Category Archives: Security

Unlock Growth Potential with Managed Cloud Services

managed cloud services

Managed Cloud Services have been the buzzword in business for the past decade. They provide a practical answer to several business concerns like data storage, disaster recovery, mobility, sustainability, and so on. With cloud services, you can open a world of vast growth opportunities for your business that are beyond anything you can achieve with traditional physical limitations.

Two Ways to Use Managed Cloud Services

As a business owner, you have two ways to use the cloud. The first is by migrating your business to the cloud yourself using a cloud hosting service. Here, you will essentially just be renting cloud space, and you will still have to take care of all the maintenance and management yourself. The second way is to use managed cloud services from a trusted IT provider.

What Are Managed Cloud Services?

They are all-inclusive services that refer to the management of an organization’s cloud platform. Many business owners prefer this over unmanaged services mainly because it relieves them of the burden of all the technical matters like migration and maintenance, leaving them free to run their business from the cloud setup.

Advantages of Managed Cloud Services for Businesses

Current statistics show that more than 60% of small businesses now rely on managed cloud services for various business operations, and the number keeps growing. It’s not surprising, considering the many advantages that it offers.

Scalability and Flexibility

IT requirements constantly change as a business grows. Whether you need greater bandwidth, more data storage, faster processing power, or whatnot, managed cloud services make implementing these changes easy. Upgrades or downgrades can be completed quickly and at a minimal cost to the business.

Minimal Downtime with Managed Cloud Services

System failures cannot always be avoided, but with a managed cloud, they will be very rare and very short. If one server shuts down, for instance, a different server can take over. Moreover, vigilant monitoring and rapid response times by the management team will ensure rapid resolution to any issue that arises.

Improved Collaborations

Authorized entities, no matter where they are, can access any data that is on a cloud. This ability makes business collaborations a lot more efficient. Multiple parties can share, view, and edit files from any geographical location or time zone, saving businesses a lot of time and other resources, and effectively boosting overall work productivity.

Reduced Business Costs

A subscription for this service costs money, but this expense is tiny compared to the spending you would have if you went for unmanaged services or stayed away from the cloud altogether. With managed services, the subscription is the only thing you need to pay. Since your subscription will cover this cost, you won’t need to worry about hiring experts, investing in hardware, or paying for operational expenses.

Optimize Cloud Expenses with an Excessive Spending Calculator

This service can potentially lead to significant savings. However, a simple shift to the cloud will not automatically bring down your overall spending. You need to make smart choices as to which cloud services to avail and how to allocate cloud resources strategically for your business.

An easy way to make these decisions soundly is by using our Excessive Spending Calculator. This practical resource can identify all the cloud services you can do without. It will help you uncover hidden costs and eliminate unnecessary expenses, ultimately allowing you to find the most cost-effective solutions.

Unlock Your Business’s Growth Potential with Managed Cloud Services

So, are you ready to unlock your business’s growth potential? Or perhaps you would like to know more about this service. Either way, you can call us, and we will book you for a free consultation!

Business Success: Embracing Managed Service Providers

business success

Cutting-edge IT solutions are a top priority among businesses in today’s digital world, and it’s no big surprise. Technology continuously evolves, sometimes at a frighteningly rapid pace. You must be equipped with the latest software and hardware to achieve that business success.

Business Success: Impact of Technology Changes

There used to be a time when it was the norm for businesses to take a reactive approach to changes in technology. Businesses created and implemented IT solutions as a response to problems after these problems had already caused damage.

In recent years, the trend has shifted toward proactive solutions. Experts anticipate potential problems and implement solutions that will keep them from escalating. The more technology advances, the more potential problems might come up. Hence, to maintain high business success, it is more important than ever to engage in proactive tech solutions for businesses.

Benefits of Proactive Business Tech Solutions

Implementing proactive business tech solutions can do a lot of good for business success. Here are just some of the top benefits:

Improves Efficiency for Business Success

Business operations can run a lot more smoothly with a proactive IT solution. Business can go on as usual if downtimes decrease. These will not only improve efficiency but can also ultimately increase revenue and boost your reputation among your clients.

Reduces Costs

There will be some initial spending involved, but in the long run, the cost savings will be immeasurable. You can use our Business Excessive Spending Calculator to compare how much you would be spending before and after. With a dependable solution in place, you can avoid many expensive IT issues in the future, like system failures, extensive downtimes, or data breaches.

Boosts Work Performance

Part of proactive IT is the integration of all IT processes in your business, creating a seamless operation that will ultimately boost performance. This will speed up your systems and minimize delays, allowing your employees to maximize their productivity.

Mitigates Risks for Business Success

Proactive solutions play a role in mitigating risks and improving the overall security of your business. With non-stop monitoring, breaches or system errors will be detected and addressed quickly without disrupting operations. The system will also afford greater protection over your database and networks, keeping them safe during a cyberattack.

Allows for Scalability

Traditional business solutions can be limiting in terms of business growth. With a proactive solution, you can adapt to changing market demands. Even if you don’t have a concrete plan where you want your business to be a few years down the line, the scalability and versatility of a proactive system can easily allow growth and expansion to happen.

