espantar palomas en los parques. Actualmente resido en Madrid donde trabajo como paladín de la comunicación en Pandora FMS y periodista freelance cultural en cualquier medio que se ofrezca. También me vuelvo loco escribiendo y recitando por los círculos poéticos más profundos y oscuros de la ciudad.

Dimas P.L., from the distant and exotic Vega Baja, CasiMurcia, journalist, editor, thaumaturgist of content and champion of scaring pigeons in parks. I currently live in Madrid where I work as a communication champion in Pandora FMS and as a freelance cultural journalist in any media offered. I also go crazy writing and reciting in the deepest and darkest poetic circles of the city.

Put on your seatbelts, intrepid developers! In this era of technology trends and digital-first strategies, organizations are jumping on board the microservices train with Docker containers.

What is Docker?

Well, it’s like a magic box that wraps your app with everything it needs to actually work, like a file system, tools, and even a roadmap to reach multiple platforms.

It’s like your software has its own travel-ready backpack! 

Microservices: the new superhero team of programming

Today, developers are using Docker to build microservices, which are like the Avengers of the software world.

These microservices are small pieces of code that work together to perform specific tasks. For example, imagine a pizza chain that uses microservices to take orders, process payments, and coordinate deliveries across the country. It’s like having a league of pizza-efficient superheroes working together!

The star role of docker engine and his gang

When we talk about Docker, we can’t help but mention Docker Engine, the leader of this container gang.

Docker Engine is responsible for building and running the containers. But before you can do that, you need a Docker file.

Think of it as the script of a movie that defines everything necessary for the image of the container to come to life. Once you have the Docker File, you may build the container image, which is like the main actor running in the Docker engine.

Docker Compose and Docker Swarm: The adventure companions of Docker

The fun doesn’t end there!

Docker offers more adventure companions, such as Docker Compose and Docker Swarm. Docker Compose allows you to define and run applications in containers, like the movie director who coordinates all the scenes.

And then there is Docker Swarm, which converts a group of Docker servers into one, as if merging the Power Rangers to form a megazord. It’s every director’s dream to have a united team ready for action!

Docker Hub feast and Open Container Initiative (OCI) party

But wait, we’re not going to stop our analogies, there’s even more! Docker Hub is like a developer food buffet, filled with containerized microservices ready to be devoured.

Do you need a web server? A database? You’ll find a bit of everything here!

It’s like a party where all the main services are invited. In addition, Docker has created the Open Container Initiative to ensure that the packaging format is universal and open. It’s like ensuring that all guests follow the rules of etiquette.

AWS ECS: Amazon’s Container Management Service to the rescue!

If you are playing in the world of Amazon Web Services, you have at your disposal Amazon EC2 Container Service (ECS), which is a highly scalable and safe container management service.

With ECS, you can easily deploy and manage your microservices in Docker containers in the Amazon cloud. Imagine having a team of assistants take care of all the infrastructure and logistics, while you focus on developing and deploying your containerized applications.

Dare to build your own microservices architecture with Docker!

Now that you know the basics of Docker, microservices, and associated tools, it’s time to venture out and build your own microservices architecture with Docker.

Remember that microservices allow you to split your application into separate components, making it easy to scale and maintain.

With Docker, you can package and deploy each microservice in a container, taking full advantage of the flexibility and portability this technology offers.

Get ready for a new way to develop apps!

Docker and microservices are revolutionizing the way we develop and deploy applications.

With their modular approach, scalability, and portability, this combination has become a popular choice for many organizations.

Whether you’re building a complex enterprise application or a simple web application, consider adopting a microservices architecture with Docker to take advantage of the benefits it offers.

It’s time to take the leap and discover the exciting world of containerized applications!

Once you have built your microservices architecture with Docker, new possibilities will open up for your application development.

