Tag Archives: IT services

The Value Of A True Managed Service Provider (MSP)

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Managed technology services are a great tool for businesses looking for a worry-free approach

Managed technology services are a great tool that businesses can use to solidify their technology infrastructure and conduct business with a worry-free approach. Well, we should clarify, managed technology services are a great tool when paired with a TRUSTED Managed Service Provider (MSP).

 

 

Managed Service Partner

Creating and understanding your business’s tech environment takes dedication and patience. You need people who will work with you to understand business critical tasks and the hardware and software applications that you use to accomplish goals. Installing software on your server and workstations and providing automated reports to business owners and managers is simply not enough to sustain a quality partnership.

Trust

Trust goes a long way in all relationships and a true Managed Service Provider (MSP) will work hard to establish trust where it is needed. You need to know what is happening with your network and why, and you need to be able to understand how your MSP is working to protect and strengthen your technology. You need to learn all about it in a language you can understand.

What Does An MSP Actually Do?

As we’ve said, installing monitoring software on your computers is one thing that managed service providers do to help them know what is going on with key components of your network. Software is a useful tool for blocking viruses and reporting technology failures and anomalies; the true power behind a trusted tech partner is their proactive approach to owning the tasks at hand. Actionable items like communicating tech news relevant to your business and helping you understand the importance of back-up and disaster recovery plans are key to a great MSP’s plan of attack.

Reading and understanding automated reports is the job of your managed service provider, not you. The reports you receive should show you how your investment is paying off. You should also feel confidant that you have the support you and your team needs 24×7.

Are MSP Services Quantifiable?

The downtime and frustration that business owners and managers can experience when scrambling to handle their own tech issues can sometimes feel like a ten ton anvil tied around the neck. Your time is valuable and your services are best suited when managing and growing the business. The value of any good technology related service should be evaluated over a period of time and looked at as a return on investment strategy that you and your tech partners establish.

How Do I Know If I Need Services?

If you have a network of any size that you use as the backbone of your business, you can benefit from managed services. Simply put, you won’t have to worry about software upgrades, virus protection, and back-up processes; handling these things along with providing many other options that can streamline your technology infrastructure are par for the course when it comes to investing in managed services.

What If I Have In-House Tech Guys?

Your tech guys will surely appreciate the assistance that an MSP can offer. Whether it is vendor management or user support, taking more responsibility off of your in-house team’s shoulders is a good thing. The value of professional resources is dynamic and talents can be put to better use when yo have a solid team with defined roles in place, contact us to learn more about it.

In Summary

Your technology infrastructure pumps the life-force of business from limb to limb within the body of your business. Make sure you have a solid understanding of how you can proactively ensure the health and long-term success of your technology assets and team. You’ll better empower yourself and others when you take advantage of building trust with the right Managed Services Provider.

Resolution for 2017: Working with a Top-Notch Managed Service Provider (MSP)

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Its that time of year again with the holiday season quickly approaching.  Were all making those last minute purchases to be sure purchases gifts make it to our door before the Christmas and making plans to spend time with family members.

As 2016 draws to a close, consider how the IT services you rely on can improve in the coming year.

In recent months, have you experienced any of the following?

  • A cyber security incident that possibly endangered your sensitive data.
  • Wasted money on unnecessary IT purchases, such as equipment or software that your company didn’t really need.
  • A selection of substandard software that you’d hoped would perform better.
  • Devices or software long overdue for upgrades and updates.
  • Long wait times for resolving IT problems (including employees getting locked out of their accounts or computing devices that are crashing for unclear reasons).
  • Sub-optimal IT configurations that result in problems such as network slowdowns.
  • Sporadic or incomplete data backups that leave your business vulnerable to costly data loss.
  • A lack of strategic long-term IT planning.
  • In-house IT personnel who are overworked and over-extended.

Can you enjoy better services in 2017?

