Month: October 2021

A server’s configuration can make or break a business. There are so many options in building a small business server that many business owners don’t know where to start. We are here to help you.

First, we’ll briefly discuss what a server is and the different types. Then we’ll give you some best practices to help make the most of your setup.

What Is A Server?

A server is a powerful computer that acts as a central hub in a larger computing environment. The server will hold all the shared resources of that computer network.

All the separate office computers connect to a shared server in an office setting, allowing everyone to access the same resources.

Types of Servers

There is more than one type of server, and when building yours, it is essential to know its purpose within your organization. This will ensure it’s most efficient for your needs. Here are two critical factors in knowing how many servers your particular business may need:

• Server function: Do you need more storage space for backups? Or will you be hosting apps that will need processing power?
• The number of users: the higher the volume of users, the more servers you may need. To factor how many users your server can support, figure out how much memory and processor strength you’ll require for each user. 

A good managed IT service can help you figure out your business’s needs for proper server configuration.

Read more: The Benefits of Outsourced IT Support & 7 Things to Look For

Once you know what you need, here are some of the different types of servers.

File Server

A file server is responsible for holding all of the shared files within a network. It allows anyone within the office network to access shared files without transferring them from machine to machine.

Database Server

A database server holds and manages a database. Databases can be protected so that only authorized users can access the data.

Web Server

A web server uses HTTP or another website protocol to interact with clients or customers over the internet.

Mail Server

A mail server is responsible for handling and delivering emails within your organizational network. The server type is usually used in combination with the internet, allowing emails to be accessed remotely.

Print Server

A print server connects printers to the network and makes them accessible to any computer or device within the network.

Domain Server

A domain server acts as security for your network. It handles users attempting to log into the network and creates rules for what users can do.

Application Server

An application server hosts web apps either through the web server or within the network environment. It also can host app development.

Best Practices For Your Server’s Configuration

No matter the type of servers you use, here are some best practices to make the most when building a small business server configuration.

1. Decide Between Hardware Or The Cloud Server

When designing your server infrastructure, you’ll need to decide if you want your servers to be physical or cloud-based.

Cloud-based servers are great for businesses with small office spaces and a limited IT team. They are not as fast as physical servers, but they can be adequate to suit your needs in smaller companies. As cloud-based servers are housed elsewhere, they also benefit from having redundant power and network setups so that you’ll never lose contact with your server. However, cloud servers usually come with a monthly fee.

Physical servers can be costly to get started, but they also have the capability to be more powerful and cheaper in the long run. Having a physical setup gives you the most control over the overall design, but you are responsible for replacing parts as they go. Also, a dedicated server room will need more electricity and cooling.

2. Configure With The Appropriate Server Hardware

There are different types of servers to suit different types of needs. The three that we’ll cover here are Tower servers, Rackmount servers, and Blade servers.

Tower Servers

A tower server looks much like a computer tower. Tower servers can be compact and are standalone. You won’t need to install other parts such as racks or mounts. Additionally, multiple tower servers can be connected.

Tower servers are smaller, quieter, and cheaper. They are best for small businesses or homes.

Rackmount Server

A Rackmount server has server components mounted on racks and then housed in a rack chassis. The chassis provides separate racks with power and cooling.

A rackmount server is highly customizable and doesn’t take up a lot of space as the chassis are usually vertical. As a result, they are a popular choice for IT companies.

Blade Server

Blade Servers are a modular server type that consists of stripped-down components mounted together in sections called blades. The blades mount into a chassis, similar to the rackmount server.

The blade servers are rugged and built to be the most efficient space with the most computing power possible. For this reason, they are popular for data centers.

3. Properly Design Your Server Room

An adequately designed server room can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. First off, you need to make sure the room is big enough for your server equipment and that you can easily access the front and the back of the server.

Server rooms can also get very hot, and computer parts need to be cool to work effectively. If your office doesn’t already have air conditioning, it would be worth it to look into installing air conditioning, or even better, a dedicated A/C for your server room.

4. Decide Which Server Operating System Is Best For You

You have four options for an operating system. There are Windows Server, Linux Ubuntu Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or CentOs.

If your office already uses Windows, you may prefer to stick with Windows as your operating system. It will be the most familiar, have the greater ease of use, and have the most support through Windows.