Here are some additional ideas for you to consider:

• Container orchestration: In addition to Docker, there are tools like Kubernetes and Docker Swarm that allow you to efficiently orchestrate and manage your containers in production.
  These tools will help you scale your services, distribute the workload, and make sure your apps are always available.
• Continuous Implementation (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD): With Docker, you can easily integrate your microservices into a CI/CD workflow.
  This means you can automate the process of building, testing, and deploying your containers, streamlining the development lifecycle and allowing you to launch new features faster.
• Monitoring and logging: As your applications grow in complexity and scale, it’s critical to have monitoring and logging tools in place to maintain good performance and troubleshoot issues.
  Tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK Stack are very popular in the Docker ecosystem and will help you monitor and analyze the performance of your containers and microservices.
• Security: When using Docker containers, it is important to keep security best practices in mind.
  Make sure to apply patches and updates regularly, use reliable and secure images, and consider using vulnerability scanning tools to identify potential issues in your container images.

Conclusions

Docker and microservices are ever-evolving technologies, and there’s always more to discover. Keep learning about new tools and approaches, participate in communities and conferences, and stay on top of the latest trends. The world of containers and microservices is full of exciting and challenging opportunities!

Today, in those much needed training videos, we will delve into the exciting and mysterious universe of basic monitoring of computers with Linux operating systems. Ready to unlock the hidden secrets of your devices? Well, let’s go!

Before you dive into this adventure, make sure you have Pandora FMS environment installed and running.

Done?

Well, now we will focus on how to monitor those Linux computers that allow you to install the software agent devoted to this operating system.

The first point is to install the software agent on the Linux computer you want to monitor.

For that purpose, follow a series of magic commands that will install the necessary dependencies.

Who said monitoring didn’t have its own spells?

Once dependency installation is finished, go into software agent installation.

That’s when true magic begins.

Pay attention!

Configure the agent to point to your Pandora FMS server through the “server_ip” parameter.

In addition, activate remote configuration by changing the value of the “rimout_config” parameter to 1.

If you want to give it a personal touch, you may also assign it a specific group using the “group” parameter, which is “Servers” by default.

Take advantage, here you can be the director and assign roles to your agents!

Once you’re done with all these configurations, save the changes and launch the Software Agent with the command “/etc/init.d/pandora_eiyent_deimon start”.

Can you see Linux computer monitoring coming to life?

Now you can see how your agent appears in the console of your Pandora FMS server, in section “Resources, Manage Agents“.

If you go into the main view or the module view, take a look at the information that the software agent obtains by default from Linux systems.

CPU, RAM and disk space? You won’t miss a byte!

But wait, there’s more!

You may also enable the inventory plugin for detailed information.

Just go to the agent plugins view and turn on the inventory light bulb.

Afterwards, you’ll just have to wait for the next agent interval, or if you can’t resist it, manually restart it to receive the inventory data.

The information will be within reach!

But that’s not all.

Let’s add a touch of excitement to this story!

Imagine that you receive a critical alert from your agent and need to act immediately. Don’t worry, Pandora FMS has the perfect solution!

Just go to the “Alerts, Alert List” section and click “Create”, you may create a custom alert.

Choose the agent you want to monitor, select the appropriate module (you may choose intriguing names like “Host Alive”!), and set an action to notify you by mail when the module is in “Critical” status.

Isn’t it great?

Now you can solve the most high-priority cases in the blink of an eye!

But wait, you want more secrets unraveled?

Then here is another tip for you.

Discover predefined local components and learn how to create modules from them.

Go to “Settings, Templates, Local Components” and dive into a world full of possibilities.

If you’re a Linux lover, you may filter and explore local components specific to this operating system.

Now select a local component and create a new “data server module” module. Add the local Linux component you like the most and bring your new module to life. You’ll just have to wait for the next agent interval or, if you’re impatient, manually restart it to see the results.

Conclusions

Basic Linux monitoring with Pandora FMS is not only effective, but also exciting and fun.

So don’t wait any longer, sharpen your monitoring skills and let the action begin in the world of Pandora FMS!

Remember, in the video description you will find useful links that will guide you through each step.

Don’t miss it, as you don’t miss any videos from your channel, and start your journey towards basic Linux monitoring with Pandora FMS!

Today, on Pandora FMS blog, we’re going to get parabolic, not like the antennas flooding your city’s skyline corrupting the sky with their 3G poison, no. Parabolic parables. Like Yisus. 

