We have long preached that today, every business is a technology business. What business functions without computers, Microsoft Office software, or email? Because of the universality of technology, cyber crime is on the rise and the cyber criminal has become more creative and yet, at the same time, the “field” has become more enticing to amateurs, creating still more chaos. Below are some of the things we need to be aware of going forward.

PLEASE NOTE: We will be presenting a complimentary webinar on Cyber Security 2017 – SMBs are under attack. Are you prepared? Thursday, February 2^nd at 11 AM. Register at www.DynaSis.com/webinars.

1: The cost of cyber-crime is expected to hit $6,000,000,000,000  (yes, that’s trillion) annually over the next few years. This is double current loss estimates and includes the cost of the damage and/or destruction of data, stolen funds, decreased productivity, intellectual property theft, personal financial data, embezzlement, fraud, business disruption, forensic investigation, harm to reputations, and finally, the deletion of damaged data and restoration of backed up files…assuming they have not been harmed as well.

2: Spending on Cyber Security will grow to more than $1,000,000,000.

3: There will be 1,500,000 unfilled Cyber Security jobs by 2019. By the end of last year, there were already 1,000,000 unfilled positions, and this will just keep growing. Currently, the unemployment rate among cyber security professionals is 0%.

4: 91% of cyber attacks today start through email. Most employees of small to mid-sized businesses are not trained in cyber security best practices…or any practices at all, which make them rich targets. It is attacks like this that have started with a careless employee of a small business, then evolved into an attack on the business itself, and ultimately, by gaining access to the company’s links to its customers, have been able to infiltrate into the records of major businesses, such as Target and Home Depot.

5: By 2014 (the last full year for which we have stats), 71% of cyber crimes were against SMBs, up from 41% just the year before.

6: Access by amateur cyber-criminals. The kid next door can now go online and for as little as $150 dollars buy a “kit” that enables him to encrypt the files of a small business and hold them for ransom. If he does this 10 times for $5,000 per ransom, he just made himself $50,000. But as an amateur, he may not fully understand how to use the illegal software he just purchased and may not be able to unlock the files he encrypted. We know of just such a case where the small business agreed to pay a ransom of $8,000 only to learn that the incompetent thief couldn't deliver on his promise to decrypt, and they have lost all their files forever. ALL their files, including all their backups. All their trade secrets, legal and financial information, client records, etc.

7: By 2020, just three years from now, there will be as many as 200,000,000,000 IoT (Internet of Things) devices in dire need of securing. What is the Internet of Things? Simply put, it is “things” that are connected to the Internet: cellphones, coffee makers, Alexa, wearable devices like FitBits, door locks, garage door openers, jet engine parts that signal potential problems back to the manufacturer, and on and on and on. 200 billion of these in just three years. Look for another blog soon going into detail on this subject, but we think you can imagine the potential magnitude of the problem.

DynaSis has been at the forefront of Cyber Security Management for SMBs on a national level since 1992, and is responsible for a number of advances in the field that are currently in use across the country. Please visit www.DynaSis.com/managed-security or call us at 678.373.0716.

Technology is a powerful force in virtually every company today. In fact, we like to say, “Every Business is a Technology Business.” Can you imagine running your company without a computer? Without email? Without a website? (Actually, you would be amazed at how many small businesses (very small businesses) still don’t have websites. We are not web-designers, but…somebody wake these people up!)

Technology makes us more productive, more accurate, more responsive to market changes and customer needs, but it can also increase risk. Getting the most out of technology, while still keeping your business safe and secure, is a true balancing act, not meant for the faint of heart. What can go wrong? Computers can crash, data can disappear or be stolen/encrypted, networks can shut down, etc.

Assuming the people who work for your company are honest, hard-working and like to be productive while accomplishing great things for your business, any of these situations can be deeply troubling, especially if they are reoccurring. But many small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) don’t want to address this problem pro-actively. In other words, they wait until something goes wrong, then they react…they call what are known in the industry as “break and fix” IT services. Something breaks, they come and fix. The more things break, the more money they make. By the way, sooner or later, things do break.

As a company grows, they often hire an in-house IT guy. We think that’s great. But there is still a problem in that technology is so complex these days that no single in-house IT person can possibly have all the expertise needed, nor can he keep up with the changes that occur on a daily basis. So let’s look at an IT solution that works whether you have been calling the break and fix people, or have an IT person (or even your own team.)

