Sales: 678.967.3854
Support: 866.252.6363
About 18 months ago, our DynaSis team put together an extensive system review/planning program for our clients that we call our Strategic Technology Plan, or STP for short. We have always performed, and still do, complementary IT assessments for potential clients, but while these are extremely effective in determining weaknesses in a company’s IT network, the STP goes much deeper in highlighting very specific items that need to be addressed, and ranks them in order of priority: high, medium and low.
Over the next couple of months, we will be releasing a series of articles designed for the layman that are intended to provide a great deal of necessary education about today’s information technology, and we will do it in language the average C-Level business executive can understand.
Those of us involved in providing technology solutions to the business world are very often guilty of seeming to intentionally make everything related to technology very confusing. Some people in the technology world believe that this level of confusion helps their own business interests, assuming that if the prospect can’t understand it, he will feel more pressure to hire someone who does.
We don’t believe this. We do agree that technology today is extremely complex, but we feel that if we explain it in terms everyone can understand, the typical business-person will be more inclined – not less – to take appropriate actions to protect their businesses. We don’t expect the typical layman to intuitively know what a DRAC/iLO card is for, or why they should be using “virtual machines” or what a “RAID configuration” is all about. Similarly, if you had never seen a baseball game, would you understand the terms “slider”, or “squeeze play”, or “balk”, or “fielder’s choice?” So why would you understand technology terms when hearing them for the first time?
The topics we will be covering include:
Our goal is to make our clients and other readers aware of how and why we believe frequent checking and possible upgrading are necessary, and what the potential downsides can be for failing to do so. We are also going to break everything down into language that is understandable to most. One caveat: there can be many, many variations within each category and sub-category we are going to discuss, so to keep the information manageable, there will be times that we give you only the basics.
First, let’s understand what a server is. Many people think of a server as a large computer, but don’t really understand what it accomplishes. A “server” in fact, is not a computer, but rather a program that resides in a computer, and, yes, the computer hosting the server program is generally larger and more reliable than the typical desktop or laptop computer. A single computer of the right size can host multiple server programs. The server “serves” multiple “clients”, a client being the actual desktop or laptop computer. The server serves its clients by providing functionality, such as sharing data and performing calculations. The advantage is that all the files that would be used by the client are more safely stored in the server computer, plus the sharing of data, including the results of calculations, means that many people can benefit from colleagues’ work.
Here are the things we check on relative to servers during the STP:
Are the servers properly spec’d for the applications they host? We observe the utilization of the servers’ resources as it affects the applications and estimate anything that may need to be resized. Key factors are the processor, RAM and disc utilization. We do this because if the servers do not have sufficient resources for the applications, or for the number of users, it can adversely affect performance.
Is the warranty current and is the SLA acceptable? The SLA – Service Level Agreement – states the obligations of the manufacturer for replacement or repair in terms of guaranteed time for repair or placements, and for parts that may be necessary. We consider next business day the minimum acceptable for critical parts. We consider this to be of high priority.
Do all servers have redundant power supplies and are they plugged in? (We do find unplugged devices. Don’t confuse this with the UPS, or uninterruptable power supply – next topic.) The redundant power supply is internal, in other words, two power packs within the unit in case one fails.
UPS – Uninterruptable Power Supply. This is the box into which the computer is plugged and that then gets plugged into the wall. This is the device that provides temporary power when electrical power to the building goes out. Also to be noted is that the batteries in these units have a defined life span and need to be replaced periodically. This is a high priority item.
DRAC/iLO card installation and configuration. This may be a term with which you are unfamiliar, but this card provides your IT service the ability to log in and reboot a frozen server, which can result in faster problem resolution, the avoiding of dispatching a technician, and significantly reduced downtime.
Are the partitions set up in proper sizes for the operating system? This is important for maximum operating efficiency.