Thus, through a sweet story that your mental voice will read in a engulfed way, we will reach an incredible inflated conclusion of moral and good vibes. Let’s get there with the narration about the secret life of software!

The secret life of software: mischief and monitoring

There was once a little software called Glitchinator that worked in a boring office of a gray and monotonous building. The decoration was as exciting as a chess contest:

• A coal gray carpet.
• Ash gray walls
• Smoky gray curtains…

The air conditioning made a somewhat particular noise, something between some frozen fries thrown suddenly into the pan and a symphony orchestra that plays the same note over and over again. The rest of the software employees, CrashMaster, Crisistracker, FaultFinder… walked through the room like zombies with blank eyes.

People did not speak, only dipped their tea bags of chamomile and emitted sounds very similar to the redundant typing of a 21st century typewriter.

“If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it would be like to work in a tomb, this office is the perfect place for you.”, Glitchinator used to say.

Of course Glitchinator felt trapped in a routine of coding and programming, with no excitement or adventure in his life. It was all about washing peripherals, ironing the screen, polishing icons… and on Sunday mornings vacuuming the hard drive.

But something changed one night when all the employees went home and Glitchinator, for the first time, was left alone in the office after returning from a walk on the terrace to some files.

“Why let your files be sedentary?”

Right there gray started taking on color and Glitchinator felt free.

What to do now that no one was watching him, that no one was judging him?

Could… could… could it become a naughty show?!

“Hell yeah!”

So he went crazy. He took off his shirt, rolled up his pants and changed all the fonts in the Word documents on his partner Boris DefectDestroyer’s computer, which left him moderately baffled the next day.

Afterwards, he became emboldened and changed the icons on the desk of the boss’s PC, Mr. MalwareMangler, which left him equally confused. He always likes to have the trash icon at the top right corner of the screen.

But that wasn’t enough for Glitchi.

He wanted to do something even bolder. So he decided to pay a visit to the printer, there he lowered his pants and began to print sheets with “funny” images:

• Pictures of kittens with birthday hats.
• An avocado with headphones,
• And a hundred memes with phrases like “I’m compiling, please don’t talk to me”, “Keep Calm and Debug On”, “Error 404: humor not found!”.

He left them scattered all over the office.

Glitchinator felt like a fish in water, at its own pace, without any restrictions. But what he didn’t know is that his secret affair wasn’t going to last that long.

The S.W.A.T. team descended through the cork panels of the office roof and pointed their open-source lethal weapons at Glitchi.

Someone made the phone call.

Fortunately for Glitchi, after the illicit beating, the toughest guy among IT’s S.W.A.T. team found one of Glitchi’s “antics” somewhat amusing, I believe it was the avocado with headphones.

It was hilarious.

After the pleas and whining of the poor software, the team patted him on the shoulder and told him that it is okay to let go from time to time, to do something that breaks the immutability of daily lives, but as long as it did not endanger the security of his company to the point someone had to call the S.W.A.T.

From that good or bad afternoon, depending on how you look at it, Glitchinator became a model software, always doing what it had to do and avoiding any kind of childishness that could bring him closer to a photocopier.

He even gave up alcohol!

Conclusions

Have you been able to get a glimpse of the lessons of this extravagant parable?

We’ll give you three options.

1. The moral of the story is that monitoring is crucial to keeping computer programs under control. Without it, they can make dangerous roadblocks and put your company’s security at risk.
2. The moral of the story is that it is important to be open and willing to receive the Word of God. It also teaches us the importance of perseverance and overcoming difficulties.
3. The moral of the story is that we are all sinners and can make mistakes in our lives, but there is always an opportunity to repent and start over.

Integria IMS has a history that goes back several years. It was developed by Pandora FMS, the famous software company based in Spain. Today, Integria IMS has become one of the most powerful tools with extensive global experience in monitoring servers, applications and networks.

External API and automation with Pandora FMS

Both products are standalone; however, Integria IMS can be integrated into Pandora FMS, allowing you to leverage their combined power.

Application Programming Interface

This technology, better known by the acronym API, is the one that enables communication between Integria IMS and Pandora FMS, and even third-party applications.

