Get benefits through managed services outsourcing

ball-457334_640Currently information technology have become essential tools for the development of any company, not only transforming business models, but also society. All kinds of organizations and companies dependents and technological services needed to achieve or exceed their goals.

If a computer or device failure, part of the production may be impaired, or even stop for a while, which would cause a large loss of capital. This, coupled with the increasing complexity of infrastructure management and applications, makes it increasingly more common for organizations to outsource IT resources specialized companies and certified technical resources.

As large organizations, SMEs need optimal technological systems to operate efficiently and compete effectively. But often in small businesses they are scarce resources and IT departments can suffer overload of tasks and responsibilities that hinder the management and maintenance of an IT infrastructure. Neglecting some tasks, such as copying or security updates and infrastructure are some examples that may occur due to lack of time and resources. This exponentially increases the risk that later may have an impact on the system or infrastructure and can have a negative impact on the business.

Therefore, for several years a trend towards outsourcing of managed services (outsourcing) is observed, and in this context that the Managed Service Providers (MSP) charge an important role, becoming the technological partner of companies.

Why is it important to choose the ideal IT service provider?

Managed Service Provider assumes responsibility for managing, monitoring, identify problems and resolve incidents of computer systems for its customers, allowing the organization to focus efforts and concentrate solely on their business priorities. Therefore, outsourcing providers IT resources can be very beneficial to an organization. But in choosing a service provider, you should consider some factors detailed below.

First, it is important that the supplier shows a proactive approach on security: Protecting your most valuable asset – information – should be a key point in his election. Another value to consider is that the provider chosen 24x7x365 monitoring available and find out how often the system checks and monitoring are performed, and if the laws of data protection and privacy are met.

Another benefit of outsourcing resources Managed Service Provider is the cost savings compared to other alternatives. Of the various arguments they value most CFOs about Managed Service Providers, one of the most attractive is the cost savings that can be obtained by outsourcing.

Managed Service Providers usually offer their services on a monthly fee, but depending on the services provided, the values ​​vary depending on the amount of equipment, or the size of the infrastructure. It is a model increasingly coveted by organizations because it allows more tightly control costs, requires no investment of fixed capital and is based on expenditure capital operating, providing a regular and predictable billing directly related pay per use.

Visit Grapevine MSP’s website to learn more about managed services and computer repair in Bakersfield, CA.

Problems With Kaspersky

security-265130_640 (2)Kaspersky Labs makes some of the best antivirus software in the business. Odds are excellent that your company uses their product to keep your systems and data safe. That’s what made this week’s announcement about the flaw in their software so dismaying.

Worse, it wasn’t just an obscure flaw that was difficult to take advantage of. The recently discovered flaw was the equivalent of leaving all your doors standing wide open, with a formal invitation, written in neon, inviting hackers in. It had the potential to be absolutely devastating, which is why the company released an emergency patch to address it.

The good news is that if you use Kaspersky products, and you have your auto-update feature turned on, you’ve already got the patch. If you don’t use auto-update, you’ll want to instruct your IT people to manually check for and apply the latest updates, or you are at risk.

The IT field is vast, and growing almost by the day. One of the fastest growing segments in the industry is in systems security. The problem, of course, is that it is ruinously expensive to keep one (or more) of each type of IT Professional on your payroll, but you don’t have to. As the IT industry continues to expand, it makes an increasing amount of sense to simply outsource the function to a managed services provider, hiring the specific type of IT consultant you need, when you need it.

Could an IT consultant specializing in systems security have alerted you to the presence of this bug sooner? Possibly. More importantly, however, such an individual could have guaranteed that when the bug was detected, your system would have been patched and safe the moment it was found, instead of having to read about the problem online, then check behind your staff to ensure that your data is secure.

Final note: Kaspersky is by no means unique. They’re not the only antivirus software makers to have had security flaws identified within their products. This happens to every software manufacturer. Kaspersky just happens to be the most recent company making headlines. This is in no way a reason to consider dropping them. They were incredibly responsive and the issue has been addressed, but it does underscore the ever-present danger and uncertainty in today’s business environment.

Latest In A Long Chain

chain-690088_640Recently, Excellus, a Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, discovered evidence of a hacking attack that exposed ten million customer records. The matter is currently under investigation, and so far, there’s no evidence that the hackers used the data in a malicious way. Typically, if the data will be used maliciously, it happens in the days or weeks following the attack, and this does not appear to have happened in the case of the Excellus breach. Nonetheless, this only serves to underscore the large and growing problem that all sectors of the business community face.

Hacking attacks are growing in both number and sophistication by the week. Odds are excellent that little to no useful data will be gleaned from the investigation, because although evidence of the attack was only recently discovered, the attack itself occurred two years ago, in 2013. That’s an eternity in IT-time.

This is by no means an isolated incident. In recent months, several major Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurers have been breached, including CareFirst, Premera, and Anthem. In the case of Anthem, the hack was traced back to a group of Chinese hackers. It is unknown at this time if that same group was responsible for the other Blue Cross and Blue Shield breaches, or if the incidents are unconnected.

Given the number and sophistication of such attacks, it is more important than ever before that companies build a robust team of security professionals, or if that is impractical, to outsource that function to a Managed Services Provider with an excellent reputation in the area of systems security. Had Excellus hired an IT Consultant with the appropriate background, it is entirely possible that this attack would have been noted and acted upon much more quickly than it was.

MSP’s are increasingly becoming the default solution to systems security because of the extreme difficulty in finding a sufficient number of adequately trained personnel to fill those roles internally. If the recent past is any guide, those problems will get significantly worse before things start to improve. How prepared is your company?

Benefits of Outsourced IT Services

monitor-862116_640The majority of today’s world has become computerized. Computers and other electronic devices offer us fast access, and security. The unfortunate downside being a software glitch or a malfunction can be extremely inconvenient and costly to a business. This makes it necessary to keep a close relationship with an IT professional, be it a full time employee or an outsourced IT firm. While having a full time staff to take care of your IT issues is a pleasant experience, it can also be very expensive. Fortunately, an experienced managed service provider can be hired and can actually be a better fit for most small and medium businesses.

Dependable

A managed service provider is dependable. They are trained to identify and resolve problems with precision. MSP’s hire trained and experienced staff who are highly skilled in information technology.

Cost Effective

If you own a company, a professional IT service can be more affordable than hiring a full time employee. You don’t have to worry about the cost of health care, insurance, or a 401k.

Increase Security

Never worry about security or updates again. A managed service provider will implement a security plan and monitor your network providing the security your business needs.

In short, if you are in need of an IT professional, it is worth a look into a local managed service provider. Not only can you save money by outsourcing your technology needs, you can hire a team of professionals for a fraction of the price.