For those companies that do not have an in-house person, a fully staffed managed IT service provider is probably the answer. Unfortunately, too many business owners assume this is costly and never even look into it. Sad. The reality is that using this type of service, on a fixed monthly fee basis, usually costs the same, or even less, than what they have been doing. By properly maintaining the client’s equipment, there are fewer break-downs, fewer service calls, and longer equipment life-spans. Think of it this way: Since the IT Service provider is obligated to fix computers, servers, networks, etc., doesn’t it make sense that it is in their best interest to make sure that everything is always functioning at peak performance? It does.

For those companies that have one or more in-house IT people, they find that by using managed IT support, their in-house people are freed up to work on higher level projects, while the IT service can repair equipment, handled help-desk issues, and constantly monitor, manage and maintain the company’s IT infrastructure. Not only that, the right provider will have a full staff of certified technicians and management personnel that can handle almost any problem, as well as be available for technology consultations to plan for the future.

So as for the holiday present, think about how happy your sales people will be knowing that their online sales tools are always available, think about how happy your customer service people will be knowing that they can take care of your customers, think about how happy your accountant will be knowing that IT problems will not impact your bottom line, and think about how happy you and your IT people will be knowing that your IT network is running quietly and smoothly in the background, there when anyone and everyone needs it. That should help you sleep at night, and can you ask for a better present than that?

DynaSis has been providing IT support to the Atlanta small to mid-sized business community since 1992. The “DynaTeam” of 55 professionals, including 30+ highly trained engineers, provides live top level coverage 24 / 7 / 365. We can be reached at www.DynaSis.com or (678) 373-0716.

Your business is a technology business. And you are not alone. Today, virtually every business is heavily involved and invested in technology. Whether your office is here in Atlanta or anywhere else in the country…or the world…your dependence on technology is in great part linked to how forward thinking you have been over recent years. But please don’t think that dependence on technology is a bad thing. Far from it. Technology is a powerful force that can multiply the effectiveness, reach, profitability and longevity of almost any business.

Let’s look at it from a very simplistic approach. How successful do you think your business would be today if all your employees were using quills and blotters? Fountain pens? Manual typewriters? Electric typewriters? Word processors with magnetic cards that had to be inserted each time they were used? Or a 1988 AppleIIC computer with 128k of RAM (today’s typical computer has 33,000 times as much processing power)? The point is, as much as we may complain about it, we are completely dependent on technology in one form or another, and not many people really want to go in the other direction.

But not only do we, as business owners, want the technology that can power our businesses forward, so do our employees. Studies have shown that millennials, for sure, and even Gen Xers, often look at the technology they will be given to work with before accepting many positions.

However, we also have to face the fact that today’s complex technology, as powerful and rewarding as it can be, doesn’t run itself. In fact, as companies grow, their technology requirements tend to multiply and serious choices need to be made as to how to keep your IT infrastructure at peak performance.

The two most obvious choices are to either hire an in-house IT professional, eventually growing to a full team, or outsource this function to a managed IT service provider. There are advantages to each: an in-house IT person or team puts skilled people at your fingertips. An outsourced IT provider brings a team with a wide range of training and certifications that can handle most any need.

Because each of these scenarios has distinct advantages, more and more growing companies are opting for a hybrid IT management system commonly referred to a co-managed or co-sourced IT, with the in-house IT executive or team, and the outsourced team, working hand-in-hand to give the employer the best of both worlds. Typically, the in-house team will then have the time to focus on high level matters, such as long-term IT strategies, leaving the routine, day-to-day monitoring and maintenance, help-desk, and repair work to the out-sourced people. Certainly, this is not cast in stone and each company can make its own decision as to where each function is best handled.

Regardless of how the tasks are sorted out, companies that opt for this hybrid generally discover several benefits:

Increased Productivity: With co-management, you know that IT support is available 24 x 7. You also know that your IT infrastructure is being monitored and maintained, even if your in-house IT guy is on vacation in Aruba. That means that your sales people can sell and your customer service people can service. When managed by outside professionals, IT "uptime" of 99.999% is the goal, increasing productivity across the company.

