All posts by SystemsNet Administrator

5 Reasons Why Businesses Do IT Staff Termination

IT staff termination
Cybersecurity, Manage Service, Security, Technology, , , ,

IT staff termination has notably increased in the last couple of years. According to Business News Daily, 37% of IT professionals were discharged, a continuing trend that began during the pandemic. This is not good for IT professionals or the companies that they work for.

For the IT staff professionals, they obviously wouldn’t want to get a termination. Besides losing money, they would also have a blemish on their professional record, which puts them back where they started when and if they were to find employment with another company. And for the employer, firing their tech guys also means back to the drawing board. They will have to look for someone new, spend money and time on training them, and possibly even experience reduced productivity from the remaining workforce.

It would be in the best interest of both parties if the IT staff termination rate went down. For this to happen, it is important to understand what causes terminations in the first place, and that will be our topic today.

5 Most Common IT Staff Termination Reasons

Performance Issues

Leading the list of IT staff termination reasons, poor performance would be a deal breaker. Incompetence in any form is a reason for getting fired. If someone gets failing marks after an IT staff performance evaluation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they get a notice of termination.

Breach of Company Policies

Another clear-cut reason to fire someone is if they violate company policies. The IT staff code of conduct covers a wide scope, from the proper use of company resources to following strict data security protocols. Any breach of these policies can warrant termination.

Lack of Adaptability

A competent IT professional should be able to keep up with rapidly changing technology. There must be continuous learning for IT professionals, and adapting to technological changes in IT. Their inability to do this will diminish their value to the company, and there will be no reason for them to stay on the payroll.

Communication Issues with IT Staff Leading to Termination

Many IT projects require collaboration between team members, as well as with clients or management. Because of this, many companies invest in improving communication skills for IT professionals through team-building workshops or training on IT staff communication strategies. This addition is a vital step toward minimizing potential communication issues. If, despite these efforts, the tech guys cannot step up in this area, they are likely to get fired.

Cultural Misfit

Although not as common as the other IT staff termination reasons, a cultural misfit is still a valid reason for a company to terminate their IT professional. It can be difficult for individuals to fulfill their role in the company if there is discord within the team. Here, your company would be better off finding the right IT talent for your company culture, and firing those that are not a good fit.

Choose Your IT Staff Carefully to Minimize Risk of Termination

There might be other IT staff termination reasons besides the ones above which are by far the most frequently cited. As a business owner, you must consider these reasons the next time you hire an IT professional. In addition, when hiring an IT provider, you must be sure that they pass all the criteria mentioned in the 7 Components of Auditing an IT Provider. You can download the list right here. 

Choosing the right provider will certainly reduce the need for eventual termination, and instead, it might lead to a long-lasting and fruitful professional partnership. If you need help finding the ideal IT team for your company, we can give you a hand. Call us today and we will schedule you for a free consultation!

Top 5 Ways Your Business Can Be Impacted without a BDR Plan

BDR Plan
Cybersecurity, Security, Technology, , , , , , ,

A backup and disaster recovery plan is crucial for every business, regardless of industry or the size of the enterprise. Disasters can stem from many situations, from natural calamities to online attacks or even a simple human error. Without a proper BDR plan, your business might easily get destroyed, possibly with very little hope of being able to get back up at all.

With the prevalence of online and offline threats, we cannot emphasize enough that a small business needs as much protection as possible. So if you are stubbornly resisting the call to put a reliable BDR plan in place, this is the perfect post for you. Keep reading to discover the drastic ways that may impact your business if you keep going without a BDR plan.

BDR Plan for Natural Disasters

No one can tell when or where a natural disaster will occur or how severe its effects will be. What will you do if your business records get caught in a raging fire or your servers get damaged beyond repair in a Category 4 typhoon? Without a BDR plan, you might as well sit in a corner and weep because there is no way you can recover the lost data.

