The Value of Managed IT Services

So, What is "Managed IT Services"?

We like to call it...your virtual IT department.  Imagine staffing an entire company just to be your IT support, but not having to worry about training, employees calling in sick, or any other issues with an in-house staff.  Managed IT services means that you have access to an entire technology company when you need it, staff who is watching and proactively protecting your business data and network.

Here's How Your Business Can Benefit from Managed Services.

Remote Support - Most managed services providers will offer some type of remote support. Here's your scenario....

It's the end of the month and Sally comes to work to get payroll done. She turns on her computer first thing in the morning, opens an email attachment from a "customer", and sees an alarming pop-up on her screen, warning her that her PC has been infected and to immediately click below to fix her computer.

Instead of clicking, Sally places a quick call to her IT support help desk so that her managed services support can gain remote access to her PC and verify that the popup is indeed part of the virus.  Being trained and familiar with this type of malware, they then properly remove any traces of the malware without the PC getting completely infected and Sally is able to go back to work.

If caught quickly before anything else was loaded into the PC, this call may have only taken 15-30 minutes of her time. Now, there are instances where things are worse and it does take longer, but Sally's issue was resolved without having to schedule an engineer to come out on-site, saving both money and time. After all, productivity in a business is what really matters.

Scheduling Priority - So what if Sally's PC was already infected beforehand. This may prevent IT staff from gaining remote access to her PC, because unfortunately, that is what malware does. Your IT company may offer their managed services customers a scheduling priority. Basically, your emergencies take priority over other minor IT calls from customers who may not subscribe to managed services.

Proactive Network Management - aka..."Stopping threats before they happen."

Monitoring software can help manage your network, notifying staff when your server is no longer connected to the internet or your business network.  They can also receive status updates on possible hardware failures, keeping your network running and preventing problems before they happen.

Let's not forget to include email services that not only block SPAM, but blocks malicious programs that may try to enter your network through a email link or fake attachment.  What if Sally's virus-infected fake email was blocked before entering her email client?  She would have never seen the threat.

Management of your network security through your firewalls, routers, and even your antivirus software can prevent threats from ever entering the playing field as well.

Other benefits of managed services can include:

• Disaster recovery planning & data backup management
• 3rd Party vendor management & assistance
• Software updates and Microsoft patch management 
• and more depending upon your IT company's profile

How many people would you have to staff to take care of everything mentioned above?  

Don't forget, along with salaries, there's employee benefits to include. And the larger your company network is, the larger your IT staff would need to be to properly secure it.  So just maybe using a Managed IT services provider is what your business needs. And if you're not sure, find a local IT company like CMS IP Technologies that is willing to do a free evaluation of your network.

Why Employing Strong Firewall Policies is Critical

So, you think your network is safe? I think a large store chain felt the same way until their network was compromised along with thousands of their customer’s credit card information. The truth is you can never be too safe when it comes to protecting one of the most valuable assets your company owns – its data!

Has your server or PC ever been compromised? If you answered no, how do you know? Has your home PC ever had a virus? Yea….how long do you think that virus was on there before you actually realized it?  Maybe someone snuck in, decided there was nothing important in there and then snuck out without you even knowing. Or perhaps they managed to get their hands on your Quicken file and you don’t even know it yet – but you will at some point.

There are many other examples of network and data compromise but you get the point. It’s critical to do all you can to keep the bad stuff away from your network. We had a situation once that our server was painfully slow and we simply did not see any bread crumbs to nail down the problem. We would reboot it and it would stabilize for a day or so then go right back to super slow mode. We finally found the culprit. Someone overseas (from what we could tell) compromised our server and loaded it up with foreign movie trailers and they were streaming them from our server.

Protection with Border Control

We use the term Border Control to characterize the role of a firewall. It’s important to follow best practices with configuration and even down to the type of appliance that you purchase. Sorry, but a $65 Netgear will not do the trick. You need a robust device that offers more than NAT routing and port forwarding. Protecting your network is a multilevel approach and Border Control is just part of it, so keep that in mind. But today we are focusing on the border…your firewall.

Below are some best practices to consider for controlling your border.

A quality device from a reputable manufacturer is the best place to start. A business class router from Cisco, Meraki or SonicWall is what we recommend. They offer various models that will fit just about any small business budget as well as large corporations with huge budgets. Throughput, speed, number of users etc. all come into play and need to be considered when determining the proper firewall for your network. A quality sales rep from a reputable company should be your trusted advisor and can help you make that determination.

Options such as security services are very important features of quality firewalls. These security services include Antivirus, Content filtering, intrusion detection / prevention and more.  Remember my note about border control being part of a multilevel solution? Antivirus at the firewall is the first line of defense for viruses entering the work place. This does not replace AV on the desktop! AV at the border will help to mitigate virus and malware issues.

Content filtering is a very important component to protect your network from improper web habits of your employees. It also adds that peace of mind that you’re going to a safe site even though it looks like a legitimate business class website. This at times can be an unpopular policy among employees but unfortunately it is something that needs strong consideration.

We recommend putting a statement in your handbook that outlines company policies and expectations of use for company technology. Ask your employees if they would mind paying the hourly rate of the tech that has to clean their PC or the network from viruses at $100 plus per hour. That may open their eyes.

Finally, intrusion detection and prevention is something that should be considered. The preferred method is to use a service that does 24 hour monitoring for the absolute best protection. However that can be pricey. If that is not an option, the ID/PS on the firewall is an important component. It blocks and filters opportunistic bots and hackers and keeps them from entering your network. It’s important to monitor this and the reports to know who’s trying to get in.