Is the version of the operating system that is installed on the server current? It is not necessary that the OS be the most current, but it is important that the version is still supported by the manufacturer in case support is required. We consider this high priority.
Are operating system licenses current? Microsoft does perform audits and can charge penalties for non-compliance, as do a number of other companies. Additionally, as a business executive yourself, you are aware that companies that develop the software upon which you depend have invested a great deal on time, effort and capital in the development of this software and are entitled to continuing revenue from its use.
Does each administrator have his/her personal login? We sometimes find that administrators share a default admin account. When this happens, it often becomes impossible to determine who is responsible for certain changes or for permissions that have been granted. As a security matter, we consider this to be high priority.
Is the company using security screen locks? The screens on all computers should lock if the device has not been used for a certain period of time so as to prevent unauthorized use. Computers left unprotected can be used after hours, before work, or during breaks when no one is around.
Is proper up-to-date web security in place? This includes Internet Explorer Enhanced Security, OpenDNS, as well as a company policy to not permit browsing from servers. Servers should never be used to access the Internet except for specific purposes such as software updates.
Are the company’s servers managed and monitored for patching? Servers that are managed have been shown to have better uptime and be less likely to be infected with malware.
Have the servers been patched with the latest patches? Patches fix vulnerabilities that enable cyber criminals access to your computers. The patches also solve problems with the software’s functionality, or add new functionalities. We are sometimes asked why software is released before it is “perfect”. Simply put, modern software is incredibly complex. It is estimated that Microsoft Office is made up of 40+ million lines of code. Although most software is tested and retested before release, it is impossible to test every possible situation that may arise when 100s of millions of people end up using it, along with thousands of very smart cyber criminals. This is a high priority item.
Is patching managed centrally? This allows for much more consistent and rapid updating, and, thereby, not letting the systems fall behind.
Are all anti-virus software and definitions up-to-date? It is critical that the latest versions of anti-virus software be installed as the newest versions contain the latest and best defenses against all types of malware, including ransomware that has become so widespread.
In it, we will cover virtualization, plus we will take a look at Data Structure and Storage, again, in layman’s terms. We will also discuss how we examine individual desktop and laptop computers to make sure they are secure, providing top performance, and lasting as long as possible.
The intention of this series to educate you so you can fully participate in important technology decisions for your company. If there are specific topics you would like covered, or if you have any questions on topics covered in this piece, please contact us at Info@DynaSis.com.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Sound familiar? As an Atlanta IT support team, these days what we more commonly hear is, “If it’s working fine, why bother with patches (also known as updates)?” Computer hardware doesn’t seem to have a lot in common with the internal combustion engine and other working parts in your car. Changing your oil makes sense; replacing worn out tires makes sense; even vacuuming your car floor makes sense. But updating a software program or operating system that’s working just fine?
Yes, computers are very different from other chunks of machinery in our homes and offices, but think of this: the patches that your software vendors want you to install can be critical to the longevity of your software, the security of your data, and the productivity of your employees. Why, you may ask, are your operating systems not perfect when they leave the factory so that it is not necessary to constantly install these updates?
Consider this: The Windows 10 operating system consists of 50 million lines of code. How much is that? Well, if these lines of code were converted to a book, that book would have about two million pages. That would keep you occupied for quite some time. What happens is this: before a new version of an operating system is released, is it tested and retested extensively, but, simply put, until it is out there in the real world, it is just impossible to put it through every conceivable situation. 50 million lines of code and a single error in any one of them could lead to crashes and/or security vulnerabilities. Add to that (and this is a biggie) the fact that from the day the new operating system is released, cyber criminals are hard at work trying to figure out how to break in, so every time a new vulnerability is discovered, a new patch must be created and applied either by your in-house IT team or your IT support provider.
Network security is a big deal.
