Information Technology

QuickBooks Cloud Hosting Makes Managing Your Business Easier

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

If you’re a fan of QuickBooks, you are certainly not alone. It’s one of the best and most popular accounting platforms available today, and it is primarily geared toward small businesses. These days, QuickBooks is available in both on-premise and in-the-cloud formats that make it incredibly easy to manage your business from absolutely anywhere. Here are some of the ways in which QuickBooks Cloud Hosting can make things much simpler for your company, too. The Main Benefits of QuickBooks QuickBooks Cloud Hosting isn’t a favorite for no reason; in fact, small and medium businesses rely on it every single day because of a few very important benefits: On-the-Go Management – Because QuickBooks keeps your data in the cloud, you can access it from anywhere. That means if you’re commuting but you need to track your sales or send an invoice right away, all of this is possible with just a few taps or clicks. You can access it from your laptop, tablet, or even smartphone. The best part? You can know how your business is doing whenever you want as long as you have an active internet connection. Instant Collaboration – One of the biggest benefits associated with cloud-based anything is the ability to collaborate with others in real time. For example, if you and your accountant log into the account, you can both work with the data simultaneously. This can help you better understand your finances, and it can also greatly improve workflow efficiency. Enhanced Security – Finally, QuickBooks is no stranger to security, and it uses industry-recognized security safeguards including 128-bit SSL encryption to make sure your data is always safe. In fact, the QuickBooks team backs up your data for you automatically, so there’s never any risk of data loss. More Benefits to Consider Aside from the three main points listed above, QuickBooks offers much more. Business owners can create a hierarchy of access privileges that allow different levels of access for people across the company, which puts them in control of their data without sacrificing collaboration. You can create numerous business forms on the go – not just invoices – and you can choose from numerous plans designed in such a way that you will never find yourself paying for more service than you really need. It’s also especially good for inventory management since you can view quantities on hand, get real time inventory valuations, and instantly access your own purchase orders from vendors no matter where you are. Finally, because the entire platform is cloud-based, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you will always be accessing the latest iteration of the platform without having to go through lengthy update processes on your various devices. If you are looking for a software platform that is well-known, has a solid reputation for quality, and provides you with all the money and/or inventory management tools you need no matter where you are, QuickBooks Cloud Hosting can provide it, and it can make it incredibly simple at the same time. Remote Access to QuickBooks Desktop Some businesses prefer QuickBooks Desktop vs QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop’s features are often more developed compared to the online version. Unlike the monthly fee you’d incur with QuickBooks Online, you only have to purchase the software for QuickBooks Desktop program once as well. If you need remote access to QuickBooks Desktop Pro or QuickBooks Enterprise, Pennyrile Technologies offers QuickBooks Desktop hosting and remote access solutions. If you have an existing QuickBooks server you need remote access to, we can can assist with installing remote access software guarded by two-factor authentication and logging. If you don’t have an existing QuickBooks server, we can assist with this as well with our QuickBooks Desktop hosting solution.

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VoIP vs. Landline vs. Mobile – Which is Best for Your Business?

