by Felicien | Feb 12, 2018 | Education
Learn the seven key questions every business should ask when deciding on which Managed Security Service Provider to hire.
A Managed Security Service Provider is an extension of your IT services department that focuses solely on the security of your company. The services that a Managed Security Service Provider provides range on the network security management spectrum from virus and spam blocking, to intrusion detection, firewalls, and virtual private network (VPN) management. Additionally, some Managed Security Service Providers offer other features such as system changes, modifications, and upgrades. When your company’s security is on the line, it is incredibly important to fully evaluate your options for Managed Security Service Provider.
To help make this decision, here are seven questions every business should ask when deciding on which Managed Security Service Providers to hire.
What Is Their Reputation?
Checking the reputation and reviews of a business doesn’t only apply to restaurants, but it is also essential when hiring a Managed Security Service Provider. Roger Smith, Amazon #1 Best Selling Author, Experienced Cybercrime and CyberSecurity Expert, Speaker, and Trainer, explains that that reputation is critical in deciding whether to hire a Managed Security Service Provider. Smith goes on to further clarify that “Making a bad decision or deciding on one provider based solely on cost can cripple your business”.
What Can The Managed Security Service Provider Do For Your Business?
Before you hire a Managed Security Service Provider, you need to know what they do, and what they can do for your business. You can evaluate their features by looking into four key categories: Technology, Management, Adaptability, and Compliance. A Managed Security Service Provider typically offers businesses technology such as firewalls, wireless solutions, VPNs and patch management. Managed Security Service Providers are responsible for managing policies, risks, procedures, processes, auditing, reports, training, and education. Managed Security Service Providers should be able to adapt to your business needs under any circumstance. For example, Managed Security Service Providers should offer disaster recovery, business continuity, and backup storage and protection as well.
Knowing each feature, and its importance to your company allows you to better evaluate which Managed Security Service Provider will work best for you. John Penland, the founder of InfoTech, states that “In order to provide exceptional value, a provider must first understand their customer’s business model. This helps providers develop a rock-solid solution that can create a long-lasting, happy customer”.
Do They Have The Expertise?
Not all Managed Security Service Providers are the same. While they might all roughly do the same work, it doesn’t mean that they will all fit well with your company. For example, a Managed Security Service Provider that works for a healthcare business might not be as successful for an accounting business. There are differences in timelines, terms, and expertise that can affect their successful integration into your business. Ian Trump, an ITIL Certified Information Technology Consultant with 20 years’ experience, explains that “When evaluating the Managed Security Service Provider, you need to know whether they have some experience in your particular vertical. A Managed Security Service Provider that specializes in healthcare services may not be a good fit for a logistics and transport or manufacturing company”.
Do They Have The Capability?
You need to be sure of what you need from your Managed Security Service Provider, then cross-reference that to ensure that they are capable of providing those services to you. Brian Laing, an IT Security innovator from Lastline, states that “The key to evaluating a Managed Security Service Provider is to first codify your requirements”. Splitting these into different requirements not only simplifies which Managed Security Service Provider might be better, but it can also completely remove a vendor from the selection process. This will save your business valuable money and time.
What Are They Going To Change To Make Your Life Easier?
Hiring a Managed Security Service Provider should make running your business smoother. When hiring and evaluating your Managed Security Service Provider, ensure that you are firm on nonnegotiable expectations of service. Ian Trump further iterates the importance of a mutually beneficial relationship by explaining that “When contracting the services, I would approach negotiations as a partnership and use language which provides mutual benefit, measurable deliverables, service level agreements (on both sides), and dispute resolution mechanisms”.
What Benefits Are You Going To Get Out Of It If You Partner With Them?
It is essential to create a specific service level agreement with your chosen Managed Security Service Provider. This ensures that all parties involved understand the requirements on both sides –
recognizing this as a mutual relationship is key. They are there to protect your company, data, customers, and staff and you are there to pay them. Just as you wouldn’t hire an employee to sit on Facebook all day, you shouldn’t hire a Managed Security Service Provider that won’t carry their own weight.