This is achieved by using user credentials, both to perform data queries and to perform task creation and writing actions, such as incidents.

Since security is a fundamental aspect, the API has two additional measures to prevent brute-force attacks, that is, repetitive attempts to guess usernames and passwords. The first step requires you to set a specific password in order to use the API.

The second and most important measure is the possibility of establishing a list of IP addresses authorized to use the API. That way, any request that comes from outside this list will be immediately discarded.

Decreasing repetitive tasks

The main advantage of using the API in both systems is the automation of routine tasks that must be performed dozens or even thousands of times. This allows hired staff to focus on really important tasks, such as providing custom responses to customers or planning new processes to close tickets and collect them later, classifying them appropriately.

Deadline compliance

Another important advantage is the ability to schedule automatic actions for certain dates, even at the most favorable times. For example, you can schedule instructions to be sent to the API during lower workload hours, such as early mornings. This allows you to take advantage of the optimal moments to execute tasks without manual intervention.

According to results, additional actions

Since the API can return messages of success or failure in the “conversation” in formats such as XML or CSV, it is possible to execute additional conditional instructions after receiving a response. This enhances operations and provides the feeling of having more staff constantly and relentlessly available to perform their tasks.

In aspects such as hardware and software inventory management and control, it is really necessary to use an API, since the huge number of items involved makes it almost impossible to perform it manually.

Reporting

Another aspect that benefits from the use of APIs is the creation and forwarding of periodic reports. By providing real-time information at any time, it is ensured that the reports generated reflect the most up-to-date situation.

New Options

Integria IMS API is open to develop new features quickly since it was built with the flexibility of Pandora FMS in mind.

Conclusions

Integrating Integria IMS and Pandora FMS through an external API has revolutionized server, application and network monitoring. This technology enables efficient and safe communication, with additional security measures to prevent brute force attacks.

Automating routine tasks and scheduling automatic actions at optimal times has freed staff from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on more important tasks and provide personalized responses to customers.

In addition, the API provides the ability to execute additional conditional actions and obtain real-time information to generate updated reports.

Hardware and software inventory management is greatly simplified thanks to the API, overcoming the limitations of a manual approach.

And finally, the Integria IMS API remains open to new features, allowing agile and flexible development to adapt to the constantly evolving needs of Pandora FMS.

Dimas Pardo

Dimas P.L., de la lejana y exótica Vega Baja, CasiMurcia, periodista, redactor, taumaturgo del contenido y campeón de espantar palomas en los parques. Actualmente resido en Madrid donde trabajo como paladín de la comunicación en Pandora FMS y periodista freelance cultural en cualquier medio que se ofrezca. También me vuelvo loco escribiendo y recitando por los círculos poéticos más profundos y oscuros de la ciudad.

Dimas P.L., from the distant and exotic Vega Baja, CasiMurcia, journalist, editor, thaumaturgist of content and champion of scaring pigeons in parks. I currently live in Madrid where I work as a communication champion in Pandora FMS and as a freelance cultural journalist in any media offered. I also go crazy writing and reciting in the deepest and darkest poetic circles of the city.

Since the Covid pandemic began, the word “hygiene” has ceased to be only for germaphobes and has become the holy grail of health.

Washing hands and wearing masks has become as normal as breathing (literally).

But did you know that your computer systems also need some love and hygienic attention?

That’s right!

Cyber hygiene is the new mantra to keep your data and networks healthy and safe from cyberattacks.

So, get ready to discover the 7 best practices that will help you keep your organization safe from cyber chaos. Because if your net fails, there is no disinfectant to save you.

Cyber hygiene keys to protect your data 

1) Monitor and control your inventory as if you were Big Brother!

If you don’t know what you have, then you have no idea what you’re protecting.

To make sure your data is safer than Fort Knox, you need to keep a watchful eye on all the junk and software in your company.

Yes, even those devices brought by your enthusiastic employee on “Bring Your Own Device Day.”

Document everything from the software they use to the color of the cables.

If you detect suspicious software, sound the alarm and make sure to keep track of every hardware failure.

Don’t give cyber villains a break!

2) Don’t be a slacker, patch that software at once!