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Whether you run a small to medium business or you’ll be getting one off the ground soon, telephone service is a big consideration and something that is best to plan early on. The three options available to you include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), landline, and mobile, and the information below will help you make the best possible decisions based on your company’s needs and budget. Mobile Phone Service There’s no doubt that mobile phone service is the most broadly utilized service of the three in today’s high-tech day and age. It is estimated that some 66.6% of the global population and 96% of Americans have mobile devices. Despite their popularity, it is important to remember that mobile phones are only best for individuals and many of the benefits that make a cellphone attractive to a single person simply do not apply to small businesses. After all, the last thing you want is a dropped call or poor call quality due to touchy reception. It may not be a big deal when chatting with a friend, but when it’s a client or customer, it means everything. Traditional Landline Phone Service Prior to the incredible penetration of mobile service into the everyday lives of global consumers, landline service was considered the norm. Almost every household in the nation had at least one telephone line and number, and many had more than one to accommodate teens, home-based businesses, and more. Even medium and large businesses utilized numerous lines of traditional phone service in one location to keep their businesses connected with each other and their clients and customers. However, landline service is very expensive for businesses of any size. Each line has its own associated set of costs, and those don’t account for hardware installation, wiring, and more. Now, barely 40% of Americans utilize landlines. Though businesses are moving away from landline service more slowly, the introduction of “softphone” services delivered via VoIP is slowly phasing them out. VoIP Phone Service For many businesses – especially small and medium-sized businesses interested in scalability – there is no better solution than VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. To put it simply, VoIP is voice service that is carried on your data network rather than through copper wires. The result is phone service that is far more affordable and often even easier to use than complicated landline networks. VoIP makes it possible to add lines of service in seconds, activate call forwarding in just a few clicks, and take a telephone number anywhere as long as there is internet connectivity. VoIP continues to grow in popularity and is slated to help phase out landline service in the next few years. There’s little denying that VoIP is the way to go for businesses of all sizes. Though it can help small to medium business save money on things like installation costs up front, even larger businesses can benefit from transitioning their landlines packed with fees and charges to VoIP lines that are scalable, functional, and easy to use. Benefits of VoIP Phone Service Lower Costs – Clients on average see a savings of 60% versus traditional telephone service. Service Mobility – Users can take their phone and plug it in anywhere they have an Internet connection. This is especially helpful with users who work remotely or from home. Excellent Phone Call Quality – Today’s VoIP phone service has surpassed traditional landline in terms of call quality. Easier to Scale – Adding new phones and users or even scaling back can be done quickly and efficiently compared to traditional telephone service. Advanced Features – VoIP today has many advanced features including auto-attendants, call queuing, voicemail transcription, and more. If you are interested in VoIP phone service, contact us today for a free quote and see how we can help your business save money by moving to VoIP!

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Microsoft Office 356 vs. the Free Alternatives: Why Office is Still King

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

If you regularly deal with documents, spreadsheets, and even take digital notes, then there’s a very good chance you’ve at least heard of Microsoft Office 365, even if you don’t currently use it. Below, you can learn more about Office 365 vs the traditional product and why it still reigns supreme over the various freeware alternatives like OpenOffice and LibreOffice. What is Microsoft Office 365? Microsoft Office 365 is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s ever-popular Office suite. The suite itself comes with a host of helpful productivity tools, including Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheets), Outlook (email client), and even OneNote (collaborative note-taking and filing software). With traditional Office products, you can only use them locally. However, with Microsoft Office 365, you can take your suite anywhere as long as you are connected to the internet. Office 365 also offers affordable monthly billing in exchange for free updates to the latest versions of each of its productivity tools. Open-Source Microsoft Office 365 Alternatives Despite Microsoft Office 365’s reputation for being the best productivity suite on the market, there are several competitors out there offering similar products for free. The two most popular are OpenOffice and LibreOffice, which each offer both desktop and mobile versions of their tools. To properly compare the open-source models with Microsoft 365, it’s important to look at a few different categories. User Interface and Ease of Use: Every single open-source productivity tool suite on the market has been modeled after Microsoft Office. This is true of not only LibreOffice and OpenOffice, but also of Google G Suite, which is Google’s own productivity suite that is free for consumers and available at cost to larger businesses. Microsoft Office 365 is the king in terms of usability thanks to unique functions like Smart Lookup and the Recent Documents feature available in Outlook to make sending an email even easier. Functionality on Different Machines: All three suites tend to use about the same amount of resources, which means they will all run similarly on various machines. It should be noted that OpenOffice and LibreOffice often struggle to function properly with the latest Windows 10 updates, but they do eventually catch up. Customer Support: Microsoft’s customer support is incredibly helpful, and in fact, you will probably never even need to take advantage of most of your options. Not only do you get Microsoft official support, but you also get additional help from a bevy of licensed vendors, numerous free self-help books, YouTube videos, and more made exclusively for Microsoft products. Remote Access and Share-ability: Finally, when it comes to collaborating on documents with others, Microsoft Office 365 is the best way to go. It introduced web collaboration in 2010 and has continued to improve it over the last decade, especially with the addition of One Drive (once known as Sky Drive), that allows you to save your files in the cloud. Though freeware can save you a bit of money when it comes to your productivity tools, Microsoft Office 365 remains the best option. It offers better support, it is optimized to run on Windows 10 (like many business computers do), and it comes with collaboration features that simply cannot be duplicated elsewhere. Microsoft Office 365 also pairs nicely with various email security measures and antivirus options, too, making it incredibly user-friendly.

