Month: July 2018

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Blog

Tips to Keep IT Managers on Top of Their Work

An IT manager’s work can be difficult at times. This is mostly because of the ever-dynamic nature of technology. There is always something new and better being developed every day. It is the work of the IT manager to know the best technology to use, one that functions on a 24-hour basis and also one that’s easy to manage by the employees. He must ensure that his employer stays current on the specific technology that delivers the desired results.

IT Manager

Change is a good thing, but not when it concerns IT managers. They are usually cautious of introducing changes that might cause chaos. So then how will they be able to overcome their fears and embrace change that will improve their employees’ working environment? Here are some useful steps to help IT managers improve their workplace, maintain modern standards, and give all employees a better work experience.

Introduce a Digital Task Force

This can be done through the labor model which gives employees the flexibility and freedom to work from just about anywhere. This, of course, depends on the specific tasks and what projects employees must get done each day. The only problem is that different employees have different preferences. Some prefer more advanced technologies because that is what they are accustomed to in their personal lives. Others would like to work with old-fashioned systems. This only makes it harder for IT supervisors to find solutions that work for everyone.

Using one software package in the workplace is no longer effective. The IT department should work alongside departmental heads in order to manage ever-changing demands in the digital workplace. They should work through and adopt technology that will boost employee productivity. Technology must be user friendly as well.

Combat Resistance

This is an obvious challenge because it is not easy to introduce something new and then get 100% acceptance. Some employees will still try to resist the changes, not because it isn’t beneficial, but because of the fear that they might not be able to master the new technology. The best way to deal with resistance is to get the employees involved right from the start, way before the organization makes an investment in the new technology.

Communication is also an essential part of the whole process. Discuss the advantages of the new technology and the positive impact it will have on them and how it will improve their work place in terms of productivity. Ask for feedback. Look to department supervisors to provide reports when they encounter any problem.

Security

Keeping a system secure is not an easy task, especially with the increased reports of data breaches. Limiting the access points to sensitive data is one way of ensuring that your system is protected. The employees should be made to understand the need to balance between easy access and the data breach threats. They should also be taken through an awareness training touching on accidental exposure, insider theft, phishing emails, and attacks like ransomware and malware. These coupled with other training will ensure that there is better service delivery and that necessary security measures are in place.

Systematically Deal with the Tech Stack

Tech stack is the overwhelming number of applications or software that are no longer useful but still remain installed in a computer system. There are always new upgrades made, but rarely does anyone follow-up and get rid of the software that is outdated. These software programs could be used as the backdoor entrance for cyber thieves. IT managers should always ensure that these “doors” are closed and locked.

There should be constant communications between the chief technology officers and the department’s chief information officers with a view to streamline the sharing of data and information on cloud-based platforms. The Cloud ensures that users are able to access documents, make edits to them and any changes are automatically updated ensuring accuracy across the board.

Show Your Importance

Today, software updates are easy to do since more technology is moving to cloud. Even with that, the IT manager still needs to ensure that new software is beneficial to the users and that it is a worthwhile investment. A lot of research should be conducted to ensure that the new technology is yielding the desired results.

Wrap Up

When it comes to the introduction of new technology in the workplace, IT managers should treat this like a team effort long before it is introduced. Throughout the necessary training for employees, to the follow-up process once the technology is in place, everyone needs to be included. A savvy IT leader will take strategic moves to make changing over to newer systems a positive process for everyone.

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Blog Company News Technology News Vet

Server Crash Ruins Veterinarian’s Summer Vacation

Why Backups & Strategic Business Continuity Planning Could Help You Keep Your Vacation

Why proactive data backup and recovery solutions are the only way to protect your continuity

So, about that vet clinic we mentioned above – here’s a bit of history. They’re a veterinary clinic based in Dallas/Fort Worth and they were relying on a less-than-ideal server situation. Their primary server and IT infrastructure were stuffed into a small closet with little to no ventilation.

Unfortunately, this vet clinic experienced a hard drive failure. Because the vet clinic had decided not to invest in Data Magic’s monitoring solutions, the hard drive failure went unfixed. Low and behold, not much later, the clinic’s second hard drive failed in a RAID 5 configuration which resulted in an entire server crash. The worst part? The veterinarian was just about to leave for vacation.

