All posts by SystemsNet Administrator

The Importance of Proactive Monitoring

Manage Service, ,
20170202

Proactive monitoring combined with proactive planning can ensure your network is protected before, during, and after a cyber attack.

Even for those who are just starting their own business, most newcomers know about business security, and the threats that lurk on the Internet. Not to mention that most of it is common knowledge. As an example, many computer viruses can be found on unsuspecting websites, not to mention suspicious looking emails as well. For the former, it’s always important to make sure the websites you and your employees visit, are business oriented.

For the latter, always check to see if suspicious looking emails are valid, and be sure to confirm with the supposed sender as well. While there’s no doubt many companies take their business security seriously, however, many of them take a reactive approach to their security. In other words, they wait until a threat appears before taking action. What most businesses should be shifting to, instead, is a proactive approach. That is, preparing for any event. Here are some tips for being more proactive in the workplace.

Know What Threats Are On The Internet

In order to take a proactive approach to your business security, you first need to know what threats lurk on the Internet. As I mentioned before, some of them are common knowledge, such as computer viruses found on suspicious websites. Other programs, however, you might not know are out there until it’s too late. Not only are there computer viruses which can bypass anti-virus software, but many downloads that seem trustworthy are anything but. Most of all, you need to know how to deal with ransomware, a malicious piece of software that completely hijacks your device. Not only does the hacker demand a ransom, but your files will be deleted if it isn’t paid. Having knowledge of this ahead of time, however, can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. While ransomware if often very difficult to get rid of once your device is infected, there are numerous ways to avoid it.

Set Contingency Plans

Now that you’re more familiar with the threats that lurk on the Internet, it’s time to have a backup plan. That way, if an incident does occur, you still have everything under control. First of all, anti-virus software is a must. Aside from doing the obvious and protecting your businesses from threats, it also assists you while you’re surfing the web. For example, Kaspersky and McAfee both have a “safe search” feature of sorts. When you’re surfing the web, the search results give you an indication as to which sites are safe, and which carry potential threats. As for another contingency plan, be sure to back up your data on a regular basis. The biggest threat about viruses like ransomware, isn’t that it locks your computer, but that your sensitive data is threatened with deletion. If all your files were stored via cloud or even a USB flash drive, however, your data could still be accessed from any other device.

As you can see, these are some major pointers for shifting your business from reactive to proactive.

One reason the former strategy might not be that effective, is because when a virus gets detected on your computer, it might be too late to remove it. With a proactive approach, on the other hand, you’re always thinking ahead. Not only that, but when an incident does occur in the workplace, it doesn’t take you by surprise.

For more information about proactive solutions for your business, feel free to contact us today at SystemsNet. Between Live Answer Help Desks, Managed Service Providers, and keeping the workplace secure, we look forward to hearing from you, and assisting you in the best way possible.

Improving Your Live Answer Help Desk

Manage Service, ,
20161229

There is always room for improvement when it comes to customer interaction and support

In the industry, businesses are always looking for new ways to reach out to their customers. With the advancements in technology, for example, more businesses are becoming virtual, and have even resorted to using social media as an outlet. Websites like Facebook, have become a great business tool for many companies. Aside from being able to share unique video content, it’s also a place where you can build a large audience. Through the use of feedback and online surveys, you get to know everyone’s likes and dislikes, among other things.

With that said, what are some other ways businesses are reaching out to their customers? In today’s age of fast paced tech, many companies now use a live answer help desk. A great way to interact with your customers, one of its greatest benefits, is how instantaneous it is. Many of us want the answers to our questions now, and a help desk gets you in touch with someone right off the bat. No longer do you have to call a business and wait twenty minutes for a representative.

However, as useful as help desks have been in the workplace, are businesses really using them to their fullest potential? Perhaps some companies only know the basics of it. After all, there’s always room for improvement, no matter how skilled you think you are. What are some ways you can make better use of your help desk, especially when interacting with customers? Overall, here are some things to consider.

#1. Show Personality When Chatting

When you’re chatting with a customer via the help desk, he/she can’t see your face. With that said, use it as an opportunity to show some personality. Also, avoid saying anything which might come off as unintentionally rude or off-putting. When it comes to online communication, a major deciding factor has always been whether we see the other person’s face. Take social media, for example. Many conversations are taken out of content because the dialogue or humor doesn’t translate well through text. Going back to the personality aspect, be sure you’re not responding to the customer in a robotic way. Many questions are certainly scripted in nature, but remember that as humans beings, we’re social creatures. Your customer will appreciate it when they feel like they’re talking to a human being.

