Tag Archives: remote backup

Can You Survive a Network Security Attack

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Businesses are under constant attack from a variety of network security threats.  Cybercriminals hack databases for passwords for unauthorized access to your network.  Undetected Malicious software (malware) can trap and forward passwords. Viruses can infect your hard drive and destroy application data and files without your knowledge. Businesses large and small face these network security threats on a daily basis; larger organizations, however, may have more resources to fight attacks.  Small businesses may be more vulnerable to downtime and loss of productivity because of thinner margins and resources. Here are a few steps you can take to survive a network security attack.

Prevent Network Security Attacks Before they Occur

Protect your network by making sure all devices are in compliance with the latest anti-virus and malware updates. Ensure your operating system (O/S) patches are up to date. Protect your network with strong passwords and require your employees to change them regularly.  Discourage writing passwords down, and make sure employees are aware of the risks of a network security attack.

Lock Down your Mobile Devices

Mobile devices including smartphones and tablets are particularly vulnerable to theft and loss. Passwords on these devices can be easily cracked leaving your applications and data vulnerable to unauthorized access. Train your employees to report theft or loss of mobile devices quickly, and make sure that all data on the device is encrypted.  Having the ability to track and wipe data from these devices is another option to ensure you can survive a network security threat.

Backup Your Data

Online Backup and Cloud Backup are affordable options to have quick access to applications and data if you lose data because of a network security threat.  Additional options include having a failover system to quickly restore your information and get your business back up and running should you have a systems failure.

Compromising your critical information from unauthorized access, virus infection, and loss can be devastating for any business.  It is likely that small businesses have higher exposure and will have greater difficulty recovering from a network security threat. Contact your network security expert to find out your best options to avoid the consequences of a network security threat.

2014 IT Trends

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This time of year most organizations are looking at 2014.  Analyzing IT trends allows you to budget for the upcoming year, as well as, keep up with the competition.  Reviewing 2014 IT Trends can help ensure your core systems stay up to date and help you grow your business.  There are a number of important trends that many companies will take advantage of to reduce risks, gain more customers and reduce costs.

Here is What to Watch for 2014 IT Trends:

IT Security

IT Security will continue as one of the top areas of concern for most business owners when they think about technology in 2014.  IT Security tops the short list of 2014 IT Trends and is driven by cyber security threat, concerns over privacy data issues and security risks related to mobile computing (e.g. Mobile Device theft/loss, virus and malware infection).

Cloud Computing

Most companies have adopted some form of cloud based technologies within their business.  File sharing/cloud sharing services, remote backup and disaster recovery all fuel the need for robust networking and highly available Internet connectivity.  With the retirement of Windows XP anticipated in April of 2014, many companies will turn to the cloud for modernized office productivity solutions, including virtual desktops and hosted email.

Mobile Applications & Touch Technologies

The latest release of Windows 8.1 relies heavily on a Touch user interface.  Many technology consumers are familiar with touch technologies on their smartphones and tablet computers.  Demand for these devices is expected to be strong.  Many manufacturers are launching an array of touch enabled laptops, convertible computers and tablet computers that are touch enabled.  This shift toward mobility in the workforce will also drive demand for companies to add mobile applications, functionality to new and legacy applications to better connect with customers, partners and employees in the field.

These 2014 technology trends will help companies meet their goals for company growth, efficiency and cost savings.  It is important at this time of year to properly plan your IT budgets and update your technology roadmap for 2014.  Contact your IT Service Provider for assistance to ensure a

Do you Have a Strategy for Online Backup?

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Online Backup is one of the more popular deployments of cloud computing. Online backup can be a cost effective part of your data protection strategy. Many businesses have achieved benefits by leveraging cloud computing for secure and affordable remote data storage and cloud file sharing technologies.  In some cases, business owners do not even realize they are using Cloud Based Online Backup services.  For business owners there are a number of important considerations for your Online backup strategy.

Industry and Regulatory Compliance

Some industries, such as health services, have strict regulations on how data is managed and protected.  Some online backup vendors comply with these strict requirements, while others do not.  It is important to carefully select your online backup supplier and ensure their Service Level Agreements (SLA) meets your business needs and comply with your industry regulations.