After reaching out to Data Magic, our team of professionals strategically suggested that the clinic invests in a $150 Datto Alto solution. This solution would have essentially taken care of some basic local storage and would have implemented a Cloud back up for up to 2TB of the vet clinic’s data.

However, unfortunately, the clinic decided to decline this solution as well as other solutions offered by the Data Magic team. As a result, the veterinarian missed their vacation to try and address the crash and eventually had to hire a friend to try and do damage control on their network systems.

For us, the moral of the story is to trust and work with the industry professionals that you’ve left your network in the hands of. While additional investment can seem like a pain, it’s far from unnecessary. In fact, these upfront and initial investments could end up saving you big time in the long run. This client’s story has us thinking it’s probably time to go over the basics of backups and business continuity planning to ensure you and your team recognize their importance.

  1. Do you have backups in place?

First things first, does your organization or business have backup solutions in place? Think about all the data you collect, store, and share. If something were to happen – like a cyber-attack or a server crash, do you have recent data backups in place to help you avoid disruption and limit downtime?

Whether your network operates on physical server infrastructure or Cloud servers, there are countless options available for data backup and data recovery solutions. The key is that you don’t wait until disaster strikes to start thinking about backup technologies. Being proactive is the name of the game when it comes to backups and business continuity.

  1. If not, are you afraid of the additional investment?

Now, if you answered no to the first question, we want to try and get down to the reasons why. As mentioned, proactive backups can make all the difference between disaster and recovery. Have you been putting it off for as long as you can remember? Think about it for a second and try and put your finger on why.

Many times, organizations put off backup solutions because they don’t want to spend the upfront investment. However, please believe us when we say, this initial investment will be much less of a strain on your bottom line than trying to rebound after facing disaster unprepared. Without backups in place, if your data is lost, stolen, or held hostage, you may lose all of it – forever.

In today’s connected world, this means your business could be forced to start from scratch – not to mention the potential legal costs associated with stolen customer data, compliance penalties or unfulfilled service contracts. Does that upfront investment for backup solutions still sound unreasonable?

  1. If you do have backups in place, have you tested them?

This next section is really important. Now, all you readers who are feeling proud of yourselves for having backups in place – here’s our next question: have you tested them? We hate to break it to you, but even if you have the most sophisticated backup solutions in place, they’re meaningless if you haven’t tested them. Here’s why.

Backup solutions are designed to restore your most critical data as efficiently as possible. In case of disaster, you should have a detailed plan for what data needs to be restored and in what order. In order to ensure that your plan is executed effectively in the case of disaster, you must make sure you’ve deployed some test runs. Without testing your backups, you’ll never know for sure if your data recovery effort will go as planned.

It’s not just enough to test them once either. In fact, your organization should have a regular schedule for backup testing. Ideally, you should be backing up data and testing the backup every time new data is entered into your company network. However, this is understandably unrealistic. Instead, you should work with your team to come up with a backup testing schedule and stick to it with dedication. This way, you’ll constantly be reassured that your backup solutions are locked and loaded.

  1. Have you developed a strategic business continuity plan?

We’ve touched on this in the other categories, but we really can’t stress just how important proactive planning is when it comes to business continuity. In order to ensure your company is prepared to bounce back from disaster, you and your team need to take proactive steps and plan ahead for the worst-case scenario.

First off, train your team to be your strongest line of defense against cybercrime. Make sure they know how to identify threats and who to report problems too. Also, be sure you have a strategic business continuity plan in place that explicitly states how each team member will contribute to the restoration effort. A strong business continuity plan makes considerations for your company data at all end-points, so make sure to spend the time and resources necessary to prepare yourself and your team.

Backups & Business Continuity: Your Ticket to a Stress-Free Holiday

Simply put, the best way to protect your company network and your business continuity is to plan ahead. Don’t make the same mistake as our client. Don’t put off implementing backup solutions that will help you maintain continuity and keep your vacation plans.

The moral of the story is, you need to make a consistent and explicit effort to keep your company network running and your business data protected. Think of business continuity planning as your ‘cyber-emergency’ response plan. If you’re about to head out on vacation and disaster strikes, you should have a plan in place that allows you to enjoy a worry-free holiday while your team and tech support works to restore operations at the office.

Finally, make sure to put your trust in IT industry experts when trying to develop a strategic business continuity plan. The right IT services consultant will have an insider perspective and will offer countless resources to ensure your business continuity strategy is proactive and reliable.