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A Decade from Now: 5 Predictions for the Future of IT

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Information technology has come a long way in the last two or three decades. Whereas servers once took up entire rooms, it is now possible to fit numerous servers in a room the size of a closet – something even experts would have never predicted. Below are five predictions for the future of IT that could affect the way your company does business – or at least affect the hardware and services it uses. #1 – Zero-Size Intelligence Technology is Coming It’s hard to believe, but the first computers took up an entire room and had only a fraction of the processing power of today’s smartphone devices. Today, things are certainly different, and the technologies we use to keep us connected to the world and to our businesses easily fit in our pockets. Within the next 10 years, experts believe that we will be even closer to what is known as zero-size intelligence. This simply refers to having a ton of processing power in a very, very tiny package – perhaps even the head of a pin. #2 – VoIP Will Still Be Relevant Though mobile phones have come a long way in the last several years, they simply cannot compare to the features and benefits associated with VoIP for business. In fact, companies that choose the right VoIP provider can enjoy many of the same calling features that a mobile phone would provide, including the portability. Other reasons why VoIP will remain relevant in the next decade include cheap international communication, enhanced affordability, user-friendly software, and incredible scalability. #3 – Mass Data Could Replace Independent Decision-Making IT, or Information Technology, is all about data management. In the next 10 years, experts think that the tremendous amounts of data being collected, the machines used to process that data, and the algorithms telling those machines what to do could progress to a point where many independent decisions about what to watch, what to wear, and even what to eat become a thing of the past. In fact, the technological advances may even pose moral problems in the future as people must decide how to use the vast amounts of data they collect. #4 – Youth Involvement in Technology will Increase There’s an ongoing joke that the older we get, the less “tech-savvy” we become, but it’s actually the opposite that is true. Younger people who grow up with the latest technologies fare far better in the high-tech world and they can adapt at a much faster rate than the older generations. Because of this, the younger generation is by far the best generation to drive the tech industry forward. They can build upon what they already know and create new technologies designed for convenience, safety, and more. #5 – You Will Need to Protect Yourself from So-Called “Dark” Networks The more data we collect, the smaller the world becomes. The internet allows us to gain access to practically anything we can imagine – a recipe, a chat with a friend on the other side of the planet, and more – instantaneously with a few clicks. Unfortunately, while most people use the internet for good, there are some who use it for more sinister purposes. As technology advances in the next decade, these “dark web” groups and “hacktivists” will thrive, and they will pose new challenges for businesses of all sizes striving to keep their data safe. The next decade will bring about some brand-new challenges for everyone connected to the internet, including both consumers and businesses alike. In some cases, the problems we already see today will be exacerbated. Hopefully, though, with increased knowledge and the ability to predict the actions of others, it will be possible to make the right decisions about information, technology, and the way they work together. IT Support For Your Business Predicting the future of information technology is hard, but Pennyrile Technologies is great at helping small and medium businesses secure and manage their networks. If you have needs for managing your IT infrastructure or looking to cybersecurity, contact us today for a free consultation.

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The Importance of Phishing Email Tests for Employees