So is stability. Operating systems do not live in a world of their own. They share resources with many other programs and each has its own requirements and demands. Generally speaking, the needs of the operating system and each program are met with little difficulty…but not always. Sometimes programs conflict with each other. For the operating system to function properly, it must be able to deal with thousands upon thousands of different software programs (of course, not at the same time!) Sometimes the operating system and an application just don’t fit together just right and either the program won’t open, or data can’t be saved, or is lost, etc., etc., etc. This usually triggers an error message appearing on your screen.
Have you ever been asked if an incident that occurred on your computer can be reported to Microsoft? This is how Microsoft discovers these problems. When they learn of the problem, they create a patch to fix it.
Patches installed by your IT support team are also needed for the software that is running on the operating system. It’s hard to know exactly how many lines of code are in a program like Microsoft Word for two reasons: first, Microsoft doesn’t release this information. Second, there is a lot of code that is shared between applications. That said, it was estimated that the 2006 version of Word had 30,000,000 lines of code. Add in Excel, PowerPoint, and the other MS apps, and you can see how daunting keeping everything at 100% can be.
One more word – patches (updates) are different from upgrades, such as switching from Windows 8 to Windows 10, or from Office 2013 to Office 2016. Upgrades will include previous patches but will generally also give you more functionality.
At DynaSis, we have been providing IT support for small to mid-sized companies since 1992. Today, we monitor, manage and maintain computer networks 24 x 7 x 365 including the installation of critical patches. We also provide live help desk support around the clock and work closely with our clients’ in-house IT teams with co-managed support. Check us out at www.DynaSis.com or call us today at 678-373-0716.
Watch the video to learn more about our managed and co-managed IT Services.
You are Going to Be Hacked – It’s Not “If”, It’s “When”
Cloud computing in Atlanta and the rest of the world has spread extensively and now more than 90% of small to mid-sized businesses either are already using the cloud for some aspects of their business, or expect to be in the near future. Frankly, most of these businesses are realizing that it is difficult to remain competitive today without the cloud. The downside, however, is that while the good guys (“white hats”) continue to make positive advances for their client businesses, the bad guys (“black hats”) are rapidly progressing, as well.
But before you go off and determine that your company is more secure in the technological middle ages (2000 to 2010?) and give up entirely on cloud computing, consider two things. First, there were hacked security breaches of all types even before the cloud and statistically speaking, the ratio of before and since seems to be about even. So, the question doesn’t appear to be “to cloud or not to cloud”, but rather, how do we use the cloud as securely as possible? Second, you are probably using the cloud right now, way more than you realize.
Do you synch your photos from iPhone to your computer? Do you use Facebook or Uber? If you do any of these things, or thousands of others whether personally or for business, you are using the cloud. In fact, as early as the 1990s ADP’s payroll service was using the cloud on a large scale, and today, if your paycheck comes via ADP, PayChex, Intuit, or any of hundreds of smaller payroll/HR companies, you are using the cloud.
Cloud Computing Security
Cloud computing in Atlanta, or anywhere else, when done properly, utilizes a lot more than just “systems” to overcome being hacked. It uses real people, on duty and monitoring, managing and maintaining your system 24 x 7 x 365. Cyber criminals don’t take off overnight. In fact, many of them who want access to your data are halfway around the world, so your midnight is their noon. This real-time live monitoring, combined with an advanced crypto-containment system and other advanced algorithms and processes, can instantly pick-up on early warning signs of a potentially successful attack and shut it down while it is still an “issue” and not a serious problem. The software can detect when something out of the ordinary is happening…something that deviates from normal operating functions and patterns, it shuts down the infected files and alerts your IT security incident response team.
A Better Raincoat
Someone recently compared using older methodologies of data protection versus using the cloud to trying to protect yourself from the rain by wearing animal skins versus today’s raincoats made of 100% water repellent fabric. Both will keep you dry…for a while…but one will give you way better protection than the other.
