Tag Archives: IT Managed Services

Technology Trends you Will Hear About in 2018

According to technology research firm Gartner Group, technology spending is expected to grow to $3.7 Trillion dollars in 2018. Communications Services ($1.387 billion) and IT Services ($931 billion) make up the majority of spending. In contrast, Enterprise Software and Data Center Systems are the smallest categories of spending expected for next year. Shifts in IT spending from Data Centric to Cloud Computing change the landscape for buyers, vendors and technology solution providers alike. Here are top Technology Trends you will hear about in 2018.

Cybersecurity

2017 was a year full of data breaches and ransomware. According to a 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study by the Ponemon institute, the average cost of a data breach in 2017 was $141 per record lost. Consider how many customer, prospect, employee, member or supplier records you may have within your organization. With the risks so high, expect Cybersecurity to be top of the list of Technology Trends for most companies next year.

Cloud Computing

According to Forbes, 80% of IT budgets will be committed to the Cloud. Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions will help line-of-business managers from Sales, Marketing, HR and Finance become more productive. Communications and Collaboration applications including Email, VoIP and Web conferencing solutions will connect employees across companies and supply chains. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) will host a range of solutions including websites, online backup and more. The utility model, or paying for usage, appeals to businesses replacing technology capital expense (CapEx) for subscription-based operating expense.

Managed Services

As the “everything as a service” model gains in popularity, more companies will adopt fixed- priced managed services contracts. Rather than waiting until an issue arises, the managed service delivers proactive IT service for on-premise and cloud-based systems.

Software-Defined Everything

Technology research firm IDC predicts Software Defined Networking to top $8b in 2018. As more companies rely on technology for communications, customer experience and remotely hosted cloud solutions, cost-effective network performance becomes critical. Increased cost savings combined with improved connectivity make Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) a popular choice for companies expanding to multiple locations or those reviewing their networking expense.

Emerging Technologies

The technology industry is known for its infatuation with the “New, New, Thing.” Many technologies will impact the buzz meter in 2018–Big Data is one of them. Standards for collecting information and connecting the dots between demographics, geographics and other insights begin to provide companies both small and large competitive advantage.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of process automation, chatbots and other computer-to- computer conversation and learning will creep into the technology stack in 2018. You may find AI emerge in popular productivity applications throughout the workplace.

Companies wanting to stay on the edge of technology will turn to Digital Transformation to fuel growth and efficiencies. Expect large businesses to acquire their digital counterparts, while small business will deploy technologies to improve customer experience and ensure employee productivity.

BlockChain or Distributed Trust technologies will go beyond Bitcoin and other distributed ledgers to drive efficiencies in select industries including Healthcare and Financial services. Blockchain technology uses encryption to link a continuous series of records. By securely confirming agreement to complex transactions, BlockChain technology will begin to rattle in 2018 for many larger organizations. It may take more time before this technology applies to small and medium businesses.

Internet of things (IoT) and other smart devices will emerge in consumer and business technology markets. From security systems to smart cities expect more and more connected devices to contribute to efficiencies from the factory floor to the warehouse door.

As technology becomes a greater part of our business operations, it is more important than ever to ensure we have secure and reliable business systems. IF you have questions about how your business can benefit from emerging technology trends, contact your technology advisor today.

What’s in Your Technology Budget Next Year?

October 20, 2017SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology NewsCloud Computing, data protection, IT Managed Services, Network Managementclikcloud

Many companies start their budget this time of year. As you are thinking about strategic investments, consider how you can leverage technology to improve customer service, make your employees more productive, and possibly save money. Here are a few considerations for next year’s technology budget.

Network Upgrade

Your network is the backbone of your technology infrastructure. Growing demand for high bandwidth activities including Communications and Collaboration, Call Center and Cloud Backup all require a bullet-proof network. What’s more, a number of advancements in Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) could save you a bundle. Consider having a network assessment or Telecom Expense Audit to see if you can save on your communications and networking costs next year.

Fixed Priced IT

If you haven’t deployed Managed Services to augment your technology infrastructure, you might consider how you could benefit from this model. By proactively monitoring and managing your infrastructure, your systems will work better and your cost of systems updates and support will be fixed.

Cloud Computing

The economic model of Cloud Computing allows companies to avoid unnecessary capital expense (CapEx) and use operating expense to subscribe to a range of Cloud Services. Software as a Service (SaaS) provides the latest version of your popular productivity applications, and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offers a consumption model for scalable computing power.

Data Protection

Cyber threat, privacy data breach, human error and natural disasters can put your business at risk. Having a solid data protection plan helps businesses avoid the unnecessary downtime, fines, legal fees, and loss of reputation associated with data loss.