Online Backup Recovery Time

Online backup can be a secure and affordable option for offsite data storage and cloud sharing capability.  If you are considering remote backup for your business continuity and disaster recovery plans, it is important to consider recovery times in the event you need to to restore your data.  Some online backup services provide great value for easy access to data, while other services are optimized for rapid recovery of your most critical information.  You should weigh costs and risks when deploying online backup for your disaster recovery scenarios.

How Secure is Your Online Backup

There are many online backup vendors providing a secure solution that is equally or more reliable that tape storage or other data vaulting solutions.  In fact, the cloud infrastructure for your data may be more secure than your on premise data storage given the physical security capabilities of a top tier data center.  One risk to consider is access to your company data through cloud sharing/cloud synching technologies.  Cloud sharing can provide easy access to your company data from a variety of devices including smartphones and tablets. If you are leveraging online backup for cloud sharing, it is important to have a mobile security plan in place to ensure secure access to your company data.


There are a variety of issues to consider for your cloud based online backup strategy. If you feel you are not taking advantage of cloud computing for remote backup or you are concerned about security and compliance risks, it is recommended you contact your IT Service and Computer Support consultant for a review of your online backup strategy.

Cloud Computing Trends 2013: CompTIA 4th Annual Research Report

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The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is expected to release their fourth Annual Cloud Computing Trends research study this week.  This cloud computing research is based on a survey of over 500 IT and Business Professionals collected in June 2013.

The Fourth Annual CompTIA Cloud Computing Trends report is expected to reveal cloud computing trends and  buying patterns, benefits and challenges related to cloud computing use by businesses.  In addition, over 400 IT firms were surveyed on how the cloud is changing the IT technology channel.  Here are some anticipated highlights of cloud computing trends:

Cloud Computing Trends:  Cloud is an Increasing Component of IT Architecture

According to the research, 90% of companies are using cloud computing architecture in their business.  The research indicates “as cloud components are becoming more prevalent in IT architectures, more companies are relying on cloud computing for business processes such as storage (59%), business continuity/disaster recovery (48%), and security (44%).  This strong usage and strong market indicators show that cloud computing is becoming a default part of the IT landscape.”

Top Benefits of Cloud Computing

As Cloud Computing becomes more mainstream a range of business benefits are reported.  While no single reason stands out, businesses report a broad range of benefits by adopting cloud computing technologies:

Benefits of Cloud Computing

 

Top Cloud Computing SolutionsCloud Computing Reaches Maturity

The research indicates that more than half of  those delivering, managing, integrating and supporting cloud computing solutions feel their cloud computing businesses are mature and strategic.

 

Integration Remains the Top Cloud Computing Challenge

According to the cloud computing study by CompTIA, integration remains at the top of the list for all companies.  Integration of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications with legacy systems using Application Program Interfaces  (APIs) was reported as a challenge almost half the time.  Additionally, changes to IT Policy (40%) and the learning curve for the cloud model (39%) are also reported as challenges of moving IT systems to Cloud Computing.

This research report indicates as more companies rely on cloud computing models, the better equipped channel partners are becoming to support the many challenges related to implementing cloud computing.  Insights suggest partnering with a company with mature cloud expertise will help avoid many of the challenges of moving to the cloud, while maximizing a company’s ability to reap the benefits of cloud computing.


Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning

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Business continuity and disaster recovery come to mind as hurricane and fire season is upon us.   This week meteorologists are reporting that Tropical Storm Chantal is looming over the East Coast and will potentially flood the southern United States.  Last year we all saw the terrible devastation of Hurricane Sandy.  We are also reminded of the destruction of Hurricane Dennis in 2005.  Earthquakes, which can not be predicted, can also pose a threat to your business continuity.   If you’re not worried about Hurricanes, keep in mind there are wildfires raging throughout the West this fire season.  If you are fortunate enough to live in a part of the world outside this business continuity and disaster recovery window, be thankful.  Either way you should ask yourself if your business continuity and disaster recovery plans are in place.