Either way, you will be hacked. Count on it. The question is, how will your IT support team and your IT security network respond? We have seen networks “repel” literally tens of thousands of attack attempts, until one brand new piece of malware, that no one has seen before, breaks through. Is your system being monitored, managed and maintained in a way that will detect this intrusion and lock it out before any damage is done, or will it be allowed to run rampant through the night so that when your staff shows up one morning they find their files locked or, even worse, totally lost forever. It happens to someone every day.
For the past 25 years, we at DynaSis have been at the national forefront of Cyber Security…long before most people even heard of it. Our team of more than 55 IT professionals based in Atlanta have always focused on the IT support needs of small to mid-sized businesses. We still do. We also offer complimentary IT and Cyber Risk assessments. Give us a call today at 678-373-0716.
While faster problem resolution and better performance, along with reduced IT costs and complexity, are certainly valid reasons for deciding to outsource some or all your IT functions, it is becoming apparent to many that there is actually a lot more to be gained. When a company chooses a qualified managed IT service provider, either as the primary IT resource by outsourcing, or as a co-sourced resource assisting your in-house team, it is becoming more and more apparent that this out-sourcing does a lot more than save the company money or make the systems run smoothly. Outsourcing can play a major role in the growth of the business and sharpen its competitive edge.
Free up management time for more strategic levels.
Think about it this way: when a company outsources all or part of its IT management, they pick up the time, effort and resources that would have been tied up in this function. This outsourcing, or co-sourcing, frees up IT and other management personnel enabling them to focus on more strategic, higher-value activities. While this may sound somewhat obvious, many firms fail to realize this and don’t take advantage of this opportunity. Out-sourcing either sounds expensive to some, or a challenge to their own value to the company. Neither could be further from the truth.
If you are running a small company (10 to 100 employees) with a small in-house IT department (1-2 people), think about the productivity losses you suffer every time there is an outage, whether it is a single employee who can’t get her work done, or the entire company being all or partially down, even for a short time.
If you are running a very small company with IT handled by someone (maybe yourself) within the company without the proper skills to handle problem resolution so that every time there is an issue you are forced to call in a third party to correct it, you can be rather certain that the right managed IT service provider will save you time and money, as well as productivity, not to mention seriously decreasing your risk of cyber-attack.
If you have your own in-house IT team, no matter how good they are, it is highly unlikely that they will possess all the skills needed to resolve all the issues that arise. Today’s technology is so complex that you really need the availability of a number of highly trained technicians.
Strategic thinking leads to Digital Disruption as a highly competitive tool.
Remaining competitive in today’s business environment requires that all members of your team have the time and energy to focus on moving your business forward. This especially includes those responsible for technology. Recently, we at DynaSis have been focusing on “Digital Disruption”. Digital Disruption on a global scale is what happens when new technologies, such the computer or the Internet are created. On an industry-wide scale, think of Uber’s effect on the transportation industry, or Amazon’s effect on retail. Your company is not likely to become the “Uber” of your industry, but of a company level, Digital Disruption can a very positive force as you become a digital business…one that uses technology to power past your competition.
If you would like to learn more about Outsourcing or Co-Sourcing, check out our WEBPAGE. For more on Digital Disruption, download our White Paper on the subject HERE, or call us today at 678-373-0716.
About DynaSis
DynaSis is an Atlanta IT services and cloud computing provider for small and midsized businesses. All of our solutions focus on helping companies achieve the three fundamental IT necessities of the modern business—availability, security and mobility. We specialize in on-demand and on-premise managed IT services, managed cloud infrastructure, desktops and backups, and professional hardware and equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis’ IT support and services, visit www.dynasis.com.
As workplace mobility becomes both more widespread and more accepted, the importance of employee awareness of mobile security increases. To be effective, mobility, the ability of your employees to carry on their workplace duties outside the office, must be properly managed to be secure. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. There are more and more cases of valuable and sensitive data being compromised, either from lost or stolen devices, from improper downloading of apps available online, or simply failing to practice effective password procedures.
