Technology Archives - InfoManage

February 12, 2018

Meeting IT Challenges with Hybrid Cloud

Many small and medium-size businesses are turning to hybrid cloud to solve their largest IT challenges. In fact, the demand for hybrid cloud is growing rapidly, at a rate of 27 percent each year, which is higher than cloud adoption overall.

This hybrid approach uses the public cloud, which works in conjunction with a private cloud platform designed for use solely by a single organization. These clouds, private and public, operate independently yet communicate over an encrypted connection.

As a result, SMBs can store protected data on the private cloud while leveraging resources from the public cloud to run various applications. The control and security of the private cloud are leveraged, yet the various features, flexibility and low cost of the public cloud are also available.

Here are five additional ways that hybrid cloud helps SMBs meet today’s IT challenges:

Improved decision-making. Decision-making is critical to business success, and a hybrid approach ensures the required data is available when the need to make these swift decisions arises. Access data faster when it’s needed, while ensuring the safety and security of that data.

Access to additional resources. Hybrid cloud helps organizations scale with greater ease. For example, when landing a new business contract, you may need additional resources. Hybrid cloud allows you to scale up or down quickly.

The ability to focus on core business. The bottom line greatly benefits from modernizing your infrastructure. Overhead is reduced, operational efficiency is improved and your ability to focus on core business tasks is significantly improved.

Greater security and enforcement of standards. Adopting a hybrid solution helps to streamline tasks, ensuring greater security and improving workflow for overloaded IT staff.

Greater agility. Leveraging public cloud at times of heavy usage allows organizations to have fewer outages and less downtime. In addition, employees have greater access to business critical applications, which is increasingly important with today’s increasingly mobile workforce.

Do you have questions about the benefits of adopting a hybrid cloud solution? If so, we can help. For more information, contact InfoManage online or call 212-931-0705.

November 1, 2017December 7, 2017

What is Cloud Technology?

Cloud Technology: Cutting Through the Hype for SMBs

Building and growing a business is hard work, and most SMBs have poured time, resources and energy into getting where they are today. But they are also looking to the future and seeking new ways to grow and thrive. One such strategy for fueling that growth is cloud technology.

In fact, it’s estimated that 78 percent of U.S. small businesses will have fully adopted cloud computing by 2020, which is more than double the rate of today’s adoption. But what is cloud technology and is it right for your business?

Cloud Technology for SMBs: A Quick Primer

The cloud refers to software and services that run via the internet instead of a local computer. Most of these services are accessed through a web browser, such as Firefox or Google Chrome, which makes the technology easy to access from anywhere.

There are four major cloud models, including cloud storage, software as a service, platform as a service and infrastructure as a service. The two most relevant for most SMBs are cloud storage and SaaS.

Cloud storage allows for safe and secure storage of data off-site, which is a major benefit for greater business resilience. With SaaS, you can easily run software, such as Office 365, Google Docs or Dropbox, through an internet browser.

Why Do SMBs Use the Cloud? A Few Major Benefits

If your existing solution works fine, what are the benefits of using cloud services and does it truly make sense to switch?

Here are a few benefits of the cloud for SMBs:

Upgrades are simple. All performance upgrades are handled automatically, which frees up your staff’s time to work on other projects.
Lower costs. Because you don’t need to install physical hardware, it makes the cost of ownership less expensive, allowing businesses to do more with less.
Easier collaboration. The cloud allows employees to collaborate easily regardless of physical location. All employees need is an internet browser, and they can often work from the same master document.
Greater flexibility. Files are no longer stuck on a single server, but instead can flow seamlessly between physical locations and employees. With a rise in remote working, this becomes critical and allows files to be accessed with greater flexibility.

Do you have questions about the benefits of the cloud and how it fits with your business strategy? If so, we can help. Contact us online, or call 212-931-0705 today.

September 25, 2017December 7, 2017

Equifax Breach Puts Focus on IT Security

Recently, the data of 143 million consumers — including Social Security numbers, birthdates, driver’s license numbers and much more — was compromised during a massive Equifax security breach. And with this breach, there is one subject on everyone’s mind: security.

The effects of this breach are certainly long-lasting, both for the affected consumers and Equifax. However, the breach forces every company to ask a critical question: If huge companies such as Equifax, Target, Home Depot and others can be breached, are we at risk too?

