You may have heard that the US traced the SolarWinds attack back to the Kremlin. Due to the level of invasion this attack had upon "US government agencies and private companies," retaliation of some kind seems expected. These groups, with their extremely sensitive data banks ,were infiltrated while the Trump administration was in office. Preparations for this cyber offense are in full swing, with the offense itself to occur any day. What Do We Know? From the available information thus … [Read more...]
Creating Value in a Security Training Program
Given the rate at which technology security risks evolve, a security training program must align itself with what’s current. With a focus on security awareness, your program will be more valuable and you can avoid losing money – and your reputation – on data breaches. According to a study titled “2020 Security Priorities Study,” there are many new concerns tied to the pandemic. This only strengthens security experts’ long-held belief that more education on security risks is what every … [Read more...]
Managed Integration is Crucial for a Successful Digital Transformation
A successful digital transformation is heavily dependent upon managed integrations. A great example is when your CRM upgrades to a sleeker UI experience, the enhancements are helpful, but the transition towards using the new version can be frustrating. Indeed, when an application changes, certain familiar aspects are no longer available or possible to perform. How does this impact daily operations? Are there ways to prevent potential issues that can inevitably arise when moving to a different … [Read more...]
SD-WAN: Survey Reveals Pain Points
Recently, a survey was performed by Telia Carrier that has revealed the biggest pain points for the SD-WAN industry. Customer demand and customer performance showed a large discrepancy, with the largest pain point in security. Here is a graph that shows the breakdown of Telia's results: As COVID is now a part of the entire global workforce, SD-WAN has become even more desired by industries of all types. The ability to remotely view usage and issues, make configuration changes, and pull … [Read more...]
How to Create and Maintain Customer Trust
Creating and maintaining trust with your customers can be a slow process as they learn by experience whether you are reliable and dependable. This takes time within the commerce world, just as it does within the personal world. What types of indicators allow you to trust someone, let alone an entire company? When you have signed with a new customer, the next steps involve giving you the keys to their castle, like managing their security and back ups. Doing this is difficult and stressful for all … [Read more...]
External IT Expertise: Needs Are On The Rise
As we move further into the cloud, the need for speed in the deployment of applications and services is ramping up. Most customer want these to be up and running practically immediately, increasing the opportunity for those who can assist. With security and compliance a huge concern for almost all companies, additional external IT expertise is becoming a necessary aspect in the success of a digital transformation. These external resources must be prepared to show how they rise above the … [Read more...]
Why are IT Advisors Often Kept Up at Night? Data.
This may sound like a riddle, but it is a real concern. Advisors in the IT industry continue to feel troubled by the issues that arise in two major areas: The quality of their customers' data and ensuring it is secure. IT Advisors Can Maintain Comfort With Quality Data Maintaining comfort with data can be achieved when IT advisors ensure the quality and security of that data are successful. Customers will be the first to let you know if their connection, reliability, and security do not … [Read more...]
The Loss of an Employee: How Can MSPs Prepare?
As an MSP, or as any type of employer, what should be done in the event of an employee's loss of life? This is a question that is extremely important, yet rarely discussed. Do you have a thorough and reliable security and business plan in place should an employee suddenly die? It is probable that you already have a designated path to follow should they be fired or if they were to quit. However, many companies simply do not pre-strategize for death. What Happens When an Employee Death … [Read more...]
Zero-Tolerance for Cheap Cyber Security is a Must
Cyber security is among the most important investments for any company. Why is this? While there are so many reasons, here is an important example: What happens if your company's Book of Business gets stolen, or is accessed without permission by one of your competitors? Not having invested in a reliable and stable cyber security subscription would allow your customer-base to be public - Just imagine what impact that would have on your company. A zero-tolerance threshold for a cheap solution … [Read more...]
Cybersecurity: Important Considerations for Remote Workers
There have been many business changes since the Pandemic occurred and some of them are here to stay. Working from home, or at least not going to the office every day, has become the new normal for over 2/3 of the American working population. This introduces many new, and old, challenges for the realm of Cybersecurity. Culture vs. Best Practice Our cultural laziness, due to the perceived protection of privacy while we are surfing the web at home, bleeds into working from this same … [Read more...]