While IT investments may seem like a pain, trust us when we tell you that they more than pay for themselves over time. Even better? When you partner with a strategic IT consultant, you’re investing in more than tech solutions. You’re investing in the expertise, experience, and business value that only a professional IT services consultant can offer.

Did you find this article informative? We’re happy to help! If you liked this, check out these other articles we think you’ll love

https://datamagicinc.com/finding-the-right-managed-services-provider-questions-answers/

https://datamagicinc.com/microsoft-common-security-threats-questions-answers/

https://datamagicinc.com/cyber-theft-a-real-threat-to-small-businesses/

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Blog Cyber Security Blog Technology News

How Food Distributors Avoid Catastrophic Data Loss (Questions/Answers)

The food industry’s best solutions for data backups give more insight into how data is collected, analyzed, used, and even lost. When processes work together, it’s critical the flow of information is seamless and smooth – but what steps can you take to prevent loss?

Food is the fuel that keeps people moving.

Technology is the fuel that keeps food moving.

Data is the fuel that keeps the entire process moving.

You lose data, and you lose orders, delivery tracking, contracts – you lose the entire process.

Food is a lifeline, no matter how you look at it. All living things need food to keep systems going. The definition of “living” doesn’t only apply to biological organisms, but also any process with moving parts and a systematic flow that depends on successful completion of acts in successive order.

A collection of processes that work together to manage the flow of information is the fundamental foundation of an application. Applications help us collect, store, and analyze information in an organized way such that we can understand and use this information in a meaningful way. Applications run on tablets, workstations, laptops, servers, or any other computer hardware, and involve executable files that run processes.

Technology is what makes all of this possible. The basic definition of “technology” is the set of tools and practical knowledge and the application of these tools and knowledge in a specific scope. Technology applied to processes to automate the tasks and flow make the entire process move more efficiently and require less human interaction. The technology exists to support and simplify, and we are coming to depend more on technology today.

Why wouldn’t we simplify everything we can?

Through the use of technology, we are able to simplify and automate processes to require less manual input, thus skyrocketing efficiency in recent years. No business says “no” to skyrocketing efficiency!

As the use of technology evolves in modern offices, and the volume of computerized processes increase, so do requirements in key areas, like storage space and maintenance. As processes run, they generate data with each informational transaction. When processes run, the output – file or information – generated needs a destination. The data produced takes up space on a computer or a server, filling up the hard drive with these files or this information.

What can you do to safeguard against data loss?

Processes need reliable input and a reliable destination for output, but what happens when processes “break”? It’s worth repeating: you lose data, you lose the entire process. Interrupted processes can wreak havoc on a system, corrupting data or ceasing output entirely. Anything can happen to cause this, like “bad” data in the source files or a virus in the system for example, and the bad data can spread throughout a system like an out-of-control infection.

In other words, the way we see it, processes are living things, too.

The (potentially) million-dollar question: What can you do?

#1 – Maintenance

Processes, like people, need basic maintenance to keep going, like fuel for a car. The fuel to feed processes is basic maintenance:

  • Ensuring enough space on servers and hard drives
  • Making sure software versions are up to date
  • Installing the latest security updates for operating systems and network programs

Like a plant needs water and sun to thrive, technology needs routine maintenance to stay in tip-top shape.

#2 – More Maintenance

Simple maintenance isn’t enough if you want your technology to simplify your process. Preventing catastrophic data interruption and loss requires extra ongoing maintenance to protect proprietary processes:

  • Reliable data backup solutions with fast and easy file restorations
    • Companies who have reliable data backup solutions in place have saved millions of dollars in lost revenue after what could have been a catastrophic loss.
  • 24/7 system monitoring to detect – and react to – threats quickly
  • Secure infrastructure and 100% compliance with industry and security regulations

Data backup solutions provide safeguards for businesses, protecting data and restoring information. The best data backup solutions go further by allowing comparison points so you can see changes and establish a time frame for insight into data interruption and pinpoint precise breaks in the processes.

#3 – Ask For Help

How can you keep your processes running their best? Feed them with the best care and technology possible, and bring in help where you need it.

Partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) to protect files with backup solutions not only safeguards your information but also ensures business continuity should something out of the normal happens, like power outages, natural disasters, or a threat from cybercriminals seeking network weaknesses to gain access.

