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?
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.
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?