Thinking about teaming up with a Managed Service Provider but not sure where to begin? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! In this guide, we dive into the Managed IT Service Provider Pros and Cons for your business. We’re keeping it real – no misleading information. Just the genuine pros and cons of partnering with an MSP, all from the honest perspective of a current Managed Service Provider.
Managed IT Service Provider Pros and Cons
Pros:
Expertise. Replicating the resources and expertise you gain with an MSP would be very expensive. Often having a dedicated cybersecurity specialist, multiple network administrators, a professional services team, a provisioning team, and a help desk.
The suite of tools they have access to is oftentimes specialized and expensive. Due to the economies of scale of the computers and networks they support, they can manage and monitor your network at a higher level than internal IT (usually) at a lower cost.
They have vast knowledge of technology at hundreds of different locations. They see what works and does not work in different settings. They are not “siloed” and can introduce you to new and better technology to improve your business operation.
Robust processes and documentation to ensure tickets are completed in a timely fashion. There is a mutual incentive to fix problems quickly and ensure service tickets are minimized, which requires doing things right the first time!
Allows scaling up and down easily. Pricing is often based on a per endpoint or user. As you grow, your technology spending is easy to predict, rather than having to hire an additional IT team member who may not be working at full capacity or even close to it.
Cons:
You have access to the resources, but the amount of time you get is much less than if you had an internal team.
They will not know the ins and outs of your business-specific applications or vendor nuances like an internal IT person could.
Massive variation in the quality and responsiveness of MSPs. It can be difficult to determine which MSP to choose. Support and pricing can vary greatly! To help more with this, check out (16 questions as a potential Managed IT Provider). The responses to these questions will tell you a lot and help you choose the right provider.
Employees don’t have contracts usually… Even if you’re unhappy with a provider. Oftentimes, there is a minimum of a one-year contract in place.
Less direct management of your IT systems – Your provider will likely have a standard set of tools they implement. If you or your internal IT prefer a different set of tools, there will often be a mishmash. This is rarely an issue because most organizations hire a Managed Service Provider, so they do not have to consider these things. However, in rare cases, if they do want to stray away from the recommendations, it could be considered a con for both parties.
Have you gone through our detailed exploration of the Managed IT Service Provider Pros and Cons and are considering if an MSP is the ideal choice for your business? Need a bit more assurance? Don’t hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation to align your technology needs with your business objectives!
Ever found yourself in a meeting where a cloud computing jargon is casually mentioned, and while everyone else nods, you’re discreetly searching for its meaning on your phone? You’re not alone; it happens to the best of us. The realm of cloud technology is brimming with technical jargon that can be bewildering. But don’t worry! We’re here to help. Let’s demystify some of that complex terminology so you can navigate the cloud world with assurance.
Okay, let’s begin with the fundamentals. Picture this: instead of keeping your data or operating your software on your computer or an office server, you’re doing it through the internet. This is what cloud computing is all about! It enhances the accessibility of your data and offers greater flexibility for you.
2. Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud
Public Cloud: Think of this as renting an apartment in a big building. You’re using shared resources (like AWS or Google Cloud), but you’ve got your own secure space.
Private Cloud: This is like having your mansion. All resources are exclusively for your business. Fancy, right?
Hybrid Cloud: Got a foot in both of the above worlds? That’s hybrid. It’s a mix of private and public cloud solutions tailored to your needs.
3. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS (Not just random letters, I promise!)
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): It’s like renting the foundation of a house, then building on it. You’re renting the basic infrastructure and deciding what to do with it.
PaaS (Platform as a Service): Here, you’re renting both the foundation and the house, but you decide on the interior design. It’s a platform where you can develop and run your apps.
SaaS (Software as a Service): This is like Airbnb. You’re renting a fully furnished house (software) for a specific period: think Google Docs or Dropbox.
4. Virtualization
Imagine turning one physical thing into many virtual versions of itself. It’s like having one big cake (a server) and slicing it up so many people can enjoy it (as virtual servers).
5. Edge Computing
This is all about processing data closer to where it’s generated (like on your smartphone) rather than in a centralized data center. This would be like making decisions on the spot instead of waiting to get back to the office.
6. Multi-Tenancy
This occurs when one version of a software application is used to serve several customers. Imagine it like a single ice cream dispenser offering a variety of flavors. Each person gets to choose their preferred taste, yet it all originates from the same dispenser.
7. API (Application Programming Interface)
Think of APIs as waiters in a restaurant. You ask for something (data), and the waiter (API) goes to the kitchen (the system) to get it for you.
Wrapping Up…
There you have it—a quick and painless rundown of some cloud computing jargon. Next time someone throws a cloud term your way, you’ll be ready to volley it right back.
