If there is any solution that is a constant across businesses, it would have to be the use of email. This also means that the risk of threats coming in through an email solution is also present in businesses of every shape and size. How is this shaping our approach to security now, and how will this shift in the future?
Disasters happen. This is a fact of life, and no amount of hoping can help your business dodge one. You might be able to predict weather anomalies that can cause damage to your organization, like a flood or a fire, but some of the most dangerous disasters out there are impossible to see coming--namely, threats to your organizational security, both internal and external.
2018 will see many changes to the way that businesses manage security, but unlike 2017, when many companies suffered from large high-profile data breaches, the trends aren’t as obvious as you might think. We’ll go over some of the potential trends we could see as a result of 2018’s security developments and why they matter to your business.
So, like millions of others, you’ve taken to making purchases and paying your bills online. The speed of delivery, the ease, and the convenience are truly remarkable considering where we were just a couple short decades ago. But, have you ever considered what exactly makes up the technology that protects your personal information--and your money--from theft while operating on the Internet? We’ll take a short look at the technology that is constantly working to protect your Internet transactions.
At first glance, the way your organization handles communication in-house might not be the first place your business looks to make money. Still, the point stands that a business that communicates better, functions better; and, when a business is functioning properly, it can work harder to make more money. If your organization isn’t utilizing a unified communications solution yet, you should be.
All businesses should be conducting business by looking toward the future, remaining cognizant of what horrors today’s headaches could become later on. If they fail to do so, it could lead to disastrous results, like crippling downtime and operational issues in the long term. If you can be proactive about maintaining your technology, you can prevent these issues from manifesting, nipping problems in the bud before they cause trouble for your organization.
There is an interesting segment of today’s workforce who don’t trust the idea of artificial intelligence. They believe that it is inevitable that artificial intelligence is going to suddenly become sentient and enslave or kill the entire human race. That’s why they believe that in using A.I. to streamline data analysis, they are on the front lines of the war to come.
“Line of Business” may be one of the most confusing terms you’ll see in business management. That is largely because no two people have the same definition of it. Line of Business, would typically get you to think of the process that allows an idea to become a tangible product or service that someone would pay money for.
Every business relies on some sort of productivity. Whether it’s sales, manufacturing, distributing, managing, or support. If you are looking for a way to get more from your staff, giving them direct access to all the data they need to do their job properly can go a long way toward putting them in a position to succeed.
When you decided to start your business, you had to be overwhelmed with everything that you had to do just to get it off the ground. If you are like many entrepreneurs, getting a product to market was the aim then, but as business continues and your organization grows, it’s likely that you’ve looked to technology as a benefit. So, when does the amount of technology you have become a hindrance to your bottom line? We will take a look at what happens when an organization takes their love of technology too far.
If you’re ever asked about your data backup solution, the last answer that you want to give is that you don’t know what measures you’re implementing to keep your organization safe from a worst-case scenario. There are different kinds of data backup and disaster recovery, but they almost always depend on two specific benchmarks: Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective.
A lot has been made of the blockchain recently. Not just because it is the technology used to fuel the thousands of cryptocurrencies there are now, but because the distributed nature of the technology has become the model for many new technological strategies. There are plans to use blockchain technology to do a great many things, but one element where blockchain can help immediately is for cybersecurity. Today we’ll take a look at the blockchain and why it may be the key to the future of network and cybersecurity.
Technology is great for improving certain parts of your business, but only if it is implemented correctly. The way you manage your technology will determine whether you are investing wisely or just throwing away money on solutions that simply don’t work. How can you make sure that your business isn’t held back by the way it manages its technology? It all starts by taking a look at what you currently do versus what successful companies are doing.
The Internet of Things is constantly changing and evolving, but this also means that it might be growing a bit too fast for its own good. So many devices these days have connectivity that it’s difficult to keep your business secure from them. We’ll discuss whether or not the Internet of Things is outpacing the efforts of security organizations and businesses, as well as what you can do to make sure that your business doesn’t fall victim to it.