How Much Will It Cost?
Outsourcing to a Managed Security Service Provider can save your business 60-75%. Managed Security Service Providers cost on average about $75,000 a year. While this sounds hefty, you can compare it to the cost of a small IT department doing the same amount of work. Three IT staff, with a salary of $72,000 annually plus the cost of cybersecurity software, hardware, and equipment can easily run you upwards of $300,000.
Additionally, the use of a Managed Security Service Provider saves you money by providing your business with critical cyber protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The cost of this with a traditional employee would be exponentially expensive.
It is important to understand all aspects of your contract and to thoroughly investigate the financial aspects of it. Protecting your investment in a business is no different in the process of hiring a Managed Security Service Provider. Due diligence is important during the hiring and evaluating stage, as it provides your business peace of mind and ensures that your Managed Security Service Provider will continue to work as hard as you are.
by Felicien | Feb 12, 2018 | Education
There are few things worse than feeling trapped in an unfulfilling relationship – especially when it’s a vital business relationship.
Technology is an integral part of everything your business does, which raises a few important questions about your current IT set up. For starters, what is your relationship like with your technology systems – rock solid, or more than a little rocky?
How about with your technology service provider – are they always there for you when you need them the most? Do you still love your technology service provider the same way that you did the day you first met? Does your relationship with them still make you happy, and leave you feeling confident and supported in everything your business does? Can you count on them to help you reach your goals and achieve your dreams for the future?
One last question – has your passion for your network faded, leaving you frustrated, disappointed, and longing for happier times? If the answer is yes, then we have some good news for you… Your IT cupid is here to help you get back that lovin’ feeling. Let {company} rekindle your passion for your business technology. Something that is such a core part of your daily life shouldn’t be a constant drag on your mood, your productivity, and your success.
You deserve better. You deserve a technology company who puts you first and treats you like you’re special. IT and IT support are in no way one-size-fits-all. Your technology infrastructure should be as unique as your individual business, and tailored to meet your specific needs. Everything from the software you use to the way your data backup system is configured should take into account the way your company operates, and what your employees need to have access to in order to be effective and efficient.
A cookie-cutter IT infrastructure can’t help your business grow and thrive. If your IT company can’t or won’t treat you like you’re not just another client, it’s time to look for someone who will be more than happy to treat you right.
If you’ve stopped feeling that spark from your tech support when you pick up the phone and call them, it’s a surefire sign that the relationship is no longer working for you. Dreading making a call to the help desk because you know that you’re going to, at best, get an apathetic response from the person on the other end of the line is not a good feeling. This is a company you’re trusting with your business’ most valuable assets, and if they can’t make your needs a priority? That’s a serious problem.
What happens when something goes seriously wrong, and you know that your emergency is going to be treated like just another service ticket? What could possibly be a worse feeling than that?
It’s time to put your foot down and stop being taken for granted by IT companies who have become complacent, thinking that you will always be there for them to come to when they feel like it. You can’t afford to be kept waiting each and every time you need something from your IT provider, and you can’t afford to leave your technology in the hands of someone who isn’t interested in helping you get the most out of your IT. Technology is evolving fast, and having someone there to help you take advantage of innovative solutions can make all the difference to your business’ future success.
Like any good relationship, your IT provider shouldn’t only pay you attention when there is something broken that needs to be fixed. They should want to spend time with you and work on building a solid, trusting rapport with you and your staff. They should want to take the time to learn what your business’ goals and values are, and connect with you without you always needing to be the one who makes the first move.
No relationship should ever be one-sided. If you’re doing all the work, then what’s the point of keeping that IT company in your life? If they’re not giving you everything you need and more, it’s time to let go, move on, and find someone who deserves your business.
Here’s our number: {phone}. Whenever you’re ready to chat with us, give us a call. We’d love to sit down with you, get to know your business better, and find out what we can do to help you get the most out of your current technology and future technology investments. We want to help you reach your business goals, and offer the best possible service to your customers.