If you still need some help understanding the cloud, reach out today!
As a busy business owner, you’ve got plenty on your plate. Keeping your business efficient and on-target is crucial, but let’s face it: you don’t have time to dive deep into the technical details of every new software tool that comes along.
At Data Magic, we get it: you need your business’s IT operations to stay modern and competitive, but you have other things to spend your time on.
That’s why we’ve created a few non-technical guides to key tools or initiatives: our goal is to give you a quick read in plain language so you can make the right decision.
Today we’re covering Microsoft Intune: what it is, and what it can do for you.
What Is Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management solution. But that’s not a very helpful term for nontechnical users, so let’s break it down.
“Cloud-based” means it runs in the cloud, rather than on your servers.
“Endpoint management” is the process of setting up user access, determining who can do what with their company devices, and keeping user devices up to date without having to manually install every single Windows update.
Essentially, Microsoft Intune is a solution that helps your business control two things:
User access: who can see, download, and edit which files, documents, and so forth
The devices those users use: what software is preloaded, what can they install on their own, security updates, and so forth
It’s a part of the Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) suite that you’re likely already paying for, and it’s an incredibly powerful tool. That said, it’s not as end-user- or beginner-friendly as Word or PowerPoint or Outlook.
Setting up and using Intune can seem like a lot. But the benefits are worth the investment. And if you need a partner to help you move forward, we should chat!
Top Benefits of Microsoft Intune for Your Business
Here are the top benefits of Microsoft Intune for your business — explained in terms that don’t require a computer science degree.
1. Simplifies the process of equipping employees with new computers
When you hire a new employee or give a current one a newer computer, someone has to set it up. Someone has to connect the cables and plug the thing in, but you also have to worry about software.
Most businesses have moved past manually installing Office, Slack, Salesforce, and whatever other desktop apps a user may need. It’s time-consuming to do this and imagine if you hired 10 new employees (or 100!). Manual installs aren’t scalable.
So instead, businesses use one of several methods to automate parts of this process.
This may be called imaging or provisioning a device. It can happen on-site, where a tech essentially copies an existing device setup (an image) onto the new device’s hard drive.
But it can also happen via the cloud, thanks to Microsoft Intune.
In our remote-focused world, this is a big deal. With Intune, you can ship a computer to a new employee. All they need is a login, and Intune pushes all the software and settings they’ll need onto their device — automatically.
2. Automate your IT policies and security settings
Even after every employee has a functioning PC with the right software installed, there’s no accounting for the sorts of things those employees will try to do with their machines. Just like Intune can push the right software and software updates to a device automatically, it can also impose the IT policies and cybersecurity “guardrails” that your business sets up. (Your IT partner can help with figuring out what these should be.)
This way you’re not constantly putting out fires, telling people to stop doing x or y and trusting they’ll do it, or just hoping for the best that the policies you initially set up won’t get changed or go out of date.
With Microsoft Intune, all of this can be managed remotely. Need to change a security setting due to a new threat? Change it in Intune, and the change gets pushed to every user’s PC.
3. Integrates with the rest of Microsoft 365 (and other Microsoft services)
More than likely if you’re looking into Intune you’re already using other Microsoft products: your workforce is using PCs running Windows, and you’re probably already paying for them to have access to Microsoft 365 (the productivity suite containing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, Outlook, and something like 50 additional tools).
If that’s true, then it means Intune could be effectively free for you depending on the subscription you have. But even more importantly, it means that Intune integrates closely with all those other Microsoft products and services you’re using. (Integrations aren’t rare and aren’t exclusive, but when you stick with products made by the same company you tend to get better, more robust integrations.)
When used to the fullest, these integrations give you a comprehensive approach to security, analytics, deployment, and endpoint management. For many businesses, doing it this way is far less hassle than using dedicated solutions from various providers for each of these functions.
4. Works with mobile threat defense services
Endpoint management deals with the devices your company owns. But what do you do about employees who want (or even need) to access company resources from their phones or laptops?
Most companies offer a correlating service for mobile threat defense, and Microsoft is no exception. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the first-party option, and there are plenty of others out there.
With these services, you’ll be able to control what mobile devices can access and keep your company’s IT resources safer. And if you choose Defender for Endpoint along with Intune, you’ll get a harmonized, integrated experience.
5. Enables access control and conditional access
This one can get technical in a hurry, but we’ll keep it straightforward: not everyone in your business should have access to everything in your IT environment. Deciding and enforcing who can see/edit/download/delete what is called “access control”.
Conditional access works alongside, setting other sorts of limits to access. You might block all access from certain regions (where you have no employees) to keep out cybercriminals who snagged a stolen login. You might block access at certain hours, too: if no one would ever need to access files at 2 am and someone is doing so, that someone is very likely up to no good.