Cloud-Based Threats

Businesses have been taking advantage of cloud solutions for multiple applications, which is a good thing. But with this trend also comes a horde of new online risks. In migrating your business to the cloud, it becomes one more target for relentless hackers searching for the next victim. A modern BDR plan takes these threats into account and lists actions with suitable security measures to minimize the risk to your business and your cloud-based data and processes.

Data Protection

A company’s data is one of its most valuable assets and must be protected. The backup should include transaction records, legal contracts, customer information, and a horde of data that would put you in a very unpleasant situation should it fall into the wrong hands. To keep your data safe, keep an updated copy in a secure location in case your primary storage gets compromised or damaged. Only a professional BDR solution can give you the data protection and security your business needs.

Remote Employees

Remote work has become very common because of the pandemic. While it has many perks for both the workers and your business, there is also the added risk that remote employees are inadvertently adding to the company. Often, remote employees use their networks at home while working, which are not very secure. If a hacker infiltrates your business, you can roll out your BDR plan to stop the damage and get back to normal operations as quickly as possible.

Ransomware

Almost all the million-dollar data breaches reported this year involved ransomware. This is one of the easiest and most effective attacks hackers use to conduct their illicit affairs. Many companies that have been the victims of ransomware attacks could recover, but only because they had an effective BDR strategy. And if you don’t have one, who knows what terrible fate awaits your business following an attack?

Protect Yourself and Your Business Today with a BDR Plan

According to statistics, about 40 percent of small and midsize businesses do not have any BDR plan. All they have is antivirus software and some data backups on an external hard drive, and that’s about it.

Danger will always lurk around, and there is no better time than now to prepare yourself. You should include a solid BDR strategy in the list of your small business needs. You can familiarize yourself with the many benefits of a BDR plan by downloading our FREE Infographic.

When you are ready to take the next step, we are standing by. Call us today, and we will create a robust BDR strategy to keep your business as secure as possible.

8 Top Technology Trends for Cybersecurity

Technology Trends for Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity, Technology, , , , ,

Cybersecurity is vital for protecting corporate and personal data from hackers and other cybercriminals. A single breach can cause massive amounts of data and financial loss. It can ultimately lead to the complete downfall of a company and even the destruction of lives. Fortunately, the top technology trends for cybersecurity of recent years provide us with multiple ways to boost cybersecurity. You just need to know which areas you should focus on to guard your business against cyber threats.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence, or AI, plays a vital role in improving cybersecurity. The most prominent use is in threat detection. A platform that uses AI can instantly pinpoint incoming threats and thwart most attacks. Likewise, the same platform can start the corresponding response, like setting off security procedures. This is considered one of the top technology trends for cybersecurity.

Technology Trends for Cybersecurity: Cloud-Based Solutions

Most companies have migrated to the cloud for better business efficiency and growth. Several cloud-based solutions are used to improve detection to protect all cloud-based data, apps, and infrastructure. CASB, SAST, CIEM, CWWP, CSPM, and SASE are popular options available today.

Cybersecurity Solutions

Cybersecurity solutions have evolved in response to changing tech trends. For instance, the top technology trends in 2023 involve cloud computing and mobile devices. So, to stay safe in these situations, you need to focus your cybersecurity efforts in the right places.

Internet of Things

Another area leading technology trends today is the Internet of Things. As the IoT grows, with more devices, machines, and even animals or people now interconnected through the Internet, the risk of hacking and data breaches expands into an entirely new area. Investing in IoT cybersecurity is a smart move for keeping your business safe, but to date, there is still a large amount of risk involved, so we advise users to be extra careful.

Technology Trends for Cybersecurity: Automation

Time is of the essence in dealing with cybersecurity challenges. You can’t waste a second before acting because that second can cost you more damage than you can fathom. With security automation, threats like malware, phishing, and others are easily detected. The system can also execute the response immediately, thus minimizing potential damage.

Vendor Management

Online threats come from all directions, even from business dealings with suppliers. Not that your vendor would purposely infiltrate your data, but there is no shortage of 3rd- or 4th party entities that would take advantage of such transactions to instigate their own cyberattack. For these kinds of problems to happen less often, a safe way to manage vendors should include a thorough risk assessment for each one.