In a world that is increasingly centered around technology, it is becoming more important that there is a familiarity with this technology in the younger generations. This is a major reason that many educational institutions are taking strides to adopt and encourage the use of technology in the classroom from an early age. As a result, there have also been some observable benefits.
In 2009, when the U.S. Congress passed the HITECH Act there was an optimism that the legislation would push the medical profession into the information age. As a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the United States Government invested tens of billions of dollars into improving the healthcare industry’s use of information technology, and mandated medical practices to implement IT systems that enhance the flow of electronic health records to improve (and speed up) patient care and to try and use that built-in efficiency cut down on skyrocketing medical costs.
Streaming in the office is a topic of hot debate amongst business owners, and for good reason. Depending on the type of media being streamed, it can either enhance or hinder office productivity. What does your company need to know about streaming, and what you can do about employees who can’t resist the urge?
Depending on your business’ operations and industry, there’s a solid chance that your company has some sort of investment in cloud storage. Over 85 percent of businesses today use some type of cloud platform, and many of them use a multi-cloud approach to their organization’s IT. At the center of this trend is cloud storage. This month, we take a look at the types of cloud storage and how one (or more) of the types can help meet your business’ needs.
How does your business manage its data backups? How about restoring them in the event of a disaster scenario? These are questions that no business wants to have no answer to on the spot. You want to have both data backup and disaster recovery put into place to avoid losing a considerable amount of progress.
Managed service is a relatively new concept, but that doesn’t mean that the industry hasn’t grown rapidly. You can now get a managed service contract for your household appliances and one for your automobile. The truth is that not having access to a large cache of capital needed to make proactive investment used to be the bane of the small business. The service model has changed that completely. It has certainly revolutionized the IT deployment and support models. In fact, from hardware support to cloud computing, there are service options for most IT products. This month, we will take a long look at the Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), and the circumstances that need to happen to gain value from one.
More devices are taking advantage of Internet connectivity now than ever before, including some that have no business having a connection to the Internet whatsoever. While there are some practical uses for connective technology on devices on security systems, thermostats, and vehicles, others simply can’t be justified. Even blenders and refrigerators have access to wireless communication nowadays. These types of connected devices are part of the reason why so many businesses are worried about the Internet of Things.
It’s not uncommon to hear about small businesses having difficulty with managing and maintaining IT solutions. Even the most basic topics regarding business technology can be troublesome for businesses with limited budgets and resources. It makes sense that you would want to remove this responsibility from whoever is doing it, but how can you do so without destroying your bottom line?
You may have noticed that there has been a lot of discussion about data recently; specifically, how it has become a driving force in organizational decision making. This month we will take a look at the data revolution, how the data (created by the analysis of other data) has become a commodity, and what is the real value of an individual’s data.
We want to talk a little bit about cyber liability insurance and why it’s important that your business understands what is covered and what isn’t. It’s something that no business actually wants to talk about as the worst-case scenario is often a bit too unnerving to consider.
The business world has been presented a lot of threats recently, and perhaps one of the most notable is ransomware. The reason it has become so notorious is because it’s incredibly difficult to remove from a system; and, the way that it spreads is constantly changing and adapting to further its influence. How can your business prepare against such a volatile threat? It all starts by remaining mindful of how ransomware spreads.
Cloud computing is an ever-growing industry, and it’s only going to grow more popular as time goes on. More businesses than ever have started to adopt the cloud in at least some capacity. Is your company one of the few that haven’t yet moved to the cloud? If so, you’ll want to at least consider it, as your business could gain considerable benefits from doing so.
Have you ever wondered what it would take to knock your company out of business for good? It might surprise you if we said that, in theory, it doesn’t take much at all--perhaps a thunderstorm or a hacking attack to cause irreparable damage to your data infrastructure. Is your company prepared to handle any and all data loss incidents? With a business continuity plan and data backup, you’ll have as great a shot as ever to bounce back following a major disaster or data loss incident.
A business that relies on its technology to function needs to do more than make sure that this technology is able to sustain them. This technology should also be primed to help management and staff achieve their business goals.