Intune makes both access control and conditional access simple enough for businesses of just about any size to implement.
These are just five of the many benefits your business could experience by leveraging Microsoft Intune. Got questions? Not sure about an internal deployment? Data Magic has your back. Give us a call or send us a message today!
With the rapid growth of digital transformation, businesses are faced with a crucial decision: to maintain their IT infrastructure on-premises or move to the cloud. Each option has its advantages and challenges, and the best choice often depends on a company’s specific needs, budget, and long-term goals. Here’s an objective look at the differences:
Capital Expenditure (CapEx): Requires a large initial investment in hardware, software licenses, and infrastructure.
Ongoing Costs: Maintenance, upgrades, energy bills, and potential need for dedicated IT staff.
Predictability: Fixed costs can be more predictable but can also lead to overprovisioning.
The Cloud:
Operational Expenditure (OpEx): Pay-as-you-go model based on actual usage.
Scalability: Can scale up or down based on needs, often leading to cost savings.
No Hardware Costs: No need to purchase or maintain physical servers.
2. Scalability and Flexibility
On-Premises:
Limited Scalability: Requires manual effort and investment to scale.
Infrastructure Limitations: Dependent on physical space and hardware availability.
The Cloud:
Instant Scalability: Resources can be added or reduced instantly.
Global Reach: Can deploy services in multiple regions worldwide.
3. Security and Compliance
On-Premises:
Physical Security: Businesses have full control over physical access to servers.
Customization: Can tailor security protocols to specific needs.
The Cloud:
Advanced Security Features: Providers invest in top-tier security measures, including encryption, firewalls, and multi-factor authentication.
Compliance: Many providers offer compliance certifications for various regulations.
4. Maintenance and Updates
On-Premises:
Manual Updates: Requires IT staff to manually update and patch software.
Downtime Risks: Potential for longer downtimes during updates.
The Cloud:
Automatic Updates: Providers handle software updates, often with minimal disruption.
Continuous Monitoring: Continuous monitoring for potential issues and threats.
5. Accessibility and Collaboration
On-Premises:
Network Limitations: Access is typically limited to the company’s internal network.
VPN Dependency: Remote access often requires VPNs, which can be slower.
The Cloud:
Anywhere Access: Can access resources from any location with an internet connection.
Collaboration Tools: Many cloud platforms offer tools for real-time collaboration.
Conclusion:
Both on-premises and cloud computing offer distinct advantages. Make sure to evaluate your specific needs, growth projections, and budget constraints to make an informed decision!
Healthcare organizations are, like many others, in the middle of digital transformation. A new generation of tools and tech promises all sorts of real benefits, from increased efficiency to fewer errors to better data-driven decision-making, all while ensuring they remain HIPAA compliant.
But getting from wherever you are right now in terms of your organization’s relationship with technology to wherever it is you want to go? It’s a complicated process, and there are plenty of places where organizations can get off track. There’s a vast potential for missteps. At this juncture, it’s worth asking: “Is SharePoint HIPAA compliant?”
In some cases, this just means not getting as much efficiency or ROI as possible from a digital transition. That’s highly unfortunate but isn’t necessarily an existential threat. In other cases, though, there’s much more at stake. Transitioning to the wrong system or tool — or using a good tool in the wrong way — can lead to regulatory violations, including HIPAA violations. And that’s something no medical organization wants to face.
Microsoft 365 and SharePoint in the Healthcare Setting
Within this context of digital innovation and regulatory concerns, many healthcare organizations have questions about specific tools and platforms. Microsoft 365 is a wide-ranging suite of tools that offers plenty to healthcare organizations, and many are already using it or are transitioning to it soon.
One pressing question is whether the cloud-based productivity suite is truly HIPAA compliant. Many organizations are asking, is SharePoint HIPAA compliant? What about the broader Microsoft 365 package?
Organizations may already be using these tools for general operations, but is it possible to move electronic health records and other material with personally identifying information (PII) to SharePoint or edit those documents in Microsoft 365?
The answer is, unfortunately, a little complicated. Microsoft isn’t totally clear on whether these products are compliant, and of course, they can’t account for user behavior in every instance, either.
So, while it is possible to use Microsoft 365 and SharePoint in HIPAA-compliant ways, it isn’t automatic. Healthcare organizations need technical safeguards in place. That’s something we can take care of for you — but more on that later.
Let’s start with some FAQs you need to know before you make this transition.
Is Microsoft 365 HIPAA compliant?