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Phishing is a real threat to small and medium businesses, and if employees are not diligent about protecting the information that they can access, even the smallest mistake can cost your company everything. Phishing email tests are a great way to help you better understand your vulnerabilities, and they give you a great talking point during security meetings. Here’s what you should know. What is Phishing? Phishing is an online scam in which a criminal sends out emails pretending to be someone else and get their target to reveal sensitive information such as credit card numbers,banking information, or passwords. One example would be a criminal trying to impersonate someone within your organization like a CEO, CFO, or manager. Another example would be a cyber criminal trying to impersonate a business outside your organization like Google, Netflix, PayPal, and others, in order to get your employee to provide sensitive information. The goal is to get your employees to act out of fear or curiosity and gain access to various types of data. This may include things like a username or password or even bank account information. For businesses, the ultimate goal may be your entire network, which can be devastating. Phishing is also not limited to emails. Cyber criminals may also employee other methods such as text messaging or phone calls. The Effects of Phishing on Businesses Per a 2017 report compiled by PhishMe, the average phishing attack on a mid-sized business cost that business a total of $1.6 million – a sum that can easily cause a company to go under. The same report found that employees are most susceptible to phishing attacks that target them as consumers rather than employees. The good news in the report is that phishing susceptibility rates are on the decline; 14.1% of organizations fell victim to phishing in 2015 compared to just 10.8% in 2017. Nevertheless, it is crucial that small and medium businesses remain vigilant in their security. The effects of phishing on businesses is not limited to monetary losses either. Other examples include loss of intellectual property, damages to a company’s reputation, loss of productivity, and loss of customers to name a few. Common Characteristics of Phishing Emails A Sense of Urgency – A favorite tactic amongst cyber-criminals is to try and get you to act quickly on their request. They create this sense of urgency so you don’t have time to think things through or see how this may be an abnormal request you wouldn’t normally get or respond to. Poor Spelling and Grammar – Another common sign of a phishing email is poor spelling and grammar. Many phishing emails try to impersonate large companies such as Google and Microsoft, but then have their phishing emails littered with common spelling mistakes, unusual phrases, and grammatical errors that could easily have been fixed with auto-correct. Suspicious Attachments – Be wary of attachments in emails you weren’t expecting or don’t make sense to you. They often contain payloads like ransomware or other viruses that will infect your computer and network. Try scanning for viruses before opening or reach out to the sender to verify if possible. Too Good To Be True – Special offers or attention-grabbing statements are designed to attract people’s attention immediately. For instance, many claim that you have won an iPhone, a lottery, or some other lavish prize. Remember that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is! Unusual Senders – If the sender is not recognized as someone you would normally communicate with or you did not initiate the conversation, be wary of clicking on anything or responding to the email. Phishing emails are unsolicited, and a common tactic is to inform the recipient they have won a prize or will benefit from a discount by clicking on a link or opening an attachment. Inconsistencies in Email Addresses, Links & Domain Names – Often cyber-criminals will try to make an email address look very similar to a legitimate address, but upon closer inspection, you will see it may be off by a character or two. An example would be no-reply@yahoo.com (legitimate) versus no-reply@yahoooo.com (not legitimate). Links in emails can be hovered over to see the actual link address. If they don’t match, don’t click! What are Phishing Email Tests? Phishing email tests are mock attacks that helps you better understand everything from your company’s internal email security to your employees’ diligence in reporting phishing scams. It is a controlled environment in which an IT professional determines your employees’ awareness of cybersecurity by determining whether phishing emails can get through email security and, if so, whether your employees will respond to them. This way, you can make the changes you need to make – and properly train your employees – in anticipation of a real cyber-attack. What You Should Do with Your Phishing Email Test Results Ideally, your phishing email test should include everyone in your organization, including those at the highest levels. This way, you can better manage these employees’ awareness of cybersecurity and make the appropriate changes where necessary. Take the results of the test seriously, and use them to determine the best next step for your company, whether that involves implementing managed email security services or providing more training for people who performed poorly during the test by responding to phishing emails. The best way to prevent cyber-attacks like phishing emails is to prepare for them proactively through managed antivirus and anti-spam services that are constantly monitored and updated to prevent even the newest and most dangerous threats. Aside from this, regularly performing phishing email tests in the workplace will help you understand your susceptibility and ultimately create a safer network for your business. Phishing Email Tests Conclusion Every business should incorporate phishing tests as part of their cyber-security plan. Phishing tests help train employees, often the weakest link in any organization’s security, what to look out for and also help identify employees who may need additional training in security. If you’re ready to

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How to Hire IT Professionals for Short-Term or Limited-Time Projects