If your business isn’t already taking advantage of the cloud in some way, you’re in the minority. Most businesses use it for something or another, depending on the industry and service rendered. Yet, there are all kinds of different cloud-based infrastructures that your organization can take advantage of, which might make the decision somewhat challenging to make. What’s the best type of cloud solution for your business?
Paper documents can hold businesses back for several different reasons. For example, have you ever tried to move to a new office and drag along countless heavy filing cabinets? What about digging through folders just to find one specific document? It’s difficult to sort them in the first place as it is. Technology has made this job much easier, providing businesses with tools to better manage and maintain their wealth of paper documents in the form of a digital cloud environment.
Let’s take a moment to imagine the worst-case scenario for your business. You’ve been struck with a crippling disaster and your infrastructure is rendered inoperable. Maybe it was a fire that burned your office to the ground, or a hardware failure that wiped out any information located on your local network. Maybe a hacker infiltrated your IT infrastructure and installed ransomware on your network, or a user error led to a compromised account and infected network.
Let’s say that one of your employees downloads an attachment from an email claiming to be a receipt for an Amazon order or other online shopping outlet. The attachment then proceeds to infect their workstation with a virus or malware. This puts the integrity of your infrastructure at risk--all because of a simple mistake. Do you send the employee to cybersecurity training, or do you trust they will learn from the mistake and never repeat it?
For most of us, the dust has settled after a hectic holiday season and it’s time to start thinking about getting our finances in order. There will be, however, a few of us who are dealing with the aftermath left behind by cybercriminals looking to profit from misfortune. Identity theft and credit card fraud are two of the most popular ways to defraud unsuspecting victims - and the terms are often used interchangeably.
What would you do if you had an impossibly slow connection speed to either the Internet or your in-house network? Granted, no infrastructure is the same, but you still need to ensure that your business can handle its workload with the cabling setup that you have. If you haven’t updated your business’s infrastructure in some time, you should consider the latest and greatest cabling technologies for your connection purposes.
If you were to lose your business’ data, would you be able to continue operations? The answer is almost always “no,” so you need to take precautions before you inevitably suffer from an unpredictable threat like a hardware failure or hacking attack. Unfortunately, the average small business might have trouble affording such comprehensive coverage, which is a trend that we’re trying to help local organizations buck. If you’re stuck on data recovery, we want to help you better understand data redundancy.
Without communication, would your business be able to function as intended, or would it fall apart? Often times the only thing holding together a project are the links between all of the pieces of it--your employees--each working on various individual parts of its implementation. This is where communication comes in. A unified communications solution is the best way to keep your organization together at all times, whether in the office or not.
With business communications, there is no room for complications that could work to completely derail your organization. Do you know the best way to take full advantage of your business’ communication solutions, and which technologies can help you facilitate this level of productivity? This month we take at some of the most utilized business communications tools and ways to leverage them properly.
IT management is something that is tricky for many organizations--particularly small businesses that have limited budgets and workforces. Does your business have adequate access to IT solutions that make your life easier? Traditionally, the break-fix method of IT support has cost businesses like yours a lot of money. That’s why the proactive Managed IT service method is exactly what many businesses are looking for.
So many devices have entered the workplace that it’s mind-boggling to think about how they will affect operations and security. However, it’s crucial to know how this will affect your business in the future. These connected “Internet of Things” devices could have a major impact on how you run your business in 2018, so take a moment to see what the experts at HAX Hardware Trends have to say about it:
Maintaining network security for a small business has been known to be a major challenge, but not for a lack of effort. Due to the unique budget restraints and workforce troubles that are associated with a smaller organization, security is known to suffer considerably for a number of reasons. On top of worrying about network security maintenance, you need to worry about the many threats that continue to evolve with each and every passing day. How will you keep your business assets secure in 2018?
Since eCommerce has experienced a surge in popularity, your employees might be tempted to get their holiday shopping out of the way as soon as possible by doing a little bit of browsing during your hours of operation. Depending on your business’s policies regarding personal Internet usage during office hours, you may need to take action against those who abuse the privilege.