Strategic partnerships

What does an MSP do? Partnering with an MSP, like Data Magic in Dallas, gives customers – like food distributors – an incredible technology resource. The service line-up can vary, but many of the ongoing maintenance details previously listed are included when businesses partner with an MSP:

  • Remote system monitoring
    • MSPs are a 24/7 protection force, monitoring systems and ready to respond quickly to issues and problems, making sure they don’t have time to “snowball” and lead to decreased productivity or downtime.
  • Regulatory audits and compliance
  • Data encryption, to add an extra layer of security against data intervention
  • Support for third-party applications that focus on helping businesses with seamless daily operations in a secure environment
  • Cloud solutions and consulting
    • Flexible – set-up is easy and manageable and can be integrated with many applications, like the cutting-edge Zettabyte File System (ZFS) for advanced storage options.
    • Scalable – when you experience quick growth or need to increase storage capacity quickly, cloud storage can adjust fast.
    • Easy – a favorite aspect of cloud-based solutions by every cloud user (throughout history!) is that cloud solutions are maintained by the solution provider.
    • Cost-effective – the cloud is a vastly more economical option than buying and maintaining on-site hardware, as well as the internal staff to maintain the hardware.

If you’re not already utilizing the cloud for data backup solutions, what are you waiting for? Protect your technology, and keep processes moving and on track.

Categories
Blog Technology News

President Trump’s Tariffs On China (Questions/Answers)

How Will The President’s Tariffs on Chinese Goods Affect The Technology Market?

President Trump’s move to impose hefty tariffs on Chinese imports has U.S. businesses and consumers worried about higher prices for the tech products they need.   

On June 15th, 2018, the Trump Administration imposed a 25 percent tariff on up to $60 billion worth of Chinese exports. This includes technology solutions.

And on July 10th, they said that by August 30th, they would impose a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion USD in Chinese-made products, including electronics.

President Xi Jinping has vowed to strike back.

How Will This Affect U.S. Technology Companies?

This move to raise tariffs on Chinese goods also increases the likelihood that China could strike back. How? – they might keep U.S. companies from doing business there. And tech businesses are especially vulnerable in this regard.

Semiconductor supplier, Micron Technology is the latest U.S. company to get caught in the Chinese-U.S. trade war.  On July 5, 2018, Micron reported that a court in China issued a preliminary injunction that prevents their Chinese subsidiaries from selling some of their products in the country.

Chinese rival company, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC),  filed a lawsuit alleging that Micron had violated their intellectual property rights. Micron says that the lawsuit is a revenge tactic to get back at them for the criminal and civil lawsuits they filed with Taiwanese authorities against UMC for the misappropriation of Micron’s trade secrets.

The ban will prohibit Micron from selling 26 of its products, including Crucial and Ballistix memory modules, solid-state drives, and their memory chips for graphics cards.

What Else Can China Do?

Because China’s imports from our country don’t match the new tariffs, tech businesses worry that they could impose other restrictions, such as inflicting new taxes and adding regulations on US companies.

This could result in a slow-down of deal approvals.  For example, San Diego-based mobile-chip giant Qualcomm is still awaiting their clearance from the Chinese government to acquire NXP for $40 billion USD.

Any Good News Here?

China’s government hasn’t said it will target the technology sector as one of their retaliation threats, but this certainly is a possibility if a trade war were to escalate. However, even if this did happen, the big tech companies in the U.S. probably won’t be affected.

For example – because the Chinese government has already blocked many U.S. companies, like Facebook and Google, these services shouldn’t be affected. So if tariffs target these firms, we shouldn’t have to worry.

Chinese government censorship rules have prevented our tech companies from getting a good foothold there. So, they don’t have a large presence in China anyway. Because of this, any tariffs imposed on them wouldn’t have a substantial effect.

What About Apple Products? Don’t They Have A Huge Investment In China?

Of all the tech companies, Apple would be the most vulnerable in terms of tariffs.  In 2017, they had $46 billion worth of iPhone and related product sales in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This represents roughly 20 percent of all their sales.

However, the good news for Apple is that, due to their manufacturing partnership with Taiwanese firm Foxconn in China, they probably won’t feel the full effects of tariffs.

Apple has been investing heavily in China. As recently as February 2018, they put a new data center in China to comply with new laws there.  Apple has made a number of concessions to the Chinese government to do business there. China probably won’t “mess with them” because they’ve invested billions of dollars in the country.

How Will These Tariffs Affect Technology Prices For Businesses and Consumers In The U.S.?