So there you have it. This should give you some things to consider when protecting your network. Nothing can guarantee that you will not be compromised but we certainly don’t want to make it easy. The easy ones are the ones that the bad people are looking for!

"Should I or Shouldn't I?"...Microsoft Windows and Network Upgrading.

Network Upgrades: Priority or Unnecessary?

Here we are again.  We are at that point where technology leaders such as Microsoft has made updates and changes that will affect networks everywhere. It began with the arrival of the Windows 8 OS and continued with Office 2013 and Exchange Server 2013.  And of course, let’s not forget the sad departure of our dear friend, Windows XP, just around the corner.  He was both popular and reliable, but his time has come to leave us.  So that leaves us with the question that everyone is asking…”Do I really need to upgrade my equipment?”

Is Your Company Fighting the Network Blues?

There are multiple issues to look at when determining your upgrade priorities.  Let’s look at a few of them individually.

1. Operating System (OS)- What OS is running on the majority of your workstations?  If you’re using Windows XP, final support will end in April of 2014.  For end-users, this means no more updates, security patches or general support from Microsoft.

2. Applications – What applications does your business run?  Are they dependent upon a specific OS?  A lot of applications are joining the crowd and moving to the cloud.  Your key applications need to be evaluated and their requirements checked with what you are currently running and what you are considering.

3. The Network Server – Just as your workstations, you need to consider what OS is on your server versus what applications you use.  For example, did you know that if your server runs Exchange Server 2003 and you purchase Office 2013 for a new workstation, your copy of Outlook 2013 will not run your Exchange email?  It’s a compatibility issue.  It’s just one thing of many that needs to be considered when looking at network upgrades.

4. The Cloud – Everyone is talking about moving to the cloud lately.  Having access to software and files regardless of your location and less maintenance and upkeep are just two of the benefits customers are looking at.  Of course, the more you rely on the cloud, the more it will change your networking goals.

The final point is, every business wants to save money.  Spending money unnecessarily on technology can set you back.  But at the same time, not doing upgrades that are necessary can cost you time, money, production, and worst of all, maybe even your data.  All network upgrades need to be thoroughly planned. If you’re not sure, find someone that will do a free, no-obligation network analysis such as CMS IP Technologies.  An analysis will look at both your hardware and your software and give you a list of your options.  If you’re interested in reading more about the Windows XP end of support, you can find a good article at ZDNet.

Social Media: Beauty or Beast?

Everywhere you turn online, you see them...the small icons telling you to "share" or "like us" or "tweet me".  Why have we felt the need to share everything we read or see online?  Maybe it's the connection between us and other humans we would otherwise never see.  Maybe, we have found a way to add legitimacy to what we do.

Social Sharing...

So you are looking at doing business with Company A.  They've been in business for for a couple of years and they have really funny commercials, but what do you really know about them?

You go online and checkout Facebook.  Past the pictures of Susie's new baby, you see that your friend Joe likes a Facebook page for Company A and that's who just remodeled Joe's kitchen.  Well...if Joe liked the work they did, they must be pretty good.  Now Company A seems a little more legitimate.

Everyone likes Tips & Tools!

Company B specializes in technology.  But you have to wonder if they really know their product.  While online on Twitter one day, you see a tweet about a new computer virus and how to get rid of it.  You realize the tweet is from Company B and the tweet links to their blog.  You go to the article and find that the article is very informative, even going as far to give you a list of symptoms to look for.  Now Company B just became a useful resource.  Not only do you follow them for technology tips and news, but when you need service, they are going to be the first people you think of.

So What are the Draw-backs?

Well, just as someone can post about all your glorious moments, they can also share any events deemed "not so glorious".  It can also take time to keep your business' social media up & going, posting and monitoring comments.  Companies like CMS IP Technologies offer website services that includes SEO & Social Marketing assistance as part of website management.  It can be a large workload, but the benefits can outweigh the work if done properly.

The New IT Challenge: "Medical Industry vs. Technology"

As technology has grown by leaps and bounds, so has the threat of compromised data. Imagine your medical records at your doctor’s office…they contain all your personal information including your date of birth, your social security number and address, not to mention every medical condition that you may have had. Patient records are the “all you can eat buffet” of cybercriminals.

So Why Not Work With Technology

Using technology in a smart way can be your greatest ally. Properly controlled firewalls and anti-virus software can help prevent a majority of unwanted programs from installing on workstations. Firewalls with security policies in place can limit your staff from visiting website unrelated to the work environment, which is one of the leading causes of malware & viruses. A professional IT staff can work with you to create policies that provide both access and security.

Managing your network security must include your server. Your server is the hub of your network, but where is it located? Is it accessible to just anyone walking by? The same can be asked about your computers. When your staff walks away from their station, is the screen locked, requiring a password?

And that leads to the Ultimate Question, “How secure is your password?”

According to SplashData, a California-based security-app producer, the most common password for 2013 was ‘123456’. This entry moved up a spot, replacing the previous number one password, which is simply ‘password’. Others in the top 25 included ‘12345678’, ‘qwerty’, ‘abc123’, ‘123456789’, ‘111111’ and well… you get the idea.

A simple rule, the easier the password, the less work that needs to be done to gain access.

So what’s the Solution?

Using a managed services provider such as CMS IP Technologies can take a big load off your worries. You want an IT provider that is a HIPAA compliant business associate. They will know what is expected of your network security, how to manage the details, and can assist in educating your users in best practices.