Here are a few considerations for your business continuity and disaster recovery plans:

Business Continuity and Application Data

Assess what data is mission critical to your business.  Focusing on the most important assets to protect and provide rapid restore capability will aid you in getting your business up and running quickly.  It is not practical or cost effective to have all of your data available immediatly following a disaster recovery scenario, therefore prioritizing is key.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Policies and Procedures

Review your policies and procedures to ensure they are up to date with your current needs.  In addition to data backup and recovery policies, review your emergency response policies as well.  In a disaster recovery scenario it is important to know who to call to get your data backup online and where employees should meet if you need to evacuate.

Review Onsite and Offsite Data Backup and Recovery Systems

Cloud backup and other offsite backup technologies are more affordable than ever.  These systems supplement tape, network attached storage and media services that provide you with on site backup.  In the event of a flood or fire at your primary location, your onsite backup may not be immediately available to you and your off site or cloud backup may save the day.  Make sure Onsite and Offsite Data backup and Recovery Systems are working properly to eliminate any potential IT headaches.

Test Your Backup and Recovery Procedures


Your data backup is only as good as your ability to rapidly recover data.  Test your data backup to ensure your process works smoothly.


Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery planning are an essential element to avoid data loss and downtime due to a natural disaster.  Contact your IT support professional to review your Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans before a disaster turns your uptime in to downtime.

Should I Run my Business in the Cloud?

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If you are still foggy about Cloud Technology, don’t feel too badly. According to a recent survey of one thousand adults by Wakefield Research over 50% of respondents believe that weather patterns have an impact on Cloud Computing! The reality is most of us are using the cloud whether we know it our not. Cloud Computing is a cost effect way for companies to have access to enterprise class infrastructure they may not be able to otherwise afford. The Cloud can lower capital expense for your business while helping you upgrade your IT Infrastructure.

So What is Cloud Computing and How Can Cloud Computing Help my Business? Here are a Few Ways you May Benefit.

Software as a Service

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a popular cloud based model for getting access to enterprise applications. Instead of having dedicated software running on your company premise you can opt for a cloud based version of your software running across the Internet. In most cases the Cloud option has the same features and performance as the “on premise” counterpart. There are many applications available in the Cloud including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Sales Force Automation (SFA), Email and even Office Productivity Applications (e.g. Word, Excel, Powerpoint).

Cloud Backup

Cloud Backup or Remote Backup is another option for your business. Many companies rely on tape backup for their business. Cloud Backup provides an additional option for offsite backup and storage. Your application data, files and other important IT assets are stored across the internet using Cloud Backup. In many cases Cloud Backup Technology can back up as quickly as your local backup with the benefit of being stored off site in the event of a Disaster Recovery Scenario.

Virtual Servers

Virtual Servers are another way your company may benefit from the Cloud. A virtual server can be used for additional storage, file sharing, application hosting or for creating an image of your critical applications as failover for Business Continuity purposes to bring your entire company back online in a disaster recovery scenario. Virtual servers may provide the same performance as a dedicated server on premise with less hassle and overhead.

If you are still foggy about the cloud or not sure where to start, contact your IT Service Professional to discuss your business needs.

2013 IT Trends

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2013 IT Trends

There are a number of driving factors that will influence 2013 IT trends. These trends include Mobility, Cloud Computing, Disaster Recovery and IT Security. These 2013 IT trends will influence IT budgets and plans, while enabling companies to take advantage of mobile computing, enterprise infrastructure, software as a service (SaaS), social networks and more. Here are some predictions for 2013.

Mobility

A top  2013 IT Trend is Mobility.  Mobility and mobile device management go hand in hand. Most IT industry analysts agree market growth of smartphones and tablet computers will outpace PCs in 2013. The IT Industry research firm IDC is now projecting that 172.4 million tablets will ship in 2013. Mary Meeker, former internet analyst turned venture capitalist noted 24% of Black Friday shopping occurred on a smartphone or tablet in 2012. Microsoft also hopes to get a large share of the tablet PC market with its recent release of Microsoft Windows 8 RT Tablet. This trend in mobility will drive the greater need for Mobile Device Management and mobile security as more corporate data will reside on and be accessed by mobile devices than ever before.