The reality is that mobile security is not high on the radar of many workers. It may also surprise you to know that the most technologically sophisticated generation, the millennials, are also those most likely to engage in risky behavior. In a study conducted not long ago, it was discovered that a full 60% of millennial workers regularly share both their work and their devices with others, and 20% don’t even use password protection on their devices, whether company supplied or their own that they use for work. In fact, a good percentage of them intentionally don’t use protection to make it easier to share their devices.
It is not that the millennial generation is not concerned about security. They are. But almost 90% assumed that the IT departments of the companies they work for are keeping their devices, company data, and themselves safe and secure. They are expecting that if a behavior is unsafe, they will be restricted from engaging in it and, therefore, anything they are able to do is safe. As a managed IT service provider, we can tell you that one of the first orders of business when we are engaged by a new client is employee training. The fact is that the weakest link in network security is the untrained employee who unwittingly violates security protocols and opens the entire company network to cyber attack.
But is employee training enough? As important as training is, we also know that managing the devices used by a company’s employees is just as important, and as the use of personally owned laptops, smartphones and tablets increases, the task becomes ever more daunting. It’s hard enough to manage company owned devices, but adding employee owned devices used for company business magnifies the situation.
So the question is: how can a small to mid-sized business (SMB) best handle these mobile security concerns? This is a project that the IT department of a typical SMB (if there is an actual IT department) can find overwhelming. From a dollars and cents perspective, adding to the cost of the IT personnel are the cost of servers, licenses and maintenance.
We believe that a much better solution is the use of a cloud-based mobile device management system (MDM), with the provider, such as a managed IT service company, handling all the background IT management functions. The SMB realizes the same benefits as an enterprise system, such as updating all devices in a single push, instead of an IT team member having to update each device individually. Built-in security that assures appropriate password creation will also be part of the package, and you will have the ability, if you choose, to add encryption, plus you can track all the devices connected to your system, greatly eliminating the risk of unauthorized devices undetected devices operating on your network.
Simply put, we believe mobile device management is one of the most important elements of a secure IT network.
DynaSis is an Atlanta IT services and cloud computing provider for small and mid-sized businesses. All of our solutions focus on helping companies achieve the three fundamental IT necessities of the modern business—availability, security and mobility. We specialize in on-demand and on-premise managed IT services, managed cloud infrastructure, desktops and backups, and professional hardware and equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis’ IT support and services, visit www.dynasis.com.
Recent studies show that as many as 93% of companies today are using at least some sort of cloud-based technology, although certainly some way more than others. Because of this, you may be thinking that these companies are also moving away from on-site servers and hardware, but this is not happening anywhere as quickly as you might expect. Many companies still keep their servers on-site, often running them as virtual machines. (Virtual servers: partitioning the servers into highly segregated segments and using each segments as if it were a separate server.) While keeping your servers on-self may not in itself be problematic, although there are certainly advantages to off-site storage, the problem we often see is that this equipment is aging, what we call “legacy hardware” – a nice way of saying it’s getting older and older.
There are a number of reasons why people hold on to legacy hardware from budget, to compatibility with older versions of software, to “it’s working fine.” While it has never been a good idea to hold on to aging equipment from productivity and uptime perspectives, today, such a decision could actually be catastrophic.
Even with all the discussion going on in tech circles about the necessity of multiple back-ups and off-site storage, estimates show that as many as 77% of companies are not actually prepared to completely restore their data in the event of a crash…and this includes companies using IT service providers. Smaller companies, which make up the majority of US firms, are more at risk than larger companies simply because they don’t have adequate personnel resources to manage, monitor and maintain.
Some of the lowest hanging fruit for cyber-criminals are legacy servers running legacy applications. In one survey taken just a few years ago, 96% of all the applications that were tested had at least one major security vulnerability, with a median of 14 vulnerabilities per application. While a company may save some money today by putting off upgrading to newer, safer hardware and software, this could end up being a very expensive decision. Ransom ware is a major threat these days, and the vulnerabilities presented by legacy hardware and software often open the door to these attacks.