It’s difficult to tell where the line should be drawn between your home life and your work life--especially around the holidays. Mobile technology has made this more challenging than ever before, so much so that it is out of character for a business professional to be disconnected from the office for too long. How can you find that precious balance between work and life and cling to it, even during the holiday season?
The holiday season is a prime opportunity for hackers to steal considerable amounts of money and credentials from unwary shoppers, both online and in-store. When a lot of customers spend so much money, it’s inevitable that some of these credentials will be stolen by hackers seeking to snatch a credit card number or personal data. How can you protect yourself from a threat that’s not necessarily handled directly by you?
The cloud is one of the best modern technologies that a business can use to its advantage, but nowhere is it as important as it is for data backup and disaster recovery. How does your business ensure that its data remains redundant and secure from situations outside of your control? We know of one way that you can take back control of your business’s future, and that’s with a cloud-based backup and disaster recovery solution, also known as BDR.
Can you imagine your business where it is today without a good, quality telephone system? Most small businesses require a dedicated communications infrastructure, but managing such a thing is not the simplest task. The best way to get the most return on your investment is to implement a Voice over Internet Protocol solution, or VoIP for short.
Over the past few years, more and more small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) have adopted software as a service (SaaS), in favor of the traditional use of software that was stored locally on hardware. Whether you are already using SaaS for a few of your operations or you’re considering implementing it for the first time, there a few fundamental items you should understand: What is Software as a Service? What are the benefits of adopting SaaS applications? In what departments can SaaS be utilized?
Many small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs), find that they need to have the right technology before they can grow. In fact, studies have shown that businesses that cap out at 250 employees and primarily have plans to grow in 2018 are focusing their strategies on using IT solutions and applications to achieve growth.
Cybercrime continues to be a major threat to your organization’s security, and there’s no way to really escape it. Hackers are so prevalent on the Internet that you could actually be dealing with attacks from all sides. Phishing in particular has seen a dramatic rise over recent years, and you need to be wary of email scams designed to steal sensitive credentials.
You and your employees no longer have to be stuck in the traditional office setting as you accomplish your daily tasks and responsibilities. Now, you can accomplish the same things from very different locations, including the airport as you wait for your flight to board, the coffee shop as you sip on your beverage, the office of your valued client, or the hotel that’s hosting a networking event. No longer does a worker need to be tied to a desk in order to work, and in order to survive, your business would do well to adopt these changes as well.
Ransomware has grown in popularity since it first made itself known, but it wasn’t until just last year where it became a powerful presence in the cyber world. Ransomware encrypts the files of its victims and demands payment for the decryption key. In just one year, ransomware stole approximately $1 billion from its victims. Most notable, though, is that these victims were not just from large enterprises, but small companies, too.
Outsourced IT is still a relatively new concept, but outsourced services in general have been around for quite some time. Business owners and even individual users have been taking advantage of outsourced services for quite some time, and the fact that they can take advantage of managed IT services via outsourcing companies makes managing their technology much easier.
Do you fall into the broad term of “professional services?” If so, you might be interested in hearing how managed IT can help you improve operations and take advantage of other various benefits that they provide for organizations like yours. Let’s take a look at some of the many solutions that MSPs can offer for your business. You’ll be surprised by how much more work you can get done during the workday!
When you sit down with new prospects, you rarely talk about data security. The client is usually focused on the problem they have that has made them come to you in the first place, while you are likely focused on closing in on bringing critical revenue into your business. That doesn’t mean that data security isn’t an extremely big issue, it just that without business, it is a non-issue.
Does your business technology help you improve operations, or does it hinder your staff to the point where it’s nothing but a frustration? Chances are that your business requires considerable IT maintenance just to keep things moving forward, but if yourself and your employees are responsible for such a duty, you could be wasting valuable time and effort for other business ventures. To solve this dilemma, you should consider managed IT services for your network maintenance.
Over the past few decades, technology has drastically changed the way businesses of all sizes and industries communicate. In fact, there is a direct correlation between the way a business communicates and its overall success. The majority of customers, as well as their employees, demand that the modern business find avenues of sharing information that are as close to instantaneous as possible.