Reduced Expenses: Fixed monthly fees let you know in advance what your expenses are going to be and because you are sharing the cost of highly trained IT personnel as well as storage capacity (especially if you choose a cloud solution), companies using IT management companies generally find their expenses less than before.

Minimized Risk: By having the latest technology available, including the latest in security, along with people with the most up-to-date training, your protection against the ever-increasing level of cyber crime is reduced to a minimum, while your ability to recover and restore in the event of cyber intrusion or a network problem is maximized.

Easy Scalability: As your company grows, your IT infrastructure easily grows with it. You also know that the financial burden of maintaining your infrastructure has transferred from you to the IT management service, so you know they are doing virtually everything possible to keep it running at peak performance.

DynaSis has been providing managed and co-managed IT support to the small to mid-sized business community in Atlanta for almost a quarter century. The DynaSis team of 55 professionals, including more than 30 engineers, is highly trained and experienced. We are happy to provide you with a complimentary IT Assessment to help you understand where your IT infrastructure is today, and where it needs to be in the future. www.DynaSis.com. 678.218.1769.

The digital world today is changing at break-neck speed. The protections that worked not that long ago become out-of-date in the blink of an eye. Cyber crime has also become a rapidly advancing and sophisticated “industry”. The more you rely on the Internet, and you are probably more reliant than you realize, the more you need to ensure that your business is protected.

Some of the easiest decisions can also be some of the most harmful. Why bother to install additional protection when your carrier (Comcast, ATT, CenturyLink, etc.) gives it to you for free with your bundled software? Answer: this level of protection simply is not powerful enough to provide the protection you need today, and you need to seriously consider upgrading to business grade firewall and software.

But lets take it one step farther. Even the best firewall is not going to give you the level of safety you need if the right people are not managing it. Like pretty much everything else in the IT world today, firewalls start to become outdated almost as soon as they leave the factory. The right managed IT service will monitor and maintain that protection 24 x 7 x 365, installing patches and updates on a regular basis.

So, here are 5 reasons why your SMB will be better protected with a managed IT service that maintains your firewall:

1: Your company is not an IT company. You are in business for an entirely different reason. You are a law firm, a group of CPAs, you manufacture widgets, run a call center, service automobiles, etc. Just like you would not expect an IT service provider to give legal advice or fix your car, you should not expect the people in your company to set-up, run or maintain your IT infrastructure. “But I have an IT guy on staff.” That’s great. We recognize the value in that. But does he/she have the depth of knowledge that a provider with 25 to 30 certified engineers will have? Will he/she be available 24/7/365? Think not.

2: Hiring consultants is very expensive. Here is the problem with consultants: while they may be very knowledgeable, they are expensive and since they are not involved in the day to day IT operation of your company, quite a bit of money will be spent on the time they take to get up to speed on your network, much less solve the problems. (This goes for all IT problems, not just your firewall.) And you still run into the problem that no single consultant can have the breadth of knowledge that a large team of certified engineers will have.

3: Stuff breaks. Yes, firewalls are equipment and equipment can break. The right service will be monitoring this 24 x 7 and can jump into action as soon as it happens, with technicians trained for the job. Most importantly, your service provider will have a disaster recovery plan in place and be ready to get your network up and running in the shortest amount of time. No business, large or small, wants to start searching, then waiting for, a consultant to figure out what is wrong, then try and fix it. You want a full team of experts at the ready. (BTW, engaging a managed IT service provider is often also the most cost-effective way to go.)

4: You also need protection from internal threats. Employees frequently expose their employers to viruses, worms, and other malicious attacks on their infrastructure through unauthorized use of gaming, gambling, pornography, social media and online videos. Of course, this is not only a network threat, but also a serious threat to office productivity. The right professional team can manage this and keep the filters updated.

5: New threats are being developed daily. While we are not going to do a deep dive into cyber security here (see our Cyber Security White Paper), suffice it to say that cyber criminals are today focusing more on SMBs than on big businesses. Why? The large corporations that make the news when they are attacked have invested millions of dollars in cyber protection that no SMB can afford, but your IT management company will have partnerships with the top companies in the IT world and have the best protection software available.

DynaSis has been providing IT Network protection for the SMBs of Atlanta for the past 25 years. Our resources include a team of more than 55 professionals, including more than 30 highly trained and certified engineers who specialize in IT infrastructure security. Firewalls and firewall management are just one of our "12 Layers of Protection", a unique and proprietary cyber security program we use for our clients.