There are many ways to invest in the future of your business. Technology infrastructure is one of them. Consult your technology advisor now to get input on your planning for next year.

The Importance of Maintaining Network Compliance

June 1, 2017SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology Newsanti-malware, anti-virus, Backup and Data Storage, data protection, IT Managed Services, IT Security, IT Systems Compliance, malware, Managed Services, network compliance, Network Management, Network Security, O/S Patch Complianceclikcloud

Last month’s blog provided information about ways to “Avoid Being Held Hostage by Ransomware.” Eight days later, on May 12, 2017, there was a global outbreak of the Wanna Cry Virus. With Cyber Threats on the rise, the importance of maintaining network compliance is top of mind with business owners and IT professionals alike. Industry compliance regulations, including PCI, HIPAA, and SOX, drive best practices in Network Compliance. However, most businesses today rely heavily on their systems to access Cloud Services, Voice, and Data Networks for mission-critical applications that run their business. What can you do to maintain network compliance?

Automate Your Network Administration

Keeping operating systems and network configurations up to date is a top priority for network compliance. Each device that connects to your network needs to have up-to-date operating system security patches, anti-virus definitions, and malware threat prevention in order avoid un- intended intrusion of your network. There are abundant tools and managed services to help your business stay up to date without adding to your internal labor cost.

Proactively Monitor Your Network

Monitor your network to identify any systems that are out of compliance. Proactive monitoring can also identify unauthorized devices connected to your network. You can monitor your network traffic to identify unusual use of network bandwidth. Aside from slowing down your systems, excessive bandwidth may be the result of a malware-infected device that is exploiting your network.

Documenting Your Network Security Controls

Achieving compliance with documented security procedures including password policy, systems maintenance, backup procedures, and compliance measures, is critical to following most industry compliance regulations. It is a best practice to update these procedures annually. Reviewing your Network Compliance policies gives your business an opportunity to stay up to date and serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining network compliance.

Contact your Technology Advisor if you have questions about maintaining network compliance or other concerns regarding ransomware and other related Cyber Threats.

What are Managed Services and Why Should I Care?

March 10, 2017SMB Technology, Technology NewsIT Managed Services, IT Systems Compliance, Managed Services, Network Managementclikcloud

A managed services provider (MSP) takes on the responsibility for a company’s technology and infrastructure by proactively providing a defined set of IT services for a fixed monthly fee. This approach is preferred by businesses over the traditional Break/Fix services delivered on an hourly rate when needed. By emphasizing high availability and reliability, Managed Services align the MSP’s business model with a company’s business objectives. In contrast, the break/fix model addresses problems when they occur. According to research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global managed‐services market will grow to $193B by 2019, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.5%.

Information Technology as a Service

According to the fifth annual Trends in Managed Service published by CompTIA, “The central tenet to the MSP model is a provider-customer relationship based on a contract backed by a service level agreement.” This approach provides IT services similar to other utility models. Many Managed Service Providers (MSPs) rely on remote monitoring and management technologies to deliver a range of core IT services in a scalable and proactive manner. This approach streamlines the process for proactively identifying and resolving issues with IT infrastructure.

What to Expect from an MSP

CompTIA research indicates it is common for a managed service provider to include desktop and network management, applications management, and remote help desk in their service level agreements (SLA). Security (including firewall management), server management, storage, network monitoring, Business Continuity/DR, Backup as a service (Cloud Backup), Email, and Virtual desktop are often available as managed services.

Benefits of Managed Services

The managed service approach is favored by business for a variety of reasons. Managed services are typically priced at a fixed cost to the business. This predictability in IT service, versus unexpected costs related to break/fix, give business owners more control of the cost of operations. In many cases, MSPs are able to use remote monitoring and remediation to identify and resolve problems before they impact the business. Many problems can be solved without an onsite visit, dramatically reducing the resolution time. This combination of benefits provides business owners peace of mind.

Today’s businesses rely heavily on their IT infrastructure for communications, collaboration, access to critical applications, and data on premise and in the Cloud. Companies with compliance requirements have greater needs to secure their information with reliable IT infrastructure. Managed Services is a way to increase the availability and reliability of IT systems in a cost-effective manner. If you are considering Managed Services, contact your Technology advisor to see how you will benefit from proactive IT and Network Support.

Does Your Business Have a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan?