This is an important question, but it might not be the right question to ask. It’s a little bit like looking at a car and asking whether the car is “speed limit compliant” — unless you’re actually asking whether a car has been somehow programmed to never be capable of exceeding the speed limit, then there’s no such thing as a “speed limit compliant” car. Whether the car operates at the speed limit is entirely up to the driver.
Now, that’s not to say you shouldn’t ever ask questions about the quality of a car — or the quality of a software platform. A shoddily made car might have an accelerator that sticks, creating significant and unnecessary risk. And shoddily made software or digital services could do the same thing with sensitive medical data.
Microsoft 365 is well-made software, to be sure. But it’s nearly as unrealistic to expect Microsoft to be able to stop any and all instances of data misuse as it would be to expect car manufacturers to “lock” cars to the speed limit. The same rules and filters that might prevent a HIPAA violation in a healthcare setting would interfere with normal, ethical use cases in other industries.
Given all this, it’s no surprise that Microsoft isn’t totally clear on whether its products are HIPAA compliant. Can they be used in HIPAA-compliant ways? Yes. But can Microsoft guarantee they as HIPAA compliant? Not without outside help.
Is SharePoint HIPAA compliant?
This is another common question, but again it’s a little like asking “Does this car drive the speed limit?”: it’s not exactly the right question, and it’s more about how you use it.
Some organizations want to use SharePoint exclusively for sharing EHR and other files and documents that may contain personally identifying information (PII). So we understand why this leads to the question about whether SharePoint is HIPAA compliant.
The answer is that it certainly can be used in HIPAA-compliant ways. But no, the system isn’t designed to somehow prevent users from violating HIPAA — just like your car isn’t designed to prevent you from speeding.
With both products, organizations need specific technical safeguards in place if they want to remain HIPAA compliant. But to get into those safeguards, we need to look closer at aspects of HIPAA itself and compliance with it.
What are the core compliance areas to be HIPAA compliant?
HIPAA compliance breaks down into three core compliance areas:
Technical compliance
Administrative compliance
Physical compliance
Technical compliance deals with the technological systems that interface with patient data that qualify as PII. Access control, data integrity, authentication of users, and secure transmission of files all fall under this category.
Administrative compliance refers to the policies and procedures that organizations put in place to protect data and data access. Hospital policies about what can and can’t be shared verbally in public areas, rules about passwords and authentication, and any other administrative decisions touching on privacy fall into this category.
Physical compliance deals with the real world: are physical records kept in a location not accessible to the general public? Are on-premises servers and endpoints secure, either by physical barriers (such as a locked server room) or by high-quality access control (badges, passwords, biometrics, etc. for computer access)?
As we look at the question of using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint in a medical setting, all three compliance areas matter. The technical underpinnings of Microsoft 365 come into play, as do the administrative policies an organization sets up around the use of SharePoint. Physical compliance matters as well, though this has less to do with which software or platforms you’re using and more to do with how you physically set up your equipment.
What are the technical safeguards of HIPAA?
HIPAA rules require that organizations maintain “reasonable and appropriate” safeguards in all three of the major compliance areas. Generally, safeguards are reasonable and appropriate if they protect EHR from “reasonably anticipated” threats or disclosures, but HIPAA does not specify or define what these safeguards must look like.
On the technical side, HIPAA describes three types of technical safeguards:
Access control
Safeguards on data in motion
Safeguards on data at rest
Access control
Access control is straightforward enough in concept: only those who have been granted access should be able to access data. So a completely open cloud workspace (like a simple Google Workspace) clearly fails this, while a legacy rights-managed folder-based network generally has the appropriate technical safeguards.
Microsoft 365 and SharePoint can certainly be set up as environments using appropriate access control. So on this point, the products are reasonably HIPAA-compliant.
Data in Motion
Data in motion (and data in use) can be harder to protect (or at least to prove protection). These terms describe when data is in transit between systems or is actively being used by a system (or human operator).
Typical safeguards on data in motion include data encryption, access control (on systems and on specific data), and using metadata or anonymized data for research and analytics rather than raw data.
Data at rest
Data at rest is data that’s sitting on a server somewhere — either your on-premises server or a cloud server belonging to a provider like Microsoft. This data isn’t being used, but your organization needs to maintain it in case it’s needed later on.
Data at rest safeguards include encryption and access control once again. Physical access control usually comes into play here as well: an unguarded server in an unlocked room may be a HIPAA violation if it gets breached. The argument could be made that the organization didn’t implement “reasonable and appropriate” safeguards — in this case, locks and access control.
How does an IT provider assist in technical HIPAA compliance?
By now it’s likely clear that using Microsoft 365 or SharePoint while staying compliant requires some technical considerations. That’s where an IT provider comes into play.