Legacy hardware also runs slower than newer ones. This decreases productivity by increasing response time. This affects competitiveness as well as employee frustration. Your older system doesn’t have the computing power of newer ones, which limits your ability to take advantage of powerful applications such as data analytics or collaboration tools.
A scary scenario: many companies believe they have been upgraded to newer versions of hardware and/or software, and only when there is a serious problem do they find out that many important functions are still being handled by an old server in the back of the office. If your company hasn’t had a recent IT assessment and risk analysis, you should speak to a managed IT support company that provides this type of comprehensive review free of charge. If serious vulnerabilities are discovered, this same managed IT services provider can outline short and long-term plans that can protect your company and your budget.
Selection of an outsourced IT company is a very important business decision. For more than a quarter century, Atlanta’s small to midsized businesses have relied on DynaSis’ for managed IT services, Internet security, IT assessments and 24 x 7 x 365 helpdesk support. Today, with cybercrime becoming an ever-increasing threat, DynaSis has become an industry leader in network protection and ransomware prevention. Please take a tour through our website at www.DynaSis.com or speak with a technical expert at 678.373.0716.
These days everyone is concerned about data security, and with good cause. Not surprisingly, Microsoft has been a leading player in security, along with reliability and user productivity. When they took the Office productivity suite to the cloud with Office 365, they also took a giant leap forward in terms of being able to secure your most important and confidential information.
But let’s make one thing perfectly clear: your data is yours and it belongs to you alone. Office 365 gives you extensive control over privacy and visibility in terms of who has access. You manage these controls and you can customize them to fit the needs of your company. In the unlikely event that you choose to leave Office 365, you take you data with you and it is completely removed from the Microsoft cloud. Let’s look at some other features:
Secure Identity Controls
Office 365 allows you to manage users through access control, identity management and password authentication, which fully supports 3rd party identity providers. Through the use of multi-factor authentication, you can choose the level of ID control that works best for your organization:
In other words, Office 365 gives you options from fairly basic to extremely advanced and you are free to choose what works best for you.
Infrastructure Security
Microsoft spans the globe and their sheer size allows the use of techniques and strategies for defense against attacks on their network that few service providers can offer…certainly far above the ability of the typical small to mid-sized business.
Threat Management
Microsoft uses threat management controls that identify intent, determine capability of achieving that intent, and the likelihood of that threat successfully exploiting a vulnerability. This protection includes email spam, malware, viruses, and protection of Exchange.
Mobility
Your people are on the move. They work from home, in airports, hotels, clients’ offices…in town and around the world, and they take their devices, both self-owned and company provided, wherever they go. Whether they use Apple, Android or Windows platforms, the Office 365 mobile device management system identifies, monitors and protects your company’s sensitive information.
Incident Response
Stuff happens. Microsoft has a highly-advanced incident response program that includes multiple dedicated teams to prevent security incidents from happening, but when they do occur, they are immediately detected and immediately responded to.
Multi-Tenant Security
This is a fancy way of saying that multiple clients share the same infrastructure, which sometimes leads to a concern about keeping one client’s date secure from another client. Microsoft works under the assumption that any single client may have bad intentions and has created an enterprise level of security that insures privacy, confidentiality and integrity of files. It would be next to impossible for any single company to achieve this level of security on their own. By the way, it is this multi-tenant structure that enable small companies (although large companies do this as well) to have enterprise level infrastructure at affordable costs.
Physical Security
All Office 365 clients’ data is stored in data centers located around the world, using multi-layer “defense-in-depth” security protection. These centers are constructed to withstand natural disasters, or unauthorized access and have extensive power and internet backup systems. Geo-redundancy (co-locating in multiple centers) with automatic failover provides still further protection.