April 22, 2016News, SMB Technology, Technology NewsBusiness Continuity, data protection, Disaster Recovery, IT Managed Services, Online Backup, Proactive IT Service, remote backupclikcloud

Most businesses need a Backup and Disaster Recovery plan. Disasters like fire, flood, earthquake, and more can bring your systems to a halt. Systems including order processing, invoicing, emails, call center, and business phone are critical for daily operations. Without a Backup and Disaster Recovery plan, organizations that encounter a disaster run the risk of going out of business. Here are some tips for getting your Backup and Disaster Recovery plan in place.

Consider Risk of Downtime

Understanding your business risk in the event of a disaster–and related downtime, data loss and other factors–is a good place to start. Factor in loss of productivity from your employees. This can be quantified by calculating employee salaries, wages and overhead for every hour of downtime. You can also calculate loss of revenue if you are unable to process orders, have to disrupt manufacturing, or lose the ability to fulfill customer demand. Also, add in any long-term damage from loss of reputation if you were to suffer a long-term outage. These costs easily add up to impact your company’s bottom line in the case of a disaster recovery scenario.

Build Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan

Not all data is mission critical. Some systems may be more critical than others to get your company back operationally. Determine which systems are most important to your daily operations. Decide how much risk you are willing to take in terms of hours, days or weeks of downtime. Systems that keep your employees productive and revenue flowing in your business may need to take priority. You may need redundant failover for phones, email and order processing to ensure maximum employee productivity and minimum loss of revenue. Other data, including shared files, may not be as critical and could be restored from an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly backup with minimal disruption to productivity and little economic loss. Review and document your decisions to guide your planning. Also factor in the human element to train your employees what to do in a disaster.

Implement, Test and Monitor Your Backup

Once you understand your risks and have a documented plan, you can align your goals with a backup and disaster recovery solution. You can now begin to implement real-time redundancy for Cloud Backup for mission-critical systems. Where possible, consider having alternate sources of backup in case one system fails. Depending on the disaster recovery scenario, this could be worth the investment. Test your backup before you go live, and be sure to test the restoration and recovery processes as well. You should also monitor your backups regularly to identify and remedy failures as they occur.

Being prepared with a solid plan for backup and disaster recovery ensures employee productivity and safety. It can also make the difference between business recovery and business failure. Contact your trusted advisor to discuss your needs for backup and disaster recovery.

The Benefits of Fixed-Price IT Managed Services

March 23, 2016News, SMB Technology, Technology Newsanti-malware, Business Continuity, IT Managed Services, Proactive IT Serviceclikcloud

More and more, we hear of security breaches that are derailing business’s activities, whether such problems are malicious software (“malware”) designed to grab privacy information from an employee, a computer crash or even a natural disaster such as an earthquake. A data breach can put customers’ personal information in peril, thereby causing embarrassment and even costing steep fines. This is why it is important to hire a reputable IT managed service provider before you need one. Businesses rely on their IT systems to do day-to-day business, and most of the time, things go as they should. But what about when they don’t?

Proactive IT Support is Worry Free

Taking a proactive approach to IT assistance is key. Before you need one, find a reputable IT provider. With your IT provider, draw up a managed service agreement/service level agreement so you know what services they will take care of – remote and local backup, recovering lost and corrupted files, network security updates and even unforeseen computer repairs. Keeping systems up to date will help prevent downtime. Proactive IT support converts the unexpected costs of reactive problem-solving into the more stable, budget-friendly cost of preventive maintenance and support. With fixed-price IT support, there are no surprises that can play havoc with the company’s budget and productivity.

Aligning Your IT Service Delivery Costs With Business Value

By fixing IT Service costs with an IT Managed Service agreement, your service provider has incentive to proactively ensure everything is working smoothly. Instead of billing by the hour related to problems, a fixed-priced arrangement covers most incidents. It is in the best interest of your IT Managed Service Provider to help you proactively prevent IT problems—it keeps their costs (and stress level) down so they can serve you over the long haul.

Remote Support Saves Time and Money

Many problems can be detected and resolved remotely. In addition, services including malware and antivirus protection, O/S patching and other routine services can occur outside of normal business hours to minimize disruption of your employees. This adds up to fewer problems and more productivity for your business.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Finding a reputable IT managed service provider and drawing up a service-level agreement, along with a proactive approach, can help prevent potentially costly problems before they start.

Migrating to the Cloud – How to Avoid Turbulence

January 11, 2016News, SMB Technology, Technology NewsCloud, Cloud Security, IT Managed Services, mobile device, Network Security, public cloud, SaaSclikcloud

Migrating to the Cloud can be bumpy if you are not prepared. Chances are you have already started migrating to the Cloud. Without realizing it, you may be accessing the Cloud by using mobile and web based applications and services that store and share your data from the Cloud. According to International Data Corporation, (IDC) public IT Cloud services (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) spending will reach $127 billion in 2018. The Cloud will outpace the total IT market at a rate of more than five times. With this shift, companies are migrating to the Cloud at a rapid pace, so it is important to plan your Cloud migration to avoid any unnecessary turbulence.