Digital Disruption is a powerful force that can drive your business to new heights.

Last week DynaSis held a Lunch & Learn on Digital Disruption at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Dunwoody and we were pleased to welcome C-Level execs from all over the Atlanta Metro area.  Digital Disruption is an interesting concept that is becoming more well recognized as it affects more and ore industries in general and businesses in particular. As we see it, Digital Disruption exists on three levels.

Level 1 disruptions are those that have major repercussions on the way almost all of us live, work or do business. Among these are:

• Invention of the television
• Invention of the computer
• Development of the personal computer
• The Internet.

Each of these is a technological advancement and each had/has a major effect on our daily lives.

The next level of digital disruption occurs on and industry-wide basis. Think of events such as:

• The effects Uber has had on the taxicab industry
• How AirBnB has affected the hotel business
• The disruption in the DVD rental business caused by Netflix

In each of these cases, the product hasn’t really changed (individual consumer transportation, overnight stays in rented facilities, movie rentals). What changed are the delivery methods.

But for digital disruption to have a positive affect on an individual business, it does not have to be as all-encompassing as inventing a personal computer, or revolutionizing the way people hire rides. It means taking advantage of the technology that is available today and becoming a truly digital business. Today, every business is a technology business, using computers, CRMs, MicroSoft Office and may other tools. But understand this: having computers, servers, and software does not make you a digital business and will not bring about the positive digital disruption that can bring about the four outcomes we expect from a truly digital business:

• Increased profitability
• Reduced costs
• Minimized risks
• Maximized growth

…all leading to: Increased profitability.

For this to happen, technology has become woven into the very fabric of your company…to become part of your “DNA.” There are developments happening on an almost daily basis that can be of significant benefit to you, or to your competitors. The questions is, which companies will take advantage of this.

We are always hearing from small to mid-sized business owners and execs, “But my business isn’t like that. We’ll never be a technology driven industry." Well, tell that to the cab owners in NYC whose “medallions” (the restricted licenses they buy from the city) have decreased in value from $1,000,000 to $500,000 each. Or the owners of Blockbuster stock, now selling for $.01 a share now that their 8,000 stores have decreased to just 12.

But, again, digital disruption occurs a thousand times more often on an individual business level than on an industry wide basis. Over the next few weeks, we will illustrate with examples of how individual companies have used digital disruption within their own businesses to accelerate growth and profitability.

If you would like to learn more about digital disruption, read our White Paper on the subject, or let us know that you would like to attend our next seminar or webinar.

DynaSis is an Atlanta based managed IT service provider and has worked with a variety local manufacturers since its inception in 1992. DynaSis world-class data center provides safe, reliable and economical cloud computing service to its clients. www.DynaSis.com. 678.218.1769.

Manufacturing employee using cloud-based tablet on the floor of the plant

A recent article in Forbes Magazine highlighted how technology is impacting the manufacturing industry. Among the other points it raised, it noted that surveys had found that:

• 55% of manufacturers are using the cloud platforms and technologies to better manage their supply chains.
• 48% are using cloud platforms and technologies to more efficiently manage their new product introductions.
• 64% use the same tablets as consumers use on the plant floor to improve connectivity and communications.
• 40% are building “smart” products right now, or plan to do so within 5 years.

From the survey results, based on the responses of almost 200 manufacturing companies ranging from food and beverage to automotive, it is obvious that the age of “connected” manufacturing, and IT management is here. This connectivity gives them a here-to-fore unavailable agility that enables them to work better with both suppliers and customers. On one hand, this affects management of the supply chain, and on the other, both innovation of new products and quality of existing ones. Interestingly, although we hear so much about the contraction/consolidation of manufacturing in this country, 90% have reported that they have actually grown over the past five year. The Cloud has also allowed more than 10% of the respondents to become actively engaging in “re-shoring”, the reversal of off-shoring…in other words, bringing their manufacturing, in full or in part, back to the United States.

Almost 3/4s of the companies state that use of the “Cloud” is giving them superior insight into their overall businesses and a full 90% say that they now have better access to company data. They are also reporting better communication with suppliers and customers, as well as with transportation vendors. By the end of the coming year, four in ten expect to be using big data analytics, or be well along in the planning stages of doing so.