And of course, you’re welcome to ask us anything you’d like to know about who we are, what our values are, and what we have to offer. We’re an open book.
Ready to set up that first date and talk technology with a team of professionals who truly care about your business? Give {company} a call at {phone} or email us at {email} today.
by Felicien | Feb 12, 2018 | Education
Partnering with a Managed Service Provider can offer business owners a way to limit risks and increase productivity.
Running a business is hard work, but thankfully there are a lot of tools that can help make it less burdensome. Managed Service Providers are an IT service provider that manages and assumes responsibility for delivering a defined set of services. In short, Managed Services Providers give businesses back their staff that would have otherwise been tied up in time-consuming IT projects.
A Brief History of Managed Services Providers
Amazon Web Services broke into the market first in 2006 providing simple computer and storage services. Now the Managed Services Provider market has grown, with nearly 50% of large businesses on the market relying on Managed Services Providers. While Amazon has held a majority of the market, others are steadily making progress. Amazon holds 31%, while Microsoft Azure claims 9%, IBM maintains 7%, and Google comes in at 4%.
Three Categories Of Managed Services Provider Services
Infrastructure as a Service
Platform as a Service
Software as a Service
Understanding each type of Managed Services will aid you in deciding which one (or which ones) best fits your business.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides the client with virtualized computing resources. This is an alternative to an on-premises data center. IaaS focuses on offering a data center, servers, storage, and network hardware. Through these, the IaaS handles the business’ detailed billing, monitoring, log access, security, load balancing and clustering, storage, backup, replication, and recovery. An example of IaaS is Amazon Web Services, who provides businesses with a virtual IT that offers networking features, computers, and data storage space.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides the client with hardware and software tools. Typically, applications hosting and Java development can cause businesses to lose critical time and storage space. PaaS gives your company the opportunity to bypass having to install in-house hardware and software that are required to run these applications. This leaves your business to focus on creating and running these programs instead. An example is Microsoft Azure, which allows your business to deploy various applications and continues to monitor them to ensure load balancing and provisioning.
Similar to PaaS, Software as a Service (SaaS) hosts software to save companies the time and storage that it usually takes to install and run these applications on their computers and in their data centers. What makes this different from the PaaS is that it provides software that customers access through the internet. An example is Google’s email application, Gmail, which allows businesses to access email through a browser instead of having to host it themselves.
What Does This Mean For Your IT Department That You Already Have In Place?
These services will not replace your IT department. Instead, they complement each other, giving your IT department the reprieve and support that it needs to work more efficiently. This also means less work for your IT staff on weekends or at night as the use of a Managed Security Service Provider offers your business-critical cyber protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year.
How Should You Decide Which One To Go With?
A Managed Services Provider will be responsible for a valuable portion of your business, so you shouldn’t take this decision lightly. It’s important to shop around when making this decision – pay attention to what other customers are saying about each one before selecting it for your company. Making a bad decision, such as deciding on a specific Managed Service Provider solely based on cost, can come back to haunt your company.
Two Main Reasons Why Businesses Hire Managed Services Provider:
Cybersecurity
Backup and Disaster Recovery
With all the recent cyber threats such as Ransomware, Spectre Bugs, and Meltdown, it’s easy to see why businesses feel vulnerable – cybercrimes are estimated to cost the world 6 trillion dollars annually by the year 2021. Using a Managed Services Provider is one of the best ways to protect your company. Managed Services Providers can monitor your data and identify threats before they have the opportunity to cause significant damage to your business.
Similarly, businesses turn to Managed Services Providers to get peace of mind, knowing that they have a reliable backup and disaster recovery system in place, should they ever need it. It’s reported that 44% of businesses estimate that they could lose over $10,000 in just one hour of downtime. By the year 2020, the world will have 50 times more data than it does currently, which means that what we are struggling to protect today is minuscule compared to what we need to be prepared to defend in the future. With help from a Managed Services Provider, you can be protected today and prepared for our future.