#2. Determine The Best Hours

Another way to improve your live answer help desk, is by determining the hours that your customers will be most active. Remember, the customers don’t always have to come to you. If anything, try engaging them first. For example, if you notice one of your customers browsing the business site, feel free to engage them and even ask if there’s anything you can do to help. Many customers appreciate it when you come to them, because you’re showing interest in their curiosity. As I mentioned earlier, though, determine the best hours for engaging them. For example, try engaging your customers shortly after the business opens, and when everyone’s ready to start their day.

#3. Train Your Employees

Lastly, one of the best ways to improve your live answer help desk, is by training your employees. After all, they’re the ones who will be interacting with all the customers. What’s important to remember when training them, though, is that their interactions with potential customers will generally be different than if they were speaking to a customer in person. Be sure to remember that there’s a barrier of communication when live chat is involved. For example, tone and expression are a large part of communication, but all that is lost during live chat. After all, the only thing you and the customer see are boxes of dialogue. Make sure your employees know the difference between how to handle a customer face-to-face, and how to do so via chat.

For more information about ways in which you can improve your live answer help desk, feel free to contact us today at SystemsNet. We look forward to hearing from you, and assisting you in the best way possible.

Can You Be Prepared for Every Kind of Cyber Attack?

Manage Service, , ,
20170127

Preparing for a potential cyber attack is essential to avoiding crises in your company

Cyber attacks can originate from all kinds of sources and exploit a variety of vulnerable technologies.

One example came from the 2017 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), recently held in Detroit. A panel discussion focused on the inadequate cyber security in “connected cars.” Car technologies that engage in wireless communication are susceptible to hacking that allows cyber criminals to remotely control the vehicles. They can also steal or tamper with other kinds of data, violating vehicle owners’ privacy.

Similar vulnerabilities are found in other devices, whether they’re smartphones or digital security cameras, industrial sensors or cars. With the proliferation of Internet-enabled devices, and with new threats cropping up all the time, businesses may feel discouraged about their ability to prepare for cyber attacks.

Although there’s no way to completely eliminate the chances of an attack, it’s still possible to strengthen your ability to prepare for different kinds of threats – preventing them or blocking them before they develop into full-blown crises for your company. If your cyber security plan contains certain important qualities, you’ll be in a better position to defend yourself.

What are some of the qualities that should define your cyber security plan?

A proactive approach

If you’re still taking a reactive stance to cyber security, in which you act only once a problem is underway, you’re putting your business in unnecessary and heightened danger. Protecting your company requires a proactive approach, where you plan for the possibility of various threats and remain vigilant against them.

One example of this proactive approach is 24 x 7 x 365 monitoring of network infrastructure. Along with early detection of problems that aren’t related to cyber crime, round-the-clock monitoring is also likely to catch suspicious illegal activities, including patterns of network traffic that indicate an attack.

The sooner you pick up on the signs, the better you’re able to marshal your resources and either fend off the attack entirely or minimize its damage. In this way, you defend your vital systems and sensitive data.

Along with continuous, active monitoring, proactive approach involves planning for future security threats. For example, you can predict the kinds of vulnerabilities that will arise from new devices, software, and Internet platforms. You’ll be in a better position to lay the groundwork for a cyber security plan that will serve you well both now and in the future.

Flexibility and scalability

The data and other assets your business wants to defend can change on a fairly regular basis.

Employees may rely on a range of devices for their work, including smartphones and tablets; what they work with can change from one project to another. In what ways can you safely introduce new devices to your network?

You may switch software programs from one year to the next, or use them only on a short-term basis to complete a specific goal. How will you safely transfer your data from one kind of software to another? What happens to your data when you stop using a particular program?

Sometimes your business will expand; you may wind up hiring new people or opening up branches in new locations. Other times, you’ll be scaling back, and certain employees who discontinue a project or leave your company will need to lose log-in privileges and other credentials. Your cyber security plan needs to accommodate these changes.

Collaboration

Cyber security shouldn’t fall only on IT professionals; it should be a company-wide concern.