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Depending on the nature of your business and the niche it is in, you might find that you need to hire IT professionals on a short-term basis for limited-time projects. It can be difficult to find people who are willing to work as short-term employees, but outsourcing is a great alternative. Below are some tips and tricks for finding the right professional for the job. Examples of Short-Term Projects When your business is very small, it can be difficult to imagine the types of projects that might call for short-term employment of IT professionals. However, there are several. They include: Designing your network and infrastructure from the ground up Office 365 migrations Upgrading servers and workstations Installing, upgrading, or migrating firewalls and other important security measures Workstation or server data recovery following disasters or hardware failures Cabling services and conduit work Wireless network infrastructure Security cameras and monitoring Setting up virtualization or remote access as needed for your employees Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list, but it does represent some of the most common short-term projects that call for access to IT professionals. Outsourcing Short-Term Projects There are several benefits to outsourcing your entire IT department, but in this case, you may only need consulting and project help for a short time. Once again, outsourcing is often the best way to accomplish these goals. To do it, make sure that you look for a local company with years of IT experience and one that has the time and desire to help your business succeed. This way, you can overcome common issues such as language barriers, team management issues, poor quality work, and data security issues just to name a few. Problems with Hiring Internally Depending on the size and type of business you own, it is often best to leave network-related and IT projects to the professionals who best understand them. When it comes to hiring someone to help with one of the short-term projects listed above, you have two options. First, you could go through the process of trying to hire someone internally, which often involves putting ads in newspapers and on websites. Not only does it cost you a great deal of money to place these ads – money small businesses simply don’t have to spend – but it also means you will spend a great deal of time interviewing candidates for a project that you may not fully understand. Hiring staff for an IT project means managing the project remains internal. With expanded project needs, this often means increased management and training costs for the business. Also, an individual hire would not have the combined IT experience of of an outsourced IT department. Individuals also take vacations leaving you understaffed unless you hire multiple support technicians. An outsourced IT department would not have the same issue. Focus on Your Business – Not the Short-Term Project Leaving IT projects to the professionals is beneficial because it allows you to rest your mind at ease. When you choose to outsource your short-term IT projects, and when you pick a local company with a solid reputation for quality, you can continue to focus on more important aspects of your business and leave the upgrades, installations, migrations, and more to the people who have the education and experience to handle them on your behalf. Though outsourcing IT projects was once a terrifying prospect, today’s outsourcing is much different. Look for a local provider that understands your business needs and can provide you with professionals who will get the job done right – and in a timely manner – so you can focus on running your company.

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5 Benefits of Moving Your Apps to the Cloud

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

In 2017, a security report published by Intel showed that 93% of some 1400 IT professionals were using some sort of cloud service in their organization. This indicates that even small companies are truly beginning to understand the importance of cloud computing and the benefits it can provide. Below, you can learn more about the five most important benefits of moving your company’s apps to the cloud. #1 – It Saves You Money If your company still uses its own servers and other hardware to host applications locally, you could save a great deal of money by switching to the cloud. Building and operating full-on datacenters can get incredibly expensive when you figure the cost of the hardware, facilities, utilities, employees, security, and more that goes into them. When you switch to the cloud, you can cut your IT costs substantially. #2 – Cloud Computing Gives You Flexibility Cloud computing programs run the gambit of everything your business needs. Everything from your CRM software to the productivity suites you use to help keep your employees on track come with flexible payment options designed to fit your budget. Most are subscription-based, which means you only pay for the services you need for as long as you need to use them. The best part? Cloud computing is far simpler to scale than a fully-fledged datacenter. It grows right along with your business, and all it takes is a few clicks or a phone call to make it happen. #3 – It Makes Communication Simpler In today’s world, with so many professionals required to make a project come together, anything you can do to facilitate communication is appreciated. Cloud computing is one of the best ways to do this; workflow and file-sharing apps located in the cloud can be accessed by anyone from anywhere at any time. This means everyone involved in a project can see updates in real time, share documents, and communicate far more effectively. #4 – Employees Can Work Remotely Gone are the days of employees only being able to work at their desks in the physical workplace. Today, the companies that provide employees with access to their applications from home, the subway, or anywhere they happen to be are the ones that enjoy the most success. Cloud apps can be accessed from desktop computers at home or at work, from laptops on the go, and in some cases, even from mobile phones or tablets. #5 – It Makes Redundancy and Data Recovery a Snap When you store your apps, documents, and data in the cloud as opposed to on-site, it makes redundancy – which is crucial for data recovery in the event of a disaster – a breeze. If there should be a fire, a flood, or any other natural disaster that damages your servers or hardware and renders data useless, you have copies stored online that you can access immediately to prevent downtime and keep your business moving right along. Cloud computing offers numerous advantages. Not only is it incredibly affordable, but as the years go by, it becomes safer and more secure at the same time. It saves you money, promotes flexibility and scalability, makes it easier for employees to collaborate, and provides immediate access to your data in the event of a disaster or hardware failure – all of which can help your business succeed.