Rethink IT Security with these 5 Easy Steps

SMBs are not safe from a data breach. In fact, 50 percent of small businesses have been breached within the past 12 months. The time to rethink IT security is now, but what action should you take?

Use two-factor authentication. Sixty-three percent of data breaches result from weak or stolen passwords. Many SMBs have only one layer of password protection. Two-factor authentication confirms user identity by using two different identifying factors, which might include combining a thumbprint with a password or a one-time SMS text.

Create companywide security policies. Do you have a formal security policy in place? If not, create one, and if one is already in place, review it with staff regularly. Employees are your first line of defense, so train them to recognize and protect your company from threats.

Keep software up to date. Cyber criminals thrive when discovering outdated software because they open up weaknesses in your system. Ensure that updates are completed regularly because an out-of-date computer is instantly more at risk than a fully patched computer.

Invest in cybersecurity solutions that fit your business needs. What solutions do you have in place to protect you from a security breach? Could these solutions be better? If you aren’t sure, speak with an MSP to ensure that you have identified any potential weakness and have implemented solutions to mitigate that risk.

Create and practice a business continuity plan. Ideally, preventive measures will ensure that a security breach won’t occur, but it’s still important to be prepared. Run drills of the plan so that your staff understands their role during a security breach and everyone is prepared to mitigate loss.

Do you have questions about how to rethink your existing security approach? If so, we can help. Contact us online or call 212-931-0705 today.

August 28, 2017December 7, 2017

Mitigating Cyber Attack Risk

5-Step Approach to Mitigating Cyber Attack Risk

Cyber-attacks are getting more attention in recent months and capturing the interest of SMBs, mostly because cybercriminals are targeting not only huge corporations, but also they’re going after SMBs – and at a rate higher than you’d expect.

Seventy-one percent of cyberattacks have targeted businesses with 100 or fewer employees. What’s more, only 14 percent of small businesses rate their efforts at mitigating cyber attack risk as “highly effective.” This leaves SMBs with one important question:

What should we do next?

InfoManage recommends you use this five-step approach to mitigating cyber attack risk and create a plan for handling an attack to safeguard your business in the future:

Develop a security policy. Security should be a thread that runs through every action taken at your company. Employees are the gatekeepers of your data, so it’s important to create policies and education programs that help them spot security warning signs.
Create a stronger password strategy. Weak passwords could be the downfall of your organization. Cybercriminals love weak passwords because they make a hacker’s job simple. Most Ensure that each employee’s password includes a combination of upper and lowercase letters along with numbers and symbols. Passwords should be reset frequently to increase safety and security.
Ensure that software is up to date. Are you putting off software updates? If so, you are not alone. But not updating software regularly could leave you vulnerable to security threats. Avoid delaying the installation of anti-virus software or application security updates to ensure that your company has maximum protection.
Create a plan, and stick with it. Ideally, you will never experience a cyberattack, but having a good plan in place is a must. Outline a plan that determines what actions should be taken should a cyberattack occur and, just like with a fire drill, practice it.
Speak with an expert. Still worried about cybersecurity? If so, that’s normal, and working with an expert who understands how to spot risks – before hackers do – is critical for SMBs. For more information, contact us online or call 212-931-0705 today.

July 27, 2017December 7, 2017

Understanding SMBs and Cybersecurity

Most small and medium businesses know they need to be thinking about cybersecurity, but the reality of the risk is much larger than most think. In fact, 82 percent of small business owners believe they’re not an ideal target for a cyberattack. Yet research shows that SMBs are, in fact, a “sweet spot” for cybercriminals because SMBs have more digital devices than the average consumer, yet far less security than a large enterprise.

Sixty percent of all targeted cybersecurity attacks are aimed at SMBs, with 75 percent of spear-phishing attacks targeting businesses with fewer than 250 employees. And the result of an attack can be severe, resulting in unwanted exposure and lost profit — even the collapse of the business. Balancing business objectives with cybersecurity, however, is a delicate challenge, so where should you start?

Minimizing your cybersecurity risk

The cybersecurity risk is looming, but SMBs can minimize that risk and ensure that if a breach does occur they are prepared to handle it swiftly and effectively.

Here are a few steps for getting started:

Ensure that firewalls are installed. Firewalls provide an additional layer of security and can be implemented with hardware or software to keep your systems safe.