You have enough to worry about as is – using a Managed Services Provider offers your business everything from security to storage space. It also gives you back your IT staff that would otherwise be tied down by various projects, that can now be handled by the Managed Services Provider. Remember that Infrastructure as a Service will provide you with an alternative to on-premises data center while handling your business’s detailed billing, monitoring, log access, security, load balancing and clustering, storage, backup, replication, and recovery. Platform as a Service will provide you the hardware and software tools to allow you to bypass installing in-house hardware and software and instead focus on creating and running these programs instead. Lastly, Software as a Service will provide you with a software host, saving you crucial time and storage.
by Felicien | Feb 11, 2018 | Education
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There are few things worse than feeling trapped in an unfulfilling relationship – especially when it’s a vital business relationship.
Technology is an integral part of everything your business does, which raises a few important questions about your current IT set up. For starters, what is your relationship like with your technology systems – rock solid, or more than a little rocky?
How about with your technology service provider – are they always there for you when you need them the most? Do you still love your technology service provider the same way that you did the day you first met? Does your relationship with them still make you happy, and leave you feeling confident and supported in everything your business does? Can you count on them to help you reach your goals and achieve your dreams for the future?
One last question – has your passion for your network faded, leaving you frustrated, disappointed, and longing for happier times? If the answer is yes, then we have some good news for you… Your IT cupid is here to help you get back that lovin’ feeling. Let {company} rekindle your passion for your business technology. Something that is such a core part of your daily life shouldn’t be a constant drag on your mood, your productivity, and your success.
You deserve better. You deserve a technology company who puts you first and treats you like you’re special. IT and IT support are in no way one-size-fits-all. Your technology infrastructure should be as unique as your individual business, and tailored to meet your specific needs. Everything from the software you use to the way your data backup system is configured should take into account the way your company operates, and what your employees need to have access to in order to be effective and efficient.
A cookie-cutter IT infrastructure can’t help your business grow and thrive. If your IT company can’t or won’t treat you like you’re not just another client, it’s time to look for someone who will be more than happy to treat you right.
If you’ve stopped feeling that spark from your tech support when you pick up the phone and call them, it’s a surefire sign that the relationship is no longer working for you. Dreading making a call to the help desk because you know that you’re going to, at best, get an apathetic response from the person on the other end of the line is not a good feeling. This is a company you’re trusting with your business’ most valuable assets, and if they can’t make your needs a priority? That’s a serious problem.
What happens when something goes seriously wrong, and you know that your emergency is going to be treated like just another service ticket? What could possibly be a worse feeling than that?
It’s time to put your foot down and stop being taken for granted by IT companies who have become complacent, thinking that you will always be there for them to come to when they feel like it. You can’t afford to be kept waiting each and every time you need something from your IT provider, and you can’t afford to leave your technology in the hands of someone who isn’t interested in helping you get the most out of your IT. Technology is evolving fast, and having someone there to help you take advantage of innovative solutions can make all the difference to your business’ future success.
Like any good relationship, your IT provider shouldn’t only pay you attention when there is something broken that needs to be fixed. They should want to spend time with you and work on building a solid, trusting rapport with you and your staff. They should want to take the time to learn what your business’ goals and values are, and connect with you without you always needing to be the one who makes the first move.
by Felicien | Feb 9, 2018 | Education
Get untangled from your landline, and let VoIP boost your business’ efficiency, reliability, and quality.
A recent study revealed that 94% of business’ marketing budgets are spent trying to get consumers to call. If businesses are paying so much of their advertising and marketing budget on a communications system, shouldn’t it be reliable and efficient?
This need for a more reliable form of communication is forcing many businesses to make the transition from the landline to the VoIP. However, this transition can be a scary process. How are you supposed to make this transition while running your business? A lapse in phone service means a loss of communication with your customers, which could mean a loss of profit.
Why Move To VoIP?