Cloud Computing

Another 2013 IT Trend is Cloud Computing.  In 2012 many companies turned to the cloud to access enterprise class infrastructure, remote support, online backup and software as a service (SaaS) for critical applications, such as email, sales force automation (SFA) and customer relationship management (CRM). Expect additional growth in cloud adoption from managed security solutions for anti-virus and anti-malware protection, as well as other data protection services. IT research firm Gartner predicts by 2015 ten percent of overall IT security enterprise capabilities will be delivered in the cloud.

IT Security

Companies will continue to face growing IT security threats. Risk of data leaks from malware and other cyber attacks will continue to threaten businesses of all sizes. In addition, expect cybersecurity legislation to be a priority for many governments in 2013. A 2013 IT Trend, changing IT policies will empower users to access social networks for job related activity and/or during business hours on personal or corporate owned devices. These drivers will influence spending on managed security, unified threat management and other IT security technologies and solutions.

Disaster Recovery

During 2012 we saw a growing phenomenon of companies facing business interruption from a variety of natural disasters. Hurricanes, typhoons and superstorms dominated the news. Companies will continue to implement data business continuity and disaster recovery solutions, including local data backup, remote backup and server virtualization to ensure rapid recovery in the event of a disaster.

While there are no crystal balls to predict the future, having a detailed and indepth IT plan for your company can make all the difference to protect your investment in your critical applications and data. Keep these points in mind to ensure a happy and healthy 2013.

Can Cloud Computing Help your Business?

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Can Cloud Computing Help your Business?

Cloud computing has rapidly become mainstream technology for large and small businesses.  From online backup to virtual servers to Software as a Service (SaaS) there are many benefits to using cloud computing.  Here are some of the many benefits your business may receive from cloud computing:

Capital Expense vs. Operating Expense

Cloud computing provides businesses access to enterprise infrastructure, without having to make the upfront investment in data center, network and server infrastructure build-out.  By using available cloud computing resources, businesses can subscribe to these services, instead of using precious working capital for an unnecessary up front investment.  As a result, business owners may avoid making high capital expenses.  Instead, the monthly subscription cost of cloud computing may be treated as an operating expense.  As always, consult your tax professional for your business’s specific issues.

Predictable IT Costs

Cloud computing subscriptions enable the business owner visibility into predictable costs for IT Services.  For example, online backup costs may be a function of the amount of data stored and bandwidth used each month.  Software as a Service (SaaS) Email or Sales Force Automation (SFA) services may be charged based on number of users each month.  Fixing these costs can be a huge advantage to small businesses.

Improved Reliability

Public cloud computing options may provide your business better IT Infrastructure than you can afford on your own.  By taking advantage of economies of scale, your company can tap into enterprise class data centers that are monitored, managed and maintained by 7/24/365 support teams.  What’s more, these facilities providing online backup, hosted exchange, SaaS CRM and other applications may have additional IT security beyond what comparable premise based solutions have to offer.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Data and applications based in the Cloud may help you recover from a disaster scenario in a timely manner.  Having your business up and running quickly, is of the utmost importance.  In the event of natural disaster, such as, fire, hurricane, earthquake or flood you may not be able to access data or applications if they are stored on-site at your company location.  In some cases, data or applications stored on site may suffer irreversible harm.  By having your data and applications in the cloud, your business may have immediate access to mission critical information, bringing your business systems back online, even when your doors are still closed.

There are many ways companies may benefit from cloud computing.  To find out more about how your business can take advantage of the Cloud, contact your IT Service professional today.

Considering the Cloud For Backup

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Considering the Cloud for Backup?

Many small to medium business (SMB) owners are turning to online backup or remote backup, generally referred to as cloud backup, as a top way to take advantage of cloud computing. According to a recent survey by the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), most companies turn to the cloud to cut costs and reduce capital expense. Because of the advancements in internet bandwidth, combined with the economies of scale from the cloud, remote backup can be a reliable, affordable and practical solution for most SMBs.

When you evaluate cloud backup, here are a some things to consider:

Security and Compliance

There are public cloud and private cloud options available to meet your security and compliance requirements. If you need to comply with PCI, HIPPA or other regulatory requirements you may need to rely on a private cloud solution. This means your data is physically separated from other companies storing their data in public cloud alternatives. If you require a private cloud solution expect to pay more.