There are a variety of attacks that seek to trick people into disclosing sensitive data; these include tactics such as phishing, in which fraudulent emails induce employees to download malware-infected documents, click on links to fraudulent websites, or share unauthorized information with scammers.

Training employees to remain vigilant about these kinds of attacks is essential. Beyond that, you need to cultivate a culture of cyber security at your company, enforcing safe computing habits and encouraging employees to remain in communication with each other about potential threats.

If you want to improve your cyber security preparedness, please contact us. We will work with you on developing powerful, cost-effective defenses, including round-the-clock monitoring, employee training, high-quality user authentication measures, and top-of-the-line anti-malware programs.

Finding Unbiased IT Support in Pennsylvania for Small Businesses

Manage Service, ,
20170120

A managed service provider is there to support the IT systems small businesses already have, while helping them streamline and integrate solutions as needed.

One could safely say that every small business in Pennsylvania and the tri-state area has at least some IT infrastructure helping them conduct business from day-to-day. Considering there are nearly one million small businesses operating in PA alone, IT support is an demand service, yet the service needs to fit with each business’s needs. Indeed, finding unbiased IT support in Pennsylvania for small businesses is as important as ever.

 

 

Small Business in Pennsylvania

According to the SBDC Pennsylvania website, referencing the SBA:

“…small businesses are defined as having 500 or fewer employees…small businesses employed 2.4 million workers in 2014 and accounted for 47.3 percent of the private sector labor force.”

As these figures show, small businesses are doing big business in PA; using advanced technology is how these businesses are managing their day-to-day operations.

The various industry segments, choices with cloud or on-premises technologies, and in-house expertise – all factor in to determine the specific IT needs for each small business in PA. The common denominator is their need for at least some IT infrastructure.

IT Infrastructure Management Issues

Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace, small businesses with limited resources are struggling to stay updated and take advantage of the options available. Security, backup, integrations, updates, repairs, centralization, and other IT support needs are often putting a strain on in-house IT departments and overall productivity.

The last thing small businesses want is to spend all their time scrambling to keep their IT infrastructure and systems running, all the while neglecting strategic IT planning. In-house IT departments for small businesses are limited with their time availability and expertise, leaving small businesses vulnerable to: downtime, expensive repair issues, security threats, and reduced productivity.

Unbiased IT Support in PA and the Tri-State Area

Although systems are becoming more centralized and integrated, most businesses still use many moving parts within their enterprise systems. Most businesses are running hybrid systems with on-premises hardware and cloud software solutions combined. Relying solely on the biased support of these various systems’ reps and technicians isn’t the type of IT support small businesses need.

Unbiased IT support comes from a managed service provider that isn’t tied to any one software solution. Their services are designed to support the IT systems small businesses already have, while helping them streamline and integrate solutions as needed.

For instance, SystemsNet is a reliable source for complete network solutions and maintains a staff of: highly qualified network specialist, application developers, and systems administrators who’ve been trained and certified on top products such as: Microsoft, Dell, Symantec, Linksys, Macola, Barracuda, Swiftpage, ACT!, and many more.

Most small businesses need IT support that can augment their IT departments, offering packaged IT support and repair services at flat monthly rates and on a time and material basis. Each small business has different levels of IT support needs, so they need a MSP that can scale their services to their needs.

IT Support for Small Businesses in PA and the Tri-State Area

The IT services small businesses, generally, need are:

    • Continuous Network and Security Monitoring
    • Live Help Desk 24/7
    • Software and Hardware Consultation
    • On-site or Remote Help
    • Backup Disaster Recovery
    • Network Infrastructure Maintenance

SystemsNet offers small businesses these services and many more. We’re located in Horsham, PA, and serve the tri-state area, including: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.

For nearly 20 years, SystemsNet has been providing businesses with complete IT support, giving us the experience and expertise to confidently offer our services to small businesses in PA and the tri-state area.

Summary

With all the complexities involved with modern IT infrastructures for small businesses, partnering with an unbiased MSP for IT support is a wise choice. Finding local IT support is even more helpful, as they can perform on-site repairs, integrations, training, and more.

SystemsNet offers to be this local, unbiased, and comprehensive IT support partner for small businesses in PA and the tri-state area. To learn more and receive a technology assessment please contact us today.