However, if your company needs greater flexibility, it may be worth looking into the Linux options. However, there’s little support for a Linux system, and what there is can come at a high cost. It would be worth it to have a member of your IT team be familiar with Linux before going this route.

5. Pay Attention To Network Infrastructure

You will need a network with your server. When you’re setting up a network, your main options are wired or wireless endpoints.

Wired connections are up to 3 times faster than wireless, in addition to being more reliable and cheaper. In contrast, a wireless system gives you more office layout flexibility.

6. Implement Optimal Server Security

If you house your server in a dedicated room, you may want to consider adding a secure lock to the door. Or, if you’re dealing with sensitive information, a security camera may be beneficial as well.

The server itself should be equipped with antivirus protection. If it’s not adequately protected, a server can be attacked by phishing emails, ransomware, open ports, trojans, a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS), or a multitude of other threats and vulnerabilities. 

It’s equally important that you password protect your systems and handle the storage of other passwords appropriately.

Related: 7 Enterprise Password Management Solutions for Businesses

Conclusion

A server is an integral part of any business, and the proper setup and implementation can be challenging. 

At Data Magic, we offer Managed IT services to handle this for you and give your business peace of mind with the utmost business security.

Any lingering questions? Reach out below!

Microsoft Teams is a powerful productivity and collaboration tool that your business is likely already using, but are you getting the maximum value possible out of this Microsoft 365 app?

There are quite a few productivity tools and shortcuts within Microsoft Teams that most regular users don’t know about. But with just a little exploring, your employees and coworkers can greatly increase their efficiency within Teams.

One of the greatest “hidden” features within Teams is the Search Bar. On the surface, it looks like any other search tool, a place to go when you aren’t sure where something is. But with Search Bar Commands, the Search Bar becomes a powerful portal to finding content AND taking numerous actions — all without losing your place within the Teams app.

Microsoft Teams Search Bar Commands: What They Are

If you’ve worked with Teams much at all yet, you know that the program has many different functions. You can access most of these functions with the tabs or buttons along the left side of the app. Even still, Teams environments can get complex, and it can be easy to become lost or disoriented when switching between Teams or app areas.

Search Bar Commands are a way to avoid some of that confusion — and to work more quickly.

To begin a Search Bar Command, simply click in the Search Bar and type the forward slash key (that’s this one: / ). Doing so will bring up a long list of commands you can type. For example, you could quickly set your status to available or away, using /available or /away.

You can launch a brand-new call or chat with someone without navigating away from what you’re doing, too, with /call and /chat.

Go ahead and try it now. You might be surprised by the number of functions you can access in this way.

Of course, you can access many of them another way. But being able to do so from the search bar can save you time and keep you focused on your current primary Teams task.

When You Might Want to Use Search Bar Commands

One of the best things about Teams is also one of its weaknesses: it can do so many things. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always toggle between those things so elegantly.

Say you’re deep into one of your Teams, collaborating on a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation. Teams allows you to open files shared within a Team directly in the Teams application. You and your colleagues can all simultaneously add to and edit a Word document.

But let’s say you’re in the middle of those edits and you need to reach out to a single colleague via chat for a clarification.

You could click over to the Chat tab and have your conversation. But when you switch back to the Teams tab? You’re probably not going to drop right back into your document. You’ll have to choose the right Team, then the right Channel on that Team, then reopen the document, find your place, and finally resume working.

By using a Teams Search Bar command, you can avoid all the navigation and just quickly send your message. Use /chat or even @[username] to send a simple message directly from the Search Bar. Or, for a more complex interaction, use /pop and then select a person to pop out that chat history into a separate window. Your main Teams window is unaffected, leaving you to continue editing in one window while you chat in another.

Search Bar Commands in Microsoft Teams are a powerful way to get more done faster and with better focus. Try adding just one or two to your workflow to get started. You can add more as you feel more comfortable.

Keep Improving Productivity with Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are another way to massively improve your speed and efficiency in Microsoft Teams. No matter what you’re doing, you can probably find a keyboard shortcut or two to speed it up.

These can get overwhelming quickly, so again, our advice is to add them in slowly. Pick two or three to add to your routine, and then add more once those feel like second nature.