We assist healthcare clients with designing and implementing the technical safeguards required and recommended by HIPAA regulations. We design environments where healthcare professionals and support staff can simply do what they need to do, not spend their time worrying about all facets of their technology being compliant.
A quality IT provider assists in this way by providing the cybersecurity layers, risk assessments, and ongoing auditing to make sure clients are covered and remain HIPAA compliant.
Is a BAA needed with Microsoft?
HIPAA regulations stipulate that healthcare organizations must enter into a business associate agreement (BAA) with any business associate that has access to protected health information (PHI). Microsoft states that it “will enter into BAAs with its covered entity and business associate customers,” but the company is quick to point out that the BAA alone does not ensure compliance with HIPAA or HITECH.
Microsoft goes on to state explicitly that your company’s compliance program and internal processes are the keys to HIPAA compliance and that “your particular use of Microsoft services aligns with your obligations under HIPAA.”
BAA isn’t automatic, either. If you need a BAA with Microsoft, you’ll need to reach out directly (or through your IT provider).
Microsoft 365 and SharePoint HIPAA Compliance Is Complex. We Can Help.
By now we hope we’ve shown you that, while it’s possible to use Microsoft 365 and SharePoint in HIPAA-compliant ways, the burden lies on your organization to ensure that you’re in compliance while using the products. And that can get complex in a hurry.
We are an IT and cybersecurity organization that specializes in creating the technical safeguards and policies needed to achieve HIPAA compliance — with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and a wide range of other apps and services.
If you’re ready to step into a cloud-forward future — without worrying about compliance — reach out today. We can help you move from where you are to where you want to be.
Remembering passwords is difficult. Breaking passwords (with the right tech tools) is easier than we’d like to think. And reusing passwords is incredibly risky.
Enter the password manager.
Password managers generally work like this: you input all your username and password combinations to the password manager (usually over time as you naturally use them), and the service stores them in a secure, encrypted vault. The companies offering the service don’t have access to your actual passwords thanks to the magic of encryption: only you do.
Your password manager can help you convert all your old, simple, or reused passwords to unique, randomly generated ones, which increases the security of each of these accounts. These new, difficult passwords are then stored in the vault.
Then, to secure that vault, you create a single, complex master password to secure your vault. That’s the only one you have to memorize now. You may also set up additional methods or protocols, such as two-factor authentication, to keep that vault extra secure.
Next, when you need to log into a website or app, your password manager steps in. You confirm that you’re you to the password manager, and it supplies the right credentials and logs you in.
Password Manager Benefits
The benefits here are numerous:
You don’t have to remember 137 unique passwords
You have no incentive to reuse passwords
Every account gets a unique, complex password
The process of logging in gets simpler (no guesswork or password resets)
Your business and personal accounts become exponentially more secure
So, what are the next steps?
The truth is, implementing a password manager for your own personal use is very straightforward. Implementing one across your entire business is a little more involved and may require IT support.
If the prospects of making this move seem like more than you can take on, we’re happy to help. We can advise you on the right solution for your needs and assist you with the setup and implementation of that solution.
Ready to get started? Reach out to our team today, (click here)!
Most organizations make Cybersecurity Solutions for Small Businesses overly complicated because “you should do it either way.” This is not a valid argument. Business owners have tons of “have to” being thrown at them every day. It’s extremely difficult to cut through the fluff and identify what is critical and what is just nice to have.
We take the approach of educating the community on cybersecurity solutions for small businesses to help them make informed decisions for their business.
This breaks down exactly what kind of threats a business faces and which of the many cybersecurity layers address each one.
So, once you know which layers are recommended and WHY, it’s important to realize the three primary factors an IT company should be evaluating when choosing the right fit for each of these layers. This information is important to review so you can identify why prices may be higher/lower, why your employees are impacted or not impacted, and whether these layers are actually effective or not.
We will be examining three key aspects of Cybersecurity Solutions for Small Businesses: their effectiveness, impact on the user, and cost considerations.
Effectiveness
This is without a doubt the most important aspect to consider. Is the layer effective at doing what it says it’s going to do? For instance, is the spam filtering service catching spam? If so, at what rate?
Here is a good example of this: Microsoft 365 has built-in spam filtering, so why would a business invest in additional spam filtering?
The answer is effectiveness.
The built-in spam filtering does stop some spam, but not at a rate that your IT provider is comfortable with. That is why they recommend an additional layer of protection. It’s not to sell another service, it’s because it is their job to protect your business.
We go through a standard checklist and review process for every recommended layer to ensure the layers are effective in the current environment. I say the current environment because cybersecurity changes very quickly. So, we must continuously repeat this process to ensure our recommendations are the latest and greatest!