Cost

This leads to us to the topic of cost of cloud backup. There are a wide range of affordable options for cloud backup. Most cloud backup solutions charge by the amount of data stored. This makes them easy to compare. Office documents and spreadsheets are easy to compress and take up less space, as compared to, images, photos and data bases. Depending on the amount of data you are backing up in the cloud, you may incur additional charges for bandwidth. You may also need to consider the costs of a network upgrade and additional internet connectivity, if you are expecting to backup large amounts of data.

Service Level Agreement

Make sure you or your IT professional review the service level agreement (SLA) for your backup vendor closely. Some cloud backup vendors will guarantee uptime and availability and refund any fees at a multiple, if they lose your data. Other backup vendors do not warranty in the event of a data loss. Expect to pay more for a solid SLA with your cloud backup.

Performance

The reason you backup your data is for recovery. Rapid recovery depends on the size of your data, proximity to the backup data store and bandwidth. File recovery or file sharing may not be as big an issue as a disaster recovery scenario. Some cloud backup solutions offer to ship an image of your entire system to rapidly restore your data, so you don’t need to recover across the internet. This may seem like it will take longer, but this may be as fast or faster than trying to recover large amounts of data across the internet. Premium services may provide complete business continuity services including dedicated hardware in the cloud to get you up and running even quicker.

Cloud backup is a great way to take advantage of the cloud. Depending on your business needs and budgets, there is a right solution for you. Contact your IT service provider to find out how you can leverage the cloud in your business.

What Has Your Backup Done For You Lately?

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What Has Your Backup Done For You Lately?

Businesses of all sizes rely on their data more than ever before. What’s more, businesses have more data to protect and backups to store than ever. Critical files, customer data, email archives and other application data run our world. It’s not a bad idea to backup that data to a local drive or tape. In the case of a true disaster, such as an earthquake or fire your local backup may not be enough. By using online or remote backup, you can store your data securely in an offsite location and have it available in a disaster recovery scenario. Also, with cloud computing, companies large and small, can now affordably backup data offsite.

When you evaluate a remote backup solution here are a few things to consider:

Is My Data Secure?

When you think about moving your data backup offsite most business owners think about security first. While backup vendors take data security seriously, their approach may vary for how your data is protected. Data storage in a private cloud may add an additional physical layer of security by dedicating hardware to your individual needs. A private cloud solution may drive the cost up and may be more than you need. Public cloud storage may use a virtual environment to store your data, making it more affordable. However, a public cloud solution may not comply with your industry regulations for data security. It is important you understand your security needs and priorities to find the best remote backup solution for your business.

How Long Does It Take To Recover?

When you store your data offsite, keep in mind it is there to help you recover your entire business from an unexpected disaster. In some cases, it may be impractical for you to restore your data quickly across the internet. Depending on how fast you need your data recovered, you may consider a business continuity service that not only recovers your data, but also restores your entire IT environment to a remote location. This way you can quickly access your systems even when you don’t have access to your office or facility.

What About Data Retention?

Many companies backup their data daily. This helps to ensure they can start business where they left off in the event of a disaster. It is common practice to backup incremental changes each day while creating a full backup once each week. This way you can rebuild where you left off without having to store a full image (read expensive) of your data each day. Because the size of data continues to grow, many technologies are available to compress data, and deduplicate data with the goal of reducing your backup and storage footprint. This makes your remote backup use less bandwidth and requires less cycle time to process. By optimizing your retention policy and using data reduction technologies you have more flexibility on how much data you can retain without having to archive your data to an offline data store.

When To Backup Application Data?

Some backup solutions provide application support for products like Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange. You may have specific recovery requirements for these popular applications, such as, mailbox level or message level recovery. Depending on your business requirements, you may want application backup capability allowing you to recover a subset of your data and get your business up and running quicker.

Most companies don’t think a disaster can happen to them. Don’t wait to find out how bad things can be if you lose your data. Make sure you backup your data locally and have a plan to store your data offsite for a disaster recovery scenario. Be hopeful you don’t need to use it, however, if you do, you will know what your backup can do for you!