Keep software up to date. Hackers are constantly seeking the smallest of vulnerabilities to infiltrate systems. Software that is not up to date can be a risk, so keep software current to minimize these risks.

Educate your employees. Education is one of your most powerful defenses against cybercriminals. Show employees how criminals infiltrate business systems and how to recognize the signs of a breach.

Create a plan. When a security breach does occur, quick action is the key to recovery. Create a plan for addressing a security breach before you face the risk. For example, what happens if a breach occurs? What are the next steps, and how can you contain the breach and restore systems quickly? Find the answers to these questions and plot a course of action.

Use a robust backup solution. Surviving a security breach is difficult enough without worrying about lost data. Using a backup solution that operates in the cloud can help you access and restore data during a security breach or other unplanned event.

Operating in today’s business environment requires the consideration of more factors than ever. Threats for SMBs loom 24/7 and cybersecurity is a must to stay protected. Do you need help with preparing your business? For more information, visit InfoManage online or call 212-931-0705.

June 28, 2017December 7, 2017

Ransomware Attacks Increase 10x – Are You Prepared?

Ransomware Attacks Increase Tenfold: Are You Prepared?

Data is the heartbeat of SMBs, and when that data is locked up, nothing paralyzes a company faster — and hackers know it. Last year, hackers broke into a hospital’s main system, locking down data and demanding $17,000 to get systems up and running again. They hit their payday, with the hospital handing over the ransom in the form of bitcoins.

Ransomware attacks have increased tenfold in the past year, with costs that add up to over $200 million. And hackers aren’t just targeting large corporations — they are strategically striking SMBs with security vulnerabilities. So what can your business do to be prepared?

How ransomware strikes a business

Ransomware uses a couple of different approaches to strike SMBs. Hackers may send an email appearing to be from a known person, and they include an email attachment when they do so. When the attachment is opened, the organization is severely impacted.

Hackers may also infect a legitimate website that affects your machine through the browser. Once infected, the machine brings malicious code to every file within its range. For example, a personal computer that is connected to a network may be affected; this ultimately spreads to the entire data center and locks down access to every stored file.

Proactively protecting your company from ransomware

There is no silver bullet to protect against ransomware, but taking a proactive approach can greatly minimize your risk for attack. Here are a couple of tips to consider.

Educate your staff. Train employees to recognize the techniques that ransomware uses to wreak havoc on your business. Teach them to avoid “click bait” and to not open attachments from people they don’t know. In fact, they should even be careful about opening attachments from people who they do know.

Create a robust backup process. When ransomware takes hold, an SMB has three options. It can restore the backup, pay the ransom or lose the data. Since that third option is clearly off the table, the best option is to have a reliable backup solution in place. Ensure the backup process is working in real time, so you can simply roll your system back a few days prior to the infection and restore local and server-based apps. However, make sure the ransomware is completely removed prior to restoring backup, otherwise it can encrypt your backup files.

Do you have questions about the benefits of working with an MSP? If so, we can help. For more information, visit InfoManage online or call 212-931-0705.

May 22, 2017April 27, 2018

Does Outsourcing the Help Desk Make Sense?

Does Outsourcing the Help Desk Make Sense? A Few Quick Tests to Decide…

Working on a task with great efficiency is satisfying. At the end of the day, you know you got a ton accomplished – and it feels rewarding. But nothing makes a person hit a wall faster than technology challenges. Hours and even days of work can be lost in a matter of seconds.

Most companies have a strategy for handling these technical challenges, whether it’s an in-house expert at a small company or an entire team at a large firm. Managing that help desk function, however, can lead to over stressed and overworked employees who are constantly fielding urgent emails and phone calls.

But does outsourcing your IT help desk truly make sense for your organization? Here are a few quick tests to find out.

Efficiency: Do you need more of it?

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of outsourcing the IT help desk function is greater efficiency. When staff get stuck on IT challenges, their productivity grinds to a halt. The state of flow in which they were completing tasks smoothly and easily is quickly disrupted. And only when that technology is up and running will they reach that stride again.

A team that specializes in IT help desk support can get your team up and running faster and minimize downtime. In addition, if your business runs on a traditional 9-to-5 schedule, you may not have help desk support available during non-peak hours. With the rise in people working remotely and in various time zones, this may be problematic when employees need off-hours support. But a partner specializing in the IT help desk function can provide that uninterrupted support.

Specialization: Do you need specific skills, but acquiring that talent is expensive?