User Productivity
This one does not get talked about enough but is oftentimes the main pain an organization feels. What is the point in being hyper-secure if it causes many roadblocks that slow your users down and ultimately cost more money than not having the layers in place at all?
A good IT provider must evaluate the user impact. However, this is often not the case. Again, they may default to “but this is the only way to be completely safe!” but that’s just not the case. Our clients are not impacted by constant roadblocks but are just as secure as businesses that may have a less thoughtful MSP.
In some cases, there is no getting around this thought.
For instance, multi-factor authentication is a layer that requires a second form of authentication or “login” to gain access to an account. This can be cumbersome for the end user, but it truly is an important layer.
So, we identify how to make this easier. A couple of quick ways we can make this easier for our clients:
Authenticator app – this will send a quick push notification to your mobile phone. All you must do is click “Yes” rather than remembering and typing in a code
Safe devices – We set devices you log in from often as safety devices. This will limit how often you are asked for a second form of authentication.
User impact is huge and if you are feeling the pain of an IT provider that has not considered this, please reach out today so we can get you working securely AND fast.
Price
Another topic that many IT providers will shy away from is price. We serve small and medium-sized business spaces. Ensuring that our clients can afford our recommendations is critical, because affordable and implemented is better than expensive and avoided.
When evaluating the best cybersecurity solutions package for our clients, we must ensure the price is one of the factors to ensure we can roll it out to all our clients to protect them. It’s not reasonable to assume our clients can pay for the same service as a publicly traded company for instance.
However, that does not mean they are less secure! Oftentimes big price tags are associated with additional reporting, the ability to customize at great lengths, and a number of users. Since we can purchase with economies of scale, we can provide enterprise-level security at a reduced rate.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read this. You obviously take cybersecurity solutions for small businesses very seriously if you are willing to get educated on how it can protect your business. If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to reach out to our team.
We would be happy to provide a free evaluation of cybersecurity at your business and review these 3 important factors to ensure you are in the best possible situation.
We’ve all been there: one minute everything at work is running just fine, and the next minute you can’t get websites to load, or your file upload or download speeds slow to a crawl.
When this happens at home after work, it’s an inconvenience — and most of the time rebooting your router, modem, or gateway solves the problem. But at work? Internet speed issues or network bottlenecks can seriously interfere with your employee’s productivity and profitability of the company.
Today we’re going to share 7 common causes for network bottlenecks — and we’ll do our best to use plain, nontechnical language as we go. But first, let’s start by explaining what’s going on when network speeds plummet.
A network bottleneck is any situation where the flow of data gets constricted, limited, or slowed. It’s a blanket term, in a way, covering all the various reasons why you’re not getting what you need out of your internet connection.
Think about your home internet for a minute. Sometimes when you have issues, you call or chat with your service provider, and they tell you that the problem is at its end and they’re working on it. That’s a network bottleneck: something somewhere at your ISP is limiting data flow (imagine data as water running through pipes, and that water just hit a partial blockage).
Sometimes the problem is at your house: if you’re on the budget plan but 3 TVs and 5 mobile devices are all trying to stream Netflix, you’re going to use up your bandwidth (the incoming water pipe is at full blast, and you’re still not getting enough water). Or you might have a rogue device gobbling up most of your bandwidth for no good reason, giving you the same result.
All of these concepts are network bottlenecks. But if you want to fix or avoid the symptom, you have to know the cause first. So, with that in mind, let’s look at 7 common network bottleneck scenarios in the work environment.
1. Firewall Size
A firewall blocks traffic coming in and out of your network, giving your IT department control over what’s allowed in and out. They can get awfully technical from there, but this definition will work for our purposes.
Firewalls come in different (metaphorical) sizes, which can be measured in total number of users or total amount of throughput. Kind of like our Netflix-at-home example, if you try to push more data through your firewall than it can handle, you’ll hit a network bottleneck.
Maybe you have plenty of bandwidth (speed) from your internet service provider — it doesn’t matter if your firewall can’t match that speed.
2. Problems with Network Switches
If your building and your IT infrastructure are more than a few years old, you might need to check on several things. The network switches installed throughout might be older 10/100 switches, which max out at 100mbps. Your actual network connection might be way, way faster—but it gets bottlenecked at these switches.
As infrastructure ages, the ports on your switches (including the ethernet ports your computers plug into in the wall) can go bad, degrading performance.
3. Insufficient or Outdated Modem
The modem you’re using (at home or in the office) could be another chokepoint: it doesn’t matter how lightning-fast a connection you’re paying for, you won’t see anything move faster than what your modem is rated for.
