Business has become such a competitive endeavor that those who deprive themselves of the latest and greatest technology solutions could be at a serious disadvantage--namely in terms of productivity and security. A new study shows that there is a direct relationship between businesses that run older versions of operating systems and web browsers, and businesses that fall victim to data breaches.
When implementing a new project, expectations run high and deadlines must be met. The temptation is to feel so pressured to get the project finished that the planning phase is rushed. If even a small detail is overlooked and a shortcut is taken in this early stage, it can come back to bite you in a major way--perhaps even derailing the project altogether. This is especially the case for an IT project.
CIO.com provides a working ratio of why such oversight is important for IT projects of any size, especially during the more risk-prone discovery phase. “Discovery is the crux of project risk. Although the discovery and architecture phases of a project may represent only 15 percent of the overall effort, an error or omission early on can cause cost overruns of 150 percent or more.” Have you experienced an issue of this scope in any of your company’s previous projects?
In order to prevent your next IT project from facing a disastrous end like this, you're going to want to invest the time needed to perform the discovery and architecture phases correctly, the first time. But how can you make sure this happens?
For starters, working closely with your vendors and service provider is a must. If you detect that they’re not thoroughly answering your questions or that they’re trying to rush the project in any way, then you’ll need to speak up about it, before it’s too late. Instead, you need to make sure your vendors are guiding you through each step of the process, and that they’re assertive enough to present you with options and tough choices when it comes to unpleasant tradeoffs.
Secondly, you need to know what it looks like when a project is being rushed or shortchanged. This can be difficult to catch for a busy business owner with only a surface-level knowledge of IT. At Infradapt, we know what this looks like and we want to pass this information onto you. When in the discovery/architecture phases of your next (or current) IT project, look for a vendor taking these four shortcuts.
These four shortcuts can devastate an IT project, or any project for that matter. One way that you can safeguard your business from these risks is to hold consultation sessions all throughout the course of the project--as opposed to leaning heavily on the original project roadmap, which may grow more unreliable as the project progresses from phase to phase. Infradapt can provide this kind of project oversight for your next IT initiative, as well as spend the time needed in the early phases of the project. This will ensure that no stone is left unturned and every possible circumstance is accounted for.
Give us a call at 800.394.2301 and don’t plan your next IT project without first consulting with the pros.
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.
You might be surprised by how much time outsourcing your IT operations can save you. Of course, this all depends on how you are currently managing your company’s technology. First, you’ll want to individually assess each of your IT tasks to see how they are currently being handled. Once you have compiled a list of all IT-related tasks, you can then start considering outsourcing them to an IT company like Infradapt.
Here is a list of some of the IT services that you can outsource to our professional technicians.
If you’re responsible for even some of these basic IT tasks, you’ll have a pretty tight schedule that makes you wonder if it’s even possible to get all of it done. If you want to outsource these responsibilities to Infradapt, you can take all of the time spent on these tasks and add it back to your workday, freeing your schedule up to pursue other opportunities.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to answer the question of whether or not managing an IT infrastructure is in your job description or not. With the time saved from not managing IT, you’ll be sure to take your business to greater heights. To get started, reach out to Infradapt at 800.394.2301.
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.
By migrating your data to a cloud-based server infrastructure, you can take advantage of a virtual environment that’s specifically designed with your business’s needs in mind. Even better is if you get a third party to outsource the management and maintenance of such an infrastructure. This lets you take advantage of many other great benefits:
Reduced Costs
Just like any other machine in your office, physical server units rely on utilities such as electricity. Unfortunately, these utilities are also rather expensive in large quantities, considering how much energy it costs to cool down systems that generate a considerable amount of heat. Migrating your physical servers to the cloud-based model means that your data is stored in the cloud on a virtual server, which eliminates these costs and alleviates any time spent on the upkeep of such technology.
Improved Flexibility
Flexibility is one of the main selling points of cloud-based servers. When you store data and applications in the cloud, anyone with credentials and access to the Internet can gain access to them easily enough. Even better, it can all be accessed on a plethora of connected devices as long as they are approved by your IT department. This provides considerable flexibility to your busier workers, allowing them to do more traveling to conferences or phoning into meetings.
Consolidate Your Infrastructure
Does your business use legacy applications? If so, you’ll appreciate this major perk of using virtual and cloud-based servers. You’ll know that there can be complications with your legacy applications and server operating systems, which means that you would ordinarily have to run separate server units on different OSes for all of your legacy applications. However, you can partition your virtual servers to account for these various operating systems, meaning that you can run both your legacy apps and more recent operating systems on the same units. Since you don’t need to run as many server units, this eliminates costs and simplifies your infrastructure.
Does your business struggle with managing server units? You can outsource this responsibility to make the process much easier and more efficient for your operations. To learn more, reach out to us at 800.394.2301.
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.
There are two primary ways to secure a network. The first involves implementing security solutions to protect it on a technological level. The other is to ensure that the human element of your business--your workforce--is educated on best practices regarding network security.
Hover Over Links to Check Their Authenticity
Even if you think you know the sender of an email, be sure to hover over the links to make sure that they go to where they claim to go. You can do the same with any attachments sent to your email address. In reality, you might never encounter a message specifically designed to target down your business, but staying vigilant is the best way to ensure that nobody makes a mistake. A couple of seconds here and there can be the deciding factor for the future of your business.
Passwords Are Not Nearly Enough
Nightmare scenarios surrounding poor password security are all over the Internet and news outlets, especially over the past few years. Passwords like 12345678 aren’t uncommon in the business environment, specifically because they are easy to remember--even if they aren’t secure. More businesses than ever before are implementing password requirements that involve complex password usage at every turn. With password managers becoming more common, there really isn’t any excuse not to use them.
Don’t Send Personal Information through Email
Hackers are always trying to convince users to share sensitive information with them, even if they aren’t aware of it. One increasingly common tactic used is whaling, which involves hackers taking on the identity of an organization’s CEO or President. Since most employees will simply do as they are told, hackers believe that they can convince employees to perform various functions, such as wire transferring funds or handing over credentials and personal information. This is why it’s especially important to use your head and question illogical or unsound statements that you think might be suspicious. Look for typos or misspelled names in these messages, as whaling schemes will show various giveaway signals that mean you should think before you act. If you suspect anything at all, confirm with whoever sent the message in person or through a company-verified email or telephone number.
Always Be Sure to Mention Security Openly
The push for better network security only dies when you stop talking about it. Therefore, you should always communicate the importance of network security when you get the chance. Consider for a moment just how crazy-common ransomware has become in just a few short months. Some employees still might not know the difference between ransomware and other types of threats, and that data backup doesn’t guarantee that everything can be restored properly. Open communication lines between your staff and IT professionals so that they can ask questions and identify warning signs before it’s too late to do anything about them.
If your employees are unaware of just how important they are to the security of your network, be sure to help them out by making it easy for them. Infradapt can help you implement security solutions that keep your business safe, as well as aid in the process of informing your employees about best practices. To learn more, reach out to us at 800.394.2301.