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5 Reasons why VoIP Will Still Be Important in 2020

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Thanks to the rise of smartphone technology, landlines are all but obsolete – at least in the consumer sector. For businesses, landlines are still very much necessary, but standard copper wires have all been replaced with VoIP service for a few very important reasons. Below are the five reasons why VoIP will still lead the pack for business phone service through 2020. #1 – International Communication is on the Rise Communication with people in other countries is what helps companies grow. Now more than ever, global markets are the very basis of success. Unfortunately, with a traditional landline, making regular hours-long calls to Europe to discuss business plans can lead to bills of thousands of dollars or more – things that small businesses just can’t afford. VoIP is internet-based, so international calls are far more affordable. #2 – It’s More Affordable in Every Way Imagine opening a brick-and-mortar location and needing 10 phones installed. Traditionally, this would mean 10 jacks and 10 lines, and this may cost thousands of dollars just to initiate – not to mention the labor costs associated with actually installing the physical hardware. With VoIP, all you need is your phones and a modem. That’s it. Everything else is easy to set up and there’s no incredibly high upfront charge. Even the monthly/quarterly service is cheaper than standard landlines, too. #3 – VoIP Is Awesome for Conference Calling While it’s true you can conference call on a landline, VoIP is the much better choice. Copper lines have serious limitations so conferencing capabilities are fairly slim. With VoIP, you can include as many people on your call as your internet speed will allow, and with so many improvements being made to VoIP with very passing year, it’s no wonder that people continue to ditch their standard providers and go with VoIP instead. #4 – The Software is Awesome With landline service, you depend almost entirely on the phone hardware to transfer calls, access voicemails, and perform everyday tasks. VoIP takes this to the next level with on-screen features that you can use to make all your calls far simpler. You can initiate calls right from your computer, listen to your voicemails all at once even when you’re away from your desk, and much more. #5 – The Scalability Can’t Be Beat As your business grows, adding more landlines can be cumbersome and expensive to say the least. What’s more, you’ll have to wait for an installer to hook up the jack before you can even start using the service. With VoIP, you can add lines yourself in some cases, and when you can’t, all it takes is a phone call to your provider. You can add 10 lines or remove 10 lines to help keep your phone plan in line with your business needs – there is no limit to the scalability. If you are still using traditional landlines for your business, now is the time to look into making the switch to VoIP. It’s cheaper, it’s better in almost every single way, and it provides you with access to features you simply cannot get with your standard phone service.

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What is Data Redundancy and Why Is It Important to Your Business