Renewable Energy

The increased usage of renewable energy is good for the environment. But on the downside, switching to renewable energy also creates new cybersecurity risks. That’s why a relatively new area of technology known as “solar cybersecurity” had to be created. There are still a lot of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed, and IT experts around the world are currently working on them.

Technology Trends for Cybersecurity: Quantum Computing

Quantum computing could lead to major leaps forward in AI, medical research, and a lot of other fields. But quantum computers will be so powerful that they will get around the current encryption methods. For our own safety, we should update our cybersecurity systems before quantum computers finally arrive and hackers get their hands on them.

The top technology trends of 2023 bring with them both improvements and new risks in terms of cybersecurity. The key to staying protected is always being aware, and partnering with a trusty managed services provider who can help you stay two steps ahead of hackers. That is what we do here.

Click here to learn more about how we use technology to manage your vendors. Or call us today to schedule a free consultation!

Achieving Compliance as a Team

Achieving Compliance
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, , , , , , ,

Before your company can fully comply with all the requirements set by third parties like regulatory bodies and clients, there are dozens upon dozens of tasks that need to be completed. These tasks are spread across different areas of the company and are impossible for just one individual to accomplish. The process of achieving compliance would require a fast and thorough team of compliance specialists.

Vital Matters to Discuss when achieving compliance

In most cases achieving compliance failures can be attributed to a lack of planning and communication. To avoid these problems, bring your compliance team together right from the start and discuss all the crucial matters.

Email Encryption

Daily, hundreds of emails can go back and forth in your company. You need a reliable encryption system to protect all emails and keep all data away from these hackers.

Data Encryption

Customer data, credit card information, and other data must all pass through a secure collection system to avoid theft or exposure to unauthorized parties. This method is crucial when achieving compliance.

Firewalls

Skilled hackers can easily override some firewalls. If you are still using an older firewall try upgrading to a multi-level system for a much better defense against unwanted intruders.

Backups

Data backups are your lifeline of a system failure or cyberattack and are crucial when achieving compliance. It is crucial to create backups regularly and store them in a safe location in a system that complies with client and government requirements.

Data Availability and Storage when achieving compliance

Sensitive information within your business must only be accessible to authorized individuals. There should be a surefire method of restricting access to sensitive information to minimize data breaches.

Physical Access

Maximizing digital security is critical, but you must not take physical safety measures for granted. Every employee should shut down their computers properly after use. Screen filters might be necessary when achieving compliance for some workstations with sensitive data.

Responsibilities of the Internal Compliance Officer to achieving compliance

In addition to choosing a highly skilled IT compliance team, you also need an internal compliance officer on your payroll when achieving compliance. Their primary duty would be to monitor the staff and ensure that each one abides by compliance procedures—locking their systems when they leave their workstations, practicing caution when using credit card information and private company data, and so on.

Regular cybersecurity training is also part of the responsibilities of the internal compliance officer. Quarterly training is ideal for keeping employees aware of the pervasive dangers online. When new employees join the team, they should receive training on compliance policies as well.

Finally, it is also the internal compliance officer who maintains compliance-related documentation such as communication standards and backup plans.

Delegating Compliance to an MSP

Even businesses that are not in the IT industry will need to comply with several IT regulations when achieving compliance. If you do not have an in-house tech team and if your staff does not have the expertise or experience to handle the task, there’s no need to worry. MSPs, or managed services providers, can take these technical matters off your hands.

If you partner with us, we will assign your company a team of compliance experts who will ensure that you meet all relevant requirements. Whether you need to fulfill requirements for HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, NIST, or any other regulatory authority, we will take care of it to completion. Give us a call, our team will also coordinate closely with your organization to ensure we meet all requirements. You can also check out our Free Cybersecurity Infographic if you’re looking for great advice to keep your business safe in the meantime.