Finding the right talent with the precise skills that you need can be difficult, not to mention the challenge of providing competitive compensation and the ongoing investment in training.

Working with a help desk partner shifts those responsibilities and costs away from your pocketbook. The partner handles all the recruiting, hiring, training and ongoing investment in skills, allowing you to get access to the skills you need and stay current with evolving technology trends.

Refocusing: Do you want more time to focus on the core business?

Handling all aspects of IT in-house can spread a company’s resources thin. Using an IT help desk partner, however, can allow for the refocusing of valuable resources and time on business-critical tasks and projects.

As a result, your in-house IT team is relieved of demanding and urgent help desk matters, and can focus on tasks that tie in more closely to your core business, supporting exciting new projects and opportunities.

Do you have questions about the benefits of working with an MSP? If so, we can help. For more information, visit InfoManage online or call 212-931-0705.

April 13, 2017April 27, 2018

The Five-Point Checklist for Selecting a Managed Services Provider

The managed services industry is growing at a rapid rate. In fact, it’s expected to grow from roughly $145 billion in 2016 to over $242 billion by 2021.

For those shopping for MSP services, this means one thing: They have more choice than ever before. But how can you be certain that you’re making the right choice?

Here are five factors to consider when selecting your next MSP:

They Ask the Right Questions

An MSP can’t help your business unless they truly invest time to understand your business. What are your goals? What role does technology play in those goals? What challenges are you currently facing? These are just a few of the questions that potential managed services providers should be asking.

The right provider will give you detailed information about what they offer, but they’ll also spend equal amounts of time getting to know your business. Without truly understanding your organization, they can’t manage any part of your IT infrastructure.

Proactive, Technology-Focused Approach

The right managed services provider should go much further than the “break it and fix it” approach and instead implement a proactive approach that minimizes downtime and allows for continual improvement.

For example, what proactive actions do they take to keep the IT infrastructure running smoothly and avoid downtime? How can they help make proactive recommendations for software and upgrades that will proactively prevent potential IT challenges in the future? These factors are key to the success of your business.

Around-the-Clock Support

One reason why small- to medium-sized businesses look to partner with MSPs is that providing 24/7 internal support is tough. Employees are stretched thin already, and this adds another layer of stress. In contrast, a good MSP often provides 24-hour support, 365 days a year.

As a result, your staff can get speedy access to help at any time and keep your infrastructure up and running without fail.

Industry-Specialized Expertise

The right MSP for your company is one who has expertise working in your specific industry. When the support team understands your industry, they can be more proactive than the average MSP. They understand the challenges that other clients in your industry face and can make proactive recommendations that will save money and time long-term.

Great Track Record

What is the MSP’s client retention record? How long do they retain current employees? Do they have high turnover? These are just a few factors that help prove or disprove the track record of an MSP. The right partner should have a solid client and employee retention record and be able to provide the expertise it takes to keep your business running smoothly.

Do you have questions about the benefits of working with an MSP? If so, we can help. For more information, visit InfoManage online or call 212-931-0705.

February 1, 2017December 7, 2017

What Do I Do with All this Stuff?

I have a system for keeping stuff in my house. When not actively in use, most of my stuff ends up piled on the floor in my home office. When that fills up I move it to more permanent storage in my basement. When that fills up? At this point the attic or the garage become the final resting place of everything I may need someday that I need to keep…just in case.

My Basket of Wires

Am I the only one who has a basket for cables, adapters and power supplies? I keep putting things in but rarely take anything out. And when I do, my process is to dump everything out on the floor, find what I need, then put it all back. Last time I did this I swear I saw a power cord for a Motorola StarTAC. Did I throw it out? No. I wasn’t quite sure, so I left it alone. Please tell me it’s not just me.

Eventually I run out of space to put stuff. At this point, there comes “the purge.” After a great deal of blood, sweat and (sometimes) tears I end up with a curb full of garbage bags. Did I need to keep the stuff in the first place? Sure, some of it. The point is some of the stuff I store, I retrieve and use. The rest of it “expires.”

Circle of Life

Companies are no different. For companies, “stuff” is information — files, email, databases, images — which make up a wide variety of digital content.

Like any living entity, information has a lifecycle: it’s born, it has a useful life and it dies.

For information, death means no longer being relevant or useful. Companies are great at creating information and pretty good at protecting it while it’s relevant. The problem usually comes with knowing when it’s no longer relevant and to let it go.