To benefit from better IT services across multiple areas, ranging from cyber security to network maintenance to software training for employees, consider hiring a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

MSPs handle a plethora of services, providing your company with round-the-clock support, monitoring your system, and helping you make wise IT decisions that will yield benefits now and in the future. Even if you already employ in-house IT personnel, they can share their responsibilities with an MSP.

What are some examples of how you can benefit from a high-quality MSP?

  • Improved cloud computing solutions. A recent article from ZDNet points out how MSPs often play a critical role in helping companies manage the cloud. For example, many companies rely on a mix of IT solutions – some of them hosted locally and others based in the cloud. MSPs can manage this mix and suggest cost-effective changes that would improve your IT set-up. If a company decides to move one of its IT functions to the cloud, MSPs will assist with the migration, along with offering advice on the cloud services that best fit the company’s needs.
  • High-quality network installation and maintenance. MSPs can set up, install, monitor, maintain, and defend your network. As a result, your company will be less likely to suffer from equipment outages, mismanaged network traffic, and undetected intrusions from cyber criminals and other unauthorized third parties. You’ll enjoy round-the-clock network monitoring, every day of the year.
  • Stronger cyber security. MSPs can evaluate your IT set-up for vulnerabilities and help guard it from cyber security breaches across multiple fronts. As Tech Republic points out in an article on 2017 cyber security trends, smaller businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks. MSPs work on developing comprehensive security solutions that depend in large part on preventative measures and vigilance.
  • Reliable data backups. When businesses permanently lose data, or when it takes them too long to restore their data after an IT disaster, they can suffer serious financial losses, sometimes to the point where they can no longer survive. MSPs help you manage data backups from multiple devices. They also ensure that your most critical data can get restored quickly, minimizing downtime.
  • Ever-present support. Enjoy rapid responses to your IT problems through a live help desk or, when necessary, on-site visits.

One of the key benefits that MSPs provide is a proactive approach to IT solutions. They don’t limit themselves to dealing with existing, full-fledged problems. They work to anticipate, prevent, or minimize various difficulties and disasters, whether it’s the threat of a new kind of malware or the frustrations of a new employee whose log-in credentials have been rejected by the system. They help you plan for future IT developments and align your IT decisions with your business goals.

To find out more about how you can benefit from MSPs in the coming year, please contact us. We offer you a variety of essential services that will significantly improve your company’s productivity and security.

The 7 Keys to Building a Solid Network Infrastructure

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An independent HVAC system and uninterruptible power supply are two crucial physical elements of your network infrastructure.

An independent HVAC system and uninterruptible power supply are two crucial physical elements of your network infrastructure.

Network infrastructure refers to the software and hardware resources of a complete network that enable network communication, connectivity, management and operations of an enterprise network. Most office intranets are like the World Wide Web, but they operate on a closed network infrastructure that is accessible to only the people within it. Network security should be the main concern when you build a network infrastructure. Below are 7 keys to building a solid network infrastructure.

Antivirus and Anti-Malware: All of your employee computers and servers should have antivirus and anti-malware prevention software to prevent hacking and shutdowns.

Run Backups: Develop a thorough backup process and adhere to it under all circumstances. You can keep multiple ones in multiple places. The layered approach provides the best data protection.

ID and Password Control: When you implement a new piece of hardware rename the local administration ID and create a strong password. Another tip is to enforce password changes periodically.

Reliable Uninterruptible Power Supply: You need a reliable UPS in case there is a power outage. This equipment connects your servers and gives them time to shut down correctly if there is a power failure.

Naming Conventions: This is a very important part of a secure infrastructure because it makes it easy to identify missing files that require restoration.

Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning System: You need an independent HVAC system for your server room because if an air conditioning unit goes down in your building, a high temperature can put servers at risk.

Restoration Testing: It is a good idea to run restoration tests regularly. The process allows you to work to resolve problems immediately.