So as you can see, Microsoft Office 365 provides extensive security controls. We hope this information will give you a strong level of comfort, but if you have any questions, please give us a call.
DynaSis has been a Microsoft Partner since 1993 and specializes in Office 365 installation. You can find us online at 678.373.3716 or www.DynaSis.com.
Cloud computing can move a business forward.
Last week we began a discussion of myths surrounding business cloud computing. Here is a quick recap of the ones we tackled:
1: Data can’t be all that safe in a “cloud” – not true.
2: We lose control of our data in the Cloud – not true.
3: If I move to the Cloud it means that everything has to be in the cloud – not true.
If you missed last week’s blog, you can find it HERE. There are a number of other myths surrounding business cloud computing that we want to address, so let’s pick it up again:
4: Cloud computing is only for tech companies. First of all, the way we see it, today every company is a technology company. Are you using computers? Do you have email? Do you shop or do research online? Chances are you answered “yes” to every one of these question so, yes, you should be looking at cloud computing.
5: The cloud is harmful to the environment. Some people think this is so because large data centers use a lot of energy. They do. But when you add up all the energy saved by the companies that use the data center, there is actually a net energy savings and pollution reduction.
6: The cloud costs jobs. The fact is, the cloud has created jobs. Estimates are that by the end of 2015, the cloud was responsible for creating more than 13,000,000 jobs across the globe. Some jobs were lost along the way, but many more were created. But computerization in the cloud, and in general, has been responsible for such an exponential increase in productivity that the net effect has been extremely positive for almost every business.
7: Migrating to the cloud is just too much trouble. That depends on who is doing the migration for you. The right IT service provider can make the process virtually painless and with minimal downtime.
8: You should avoid the cloud for highly important applications. Again, this goes to unfounded fear of the cloud and whether or not it is truly safe. In reality, your mission critical apps are best run in the cloud, where they will also benefit from minimized downtime and automatic backups.
9: I’ll be locked in to my cloud vendor. Not true. A knowledgeable and reliable managed IT service provider or skilled in-house IT manager can get you quickly and safely up and running in the cloud, and, if the need arises, transfer your files and applications to another.
10: The cloud is for large companies – smaller companies aren’t moving there. Today, companies of every size are moving to the Cloud. Why? 94% of IT managers report that their tech security is better in the cloud. 75% of SMBs using the cloud reported better availability. 91% of companies that have significant compliance requirements use the cloud to satisfy them.
11: The cloud is best for everything in every business. Every company is unique and every company’s needs are different. We work with many great firms that keep all their data on-premises, many that are fully in the cloud, and others that are using a hybrid infrastructure that combine both on-premises and cloud. The goal of a managed IT support company should always be to find the very best solution on a client-by-client basis, and at DynaSis, we have been doing just that for Atlanta small to mid-sized businesses for 25 years. If you would like to learn more about our DynaSis Business Cloud services, click HERE.
We provide complimentary IT Assessments to determine the best course of action in implementing business cloud computing, in whole or in part, at once or over time, based on your needs, comfort level and budget. We can be reached at www.DynaSis.com or 678.373.0716.
It may be one of the most unfortunate names ever given to a form of technology. The Cloud. On one hand, it seems wonderfully ethereal. On the other, how can you trust all your data and applications to something so flimsy and unstable as a cloud? So here’s the thing:
The Cloud is not a “Cloud”.
It is a network of highly secure data centers that provide a level of cyber security that few small to mid-sized businesses could afford on their own. The cloud got its name back in the 60s when software engineers would draw diagrams of the components on which they were working, then enclose them with a hand drawn bumpy circle that came to be known as the “cloud.” The name stuck.
It is unfortunate because one of the most important advances in cyber availability, security and mobility is all too often looked upon as something as flimsy as…a cloud! Today let’s look at some myths that surround the cloud and hopefully by dispelling them, you may decide to take a closer look the next time your IT service provider asks you to..