The majority has stated that use of the “Cloud” improves their ability to deal with fluctuating customer demands and the consequential fluctuating supply chain needs. This allows them to become more customer-centric, something required by the upswing in customer-driven commerce.

Over the next five years, approximately two out of three of these manufacturing companies are looking at cloud-based technologies to: 1) increase connectivity with their supply chains, 2) improve their quality assurance programs, and 3) build upon their communications capabilities between plant and enterprise.

All-in-all, it is safe to say that the age of “connected manufacturing” though IT management has arrived.

DynaSis is an Atlanta based managed IT service provider and has worked with a variety local manufacturers since its inception in 1992. DynaSis world-class data center provides safe, reliable and economical cloud computing service to its clients. www.DynaSis.com. 678.218.1769.

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By the DynaSis Team

In today’s IT-driven business world, networks have become the arteries that keep information pumping through a company. Yet, the technology of the networks themselves—what makes them operate most efficiently—is still a mystery to most people who use them. The good news is that there are now monitoring tools that can tunnel through networks, pinpoint their issues and often resolve them without human involvement.

Unfortunately, many companies still don’t use them. A study of 547 US and European-based network and security operations professionals found that 45 percent of IT staffs monitor network and application performance manually, instead of implementing network monitoring tools. As a result:

• Seventy-seven percent accidentally reported incorrect information to management teams.
• Eighty-seven percent reported the cause of a network event they weren’t certain was accurate.
• Seventy-three percent had currently unresolved network events.

This isn’t surprising, because networks are incredibly complex. They are webs of network hardware—firewalls and routers, for example, connected to dozens (if not hundreds) of endpoint devices, from desktop PCs and tablets to printers.

Furthermore, network hardware has become so adept at resolving or bypassing conflicts and other glitches that a few problems might not cause an outage. The issues mount until an outage occurs, at which time IT support staff must unravel a tangled web.

Even the most dedicated IT services experts cannot manage the current generation of networks (and their systems) manually, which is why monitoring tools were developed. They are fast, efficient and inexpensive, and they work with virtually no load on the system. More important for network security, monitoring tools can pinpoint network dangers that are not technically faults, such as unauthorized devices operating on the network.

Minimizing System Slowdowns—and Outages

So, what do monitoring tools do to help with network stability? They identify and monitor all connections and their relevant information and activity. They can also automatically fix a variety of minor problems that impact network speeds—before they become major problems.

To help ensure business health, monitoring tools can identify issues that require manual intervention before they cause an outage. They provide ongoing alerts and reports that properly trained IT solutions professionals can act upon. Any number of elements can cause an outage or significant slowdown, from excessive connection attempts that might indicate malware is attempting to penetrate the corporate firewall to an improperly configured device that an employee slips onto the network. Some can be resolved automatically, but others require attention, and fast.

Of course, like any tool, monitoring tools are most helpful when they are used by a qualified professional. For this reason, business leaders often work with a managed services provider (also called a managed IT services firm)—even when they have an internal IT department—to deploy these tools and follow up on any issues they detect. Such assistance not only reduces the incidence of system downtime dramatically; it also has been proven to free business resources, fostering innovation and a greater competitive edge.

DynaSis has been Atlanta’s premier IT support services provider for more than 23 years. As an IT company working with small to midsized businesses (10 to 150+ users), DynaSis has developed a unique 12-layer approach to network threat protection, ransomware prevention and crypto virus threat elimination. The DynaSis Business Cloud functions through a highly secure environment with full real-time data backup. Please contact us at 678.218.1769 or visit our website at www.DynaSis.com.

By the DynaSis Team

In looking at disaster recovery options, we recently came across an interesting article on “future proofing a colocated data center.” It offers suggestions for how companies can make the right choice when hiring another company to “colocate” their data (replicate it to a second location). It focuses on companies that are moving away from  maintaining their own data centers, and it’s an interesting read.

It made us think about the specific questions business leaders should ask an IT service provider regarding off-site data storage, not only for backup but also for disaster recovery. Increasingly, business decision makers are realizing that creating and storing physical backups, whether onsite or offsite, is a tedious task and often not the most practical choice. Especially in the case of a true disaster, like the tornados that swept through the south last week, being able to access business data quickly, if not immediately, rather than going through an arduous restore process with new equipment, can truly be a business lifesaver.