The benefits of the cloud are almost too numerable to count, but you shouldn’t let this dissuade you from other possibilities. After all, what works for one business may not work for another. For organizations that don’t find the cloud to be the best method of data distribution, an in-house infrastructure is absolutely critical. How can you determine which of these solutions is ideal for your business?
Efficiency is the foundation for every successful business. In fact, many would argue that efficient business is the only good business. Those sentiments haven’t always been the prevailing opinion, but as costs continue to rise for the business owner, finding ways to mitigate revenue losses is paramount to sustaining any semblance of a successful business. Because so many people depend on the average business, it has become essential for businesses to work diligently to enter the information age. It can be perceived as a negative by the people you depend on. How can you make BI work for your business without alienating your staff?
Generally, small businesses will only have, at the most, a couple of servers in the office that are dedicated to storing or sharing data across an in-house network. These machines are absolutely critical to the success of your organization, as without them, you wouldn’t be able to access or store important information. If you want to optimize the way your server infrastructure is set up, however, virtual cloud-based servers can offer a significant benefit for your organization.
More businesses than ever before have been falling victim to the various threats found on the Internet, which has provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about how to protect your business and ensure its survivability in the face of data breaches. However, even your employees are a valuable method of securing your business, especially if you take the time to explain to them the important role they play in security.
Time is one of the few resources in business that cannot be reclaimed. It should be the goal of every business executive to spend most of their time making money. Unfortunately, when you experience trouble with your technology or network, this becomes difficult at best to accomplish. Outsourced IT is a great method that any business can implement in order to create more free time to focus on business operations and money-making initiatives.
If your company’s sensitive data was to be put up for sale, how much do you think it would go for? Chances are, you may be guessing a little high, which makes things worse for businesses in such a situation. Assuming that your data will be sold for a premium price will likely lead you to believe that fewer criminals will access it than actually will.
A responsible business owner looks at the repercussions of their actions, however, it’s not always easy to determine what the right action is. Something to keep in mind is that, if it benefits the long-term mission of your organization, chances are that it’s the right thing to do--especially with technology solutions.
Did you know that, according to Gartner, a whole 80 percent of all employees bring their personal mobile devices to the office? It’s a rather troubling development for business owners who want to secure their data and keep their employees productive. However, this Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend has proved extremely beneficial for prepared organizations. This must prompt the question of how your business manages mobile devices in the workplace.
If we asked you how you back up your data, would you be able to respond with enough knowledge to seriously talk about the topic? Many small organizations are under the impression that data backup is only necessary if your business suffers from a data breach or data loss incident. However, the truth is that if you want to ensure the future of your business, data backup is absolutely crucial.
Technology is necessary for so many businesses, but some don’t know how best to approach managing it. This is particularly difficult for businesses that have limited budgets and workforces, which leads organizations to simply go without the support in favor of saving some cash. Of course, when something goes wrong, it’s more noticeable and could cause major troubles in the future. This break-fix IT is far from the best way to approach IT maintenance, but how can you make sure your budget doesn’t suffer from it?
How confident are you that your employees act in the best interest of your company’s security with every decision they make? While it’s certainly the case that you, as the business owner, think along these lines, it’s also true that the average worker isn’t nearly as motivated about network security as you are. The challenge, then, for business owners is to get everyone in your organization on the same page when it comes to security best practices.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing?” Well, there’s a hint of truth to this, especially in the business world. Just because your cloud solution allows your business to store a huge amount of data in the cloud, doesn’t mean that you are getting the best return-on-investment. In fact, you might just be unknowingly wasting resources that would be better used elsewhere.
The future of any organization is only as good as its business continuity plan. This is a well thought out plan that instructs a company of what to do in the face of a disaster, so they can return to normal operations as quickly as possible. One key part of every business continuity plan that should never be overlooked: the backing up and recovery of your data.
If your business hasn’t dealt with a phishing attack before, you need to understand what kind of threat they present. To steal credentials, personally identifiable information, or other data, hackers will target people by creating messages that entice users to interact with them. This then leads to malware or spyware being deployed on the computing system. Once hackers are in, they can look around and take whatever they are looking for.