It’s true that U.S. businesses and consumers are worried about higher prices for tech products due to the tariffs. But it’s still not clear how everything will pan out. Here’s what we do know.

Technology products like network routers, smartphones, laptops, and computer components will likely be affected.  It’s believed that retailers will absorb the costs.  This could result in an approximate 15% price rise for these products.

For those businesses that buy in bulk and operate on slim profit margins (like Amazon), it’s anticipated that they will raise their prices for these products by just 1- 2%. So that’s more good news.

Tariffs on semiconductors could raise the price of a laptop by 3%.

What Should Your Next Step Be?

It’s a simple fact – you must embrace the digital era if you’re going to survive in today’s competitive marketplace. This means you must invest in technology that helps you operate more efficiently, streamline day-to-day operations, automate tasks, and improve collaboration amongst staff members and customers.

And, it’s probably best to do this now before the additional tariffs take effect August 30th.

Forbes offers information on prioritizing technology and how to pay for it, but it’s vital to make those investments now BEFORE we see price hikes.

A good technology solutions provider can help you get started and make sure you’re headed in the right direction. But it’s imperative to move now before we see prices increase.

If you enjoyed this article, don’t forget to check out “Are you scared of the cloud?” or “Protecting your organization for IoT exploits (research/information)” or visit our blog for more helpful ideas.

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Blog

Finding The Right Managed Services Provider (Questions/Answers)

How Useful Are MSPs?

Managed Services Provider

Managed Service Providers in the field of Information Technology have a more critical role than other business organizations. There are important things to consider when it comes to IT, and these are:

  1. Reliable IT staff-able to conduct routine maintenance such as updating and installing hardware and software.
  2. Availability-sometimes an organization needs a system that can support their business on a 24/7 time basis. Especially if engaged in international business and there is the issue of different time zones. This may call for staff that is able to meet this demand.
  3. Generate Income-ensure that whatever technology you are using in your organization is able to pay you back and not the other way round. This is achieved by simply weighing the available options and making the right choice as to the type of technology most suited to properly run your organization.

Why do you need MSP?

Organizations prefer having in-house IT staff because it is cheaper to have an employee on pay role than hire an IT firm to manage your network. What most entities don’t know is that they could be missing out on better services than just the routine maintenance and updating of software. There is a whole lot more in the tech world, so instead of overwhelming your IT staff and missing out on new developments, the managed service providers do the extra that will boost your business to higher levels. Here are the reasons why you should consider MSPs:

  • Specialized support: depending on the kind of organization you are running, they custom make for you the most suitable IT system. They are aware of the statutory regulations in your area of expertise and so ensure that your technology is in compliance. Examples of those regulations include: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which is very critical in an organization dealing with Healthcare in the United States of America. Also, the General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR), which is a regulation in European Union law on data protection and privacy for all people within the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). These are just a few of the considerations that an MSP takes into account when managing and maintaining your technology.
  • Reliable support which provides a 24/7 help desk to deal with client issues. This is basically an IT firm’s work; it is what they specialize in. They give it their all as compared to your organization’s IT staff who would not appreciate being disturbed in the middle of the night just to handle a client issue. It would also be very expensive to try and employ staff who are able to provide services over time.
  • Security and privacy of client data are guaranteed since the IT staff in the managed service providers are experts who are well equipped and ready to handle issues of a security breach. To top it off, your organization will not have to worry about the legal liabilities that may arise in case a security breach occurs.
  • System back-up and data recovery are well handled by the MSP because they have the resources to conduct research and come up with mechanisms to deal with network issues such as downtime. Small entities do not have to worry about spending additional resources on top of what is already lost in trying to establish better mechanisms in terms of what should be done in those situations. MSPs will ensure that you get back on your feet as soon as possible in situations where issues like downtime affect your business.
  • Software updates are as important in IT as regular service on a car. Needless to say, they are a bit complex and time-consuming. MSPs help you to focus on other important things as they update your software in the background. They know which one is best suited for your organization to give you optimum benefits.
  • It is very expensive trying to hire the services of an IT firm for a specific task or during an emergency. You could save on these expenses if you are relying on a contracted managed service providers. They are reliable and efficient because they understand your business environment and so handle emergencies beforehand by devising workable, tried and trusted mechanisms.

