Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face numerous challenges when it comes to managing their IT. Limited resources (both human and money), lack of expertise, and the need to focus on core business operations often make it difficult for SMBs to understand and manage technology needs. This is where Managed Service Providers (MSPs) come in. In this blog article, we will explore the reasons why SMBs should consider partnering with MSPs to enhance their IT capabilities and drive business growth.
Cost-Effective IT Solutions:
One of the primary reasons why SMBs need MSPs is the cost-effectiveness they offer. By outsourcing their IT needs to MSPs, SMBs can avoid the high costs associated with hiring and training an in-house IT team. MSPs provide a range of services, including network monitoring, data backup and recovery, cybersecurity, and software updates, all at a predictable monthly cost. This allows SMBs to allocate their resources more efficiently and focus on their core business.
Access to Expertise and Advanced Technology:
MSPs are experts in providing IT services and have a team of highly skilled professionals with expertise in variety of technology. By partnering with MSPs, SMBs gain access to the depth of knowledge and experience from IT experts who can handle complex tasks and provide strategic guidance. Additionally, MSPs stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and can recommend and implement solutions that can help SMBs stay competitive in the market and safe from hackers.
Proactive IT Support and Maintenance:
MSPs offer proactive IT support and maintenance, which is crucial for SMBs. They monitor networks, identify potential issues, and take preventive measures to avoid downtime and disruptions. MSPs also provide regular software updates, security patches, and system maintenance, ensuring that SMBs’ IT remains secure and up-to-date. This proactive approach helps SMBs minimize the risk of costly IT failures and ensures smooth business operations.
Enhanced Data Security:
Data breaches and cyberattacks pose a significant threat to SMBs. MSPs play a vital role in safeguarding SMBs’ sensitive data and protecting them from potential security breaches. They implement robust cybersecurity measures, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and encryption, to ensure data confidentiality and integrity. MSPs can also conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address any potential weaknesses in the IT infrastructure.
Scalability and Flexibility:
As SMBs grow, their IT needs evolve. MSPs offer scalable solutions that can adapt to changing business requirements. Whether it’s adding new users, expanding storage capacity, or integrating new software, MSPs can quickly and efficiently accommodate these changes. This scalability and flexibility allow SMBs to focus on their growth without worrying about the limitations of their IT infrastructure.
If your company could use the cost-effective solutions, access to expertise, proactive support, enhanced data security, and scalability that come from using a MSP, then contact us for assistance.
This is the fourth in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on secure remote access.
Secure Remote Access
Secure Remote Access is the ability to connect to company resources from anywhere in a manner that does not compromise security. This can be done by several means including remote access software, Virtual Private Network (VPN), or File Sync & Share (FSS). Here are some questions that you should be asking yourself:
Does anyone in your organization work from home or remotely?
How are they remotely connecting to the office?
Are you able to revoke access to the office if they leave the company?
If that connection is a modern VPN, what type of security does it use?
Is your VPN based on passwords or certificates?
Does the VPN log usage statistics?
If that connection is a remote access software, what type of security does it use?
Does the software limit who has access to which resource?
Does the software log who is logging in and for how long?
If that connection is via FSS, what type of security does it use?
Does your FSS have file versioning, backups, and ransomware protection?
Does the FSS limit who has access to which resource?
Do you use 2FA as part of your remote access?
Take time to think about these questions and decide where changes can be made to better protect your IT investments, or contact us to do the thinking for you.
This is the third in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on the backup of important data.
Backup
Backup is a way of creating multiple copies of your important data and the systems that house them. This has become a necessity thanks to acts of God (unforeseen physical disasters), acts of employees (accidental or purposeful destruction of data), and acts of malicious hackers (ransomware or malware). Here are some questions that you should be asking yourself:
What data or systems are being backed up?
How often are these backups being performed?
Are your backups protected from natural disasters (offsite and redundant)?
How long are backups being stored?
Once expired are they securely removed?
What is the process for recovering files, emails, workstations, servers, applications, databases?
Have you tested your recovery process lately?
Do you know how long it will take to recover?
How will business continue until systems are restored?
How will you merge new information into recovered data once restored?
How often do you test your recovery process?
Is the recovery test process automated?
Take time to think about these questions and decide where changes can be made to better protect your IT investments, or contact us to do the thinking for you.
83% of employees continue accessing old employer’s accounts
A study was performed by Beyond Identity throughout the US, UK, and Ireland which found that 83% of employees admitted to maintaining continued access to accounts from a previous employer. Also a shocking 56% admitted to using this access to harm their former employer.
The study also states that a professional and details offboarding process can prevent unauthorized access by former employees by eliminating their passwords and other insecure authentication methods. Strangely enough this also creates a sense of goodwill in the company that helps to lessen the motivation for employees to attempt this kind of malicious access. This kind of process is vital considering the current employment market and high turn over rates at almost all companies.
If your company does not have a detailed and documented offboarding process, thencontact usfor assistance.
Give your business freedom from hardware constraints with the agility and functionality of cloud computing.
Cloud requires no upfront costs, which makes it an operating expense rather than a capital expense. Your business will benefit from predictable monthly payments that cover software licenses, updates, support and daily backups. Cloud technologies provide greater flexibility as your business only pays for what it uses and can easily scale up and down to meet demand.
Moving to the cloud enables your business to no longer pay to power on-premises servers or to maintain the environment. This significantly reduces energy bills.
Finally, for those concerned with security, cloud data centers employ security measures far beyond what most SMBs can afford. Your company data is much safer in the cloud than on a server in their office.
Move your business to the cloud ahead of Office 2010 and Windows 7 End of Support!
If your company is looking to make the move to cloud, then contact us for assistance.
There is a huge debate raging about which company to use for file sync and share for businesses with many turning to Dropbox to make efficient mobile workforces possible. The only problem with this is the costs don’t scale well. As OneDrive for Business becomes more mature it becomes a real contender for this space especially when integrated with Windows Explorer. Here is how to make this happen for the “Sharepoint Online” shared storage space for an organization:
Configure Sharepoint Online and OneDrive for Business
Sign in to Office 365 using your credentials at the Portal Login. Make sure that you click to select the Keep me signed in check box.
Switch to the SharePoint Online site by clicking on the Sites tile.
Open a document library in Explorer View – we need to do this to obtain the URL for the library.
From your Team Site, select your Document Library.
In the Ribbon, click the Library tab.
In the Connect & Export group, click Open with Explorer.
Click on Allow if an Internet Explorer Security warning pops up.
Explorer should now Launch with your chosen Library
Right-click and Copy the URL from the Explorer window address bar.
Right-click on the My Computer icon and choose to Map Network Drive.
Click the Connect to a Web site that you can store your documents and pictures link, and then click Next two times.
This location will now be added as a Network Location in Windows Explorer
There is still one piece missing from this puzzle which is easily changing folder permissions from Windows Explorer. To do so it is still needed to login to the portal as follows:
From your Team Site, select your Document Library.
Select the Folder and click on the Share button.
In the Share window, click Invite People.
In the dialog box, enter the names of the people or groups that you want to give access.
As you add names, you can cspecify the permission level that you want the new users to have.
You can also include a personal message
When you finish, click Share.
Those are the basics for using Sharepoint Online’s OneDrive for Business to function like Dropbox for Business. If you need any help with this setup contact us and one of our Office 365 Sharepoint Online experts will help.
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. - 2 Corinthians 9:8-10