Thankfully, natural disasters like floods and tornadoes are rare. However, there are plenty of other threats that are much more prominent, and they can strike at any time. This makes it dangerous to be complacent about your company’s business continuity plan, especially since you have no way of predicting these events ahead of time. This forces you to have the mindset of “If not now, when?”
Businesses don’t typically pay enough attention to the possibility of a cyber attack--a scary thought if you’re unprepared. Instead of just hoping that hackers will overlook your company, you need to equip your network with enterprise-level security tools while taking proactive measures that keep threats out of your infrastructure.
If we asked you to think of a business technology that doesn’t take advantage of the cloud in some capacity, would you be able to come up with one? Cloud computing has become a part of almost every business endeavor, and for good reason. SMBs can leverage the cloud for any number of services or solutions, including email, data storage, server virtualization, and so much more.
Every piece of technology comes with this risk. Although, some businesses are better at mitigating this risk than others, and it’s usually based on how they approach their organization's IT maintenance.
Small and medium-sized business owners are finding that it’s getting more difficult to compete without the means to deploy the newest technologies. Larger organizations are finding greater market shares, but smaller businesses have some advantages, namely in terms of maneuverability. With the help of some external resources, SMBs can be operate as effectively as larger organizations.
What would you do if you got a surprise bill for tech support? Would you go around the office asking where it came from, or would you worry more about trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for it? Clearly someone in your office doesn’t know the proper way of asking for IT support if you are receiving mystery invoices. Regardless, it’s important that you understand that this is the norm for an organization working with a break-fix IT provider.
How much has your business invested in its communications technologies? If your business is like many others, it relies heavily on the functionality of its organization’s communications platforms. You might have a VoIP system filled with features, but are you taking full advantage of them? Here are three ways you can get the most out of your VoIP solution.
Firewalls are one of those things that businesses need, but may not have. They are integral parts of network security for organizations of all shapes and sizes, as well as the average PC user. We’ll discuss what a firewall does for your organization, and why it’s important that you implement one as soon as possible.
The cloud is a great way to make services and solutions available to your employees anytime, anywhere. There are now plenty of ways to leverage out the cloud for the benefit of your business. Here are four such ways:
How does your business handle threats to its data security? You might think you’re safe, but according to the Ponemon Institute, nearly four out of every five organizations aren’t prepared to fend off threats to their security. This is a major problem, so it should make you question whether you’re prepared to handle the various security risks that could potentially plague your business.
Your computer always starts acting up when you need it most; otherwise, you might not notice the minor technical hiccups that happen. To try and fix it, you tap the tower, but the problem only worsens. Now you’re seeing a blue screen, which is definitely not a good sign. If you’re unlucky, you may have lost data, and you might need to start the project over again.
“It won’t happen to me.” This is a common excuse amongst business owners who refuse to equip their network with a comprehensive data backup and recovery solution. They may feel like they’re careful enough to avoid a major data loss-causing disaster. Yet, the inconvenient fact remains that a disaster can happen to any business, no matter how prepared they may be.
There will always be standards that must be upheld in regard to compliance and regulations, regardless of which industry your organization falls into. Still, considering the results of the 2016 State of Compliance survey, you’ll be shocked to hear that there are countless businesses out there that don’t understand what’s required of them.
Do you still rely on desktops in your office? While many organizations still use workstations almost exclusively, it has become clear that mobile devices present a certain advantage over “landlocked” devices like desktops. A recent study highlights the importance of mobile devices and the increased obsolescence of desktops.
As a technology-using business owner, it’s your responsibility to take the security of your organization’s data seriously. This entails knowing the finer details of the many security threats that are out and about on the Internet. Here is a list that includes many of the major threats that you’ll want to keep a lookout for in the business world, and what you can do to stop them.
Flexibility might be one of the biggest reasons to use a VoIP solution, but why should this matter so much to an SMB? We’ll discuss some of the reasons why flexibility is such a huge factor to consider in any technology solution, particularly VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) takes your Internet connection and uses it to send your voice to a recipient, rather than through the use of a traditional telephone line. Here are three ways that your business can leverage a VoIP solution.