The good news is that this is a relatively easy fix. It’s not difficult to find out what bandwidth your modem can handle (or what bandwidth you’re paying for). If the first is lower than the second, it’s time to upgrade.
4. Bad or Insufficient Cabling
Along the same lines, your network cabling — the wires running inside wall conduits at your office or connecting your modem and router at home — is also rated for a specific max speed. Older buildings may be equipped with outdated Cat5 cabling (or slightly newer Cat5e). If your internet speeds are gigabit or higher, you really want to look into cat6 or even cat6a cabling.
These all look virtually identical, so you may need technical assistance in identifying what you’re currently using.
5. Low-Speed VoIP Phone Pass-through Ports
Sorry if we’re sounding like a broken record, but the network ports on your VoIP phones can also be the source of a network bottleneck.
If your office has switched to VoIP phones (and it probably has), you likely have a physical handset at your desk that sits between your network cable and your computer. The network connection “passes through” the VoIP phone.
Ordinarily, there are no issues. However, some of those ultra-cheap VoIP phones are actually quite a problem. You might need to investigate the speed that those pass-through ports are rated for: if it’s lower than your connection speed, you’ve likely identified your network bottleneck.
6. LAN Overload
This one isn’t relevant at home or in a small office, but if you’re at a larger office, be aware that it’s possible to overload your local area network (LAN) with too many physical devices. Once you reach a certain number of IP devices, you’ll get better results by segmenting them out to separate LANs.
To use the water pipe analogy, not every house in a city can possibly connect to a single massive trunk line. A street or a neighborhood might all be connected on a line that then connects to a main line, and so on. Segmenting groups of houses or businesses adds resiliency and balances the system.
In a large office, think of all those connected devices as houses, businesses, and neighborhoods.
7. Old Access Points
Far and away the most likely network bottleneck is Wi-Fi. It is inherently not as fast, consistent, or stable as wired internet. Even worse, old Wi-Fi access points were never built to handle modern internet speeds, so they cap users far below their actual bandwidth.
Older devices can even slow down networks when they connect to Wi-Fi. A smart Wi-Fi system like Unifi helps to mitigate this problem.
We Are Here to Help
We hope this guide has helped you to isolate the cause of your network bottlenecks. Still, even once you’ve found the problem, many of these are more technical to fix than you might be comfortable trying on your own— especially if they need to be fixed at the scale of an entire office.
If you could use help identifying the problem or implementing the solution, we’re experts that you can trust. Reach out to our team today to schedule a consultation!
We hope that your enterprise is already contemplating the implementation of password managers. However, the challenge remains in pinpointing the appropriate password manager that suits personal use, enhances business security, or perhaps satisfies both requirements.
We’ll provide our honest feedback on four leading solutions below, but first we need to talk about why “ecosystem exclusives” may not be sufficient, especially on the business level.
If you’re an Apple user or a heavy Google Chrome user, you might have already stumbled across what we call ecosystem-exclusive password managers. Both Chrome and Safari (Apple’s web browser on mobile and desktop) can notify you if one of your passwords has been exposed in a data breach (remember our earlier point about not reusing passwords? This is why!).
These browsers may prompt you to change your password, or even offer to generate a unique, complex, hard-to-guess password for you.
These work quite well in the right circumstances — but there are some significant limits you should know about. These new passwords get stored either in your Chrome/Google profile or in your Apple Keychain, and they can auto-fill for you later, if you’re on a device with access to your Apple Keychain (for Safari/Apple) or a device and app that can access your Google account (for Chrome).
The problem with this? Most of us don’t live exclusively in Chrome or Apple products.
If your work PC needs that very complicated password your iPhone generated for you, even finding it will be a challenge, and manually retyping it correctly is downright obnoxious.
And as far as Chrome, its password manager is no help when logging into anything that isn’t running in a Chrome tab.
For more robust, ecosystem-agnostic solutions, any of the following choices should perform well for most businesses.
LastPass
One of the biggest names in password managers, LastPass grew in popularity as a freemium consumer product, but its business offerings are impressive. Its business product gives each user their own password vault and gives your organization robust admin oversight, including over 100 policy customization options.
Users can safely share their credentials with others, such as providing a vendor temporary access to an app or location.
LastPass also supports multiple modern authentication technologies, including passwordless (with the LastPass Authenticator), multifactor authentication (MFA), and single sign on (SSO).
One downside: business pricing is opaque and quote-based — but we can help you with this!
DashLane
Dashlane offers password management for home, mobile, and business that’s CCPA compliant, GDPR compliant, and AICPA SOC 2 compliant. It’s a bit more streamlined than some others, yet it still provides plenty of power, security, and control.