Business Success: Top Ways to Implement Proactive Tech Solutions

Predictive Analytics

One of the most popular proactive solutions used by businesses today is predictive analytics. In this process, experts locate patterns to predict future business trends through machine learning, AI, data analysis, and statistical models. This practice is useful in several business applications, like forecasting cash flow, sales trends, even product malfunctions, and so on.

AI-Driven Automation

Using large databases, AI-driven automation can make highly informed business decisions to address problems long before they even become an actual issue. The applications of these AI-powered solutions are endless—from identifying when a piece of hardware needs to be replaced to executing algorithms that can nullify potential cyber threats.

Cloud Computing for Business Success

Taking your business to the cloud is a proactive decision, as it eliminates multiple problems in terms of accessibility, storage, scalability, security, and even cost. Cloud computing can also be tailored to meet the specific needs of your business, which is why it is important to work closely with your IT provider, who can provide the most suitable solutions for you.

Find the Right Proactive Solutions with the Help of a Managed Service Provider

Navigating the world of IT business solutions on your own can be intimidating, which is why it is highly advisable to partner with a managed services provider that can help you. They can help achieve your goal of business success in this market.

Did you know that by keeping on using your old equipment, you might be spending more than you should? Try using our Business Excessive Spending Calculator and you’ll be surprised at how much money is unnecessarily going out of your business. You can download the calculator right here.

To learn the benefits of the Spending Calculator, be sure to watch our Webinar on demand, and find out the answer to this question: “Are you aware of what you’re paying for your IT Services?” Watch the Webinar HERE!

If you need help or have questions about managed services, call us anytime!

Maximize Growth with Managed IT Services

Maximize managed services

Technology changes rapidly, and IT hardware solutions are a perfect example. You don’t necessarily need to purchase every upgrade released into the market. Some have nothing to do with your IT system, while others are optional, and you can make do without. However, as a business owner, you should know when to adopt fresh IT hardware solutions and leave behind outdated systems.  Maximize your business’s hardware with managed IT services.

When is it Time for a Business to Maximize Managed Services? 

Many businesses put off hardware upgrades for many reasons, the most common being the reluctance to spend. Yes, hardware can be expensive. But then, some expenses are necessary to propel your business forward. They are smart investments that you must make. Here are some signs that it’s time to let go of the old stuff and maximize your business hardware with managed IT services.

Performance

Hardware past its prime can result in sluggish performance, which leads to a drop in productivity and user experience. Your employees will be frustrated, and your clients will begin to look elsewhere for better service. Maximizing your hardware growth with managed IT services is the only way to circumvent this.

Security Issues

Obsolete hardware is the perfect target for cyberattacks because of its weak defenses, which are easily penetrable by modern hacking tools. On the other hand, new hardware is equipped with strong security features that can better protect your business from online threats.

Maximize with Managed IT services If There is an End of Support

Hardware manufacturers offer support, but only for a limited period. Once the support tenure is over, you will no longer receive official updates, which leaves your system vulnerable to all kinds of problems. If you upgrade your hardware, support will continue to be available.

Benefits if You Maximize Growth with Managed IT Services

If you have been experiencing any of the signs listed above, then it’s time for a business IT hardware upgrade. The expenses might sting a bit, especially if you have been holding on for a while and require a total overhaul. However, in the long run, abundant benefits are waiting for you once you maximize growth with managed IT services.

Improved Performance

With the new hardware, your IT systems can operate with more speed and efficiency. Employees and clients would be pleased, and your business would regain its competitive edge.

Enhanced Security Features

Fresh IT hardware solutions come with the most advanced security features, protecting you from continuously evolving threats.

Increased Productivity

Work productivity will shoot up now that sluggish apps and long response times are a thing of the past. You can now benefit from modern applications for your business without worrying that your hardware cannot handle them.

Better Scalability

New hardware solutions are widely scalable. If you need more memory or processing capacity, or if you need to accommodate a greater user load, it won’t be a problem with modern hardware solutions.

Cost-Effective Solutions for Upgrading Business Hardware

As mentioned earlier, cost is the biggest reason that business owners cite for not upgrading the hardware more often. But did you know that by keeping on using your old equipment, you might be spending more? Try using our Business Excessive Spending Calculator and you might be surprised at how much money is unnecessarily going out of your business. You can download the calculator right here.

To learn the benefits of the Spending Calculator, be sure to watch our Webinar on demand to find out the answer to this question: “Are you truly aware of what you’re paying for your IT Services?” Watch the webinar HERE!

Besides, a business IT hardware upgrade need not cost you an arm and a leg. There are many viable options if you have a limited budget. You can investigate leasing or availing of refurbished equipment. IT providers also offer a range of customizable solutions that would be just right for your organization.

If you’re ready to let go of your old equipment and maximize your business growth with managed IT services, we are here to help. Contact us and we can start discussing the best hardware solutions for your business!

5 Reasons Why Businesses Do IT Staff Termination

IT staff termination

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!