Wherever you are in Teams, ctrl+period (or command+period on Mac) will show you a list of relevant keyboard shortcuts.

Here are a few that are really useful:

• Ctrl+E will jump to your Search Bar
• Ctrl+equals sign will zoom in
• Ctrl+minus sign zooms out
• Ctrl+n opens a new chat

And that’s just the beginning. See the full list from Microsoft for more.

Microsoft Teams is already a great application, but by adding in Search Bar Commands and keyboard shortcuts, you can take your Teams usage to the next level.

Any lingering questions? Reach out below!

There’s no doubt we are past the era of using a Google spreadsheet to help manage all business logins. It’s an inconvenient and insecure way of managing your passwords. 

Interestingly, a Password and Authentication Security Behaviors Report by Ponemon Institute revealed that 44% of the respondents were victims of phishing attacks while at work, indicating that password security continues to present a challenge.

Read on to learn more about enterprise password management solutions for businesses and how to promote healthy password behaviors among employees makes running your business more efficient. 

What Features Should You Look for in Enterprise Password Management?

If your business is considering adopting a password manager, consider the following:

• Security: Assess the kind of security/encryption infrastructure that each password manager uses. Go for those offering top-security features, such as extra-strength encryption and two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires an additional level of verification by the owner of the account. Some types of this additional security include:
  • Push notifications to your mobile device through the use of an authenticator app. Examples include Google Authenticator and Authy.
  • One-time passwords that use a special code to log in.
  • Emailed or texted special codes
  • USB keys are required to be inserted in order to log in.
  • Biometrics, like fingerprints and facial recognition. These are the most difficult to hack. 77% of mobile devices now offer biometric security options.
• Usability: Explore the possibility that all your staff can use the software regardless of their IT background, especially if they’ll be working remotely and won’t have access to immediate help. Consider rolling out password management solutions that are easy to set up and onboard for technical and non-technical staff.
• Compliance: Consider the privacy or compliance standards, if any, to which the password manager follows.
• Admin controls: Think about the kind of admin controls you want the software to have. The password manager should have rules that let you monitor how your workers are managing passwords and whether they’re observing healthy security practices.
• Price: Although good security is priceless, it’s a good idea to assess the cost of the password manager. Chances are you’ll get a good deal that offers excellent value for your money. 
• Extra features: Explore any other bonus features the software offers, on top of saving login details. A good password manager will not only have basic password management features like auto-login and autosave but advanced features like secure password sharing, too. Some also generate high-security passwords on your behalf, to be sure you’re not choosing a potentially weak password.

How Do Large Companies Manage Passwords?

It’s common for companies to ask their employees to change their passwords routinely as a security measure. However, this practice may be doing more harm than good. People tend to devise an easy, memorable password and then just change one or two characters when they need a new one. 

In fact, 61% of people use the same password across multiple devices, services, and websites.

A password management solution avoids this risk because the passwords that it creates are strong, unique, and don’t have to be memorized.

What Password Managers Do Companies Use? 

Based on the features mentioned above, you should evaluate the following password managers and select the best fit for your enterprise. Here are our top seven:

#1 LastPass

LastPass is ideal for SMEs, although they offer various packages for teams and larger organizations. 

Of all the enterprise password management solutions we have come across, LastPass has the best controls for admins. 

Users praise LastPass for the following reasons:

• Host of business-specific features.
• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
• High-quality security framework.

LastPass has multi-factor authentication technologies and single sign-on (SSO), making it one of the best password managers for enterprises of all sizes. Pricing is between $4 and $6 per user per month for business plans, but you’ll need to contact them directly for their enterprise pricing.

The security of your data is key, and LastPass leaves nothing to chance, with TLS protocols and end-to-end encryption.

#2 DashLane

This is likely the best password manager for both small and big business enterprises. The software comes with a handful of password management features, including user management and multi-factor authentication.

DashLane’s UI is easy to use, allowing your employees to handle things quickly. Their privacy rating is also excellent. 

It’s worth noting that DashLane stores no data on their side, only the operational data they require. They are fully compliant with CCPA, GDPR, and SOC2. 

In addition, DashLane cannot access your secured data whatsoever because it’s against their privacy policy.