DashLane’s Team plan starts at $5 per user per month and provides simple, secure password management, group sharing, policy management, and an admin dashboard. The Team plan also integrates with Active Directory and supports two-factor authentication (2FA)
Businesses that need access to SSO or SCIM provisioning should choose the Business plan, which starts at $8 per user per month. Notably, the Business plan offers every paid user a free family plan — an attractive perk to offer your team.
Keeper
Designed with the needs of small to mid-sized businesses in mind, Keeper is simple and straightforward to implement. It uses a zero-trust and zero-knowledge security architecture, which is the most secure method available. It’s also extremely affordable at $3.75 per user per month. And even at that low price, Keeper Business matches DashLane’s offer of a free Family Plan for every paid user.
The Keeper Business plan isn’t as robust as LastPass or DashLane and does omit certain technologies, including SSO, advanced provisioning, and compliance reporting. If you need those and like the Keeper model, the company does offer an enterprise plan with those features.
1Password
1Password offers a powerful business-oriented product that promises to “secure employees at scale.” That tagline alone tells you that 1Password is angling for the enterprise crowd. Integrations with Azure Active Directory, Google Workspace, Okta, OneLogin, and Slack suggest the same — though no matter your business size, you may benefit from a few of those integrations.
1Password rolls together most of the offerings of other password managers: secure password storage, encrypted password sharing, free family accounts, and ability to access passwords virtually anywhere on any device.
Unique features here are the ability to access from the command line (nerds rejoice!) and the ability to store more than just passwords: secure notes, SSH keys, and sensitive documents can all reside within users’ 1Password vaults.
Pricing starts at $7.99 per user per month, but every contract is a custom quote. Translation: your real costs will likely be higher.
At publishing time, 1Password’s SSO support was only in beta, which is a bit surprising for a company targeting large businesses. They’re likely to catch up soon, but if SSO is essential for you, they might not be the strongest choice at this time.
Password managers are worth the investment. If you need more guidance on finding the right fit, don’t hesitate to reach out!
When was the last time you looked at the internet connectivity options for your business or fully understand the different types of internet connections?
If it’s been a little while, now is a great time to take another look.
Fiber internet offers a host of business benefits like greater speed, higher reliability, and lower costs. It’s been around for a few years, but the rollout has been slow. It might not have been available at your physical address the last time you looked.
If you’re still operating on a cable internet connection (or if you aren’t quite sure what kind of business internet connection you’re running), it’s worth taking a look.
Here’s why cable isn’t stable — at least when compared to newer, better fiber optic internet connections for business.
It’s important to understand that there’s no one thing meant by the term “business internet.” That term is little more than a marketing device that differentiates between residential and (higher-priced) business accounts — even when a company is offering the same essential quality of service for both!
Not every business internet connection is equally effective. So, it’s important to look a little deeper than the business label and understand the type of connection an internet service provider (ISP) is selling.
Understanding the Types of Internet Connections
Before we go into detail about fiber internet, we need to define some terms. There are a wide range of service types available depending on the ISPs that serve your location (along with the size and budget of your organization). The relevant ones can be organized by the types of internet connections.
Copper and Coaxial Wire Connections
The first generation of high-speed business internet came over copper wire. This is the same exact copper wire that phone signals have transmitted across for decades. DSL and T1 connections fall within the copper wire category.
Coaxial wire connections are nearly as old, transmitting over the same coaxial connection that cable TV signals have transmitted across since the 1980s.
T1 connections are higher cost, higher speed, and higher reliability. Of the three main copper connections, this one is the best choice — but the costs may be prohibitive, and not every ISP will run T1 service to every location.
DSL and cable internet are both extremely common in residential settings, and the business versions aren’t all that different. They may promise higher maximum speeds, but they face a slew of drawbacks that we’ll cover later.
Wireless Connections
Not to be confused with your in-office Wi-Fi connection, wireless connections refer to a few methods for getting internet to your office building sans wires. Satellite, private cellular networks, and wide-area LAN are a few examples.
These connections essentially serve customers who can’t get wired internet, usually because they operate in a rural location. They’re better than nothing, but you don’t want to choose them if you have another option.
Fiber Connections
The next generation of wired internet access is delivered over fiber optic cables (fiber for short). This light-based transmission protocol offers much higher speeds, greater reliability, and lower long-term costs than legacy formats.
The downside of fiber — at least for now — is that it doesn’t piggyback off a legacy wire, so it requires more granular infrastructure rollout than cable or DSL. But once that infrastructure reaches you, you’ll want to make the switch.
Make sure you understand the types of internet connections while also making sure it will match your business goals: 9 times out of 10 coaxial cables isn’t enough. Reach out to schedule a FREE fiber consultation and plan the next steps for your internet.