Low Hanging Fruit for Cloud Migration

Many applications lend themselves to Cloud migration. Communications and collaboration applications including Email, Voice and Web conferencing are great places to start your Cloud Migration. The Cloud can offer a secure, reliable and affordable alternative to maintaining these systems on premise. Along with providing additional capability, such as, File Sync and Sharing, previously unavailable from premise based solutions. Many companies have started their Cloud migrations with these subscription services to gain quick benefits from Cloud Computing.

Planning Your Cloud Migration

Moving your applications and their data to the Cloud, along with reliable data protection and online backup, should be carefully planned. First, determine which applications are candidates for Cloud Computing. When moving files, applications and back ups for data protection to the Cloud, consider your data volumes and network bandwidth. When this business infrastructure is in the Cloud you will need reliable connectivity to access critical information.

Maintaining Security in the Cloud

One of the many benefits of Cloud Computing is cross platform access to your applications via mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. If not carefully planned, deployment of these Cloud Solutions may add additional strain on your wireless network. You may also increase your security risks, as mobile devices are susceptible to loss. Ensure you have a security policy for company owned and individually owned devices that access your company network, to mitigate risks of Cloud Migration.

Cloud Computing will provide your company with many benefits including better collaboration and shifting your capital expense to operating expense. Consult your Cloud Services expert to plan your migration and avoid any turbulence along the way.

New Year’s Resolutions for Your IT Systems

December 14, 2015News, SMB Technology, Technology Newsanti-malware, Backup and Data Storage, Cloud, Data Privacy, IT Managed Services, IT Security, Mobile Management, Network Management, Network Security, Telecom Expenseclikcloud

shutterstock_326576246 Are your IT Systems on the naughty or nice list? Do you proactively monitor your networks for compliance, cyberthreat and performance? Are your data back ups up to date? Have you begun your migration to the Cloud? Are you getting the most from your broadband network? Have you trained your employees on the risks of cybersecurity attacks and do they change their passwords regularly? Here is a list of things to add to your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2016.

Proactive Network Monitoring

Your networks should be periodically monitored to ensure application and operating system (O/S) patches are up to date. In addition, you should maintain your anit-virus definitions and keep your malware threat detection up to date. By doing so, you could prevent an unwanted cybersecurity breach and data loss. Worse, loss of reputation resulting from data leaks or loss.

Beyond Backup

There are a variety of remote back up and data protection solutions to ensure you can recover your systems to keep your business running. It is a good idea to test those backups periodically to ensure you can restore your data quickly. Many older tape backup solutions can be slow and unreliable. What’s more, there are many new file sync and sharing solutions allowing your employees to securely access information anywhere. We put more and more reliance on our applications to run our daily operations, so make sure your data is protected in 2016.

Lift Your Business to the Cloud

Cloud Solutions offer many advantages over premise based systems. Using subscription based services help ensure you are always on the latest version. What’s more, you can shift some of your IT costs from a capital expense (Capex) to an operating expense (Opex). Starting with migrating email, which is an easy first step, to clean up inboxes, secure and encrypt your communications and take many hassles out of IT. Considering following on with files, applications, single sign on and other IT infrastructure to gain the full benefit of Cloud Computing.

Broadband Network Review

Business class Internet services are as affordable as they have ever been. Consider a telecom expense audit to see if you are getting the most bandwidth for the buck. You may not only save money, you may increase your bandwidth and network performance. With mobile computing, cloud computing and eCommerce on the rise, it is important to get the most from your Broadband network.

Cyber Security Training for Employees

Ensure your employees can identify malware threats, man in the middle attacks, phishing schemes and other Cyber Security hacks. Your employees should have a good understanding of what to do in the event of a data loss (for example lost mobile device) and change their passwords periodically. Your employees are your first line of defense against Cyber Attack, so take the time to remind them of their role in protecting your IT Systems.

This is the time of year to spend with family and friends and reflect on the past, while looking forward to the future. Resolve to be the best you can be in 2016 and ensure your IT Systems are ready for prosperity in the new year.

Business Continuity Planning: How Much Downtime Can You Afford?