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Many business owners who are unfamiliar with IT tend to believe that backup and disaster recovery plans and data redundancy are one and the same thing. This is not at all the case, even though both disaster recovery and data redundancy play critical roles in your company’s success. Understanding the differences between the two will help you make better business continuity decisions in the long run. Redundancy vs. Recovery Backup and disaster recovery plans, also known as BDR plans, are crucial for the success of your business. These plans line out how your company will react in the event that you experience a loss of data due to hardware failure, natural disaster, cyberattack, or any other event. If you look at a BDR plan like a wagon wheel, then data redundancy is one of the spokes that keeps it all together. To put this in perspective, if you have an offsite data backup, that is considered a recovery plan, and the redundancy comes into play when you reinforce that backup by keeping more than one copy for extra protection. Why Offsite Redundancy is Critical Imagine for a second what would happen if your company experienced data loss. You will not only lose your customers’ (and your company’s) data, but you will also lose time and money attempting to recover that data to keep your business functional. In many cases where businesses experience an unexpected data loss, they find themselves unable to carry on operations for several days, and in some cases, especially for newer, smaller businesses, this can result in serious issues that may even lead to failure. Having a backup offsite is a critical part of any Disaster Recovery Plan. Offsite backups help protect against natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. They also help protect against security breaches, cyber attacks, or recovering from ransomware. Redundancy and Customer Satisfaction The most important part of being successful in any business venture involves keeping your customers satisfied with the products and services you offer them. If you cannot deliver on your promises because of data loss, then your customer service capabilities simply do not exist. For a small business, or one that is just getting off the ground, this could be a serious hit to their reputation and one that they may not be able to recover from. If you must admit to your customers that their information has been compromised in some way, they will lose the most important thing in any customer/client-business relationship – trust. Once it’s gone, it’s difficult to get back. How to Put Together a Data Redundancy Plan While you can certainly create your own redundant data backups, managing and monitoring these backups takes a great deal of time and resources that many business owners just don’t have. The best and most popular way to protect data is to hire an outside company to provide your managed backup and disaster recovery plan, which includes redundancy for your company’s safety and success. Professionals will monitor your data around the clock, and should something go wrong, they will immediately resolve it, thereby saving you countless dollars and perhaps even saving your business’s reputation along the way. No matter how small your business might be, and even if you’re just getting started, if you rely on data for your success, then redundancy should be at the top of your priority list alongside backup and disaster recovery. By keeping multiple copies of your data backups in more than one place, you can easily recover that data in the event of an emergency without downtime, without loss of trust, and without spending a small fortune.

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Can a Network Security Assessment Benefit Your Company?

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Data breaches occur almost every single day around the world, and not even major companies like Equifax and Capital One are immune to them. If you are concerned about your business becoming the next victim of a hacker’s determination to gain access to personal information, a network security assessment could be just what you need. Here are some of the benefits you can expect. You Can Find Potential Security Holes Even if you have a firewall running alongside some of the best antivirus software imaginable, there are still security holes that you may not have covered. Failing to use email security technology, for example, leaves your company vulnerable to ransomware, which is especially common among small to medium businesses. Trying to find these holes yourself can be impossible, especially if you don’t have expertise in information technology and security. A network security assessment is always a great idea for these reasons. It Enhances Cloud Security The cloud is the place to be in today’s digital age. It’s far more difficult for cybercriminals to access data in the cloud than data on a server or hard drive, and the cloud is also the perfect location for copies of your backups to promote redundancy as well as business continuity. Not all cloud platforms are the same, and the way your company accesses the cloud may be leaving you open to attack. A network security assessment will help you enhance your cloud security and keep your information even safer. You Can Lower Your Operating Costs In many cases, a professional network security assessment can even help you lower operating and capital costs by removing unnecessary and redundant equipment or programs. Essentially, you may be able to combine some functionalities and save money on programs you just don’t need. You can also lower your operating costs by reducing the likelihood of an attack that could lead to a data breach or even ransomware, which can leave you unable to access data at all until you can restore it. You Can Make Sure You Have the Security You Need Unless you have a full IT team on board or you’re using a managed IT service already, there’s no real way for you to know whether your security actually lines up with the architecture of your network. No two networks are exactly the same, and for this reason, no two networks have the exact same security needs. By allowing a professional team to run a network security assessment, you can figure out the best ways to be certain that the security level and type you have is right for your network. The main benefit of a network security assessment is the ability to find serious holes that could ultimately cost you your business altogether. No one is immune from attacks, and if some of the world’s biggest companies can become targets, smaller ones can, too. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to schedule a network security assessment right away and make any necessary changes to protect your network and data.

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QuickBooks Cloud Hosting Makes Managing Your Business Easier

VoIP vs. Landline vs. Mobile – Which is Best for Your Business?

Microsoft Office 356 vs. the Free Alternatives: Why Office is Still King

A Decade from Now: 5 Predictions for the Future of IT

The Importance of Phishing Email Tests for Employees

How to Hire IT Professionals for Short-Term or Limited-Time Projects

5 Reasons why VoIP Will Still Be Important in 2020

What is Data Redundancy and Why Is It Important to Your Business

Can a Network Security Assessment Benefit Your Company?

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