Did you know that outdated software is the “winter refuge” of cybercriminals?

According to a study (totally scientific, of course) conducted by the Ponemon Institute in 2020, 42% of data breaches were caused by the laziness of not applying available patches.

Hackers are out there looking for outdated software to sneak into your network.

Don’t welcome them!

You need a process that reviews and updates all your software in the background, without upsetting your brave end users.

3) Back up, don’t be a (data) loser!

Losing data is as painful as breaking a mirror with your head while an umbrella opens from your mouth (seven years of bad luck included).

Not only can users unintentionally delete files, there are also hardware issues, power outages, and those ruthless malware attacks.

Ransomware, for example, is like virtual hijacking, they ask you for ransom for your data! Save your company time, money and tears by making regular backups.

Automate the whole process to avoid human error and maintain a backup program with the precision of a Swiss watch!

4) Do not give permissions to anyone, be fussier than your father with culinary innovations!

Humans are the cause of 95% of cybersecurity problems, according to the prestigious “Obviously” World Institute.

So, if you don’t want your network to be as safe as an unlocked door, you need to carefully control who has access to what.
Manage user permissions as if you were a guardian of Death Star 4 who does not want the slaughter of 1, 2, and 3* to be repeated.

But wait, assigning permissions manually is a slow and boring process. Instead, use an IT management solution that does all the dirty work for you and automatically assigns usage rights.

*Yes, there is a third in the last Star Wars trilogy.

5) Say goodbye to “123456” and welcome strong passwords!

According to a (very scientific) survey conducted by Google in 2019, 65% of users use the same password for everything.

Even IT professionals are to blame for this digital laziness!

Do you want hackers to crash your network? Of course not.

Raise awareness among users about strong passwords and the importance of changing them regularly.

But come on, let’s face it, nobody likes to rack their brains thinking about complicated passwords and then forgetting them instantly. Use a password manager to automatically generate strong passwords and store them in an encrypted database.

6) Multi-Factor authentication for hackers to cry virtual tears!

Passwords are actually like play dough locks in the digital age, easy to open for evil hackers!

So don’t just rely on them to protect your data. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and make hackers rip off virtual hairs of frustration.

Ask users to verify their identity through different factors, such as one-time passwords sent by text or email, personal security questions, or even facial recognition.

Make hackers feel it’s easier to climb mount Everest with a pressure cooker on your head heating lentils than it is to get into your network!

7) Don’t play Russian cyber roulette, use a cybersecurity solution!

There are many cybersecurity options out there, but here are a few key points to consider:

Find a solution that can detect known and unknown threats. In addition, you need a solution that can automatically repair any infection and clean up any traces of malware. Make sure it’s compatible with all your devices and operating systems, because you don’t want to leave anyone unprotected. And of course, make sure it’s lightweight and doesn’t slow down your devices.

Conclusions

If you want to save time and effort, consider adopting a cybersecurity framework.

Rely on the collective wisdom of thousands of professionals and let their expertise guide you in implementing a robust cybersecurity program.

Because honestly, who has the time to reinvent the wheel of cybersecurity?

Remember, maintaining proper cyber hygiene does as much good as washing your hands after you’ve helped give birth to a cow in the herd.

So, follow these 7 golden keys and keep cybercriminals at bay.

Don’t let them infect you with the cybernetic neglect virus.

Your network and data will thank you!

Dimas Pardo

Dimas P.L., de la lejana y exótica Vega Baja, CasiMurcia, periodista, redactor, taumaturgo del contenido y campeón de espantar palomas en los parques. Actualmente resido en Madrid donde trabajo como paladín de la comunicación en Pandora FMS y periodista freelance cultural en cualquier medio que se ofrezca. También me vuelvo loco escribiendo y recitando por los círculos poéticos más profundos y oscuros de la ciudad.

Dimas P.L., from the distant and exotic Vega Baja, CasiMurcia, journalist, editor, thaumaturgist of content and champion of scaring pigeons in parks. I currently live in Madrid where I work as a communication champion in Pandora FMS and as a freelance cultural journalist in any media offered. I also go crazy writing and reciting in the deepest and darkest poetic circles of the city.