Mar 17, 2021 | SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News
Many businesses have taken advantage of cloud computing for its benefits–its flexibility, ability to help companies scale use according to demand, and a subscription-based pricing model, among others. When migrating to the Cloud it is important that you develop a cloud security strategy. Your company can exert a good deal of control over cloud security concerns with proper policy, training and technology. Read on to learn more about what to include in your cloud security strategy in order to protect technology assets. Assessing Your Strategy for Cloud Security Reacting to problems is vital, of course. But what if you could prevent many problems before they even occur? Powerful technologies like Cloud Computing can also create complexity, so it is important to have a strategy that includes policies for protecting your applications and their data. If you already have a security strategy, it’s not too soon to assess it and to adjust accordingly. Implementing your Cloud Security Strategy According to an article on cloud security mitigation by CompTIA, access control is a top cause of problems. Examples include lack of specification of who can have access to your business applications, or holes in security that could leave you vulnerable to a full-blown data breach. It may be time to update your security policies, using the “zero-trust” model to authenticate every single request for access to the network. Setting policy to limit administrative access minimizes risks and avoids unexpected consequences. Other considerations in your cloud security strategy deal with handling a data breach or loss, and the role and how to quickly revoke access as needed (e.g. revoking...
Mar 10, 2021 | SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News
It’s said that few can get along without some help from others. If your business has grown, and your technology needs along with it, managing IT on a daily basis may be more challenging. Now may be the time to consider outside assistance. Read on to learn how supplemental IT support via managed services can help save time and money, not to mention help you reach your business goals. Benefits of Supplemental IT Support Supplemental support (also called “outsourcing” or “co-managed IT”), is the practice of partnering with a managed service provider (MSP), one that can provide help with one or more of a company’s IT functions. For companies with no IT department, or those with a small department overloaded with daily tasks, managed services offers numerous benefits. First, a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can help a company make the most of their technology investment by taking on responsibility for a company’s IT infrastructure via a flat fee subscription model. What to expect from IT Managed Services Indeed, according to a CompTIA buying guide, more than 6% of surveyed of companies using MSPs reduce their internal IT staff. These services–including helpdesk, data protection and network monitoring–can free up internal IT staff to help reach your company’s strategic goals. Network monitoring can be done remotely 24-7, detecting and solving issues before they become major problems. Monitoring also produces data analytics in real time, showing how the company’s network is functioning. With all these benefits, your business also needs to consider its goals, and work with an MSP to develop a service level agreement. Considerations in Using...
Feb 11, 2021 | SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News
Over the past several years, both Unified Communications (UC) and Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) have grown more popular. Even a few years ago, IDC predicted that the SD-WAN market would grow to $8.05 billion by this year. Together, Unified Communications and SD-WAN allow your company to stay connected at all times. Read on to learn more about the connections between these two technologies, and to discover whether your company’s network is up to the task. Software-Defined Wide Area Networks Support Unified Communications Performance Unified Communications is technology that allows workers to work from anywhere, at any time. Unified Communications, or UC, supports the ability to communicate by voice or email and send information back and forth. This technology brings together various modes of communication–phone, text, web conferencing and email–providing a streamlined way to keep businesses connected, using Voice-Over IP (VoIP) technology. Employees can hold video conferences, share data with other workers, and handle customer service tasks–even from remote offices. However, UC depends on a robust and secure network to keep traffic moving. This is where Software-Defined Wide Area Networks come in. SD-WAN Provides Performance at Competitive Cost Unified Communication can test your network. Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) can provide a mix-and-match solution, using multiple carriers so that if one carrier goes offline another can keep traffic moving. A company can fall back on this robust network to keep workers communicating with each other and with customers. What’s more, SD-WAN can help a company transition from legacy systems and enjoy more flexibility. At its best, SD-WAN can provide excellent performance at a competitive price. ...
Feb 4, 2021 | SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News
It’s sometimes thought that employees can be a “weak link” in your cybersecurity plan. This need not be so. Rather, your employees–when well-trained in cybersecurity policies and practices–can be your greatest asset. Reason to learn about training your employees in keeping your network safe. Assess Cybersecurity Knowledge Employees can be the most important line of defense against cyber attacks, when aware and well trained. Do your workers know your company’s cybersecurity policies? Do they know and implement best practices with passwords, like having unique credentials that are changed regularly. Also, you can make sure they are up on the most current cyber threats like malware and phishing attempts, and know what to do when faced with a possible attack. For example, do they know what to do when they get an email designed to look like it’s from their supervisor? Training sessions could be done routinely via video-conferencing on an ongoing basis for remote workers. Security Considerations for Remote Work For nearly a year, remote work has become the rule. According to an article from CompTIA, remote workers may not be prepared for increased responsibility for the safety of their devices. Are the devices connected to your company’s network checked and sanitized to ensure malware can’t get in? Do they have the most current antivirus and anti-malware definitions? Another issue to consider is physical security. Do your workers know to do simple things like log off when leaving the computer? Will they have a workspace where phone and video-conferencing communications can’t be overheard? These are just some of the topics to discuss with your staff...
Jan 20, 2021 | SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News
Nearly a year after the pandemic closed business offices worldwide, remote work is the norm. Keeping your company’s computer network strong and secure is of great importance. Even now, businesses may want to revisit decisions made so quickly last March. Read on to learn about the most critical questions to ask in order to have a robust security plan for remote work. Network Security Considerations for Remote Work The usual security considerations remain important. First, how secure is your network against common viruses and malware? Ideally, definitions are as current as possible to catch the growing security threats. Is your method for access to the network still secure and efficient? Some companies can maintain a virtual private network requiring passwords; others may want to move some computing resources to the cloud. Still, varying levels of access may need to be determined, to keep data secure and bandwidth available for key business operations. For example, workers using video conferencing services need more bandwidth than employees who mostly handle email only. Another decision involves where workers will access your network; a company-owned PC connected to the company’s network is more secure than a worker’s personal computer or mobile device. Train Employees to Keep Your Network Secure As always, employee training needs to be part of a remote work security policy. Clear rules should be set in place regarding which equipment is used for work purposes. Employees need to be reminded to be on the lookout for possible security intrusions like phishing schemes to avoid ransomware. Passwords are another key to keeping the company’s data secure; part of training...
Jan 13, 2021 | SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, SMB Technology, Technology News
Cloud computing, with its benefits, considerations and even risks, can be a way to transform your business. When considering your cloud strategy, it must aid and advance your business strategy with its mission, values and goals. Read on to learn more about developing a cloud strategy tailored to your business strategy. Business Strategy Determines Cloud Strategy Now might be a good time to closely review your business strategy, and what you hope to accomplish in the coming year. Do you plan to have workers continue remote work, for example? Then you might need to extend access to more people, which brings up bandwidth and security concerns. According to an article from Gartner, your cloud strategy “needs to align with and actively support [your] organization’s business strategy, regardless of whether your organization provides consumer services, business services, or other products.” Broad categories of considerations include: Risks associated with cloud computing–agility, availability, supply chain, security and compliance. Also, having a clear exit strategy (or even more than one) before committing to any project, can help you reach balanced cloud deployment strategies. Some risks may pertain more to certain industries (security risks may be the most important consideration for healthcare organizations in protecting patient data, for example). Route and approach to the cloud. Will your business opt for moving all applications to the cloud, or rehosting some and completely rebuilding others? And what sort of platform is the best fit, whether Software as a Service (SaaS) for rapid access or adoption of cloud infrastructure for building new functions? What will your business do about migrating current and legacy applications? ...