December 8, 2015News, SMB Technology, Technology NewsBackup and Data Storage, Business Continuity, Cloud, data protection, Disaster Recovery, IT Managed Services, Online Backup, remote backup, SaaSclikcloud

Having a Business Continuity Plan is an important way to ensure your company can operate during and after a disaster. By assessing your business risk, you are able to protect your company and minimize downtime that may occur from unplanned business interruptions. Natural disasters including fire, earthquake, flooding and snowstorms can slow or halt operations. In addition, other threats including cyber attacks and data leaks can cause unplanned disruptions to your business. The impact of prolonged unplanned downtime can be reduced and or eliminated, but at what cost? Here are three things to consider when developing your Business Continuity Plan.

What is Your Cost of Downtime?

To develop a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan it is imperative to evaluate your risk of loss from downtime and business interruption. There are many factors to consider when calculating the risk of loss due to downtime. How much revenue would you lose per hour, day or week if your business was off line and you were unable to process orders? Could your inventory lose value if your factory, warehouse or retail operation were shut down? If you suffered a privacy breach what would be the impact to your company’s reputation? The risks and costs are different for each company based on industry, size and other factors. Start by assessing the risk to determine how quickly you need to react during and after a disruption.

How Fast do You Need to Recover (RTO vs RPO)?

The cost of downtime to your business is expensive. It is important to evaluate which applications and data are critical to your operations. During or after a disaster do you need these systems available within minutes, hours or days? Primary Factors that can influence your ability to recover are the Recovery Point Objectives (RPO), which is the time between backups and the Recovery Time Objective (RTO), which is how long it takes to get your data back. If you backup weekly to offline media including tape backup, your business is at risk of losing one week of data and it may take days or weeks to get your systems operational. There are various ways to ensure failover and rapid restore if you suffer a system wide outage. Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas) including application hosting and other remote data protection methods can ensure your systems are available within your RPO/RTO goals.

Human Element of a Business Continuity Plan

Don’t forget the human element in your business continuity plan. Ensure your employees are trained and understanding policy during and after a disaster. Have a plan for safe evacuation during a disaster will protect your employees and minimize business risk. Giving your employees the ability to access core communications and collaborations applications like email, file sharing, wide area networks, software as a service (SaaS) and other remote applications improve overall communications and could get your employees productive if they are unable to work on premise due to business interruption.

There are many other factors to consider when assessing risk and building a business continuity and disaster recovery plan. Take a holistic view of your business, systems and network security needs. If you feel your business may be at risk and your business continuity plan is out of date, contact your IT Service Professional for a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Risk Assessment.

Moving to the Cloud: The Advantages

May 20, 2015SMB TechnologyBackup and Data Storage, Business Continuity, Cloud, Cloud Security, Disaster Recovery, IaaS, IT Managed Services, mobility, Network Management, Online Backup, PaaS, private cloud, public cloud, remote backup, SaaSclikcloud

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), total public IT Cloud services (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) spending will reach $127 billion in 2018. Compared to the 4.1% compound annual growth rate the IT market will experience from 2013-2018, the public Cloud will grow at a 22.8% compound annual growth rate. That’s five and a half times more than the total IT market spending! The Cloud is unquestionably the most significant trend ever to hit the IT industry. Understanding these figures warrants a thorough review of the advantages associated with moving your organization to the Cloud.

Cost Savings

The prime advantage of Cloud computing is the ability to pay for what’s being used instead of being compelled to pay for unused services. It’s just smart business sense to cut out unnecessary spending. Large Cloud providers are able to offer more computing power at a lower cost, as they benefit from huge economies from scale. Just make sure Cloud services are not over-provisioned, and only use what you need.

Advantages of Both Public and Private Models

Organizations have a lot of options when it comes to Cloud models, but most people are confused about the difference between the public and private model. Public Cloud services are designed for a market and not a single enterprise. It is open to all potential users and is shared among unrelated consumers, while private Cloud services are shared within an enterprise but have restrictions on access. These Cloud services can be either onsite or offsite and can be managed by either a third party or in-house staff. There are advantages to both models. The public Cloud model offers a pay-per-use model, the speed of access to resources, and the flexibility to add and drop capacity. On the other hand, the private Cloud model offers the highest levels of management visibility, control, security, privacy, and proximity to physical data.

Speed and Flexibility

Speed is perhaps the greatest reason to move to the Cloud. While time to implement services can take weeks, a company can use its Cloud provider to get services up and running within a matter of hours. Long gone are the days of waiting months for an IT department to order and configure a new server; a virtual one can be delivered almost instantly. In addition, the Cloud offers amazing flexibility for you and your employees. Employees can now access company data from a variety of devices and a variety of locations.

Many small to medium sized businesses are migrating to the Cloud because of the backups, better security, and the assurance that your company is always up to date without having to continually invest more time and money. If you are considering moving your business to the Cloud, contact your trusted IT advisor to get more helpful tips on migrating to the Cloud.