Wrap up

Technology has become an integral part of every organization. The best way to ensure that you are maximizing its benefits is by acquiring and managing the right technology suitable for your organization. That is exactly why you need the managed service providers to do all your IT work. You worry about running your organization while they help you boost your business through IT. The collaboration between your organization and an MSP firm will simply provide you with stability and reliability in your network.

Categories
Blog

Managed IT Services for Food Distributors (Questions/Answers)

Food Distributors Need To Meet Hard Deadlines – And Need Their Technology Systems To Be Able To Keep Up

We live in a world of overnight shipping, which means customers no longer have any interest in patiently waiting for deliveries to arrive. Not only do they want their orders to arrive yesterday, they want to know where their items are with real-time tracking and fast answers. This is even more crucial for food distributors working with perishable goods and fulfilling huge contracts.

Your business needs technology in place to allow for better communication with customers and visible accountability. While GPS and Internet of Things devices help make staying connected and delivering live status updates possible, many distributors struggle with getting a cost-efficient infrastructure in place that still delivers reliable, accurate information. That’s where Data Magic comes in – we help food distributors use modern supply chain technology to generate the needed actionable data while still protecting the security of theirs and their customers’ information.

These Are The Customer’s Goods – You’re Just Transporting Them

Data Magic offers distribution companies a full range of IT services designed to track and manage goods. Whether they’re in storage, in transit, or ready to be billed, you’ll have full control over every aspect of the process.

We’re not here to reinvent the wheel; you know what works for your business and what needs to happen for you to meet deadlines and keep customers happy. Our job is to step in and provide the technical support and solutions that make meeting those goals as simple and straightforward as possible. Our expert technicians will help you improve on existing processes by offering you:

  • Ongoing monitoring and maintenance of your IT systems
  • Emergency Help Desk services
  • Industry-leading cybersecurity solutions and support
  • Data Backup and Business Continuity solutions
  • Migration to Cloud-based solutions
  • Strategic IT planning to bolster future growth

Get in touch with Data Magic Computer Services at (469) 635-5500 to discuss our managed services offerings for your Food Distribution business.

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Blog

Selecting A Cloud Service Provider (Questions/Answers)

How Do You Know That You Can Trust Your Cloud Provider?

8 Important Questions You Should Ask

Whatever industry your business may be in, chances are you’re using some form of cloud solution in your daily work life. From food service to retail and construction, from legal services to medical practices, finance and more, there’s a place in the Cloud for everyone. But now that we’re all here, what are we doing to ensure our cloud solution is truly secure?

We lock the doors to our workplaces when we leave for the day, but there’s no key to turn on our cloud storage security. So, what do business owners like you need to know to keep your digital world as safe as the real world?

While there are many common cloud software suites being used by providers that offer cloud storage-as-a-service, it doesn’t mean that their operations are equal. Ensuring your cloud security should begin before uploading your first file.

Here Are 8 Important Questions That You Should Ask Before Choosing A Cloud Provider

Does your cloud provider have a regular backup schedule?

Depending upon your specific solution, any cloud provider worth their subscription cost will run regular backups with redundancies for all the data it stores. The backups are often stored separately from the primary storage which adds another level of security against data loss. In the event of an incident in one location, data can instantly be restored from one of the other backups.

Do they stay ahead of issues?

Along with an alternate storage location for those backups, ensure you’re getting the protection you are paying to receive. Because a cloud provider’s reputation largely relies on its ability to deliver on its promises of security and reliability, staying ahead of issues before they become problems is every good provider’s top priority.

Does your provider conduct security audits and make them available to you?

Reputable cloud providers conduct routine security audits of their systems to ensure your data is safe from a variety of threats, including malware, data corruption, system failure, or damage to your physical infrastructure. Even better, these security audits are typically available to the provider’s customers because they want you to know that your data is in good hands.

Do they offer Security Awareness Training?

With all the security tools available today, it would be much more difficult for cybercriminals to gain access to data if it wasn’t for the single biggest source of security breaches – human error. The end user remains the biggest threat to the security of business data. Knowing that your cloud provider can educate and empower you and your employees in the practice of good security hygiene is an important step in ensuring your data safety.

What about Cloud Compliance Support?

Can they deliver cloud infrastructure solutions for closely regulated industries and ensure the data they collect, store, and access for you will be protected in line with compliance regulations such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and more?

They should also provide support 24/7 to ensure that any issue or concern you may have is addressed and taken care of quickly and effectively.