A good IT company can provide network solutions. Their highly qualified network specialists can assist you with help desk support, hardware and software support, installation and troubleshooting. They can even manage data backup storage. Details about 3 types of storage services to choose from are below.

  • Cloud backup is also known as online backup. It involves backing up data by sending a copy of it over a public or proprietary network to an off-site server. A third-party service provider usually hosts the server and charges you a fee based on the number of users, bandwidth or capacity. Most online backup systems are built around a client software application.
  • Network-Attached Storage utilizes a standard Ethernet connection to provide network nodes with file-based shared storage services. Most NAS devices do not have a keyboard or display. Each NAS resides on the LAN as an independent network node with a unique IP address. The advantage of this type of storage is its ability to provide several clients on the network with access to the same files.
  • Business Continuity Device storage is used to prepare for unforeseen risks to continued operations and is related to Disaster Recovery. Both of them refer to the procedures and processes your organization must put in place to guarantee that critical functions can continue after emergencies. This type of storage focuses on long-term or chronic challenges to your company’s success. It is designed to revive your network fast and get your employees back to being productive. It works automatically to back up your vital information as often as every 15 minutes. Files can be restored in about 30 minutes or it can take over as a virtual server to resume operations. Business continuity planning is a comprehensive approach to making sure you can continue to generate profits after anything from small disruptions to natural calamities.

Contact a network solutions service provider to request a consultation regarding network infrastructure and data security. The certified consultants are well-trained and knowledgeable about the latest products and can assist you with selecting the right software and hardware.

For more information please contact us.

10 quick tips about working with your Managed Service Provider (MSP)

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To take full advantage of the benefits of an MSP, you need to maintain a strong relationship with them.

To take full advantage of the benefits of an MSP, you need to maintain a strong relationship with them.

By outsourcing at least some of your IT operations to a Managed Service Provider (MSP), you could potentially save money and further your business growth.

However, to take full advantage of these benefits, you need to maintain a strong working relationship with your MSP. The following are 10 quick tips about working with your Managed Service Provider (MSP):

 

 

 

  1. Share your business goals with them. They can help you most effectively only if they understand what direction you want your company to go in and anticipate how your IT needs might change along the way.
  2. Keep communication lines open. Regularly touch base with them about your IT configuration, whether everything’s going smoothly, and whether anything could improve or needs to change.
  3. Understand what they’re doing for you. You don’t need to know all of the technical details, but you should understand the general picture of what they’re doing for you and why it’s necessary, even if you don’t consider yourself a computer savvy person. If they’re good communicators, they can explain to you what’s going on.
  4. Establish clear collaborative boundaries from the beginning. Understand the scope of their responsibilities from the start. And if you have an IT staff already, establish a relationship of collaboration and clear boundaries, to avoid a situation where your in-house employees think the MSP is pushing them out of the picture.
  5. Hammer out a clear contract. Make sure you know how long they’ll work for you, how they’ll bill you, and what devices, programs and services they’ll take responsibility for.
  6. Quantify results. How will you measure increased productivity, savings in costs, or other benefits you might expect from your MSP? What is your MSP’s response time to various problems?
  7. Keep being a manager. Even when you outsource various services, you still need to stay on top of things and make informed decisions.
  8. Look into security. When you outsource your IT needs, in whole or part, to another company, you want to ensure as much as possible that your security won’t get compromised. What powerful security practices does your MSP have in place? What’s their security record?
  9. Ask away. You should feel comfortable asking them questions and bringing your concerns to them immediately.
  10. Treat them with trust. This doesn’t mean blindly accepting everything they do or suggest; however, if you’ve taken the trouble to choose a reliable and effective MSP, you should also feel comfortable delegating things to them and not second-guessing everything they do. By following the other tips here, such as communicating regularly and quantifying various results, you can monitor their contribution to your company without potentially obstructing their work.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information about the managed services we offer. When collaborating with us, you will receive IT services responsive to your company’s needs and aimed at promoting its survival and success.