No More Business As Usual

For more than half a century information management methodology has focused on making sure we can “get the data back” while ignoring the question of “do we really need it anymore?” There are acres of warehouses filled with magnetic tapes protecting a company’s valuable information assets. How much of those “assets” should really be in a garbage bag on the curb?

There is a growing sense of urgency in corporate circles to attempt to reign in the pervasive data sprawl that has come about as a result of cheap real estate a.k.a. disk space. As data center costs increase with no limit in site for the amount of data being generated, IT departments are asking corporate management to buy into retention strategies. Whether it’s email, collaboration suites, or data warehouses, there is more and more urgency being assigned to the need for Information Lifecycle Management (ILM).

Backup –> Archive –> Destruction

We have pushed out a significant amount of data management to the masses. Everyone in our organizations has the ability to create data, not just in “systems of record”, but on file systems, desktops, laptops and mobile devices. The problem? Most people are not skilled to manage data life-cycle. This leads to what I like to call data sprawl. The result is IT departments have the herculean task to manage and protect this data. We see unlimited backups of questionably valuable information.

So let’s start with a basic question: what data do I have?

Step 1: Inventory and Clean Up

Data is one of the most important assets of any organization, important enough that we expend effort and resources to protect it. We use methods like redundancy strategies and backups. These cost money. Protecting more data then necessary is a waste of resources. So, getting a picture of the types and sizes of files on our system will help us understand where to start.

What Do I Have?

For many businesses, particularly in the SMB space, the question of ILM needs to start at the beginning. Let’s say we have a small business with approximately 1 Tb of “active” storage on our file systems. Do we even know what types of data we are storing?

The first thing we need to do is “empty the box onto the floor” to see what we have. Here is a list of the “top 10” file types for our sample company:

This raises a bunch of questions:

Why are there so many BAK files? What are they?
Why are there music files (mp3, m4a) on our file system? Are they personal?
We sure do have a log of .jpg files. Are the business or personal?

And this is just file system space. We will also need to look at email systems, databases, and mobile devices.

A Light At The End of The Tunnel

On the face of it, this sounds like a lot of effort. Rather than throw in a colorful metaphor I’ll be blunt:

The size of data being managed directly impacts expenses along the ILM chain. The rewards in costs savings can be substantial.

If you don’t get your “data” house in order, you will run up ever increasing data management costs. Add to this you will have decreasing certainty that you are adequately protecting one of your most valuable assets.

So what are you waiting for? Dump that box on the floor and get started!

January 16, 2017April 27, 2018

Why are More Companies Outsourcing IT in 2017?

As the new year kicks off, most companies have a robust list of objectives to accomplish in the coming months. For many, this includes adding additional IT staff or outsourcing IT by enlisting the help of an MSP (Managed Services Provider) to support future growth. In fact, the use of MSP services has increased sharply.

Two years ago, studies found that only 30 percent of organizations had adopted MSP solutions. Today, that number has spiked with 66 percent of companies saying they outsource IT. Yet why are so many companies turning to MSPs?

Here are five major reasons for outsourcing IT:

Efficient resource allocation. As with any department, balancing the needs of the organization with staffing is difficult. For example, maybe you hired additional IT staff because you’re opening new locations. Once those demands slow down, however, you don’t want idle staff, which depletes resources. An MSP allows you to efficiently allocate resources and set monthly budgets that are predictable and meet your exact demands.

The ability to scale quickly. Business needs are a moving target, and part of being successful is the ability to compete with greater agility. MSPs provide resources that help you maneuver with greater flexibility.

IT-related distractions are removed. Nothing slows productivity down faster than IT challenges. Productivity grinds to a halt, and all work ceases until a solution is found. MSPs find that solution faster so downtime is minimized. As a result, staff is freed to focus on mission-critical objectives rather than fixing IT problems.

Tapping into specialized talent at a reasonable cost. Acquiring specialized IT talent is a challenge. Even if you locate the right talent, the cost of acquiring that talent can be high. MSPs allow companies to tap into the exact talent they need without high, ongoing cost — providing a competitive advantage.

Added security and compliance. Evolving compliance and security demands are a major concern for many companies. MSPs can provide technology resources and expertise that meet those demands.

Do you have questions about security solutions? If so, we can help. For more information, contact InfoManage online or call 212-931-0705.