Taming an existing network [closed]
http://www.spiceworks.com/
This tool is easy to install, and will setup basic monitoring, inventory, and patch levels for you. This will get you by until you have had time to study the network and setup something more specific like Nagios or System Center.
As far as tools and processes that I have used in the past I follow this routine.
- Map physical plant
- Map logical system
- Map IP address space (external and internal)
- Aggregate all our login accounts and password for systems and websites using PINs
- clean up/add antivirus installation
- clean up/add anti spam solution
- systematically bring all devices to latest patch levels
- clean up errors in Active directory
- clean up errors in Exchange (or mail system)
- clean up servers one by one as time permits
In my Tool box I have...
- Visionapp Remote Desktop
- Spiceworks
- Addiscon
- PINs (http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/pins.html)
- pstools (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896649.aspx)
Process wise, it sounds like a task management system like 'Getting Things Done' or 'The Cycle' will be invaluable. The latter was developed by a system administrator and I've heard that it can be very helpful.
I would start with spending a couple of hours writing down a list of all the documentation and inventory that you need to be able to sleep soundly without worrying about your environment. Once you have that, order it by priority, start at the top and work your way down the list; each of those items probably warrant a question of their own.
In terms of generic monitoring, if you have a spare machine, it may be worth setting up a Nagios instance. This will show you what kinds of alerts/issues you are seeing on your network and may give you pointers as to where to start in terms of infrastructure improvement. These questions cover the topic of monitoring in more depth.
Whether your favored tool is Visio or a pad of paper, I think it's invaluable to diagram out what you've got, and how it interconnects. Map out which servers are on the LAN/DMZ, include static IPs of note, include symbols for server roles (web servers, databases, print servers). Really basic information that will help you troubleshoot quickly, rather than tracking down these details on the spot.
My favored tools for this are Visio and any kind of Wiki (sharepoint has a crude wiki option in the newest version, mediaWiki) that you can throw up quickly.
I've often resorted to the Jellybean Keyfinder to get keys from servers I've inherited.
On a side note, I've spun my wheels for long periods of time trying to get more automated systems working to do these things for me. Crude = fast (for a small user base).