The move to VoIP offers your business improvements in efficiency, reliability, and quality, all at an affordable cost. Landline phones are becoming obsolete – by choosing to remain with a landline system, your business may become obsolete as well.
Efficiency
VoIP provides your business improved efficiency by limiting issues that come from having to replace or fix phones, as well as complicated management of adding and or removing employees. On traditional landline phone systems, you would have to wait lengthy periods of time for a phone to be replaced, or for a roll truck to fix issues. All this time spent waiting for a fix costs you money.
With a VoIP system, you don’t have to deal with these issues, which means less downtime. VoIP also improves your business’ efficiency by providing you with numerous options for routing and answering calls, without the expensive on-premises technology and staff.
Reliability
VoIP provides your business improved reliability by delivering a clear, seamless quality of phone service. This service can run on multiple internet connections, and can even extend to your smartphone. VoIP can work reliably through anything that mother nature may throw at you from hurricanes to snowstorms. Additionally, if you lose your business due to a fire, your VoIP phone service will still work. This is one of the main reasons why there are now over 288 million VoIP users.
Quality
VoIP provides your business improved quality through clarity of your calls. These calls come with a digital readout display, and the option to work without a headset. For those that still wish to use a headset, they can receive their calls through the use of a “softphone”, which is software that allows users to make telephone calls through the internet on their computers.
Affordability
VoIP saves your business 40-80% compared to the cost of traditional landline phone service. Landlines now cost more than VoIP phone systems both in the initial setup, as well as in ongoing contracts. For example, landlines for five employees cost an average of $563/month, while VoIP services for the same amount of users costs only an average of $27.95/month.
Years ago, VoIP systems would cost $10-$50/month, after the cost of the headset (which usually cost $200 each). It’s easy to see how quickly this can add up. Today, VoIP comes at affordable rates as low as $0. Phones will be set up ahead of time, that way there is no lapse in your communication with your clients. This saves your business money by limiting the loss of contact, during this time of transition. Secondly, there is a “Proof of Concept” (POC), which allows you to have your phones in place, and try them out before deciding whether they’re right for your business.
Preparing For The Move
So how do you transition from traditional landline phones to VoIP, while at the same time shortening the loss of communication? Preparing for the move means you need to gather pertinent information such as how many employees you have, what your cabling needs are, what your current infrastructure is, and what are the nonnegotiable-features that you need from the new phone system.
Step By Step
You begin by evaluating your cost analysis. Fully understanding the budget upfront and ongoing ensures that you will be able to get the most out of this new program, without being oversold. After looking at the move from a financial standpoint, you are ready for your live demo. This provides you and your employees a chance not only to see all of the VoIP system’s features but also to try them out, in a risk-free environment. Once you decide on which features you need, you are ready to decide which service provider best fits your company’s needs. For 2017, the top three VoIP service providers were Ring Central, Vonage Business, and 8×8 Global Communications.
Once you have selected a plan and a service provider, you want to ensure that you have no network issues that could limit or infringe on the successful integration of your new VoIP system. From these network tests, you should make any adjustments or upgrades that you feel are necessary to ensure the best result for your business. Lastly, you will complete your trial period, or your Proof of Concept period, that allows you to see first-hand how the service works and if it meets your business needs. If so, then you move on to finalize the agreement, and select a “Go Live Date”.
After your VoIP system is up and running, employees should be trained to use all the features that they provide. Some of these features include having a virtual receptionist, voicemail-to-email, automatic call forwarding, and three-digit dialing. Training and ongoing support are a crucial part of developing and maintaining your successful relationship with your VoIP.