Virtually every business needs data to function, yet not every SMB has the skills or resources needed to maintain their in-house server units. If you’ve found yourself struggling with server upkeep, then you’ll be happy to learn that this responsibility can easily be outsourced to a third party.
If your business is using the latest technology solutions, then you know how advantageous they are. Yet, a step in the right direction can often feel like two steps backward. This sometimes happens when businesses implement new technology solutions without considering the ramifications that they may cause for their other technology. Here are two ways that your new technology might be holding your organization back, or even putting your network at risk.
One of the ways which businesses benefit most from technology is through using Internet-connected devices. Yet, the Internet is a dangerous place filled to the brim with threats and security concerns. Considering how diverse online threats can be, there’s something to be said about having enterprise-level security protocols put into place.
While the explosion of technological advancement has been great for business, it’s become more challenging than ever before to keep sensitive information safe--even if all you use is an Internet connection. Even small healthcare offices are feeling the effects of this proliferation of threats and malware as they struggle to keep their organizations secure and compliant with government agencies.
When an organization implements new software solutions, they are usually trying to either replace deprecated applications or find a solution to a particular problem. These solutions are often implemented without regards to the older software, and they’ll just collect dust on the network until someone decides to remove them. These unnecessary apps could be wasting precious time and resources for your business. In fact, up to 38 percent of enterprise applications aren’t being used on business networks.
Since the late 19th century, office environments have used the filing cabinet to keep records stored in an efficient order. However, today’s workplace environment contains more technology than ever before, allowing for more efficient document management solutions. This begs the question, what’s better; the traditional file cabinet, or the digital document management solution?
The traditional break-fix IT model may have worked for businesses years ago, but today it holds them back from fully leveraging their IT to its fullest potential. Managed IT, the superior alternative, aims to take the difficulty out of managing IT so that you can focus on running your business. Here are just a few managed IT services that free up your business in this way.
Regardless of your security protocol, there will always be threats. One of the most often forgotten outlets for attacks comes from insider threats. Sometimes these threats may be from angry employees wanting to sink your business, but more often than not, those behind insider threats don’t have malicious intentions. Still, it’s best to cover your bases and ensure that your organization isn’t at risk from careless or negligent employees.
What would you do if a significant sum of money magically disappeared from your account due to a “miscommunication” between accounting and someone pretending to be you? Wire transfers have made it extraordinarily easy for scam artists to make large transactions, which are augmented by the ability to impersonate authority figures within the office; the c-suite staff, also known as management.
As well-prepared as you might believe your business may be against disasters, the reality is that this is not always the case. In truth, you have no idea when you could fall victim to a data loss incident. As a business owner, you need to understand that it’s not a question of if you’ll experience a data breach, but when, and you need to be prepared for anything.
Fact: if the technologies an organization depend on become unreliable, then widespread problems and losses in productivity persist. Therefore, it’s crucial for every modern business to have some kind of IT support plan in place. What’s your IT plan look like?
When it comes to network security, we often see organizations having one of two approaches: 1) They make security a priority by implementing airtight solutions, or 2) They have no clue what network security means. Of course, if a company doesn’t have security put into place, employees might take matters into their own hands and implement unauthorized solutions. This is called shadow IT, and it has unfortunate results, even if the user has good intentions.
Ransomware is as unpleasant a malware as they come, and can ruin your day by encrypting your files until a ransom is paid. Unfortunately, the threat is getting worse, seeing as it’s now capable of infecting smartphones, too.
With all of the major data breaches making the news these days, it’s not very surprising when you hear about a new one. However, what is surprising is just how much the average cost per breach has skyrocketed in recent years. The cost of data breaches is up 29 percent since 2013, which equates to roughly $4 million per data breach.
Your business needs to focus on mobility, and in doing so, you’ll be able to take advantage of many benefits. Yet, this isn’t to say that mobility doesn’t come with its fair share of problems. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to determine whether or not you want to provide mobile devices to your staff. Just know: the benefits, when handled properly, can far outweigh the risks.