Using this third password manager will cost you $5-$8 a month per user as a business user, with discounts given to enterprise bulk buyers. You can choose any of their business plans, DashLane Business with all the features, or DashLane Team with all features and only SSO options as the exception.

DashLane has been operating with a US-patented security architecture for ten years. No hacking has ever happened to this architecture.

Bonus features include a dark web scanner. It notifies you of any data leaks and guides you on changing passwords in the event of a compromise.

#3 1Password

1Password is a password manager that’s one of the most secure, the easiest to use, and offers you a wide array of features. 

It provides solutions for enterprises, businesses, and teams and includes password sharing, two-factor authentication, and dark web monitoring.

You can choose from any of these three plans:

• 1Password Teams: The least expensive option with several advanced options, such as AD integration
• 1Password Business: Offers all features and, in addition, 20 guest access accounts and encrypted cloud storage of 5 GB per user
• 1Password Enterprises: Includes all features in the business plan. Moreover, it adds a dedicated account manager and training and onboarding assistance.

Business pricing for this password solution runs about $7.99 per user per month. Like with the others, you’ll need to contact them for their enterprise options. Most people use 1Password due to its intuitive admin controls, third-party integration options, and secure password sharing.

#4 Keeper for Business

Keeper is one of the cheapest options on our list of solutions, but don’t underestimate it. It offers one of the best security for communication between team members. 

This password software allows a role-based enforcement policy with different organization tiers, each with varying access levels. Therefore, only accounts and passwords in their level of access are available to them.

Keeper For Business is ISO 270001 certified and SOC2 compliant and includes a desirable dark-web scanner feature. For these reasons, it’s ideal for large organizations. 

What’s more, its simplicity and straightforward dashboard make Keeper for Business rate highly on usability. This one rings in at just under $4 per user per month with special pricing for enterprise customers.

#5 RoboForm

RoboForm for Business features one of the best auto-fill capabilities in the password management solutions market. 

This enterprise password manager offers you SaaS-based management of passwords. Admins have a centralized dashboard for managing passwords, enforcing policies, and generating reports on staff activity.

With RoboForm, you can:

• Create and manage various groups
• Create multiple admin accounts
• Securely share encrypted passwords with a specific team within the enterprise.

On top of being relatively cheaper than most other options, RoboForm pricing varies based on subscription length and the number of users. With a 1-year subscription, it’s $29.95 per user per year with 101-1000 users. With a 5-year subscription, the cost drops to $22.95 per year per user.

#6 IT Glue

IT Glue offers you an IT documentation platform that comes with a password manager feature. Therefore, you can link passwords with the necessary documentation.

Here are some benefits of IT Glue:

• It’s SOC compliant
• It alerts you of passwords at risk
• It allows granular-level control of user access.

With this password solution, your enterprise can also create personal user vaults. That way, each individual can maintain their master passwords. 

Pricing for this option is $39 per user on an enterprise level but includes many options others don’t, such as custom SSL branding for your documents, an Office Cloud Editor for collaboration, Workflows, and more.

#7 CyberArk

CyberArk is an advanced password management software that targets the security of your business’s entire IT system. 

With its advanced functionality, you may require more assistance from cybersecurity experts to set up and use. Thus, CyberArk fits larger organizations, and especially security teams.

 Among the things that its features offer include:

• Automatic credential rotation
• Granular, privileged access controls
• Detailed auditing reporting for compliance
• Real-time account monitoring

Their pricing is quote-based, requiring you to contact CyberArk’s sales team to get an estimation of how much using their services will cost your business enterprise. 

CyberArk may be a bit more advanced for most enterprises’ needs, but it’s ideal for large firms with requirements for bulky data and strict adherence to data security laws. Since they have so many options and different services that come with a password manager, it’s best to contact them for pricing.

What Is the Best Password Manager for Small Businesses?

Of all the password managers mentioned, LastPass’ features are the most suited for a small business, as it is priced just right and offers everything a small business needs.

Final Word

Data Magic can offer you the IT support you need to identify tiny details as you seek to improve your company’s security. Therefore, regardless of where you’re located, feel free to pursue our managed IT services. 

Contact us today. You can chat with us right on our homepage and find the answers you’re looking for!