Moving to VoIP does not have to be a cumbersome and time-consuming challenge. It could mean a more efficient, reliable, and qualitative business. With the new VoIP service, you would be able to rid yourself of the hassles of maintenance agreements, capital expenditure, truck rolls, and lengthy wait periods that traditional landline phones come with. Lastly, you will have access to excellent customer care support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Don’t let your phone system hold your business back from its full potential any longer. Disentangle yourself from your landlines’ limitations and see what the freedom provided by a VoIP system can do for your company.
by Felicien | Feb 9, 2018 | Education
Following in the footsteps of other social media giants, Instagram is now trying to add flexibility to their platform in order to attract more business owners. Since their inception in 2010, Instagram has had no way to allow users to schedule posts. Posting manually can be time-consuming for businesses that want to send out posts daily at certain times. Savvy business owners are well-versed on the best days of the week and the most optimal times for post scheduling.
This type of scheduling feature is already available on many platforms including WordPress and is considered indispensable, allowing users to schedule a post for whenever they like. Research shows that there are better times and days of the week to post content.
What days and times are best for your posts?
One study claims that videos that get posted to Instagram at 9:00 PM get 34 percent more action. Regular content will get more attention if posted on Monday or Thursday between 3:00 – 4:00 PM. Instagram traffic decreases on Sundays. All these little facts can help users reap a big reward in engagement from their audience, which is why business owners are taking the time to learn all the nuances of optimizing traffic on their favorite social media platforms.
A few drawbacks
Instagram will add support to its API, then use the functionality of applications like SocialFlow, Sprout Social, and HootSuite to support the feature. Eventually, they do believe that post-scheduling will be added to the product itself. At the moment, the post-scheduling feature doesn’t include ads, but that could change as well.
“The scheduling and publishing of Instagram content has been the number one request for our 16 million customers,” said Ryan Holmes, HootSuite CEO. “Now, they (business owners) can manage large volumes of content, multiple team members and multiple Instagram accounts with ease and security. HootSuite is excited to partner with Instagram to make this happen.”
The major drawback is that most regular users will not be able to take advantage of post scheduling. Only larger companies that use third-party software programs with Instagram will be able to use the new feature. Industry experts do believe that it’s only a matter of time before post scheduling will be free and available to everyone.
SocialFlow CEO Jim Anderson commented that, “It’s always been very time-consuming to create Instagram posts. That’s not necessarily a problem for individual consumers, but when you’re a media company that creates more than 100,000 posts a month, it’s simply impossible to do everything manually”.
Instagram replacing older API platforms
Instagram has plans to phase out their older API Platform during the next two years. The older API will be replaced with a newer Graph API. This will give users the ability to analyze metrics on their company’s performance. By allowing business owners to gain insights and analyze metrics, Instagram believes it can better compete with giants like Facebook and Twitter. The new API will also allow users to moderate comments and respond to them. These changes are set to take place on July 31, 2018.
Ingenious new features in the works for Instagram
Other features aimed at attracting more businesses to its platform are being considered by Instagram. These include a feature called business discovery, which, similar to LinkedIn, will give Instagram users the ability to check out other business profiles. The company notes that it will eventually roll out these cool features to all its regular users, and not just business owners.
Post images directly to Instagram with HootSuite
One of the more popular software platforms that integrates with Instagram is HootSuite. Posts can be scheduled from the HootSuite dashboard or the mobile app. As previously stated, only business accounts are eligible for this service at this time. Using HootSuite, customers can schedule their posts so that they are published on a specific day and timed. HootSuite also allows companies to run analytics to discover information that can help them reach a broader audience.
Other new features
The early results are in and the majority of business owners are reporting better conversion rates and more traffic with these new Instagram features. This success has spawned a new revolution for Instagram, a platform that has always been about photos and videos. Now, using a feature called “Type Mode”, users can type words that can be placed on colorful backgrounds (e.g., many users enjoy sharing the lyrics to their favorite song). Users can add fancy font styles, photos or videos to enhance the post. Instagram users are traditionally very imaginative people so this offers them an innovative outlet for their creativity.
From January 2013 to September 2017, the number of active Instagram users has risen from 90 million to 800 million. Though this does seem like a huge number of people interacting on their platform each week, for context, Facebook has over 2 billion users worldwide. Social media platforms with this type of potential exposure represent an unprecedented advertising market for companies of all sizes and types.