Will their Standard Uptime SLA meet your business requirements?

Some cloud providers offer SLAs (Service Level Agreements) with 99.9% uptime, while others offer 99.999%. An SLA with 99.999% uptime will cost more than one with a 99.9% uptime. However, it may be worth the price.

There’s a significant difference between the two:

  • A 99.9% uptime equals 8.77 hours of downtime per year.
  • A 99.999% uptime equals 5.26 minutes of downtime per year.

Evaluate your needs and consider how much downtime is acceptable to ensure your business runs smoothly without reputational damage or major revenue loss.

What’s included in their Disaster Recovery Plan?

The cloud provider’s disaster recovery plan is extremely important. Ask about site visits and audits to estimate the vendor’s recovery time and the impact of a potential failure.

Does the provider have a reliable process in place? Is the provider’s staff knowledgeable and ready to react under the worst possible conditions? Unfortunately, disasters occur so it’s critical for your business and your cloud provider to be prepared.

How often do they test their disaster recovery plan?

A disaster recovery plan alone doesn’t ensure that downtime will be minimized in the unfortunate event of a disaster. The cloud provider must test their plan on a regular basis to ensure the plan is effective. Ask the cloud provider to disclose the results of disaster recovery tests on a regular basis.

When Selecting A Cloud Provider, Be Sure To Do Your Homework First

Your business needs a robust and comprehensive data security policy. And your cloud provider should play a role in the development and execution of this very important strategy.

Cloud computing and storage have changed the way we store and share data in all types of businesses – from the cost savings of off-site storage and the ease of collaboration to the peace of mind regarding disaster recovery and more.

But with the trust that we put in cloud solutions, it’s very important that this trust is also earned by the cloud provider.

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Blog Technology News

The Importance of Peers For Managed Services IT Companies (Questions/Benefits/Answers)

What Do Peer Groups Really Do For Managed Services IT Companies?

Dallas IT Services Company

Other managed services IT companies don’t have to just be the competition. In fact, in the right setting, they can help you do better in the business world. Read on to find out how.

If you’re not currently in a peer group, you probably don’t think much of your peers – at least, not in a positive manner, right?

So often, other businesses operating in the same industry as you are reduced to that one, ugly word – competitors. In our zero-sum business world, every client your competitors get is one that you don’t. So why think of them as anything other than the enemy?

The truth is that, in the right setting, your competition can be your peers – especially when you’re connected to a national group that operates outside your local market. What’s more, they can help you do what you do better. That’s what peer groups are all about.

One such group is the Ulistic High Performance Club, a peer group made up of the top performing IT services companies throughout Canada and the United States. This group focuses on professional development as leaders but also on how its members can best supply IT services to their local business communities.

It’s for precisely these reasons that Shane Kimbrell and Data Magic took part in the latest Ulistic High Performance Club event at Salvatore’s Grand Hotel in Buffalo, NY on June 28th and 29th.

Roy van Norstrand from Leren Group shared business leadership skills while MSP marketing expert Stuart Crawford shared how we can reach new companies in need of our services in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area.

Members of the group include:

What Do Peer Groups Offer Managed Services IT Companies?

Shane and the other members in attendance didn’t just get to visit New York by attending the event. On the contrary, the Ulistic High-Performance Club, and other groups like it, provide a number of unique benefits to businesses like Data Magic Computer Services, including:

Knowledge and Experience
Starting up and growing a business is obviously no easy task, but beyond that is the fact that it doesn’t necessarily get easier once the business is established. With each year in business, a company and its management will encounter new obstacles unique to its size, changes in the industry, and other factors.

This is a key area where peers can help. Within a peer group’s membership are businesses at a range of sizes and stages of growth, allowing peers to share insight, advice and first-hand knowledge about how to address an issue that another member is dealing with.

Accountability
As the CEO of a business, it’s up to you to hold your staff member accountable to the work they’re committed to doing. But who holds the CEO accountable?

Not just in terms of quarterly goals or standard metrics that may be considered by governing bodies (like a Board of Directors) either – what about new initiatives, personal goals, and other commitments a CEO or manager might make?

Once again, your peers are a great tool to help you stay focused on the goals you set. By laying out your goals at one peer group meeting and following up on them with the members at the next one, you’re more motivated to actually see them through.

The Ulistic High-Performance Club encourages a company like Data Magic to be held accountable for what they say they will do every single quarter.