Three top issues in disaster recovery

Today, let’s consider three top issues that business leaders should never take for granted when purchasing hosted disaster recovery services—and yet, they often do.

Availability: Does the provider own or lease data center space at a location that is geologically, politically and economically stable? Many business owners know that weather is a consideration, but what about data centers hosted outside the U.S., or even data centers in economically challenged areas within the U.S.? Before you purchase data storage and retrieval services, make sure you are comfortable with the location where your data will be stored.

Resource Continuity: Does the facility have multiple independent power sources, on-site power generation that is reliable and can run for a long time (preferably, a week or more), and redundant Internet connectivity options, such as both Internet service and telecommunications providers? If the data center relies on a local water source for cooling, is the water source stable, year-round? A data center is only as reliable as the resources that service it.

Stability: How about the stability of the company running the data center? Does the firm have a long history of stable operation, or has it recently changed hands? Does the firm that will manage your data stores (whether they own their data center or lease it) have in-house personnel working for you, or do they rely on independent contractors or offshore assistance?

Furthermore, are you comfortable with the escalation process if a disaster occurs, or if you have a question or problem? It does little good to have your data stored in a safe, available facility if you cannot get anyone to help you in the middle of the night. Remember that during a true disaster, the provider’s staff may be the only team that's available to keep your business in operation.

All of these details, and more, should be spelled out in your SLA—Service Level Agreement. Don’t take anyone’s word or assurance that a feature or function is guaranteed. Get it in writing.

Specializing in managed IT services and network security, Atlanta based DynaSis has been supporting small to midsized business for almost a quarter century. Among the services we provide are cloud computing through the DynaSis Business Cloud, 24 x 7 x 365 helpdesk support, and real-time monitoring enabling us to deal with “issues” before they become problems. For more information, please call DynaSis at 678.218.1769 or visit www.DynaSis.com.

The Challenge

When ECG (Electric Cities of Georgia) broke away from its parent company in 2009, the restructured operation needed to develop its own IT solution — including help desk support — from scratch.  With minimal technology expertise and a limited budget, Engineering and Energy Services Director Ellen Richardson and External Affairs Manager Michelle Holbrook needed a solution that would get them up and running quickly and cost effectively. They found the answer in the DynaSis's “Ascend” program, a hybrid cloud solution.

The Solution

“It was hard for us because we’d never done IT on our own. We needed someone to hold our hand and give us a roadmap to be seamless from the old company to the new,” says Holbrook. “DynaSis purchased and installed the infrastructure, and we didn’t have to think about what to buy or evaluate specifications for equipment we didn’t know very much about.”

DynaSis installed servers in three ECG locations and set up a joint-action service organization with hosted email, BlackBerry server and database support applications. DynaSis now provides maintenance and support for the entire infrastructure, both cloud-hosted and on-premises, including automated backup of ECG’s systems and data. DynaSis also provides Help Desk assistance whenever employees need it, in both the office and the field.

“Their Help Desk support is a big factor,” says Holbrook. “We had that at MEAG [Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, the former parent company] and needed that same kind of expertise. We have a lot of people in the field, and having the hosted environment and support helps them around the clock with email and other needs. The field workers have come back to us and said, ‘Those people are great,’ and praise is hard to get from those guys.”

The Result

According to Holbrook, ECG is enjoying the same level of service from DynaSis that it enjoyed from the in-house solution of its former parent company. “DynaSis had us up and ready in a month, and we didn’t have any drop-off in service,” says Holbrook. “If something goes wrong, I send an email and say, ‘Hey, what’s happening?’ and they take care of it. If one of our servers goes down even in the middle of the night, they get everything back up and running.”

No Capital Expense


Although worry-free IT is a core benefit of Ascend, it was not the only factor in ECG’s decision, Richardson says. “We didn’t have a huge capital expense up front. DynaSis purchased and maintains the infrastructure and guarantees us the best technology available for a fixed monthly cost. Considering we operate on a strict budget, the monthly fee is perfect for our situation.” Holbrook concurs, noting, “The best thing is that we know what they are going to bill us each month. We pay by the person, by the month, and that is it.”