1: My data can’t really be safe if it’s out there floating around in a cloud. That must be what they call “cyber-space.” No. Your data isn’t floating around. It’s in one of those incredibly secure facilities mentioned above. And cyber-space isn’t a real thing. It’s just a euphemism used when someone can’t figure out what they did with their email.
2: If we move to the cloud, we won’t have control over our technology. Actually, you will still have total control. The data center is just a storage facility and you control what goes on. You will also find that your headaches and time spent maintaining and upgrading hardware and software will be significantly reduced. Plus, you will no longer have to spend larger and larger sums of money on email and document storage.
3: It’s all or nothing. I if start with the cloud, I have to move everything. Not so. Many IT service providers will suggest that implementations actually start in hybrid fashion, moving just one application, like email. Then many companies decide to move their productivity software to the cloud. In fact, every company’s migration can be different.
More next week
If you follow DynaSis on Facebook, LinkedIn, or elsewhere, you are aware that we have been discussing Digital Disruption for some time now. If not, here is a 30-second overview: digital disruption on a global scale happens with developments like the advent of computers and/or the Internet. On an industry-wide scale, Digital Disruption comes from events such as Uber’s effect on the taxi industry or Netflix’s effect on video rentals. Since neither you nor I are likely to re-invent the Internet, nor create the next Uber, we are far more interested in how positive Digital Disruption (aka Digital Transformation) can affect our own businesses.
Inertia is a powerful force. It’s the reason why we can’t push a boulder uphill, or why you fall when you jump out of a car (your feet stop when they hit the pavement, but your body keeps going.) And it is emotional inertia that keeps us from making changes in our business when we know we really should. This is what keeps us from embracing Digital Transformation: using technology to transform our business, propelling us past our competition. The alternative is waiting for our competition to propel past us.
The first step in overcoming inertia and bringing digital transformation into your business is as easy as migrating from the Microsoft Office version you are currently using, to Microsoft Office 365. This is not merely upgrading to a newer version of Office. This is providing your employees with the ability to become more productive, to collaborate with colleagues, to function as powerful and effective teams, all while greatly increasing your network security.
But here is where inertia often sets in. You are using a version of Office that’s only three or four years old. It’s working fine. Everyone uses it; everyone is skilled in it; everyone is comfortable. Why change? Good question, so here are some answers:
1: Your people have left the building…they are working from home, in airports, clients’ offices, on the beach, etc. Microsoft Office 365 lets them work with anytime, anywhere access to all their files. It works on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
2: Up to five devices per user: desktops (home and office), laptops, tablets and smartphones.
3: Data loss prevention. Office 365 backs up data in its world-wide network of secure facilities, and you know that with Microsoft’s financial strength behind it, it will always be there.
4: New applications, like Delve. Delve acts like your personal secretary. It finds hard to find documents, does research, keeps track of your projects, and so much more. (There are many more new apps.)
5: Migration is easy and since Microsoft Office 365 updates itself, migration is a one-time thing, and never need be repeated as new versions come out.
Right now, it’s also especially cost effective as we at DynaSis have just introduced our Cloud Accelerator Program with great Microsoft Office 365 migration incentives. You owe it to your business to LEARN MORE.
With 25 years of experience providing Atlanta’s small to mid-sized business community with IT support, DynaSis continues to lead the way in IT security and managed support. Learn more at www.DynaSis.com or call us at 678-373-0716.
© 1993-2022
(Privacy Policy)
DynaSis HQ
950 North Point Parkway
Ste 300
Alpharetta, GA 30005
24x7x365 Technical Support 866-252-6363
Sales Inquiries 678.504.6486
U.S. based Data Centers
Alpharetta (Atlanta), GA
12655 Edison Dr.
Alpharetta, GA 30005
Brentwood (Nashville), TN
7100 Commerce Way #25
Brentwood, TN 37027