1-1 Support
Often, the value of peer groups can come from the opportunity to talk to other members of the business world that know what your work life is like. Regardless of how much you can vent with family, friends, and staff members, there’s no comparison to talking through your challenges with other people that do the same work as you.

Whether it’s as a sounding board for a new idea you have, or just to unload some frustration about the direction of the industry, spending time with peers can be highly beneficial in terms of social factors like stress management.

In addition to all this, Shane, Joe Young and the Globalquest team recently got together outside of our group to share operational insights on how they do business, furthering helping each other as peers. It’s for reasons like this that Data Magic believes that their involvement in a peer group like the Ulistic High-Performance club is what truly separates them from other IT managed services companies in the Dallas Fort Worth Metro.

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Do “IT” Faster with Microsoft

Time is money, but most of us value both. Microsoft knows how important these two things are. They have developed some programs that will help you work faster with your computer or preferred device. This article will review some helpful features from Microsoft that will help you get your work done faster and more efficiently. These technologies include Cortana, Outlook, and finally the Microsoft Edge browser.

Microsoft Cortana

Microsoft Cortana is like a digital assistant who does everything asked of her. Before you start working with Cortana make sure to link it into your work account. Then navigate to the bottom left search bar. There, you can type anything, such as a random question. Let’s say you type something like: “What do I need?” Cortana will automatically generate a pool of different things she can do for you.

Simply put, you can set a reminder on your PC for a doctor’s appointment and Cortana will alert you on your phone. This is so helpful, especially if you are away from the office. It collects information from all your devices, such as your phone contact list. Cortana can send email reminders and give you alerts based on your location. Did you know that you can even attach a photo to your reminder? Yes, with Cortana you can do that!

Cortana simply ensures that you keep up with your busy schedule. Like all smart voice assistants, Cortana has the ability to find information ranging from flight schedules, traffic conditions, and even weather changes in your area. She can immediately give you updates on all these things and more.

With time, as you interact and use Cortana, she gets to know you personally and improves the kind of assistance that she provides. These customized services make this virtual assistant especially helpful. She helps keep track of your favorite things like music, hobbies, and sports. She can learn about your favorite hang-outs or places you like to eat. She can give you suggestions and inform you of any updates in relation to these things. Do you have a favorite celebrity that you enjoy following? Cortana can give you timely updates on what your favorite celebrities are doing.

The Cortana virtual assistant is constantly advancing in knowledge. The developers add new features all the time, plus she learns as you use her. This new type of technology is advancing at a rapid pace. It includes the convenience of being available for all of your devices. Information is synchronized across phones, computers, and tablets both at home and at work. Every time you use any of your devices, the information gets updated. Cortana remembers. This definitely saves you time and it offers a new kind of convenience that people are beginning to enjoy and expect.

Microsoft Outlook

Here is a tip to help you reduce the number of emails that are related to conversations in your inbox. You just go into Outlook into the messages in your inbox. At the top left of your menu, you will see something called “clean up.” When you click on this icon, it will give you different options like:

  • Clean up conversation
  • Clean up folder
  • Clean up folders and subfolders

This allows you to delete individual conversations or entire conversations. This feature goes through your conversations, streamlining everything, leaving only the most recent conversation. Your inbox gets a quick but thorough clean-up.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the most secure, dependable web browser on the market today. It has a whole host of features within itself, but here are a few that stand out.

Imagine a busy day at work and you have been conducting research and your desktop has a number of Tabs open. Maybe you’re not ready to close any of them! Microsoft Edge allows you to use a tab manager which pushes aside the tabs for you to use later.

When you want to reopen those tabs, you simply go to the left of the screen, open up the Tab Manager, and select the tab that you want to reopen.

Ink within Microsoft Edge

The ability to ink within Microsoft Edge is now at your fingertips. All you need is a stylus. Go to Microsoft Edge and circle what you need, annotate it, capture it, and send it to the recipient of your choice.

Wrap up

Microsoft is constantly searching for new ways to improve the efficiency of its products just to make your life easier and more enjoyable. That is why Microsoft Windows 10 is a modern-day hack on your computer that will make work stress-free. It helps you get everything done more efficiently so you can still achieve the best results in a shorter time frame. Being organized is part of working smarter and so is mastering these simple tools. Knowledge is power, and with what you have learned here, you can save time and improve your work life.

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