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, Holbrook says she gives DynaSis at least a ‘’9” and would definitely recommend them to someone else. “The cost of dealing with DynaSis as a small user is much less than a do-it-yourself solution,” says Holbrook. “A lot of people have no computer expertise. There are so many companies out there for which Ascend would be a perfect fit.”

The Challenge

When Rodney Lester, Systems Manager for Gardner Metal Systems (GMS), began looking into upgrading his company’s Internet service, his efforts led him somewhere totally unexpected.  His exploration led him to a review of cloud services, and Lester was introduced to DynaSis. What he learned from them made him realize that he could accomplish even more for his firm.

The Selection

After speaking with the DynaSis team, Lester sensed he had found what he had long wanted―a local company with the knowledge, expertise and can-do attitude to support his company’s IT platforms.  DynaSis and Lester embarked on a journey of improvement that has resulted in his firm deploying new infrastructure, migrating to cloud-based productivity applications and storage, and allowing Lester to take a less-active role in supporting the network, servers and 30 computers his firm relies upon daily.

“I was the only person that maintained our systems,” says Lester. “We have been able to make it work all these years, but if something happened to me, there would have been a lot of things nobody knew anything about.  Now I am the backup and DynaSis is the main IT provider.”

The Solution

To achieve the transformation, DynaSis upgraded GMS to Ascend, its hybrid partly on-premises/partly cloud solution. With Ascend, GMS enjoys the reassurance of having new hardware on site, paired with access to software and services through a cloud-based model. Ascend also includes DynaSis’s signature, end-to-end, proactive IT management and support package. For the package, GMS pays a flat monthly fee and DynaSis handles all hardware troubleshooting and repair, as well as necessary system upgrades.

At the time of the deployment, GMS’ servers, workstations and network were all outdated or nearing their end of life, so Lester and DynaSis worked together to upgrade all components―data servers, workstations, systems and network―on a staged basis. “We had already had a major catastrophe with our server―a hard drive failure―and I didn’t want to deal with that again,” says Lester.

Still, he notes, nothing was going wrong, specifically, at the time he connected with DynaSis. Rather, Lester says, the project expanded organically after DynaSis introduced the “one fee covers all” Ascend solution. “This decision was about getting newer technology and an upgrade scenario,” says Lester. “We were running out of room on the server, and once we started looking at improvements we could make, it really snowballed. The owners started making suggestions and DynaSis took it from there.”

The Installation

DynaSis replaced GMS’ two outdated physical servers with three virtual servers (data, app and backup) running on two new physical units. Data on the virtual backup server is also replicated to an offsite data center. The new solution also included replacing the company’s Exchange server and its outdated Microsoft office productivity software with the cloud-based solution, Microsoft Office 365. “It was going to cost us $400 per workstation to upgrade Office, and we were having incompatibility problems with vendors and others outside the company,” says Lester. “With Office 365, we have access to the latest versions of Office―including Microsoft Access―for $15 per month, per seat.”

The implementation ran over a several-month period, Lester says, because his company wanted to minimize disruption for employees and complete each phase of the project before proceeding to the next level. “We started with an Internet upgrade, then we started on Ascend,” says Lester. We also went to a hosted VoIP telephony solution so we had to change over our whole phone system, and DynaSis assisted us in doing that.”

All through the complex, discontinuous process, Lester says, DynaSis ensured a steady flow of assistance and communication. “It was a little different for them, because they are not used to dragging it out as long as we did,” Lester says. “Even so, they stayed on top of the schedule, and they never had to say, ‘We cannot do that now.’”

The Result

Even before the project was complete, Lester began seeing tangible benefits. “Right away, they had access to the network and the computers, and they were pushing patches to the servers after hours,” says Lester. “We had several tickets where they took taking care of email issues – and they helped fix all of those. The whole support channel they have set up works really well.”

Lester is very pleased with the project and says he “wouldn’t hesitate to recommend DynaSis to anybody.” He cites many peripheral benefits, as well, such as better network performance, worker mobility (thanks to a new wireless network) and enhanced network security through a parallel network for guest-level, Internet-only access.

“Once we decided we were ready to migrate everything over, it went really well,” Lester concludes. “DynaSis has a great game plan for implementing a platform like this. Having someone to back me up; know our network and provide support is something we should have had a long time ago.” Lester’s already looking ahead to future projects, such as a database redesign and implementation of SharePoint, with enthusiasm.