Managed Services Archives - Tech Prognosis Blog

Survive Cyber Attacks With A Backup And Disaster Recovery Plan

data backup and recovery cloud services

There’s no way to predict the future, and Murphy’s Law tells us that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. If you and your business or organization do not have a well-thought out recovery plan, your company’s data is teetering on the edge of a cliff without a safety net.

Having a comprehensive and well thought-out data backup and disaster recovery plan in place when there is data loss can help your organization or business survive malicious cyber attacks like ransomware.

In the last few years, we’ve seen plenty of organizations in the news for suffering huge damage from cyber attacks. And there does not seem to be any pointers that cyber incidents are going to reduce any time soon.

However, while cyber attacks as a cause of downtime have almost doubled as the cause of data loss, the rate at which it continues to cause downtime havoc will depend on improvements made to defensive and responsive measures like having a backup and disaster recovery plan.

What are backup and disaster recovery?

There’s an important distinction between backup and disaster recovery.

Backup is the process of making an extra copy (or multiple copies) of data. You back up data to protect it. You might need to restore backup data if you encounter an accidental deletion, database corruption, or problem with a software upgrade.

Disaster recovery, on the other hand, refers to the plan and processes for quickly reestablishing access to applications, data, and IT resources after an outage. That plan might involve switching over to a redundant set of servers and storage systems until your primary data center is functional again. (more…)

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November 19, 2019

Desktops / Disaster Recovery / Managed Services / Network Monitoring / Operating Systems / Remote Connectivity / Servers

Benefits of A Server Computer For Small Businesses

Image of a computer network administrator managing a server computer

While cloud computing comes to mind when discussing file storage and sharing, the fact still remains that a server computer may really be all a small business or organization needs to improve business and office productivity.

Can a server computer really help your business? So many small business owners seem to think otherwise. The argument is that the old converted Microsoft Windows desktop “server” computer sitting in a corner is doing just fine.

However, that is a disaster waiting to happen and it is bound to become a great drag on business and employee productivity. Server computers are built for storing data in a central location which ultimately saves everyone a lot of time, effort and stress. Think about it for a minute. With your corporate files in a central location, there is less need for your workers or users to try and figure out where a specific file is or who is currently using a specific document. Servers also make it very easy to collaborate on numerous projects and whenever someone updates a file, the new information is instantly available to all.

If your business or organization is still operating in a Peer-to-Peer network environment, you need a network server.

Peer-to-Peer or work-group systems do not provide much in the way of security, and resource sharing can be somewhat problematic. In addition, your organization and users will have problems accessing other workstations, could lose data due to virus or spyware infection, and will likely experience intermittent Internet connectivity problems.

Computers networked in a peer-to-peer fashion may be adequate when you only have a few users on the network, but once you have more then 5 or 6 users on your business network, your organization should really consider investing in a network server computer.

What Is A Server Computer?

A network server computer allows organizations to centralize administration, data backups, file storage, share printers and documents, and host databases. (more…)

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September 28, 2019

Managed Services / Money Saver / Small Business / Tech Tips for Business Owners / Technology Advisor

Proactive Technology Management As Money Saver For Small Businesses

Computer network administrator working with many applications in a proactive technology management environment.

Every dollar a small business spends needs to have an immediate and quantifiable return. This is especially true for critical services such as I.T. support. If you are one of the millions of small businesses that depend upon your technology to keep your business running, proactive Technology Management will save you money, improve your efficiencies and reduce your downtime.

The Solution

With the advent of new monitoring tools and the ability to remotely deliver help desk services to small businesses all over the world, Managed IT Services Providers have developed proactive Technology Management plans for their clients that maximize their uptime and reduce I.T. costs over time. By implementing newly available automated processes, systems can be patched and updated overnight without the need for onsite visits, or disrupting an organization’s work day. (more…)

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September 25, 2019

Cloud Computing / Disaster Recovery / Enterprise Computing / Featured / Managed Services / Small Business / Storage

The ABCs of a Business Continuity Plan

The ABCs of a Business Continuity Plan: How To Stay in Business After an Extended Outage

You’ve probably heard this sermon a million times, but we will keep harping on it until small business owners start taking the issue of business continuity and disaster recovery planning more seriously. Especially in this new era of daily reports of ransomware attacks.

Those in the trenches know the familiar drill: you get a call about a failed hard drive, a system that is down, a lost laptop, a folder encrypted by a former employee, or the worst, an inaccessible office. Of course the first statement you make is “no problem, we’ll just restore from backup“. That is until you see the guilty look on the client’s face and the reality hits you: there is no backup or if there is one, it is either not up to date or has never been verified.

Business continuity is about having a plan to deal with difficult situations, so your organization can continue to function with as little disruption as possible. (more…)

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September 16, 2019

Enterprise Computing / Managed Services / Networking / Small Business / Tech Tips for Business Owners

Is Your Computer Network Killing Your Business?

Your computer network is more important than ever. When it slows down, your business slows down. When it’s under attack, your business is under attack.

In the past, you could use a simple consumer WiFi router. Today, that’s like having your front door open 24 hours a day. Disaster will strike – the only question is when.

You are losing money when your network is not managed. Here are a few ways it happens:

Employees Wasting Time

When a network isn’t managed, your staff can reach any website at any time. They can use company resources – like your computer and internet connection – to chat on Facebook and play games. How much time have they wasted already? (more…)

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September 10, 2019

Ethics / Managed Services / Small Business / Tech Tips for Business Owners

Contracting With A Managed IT Services Provider

Contracting

When the time is right for your business to bring on a Managed IT Services provider there are several things to consider before signing a contract. Businesses both large and small have certain needs that are better managed by professionals. Contracting with a managed service provider allows owners and upper level management to focus their attention on growing and managing the business.

Teaming up with a managed service provider has several benefits if you choose the right partner. Conversely bringing on a managed service provider that doesn’t understand your needs or one that is unable to provide the level of service required can be an expensive mistake. Here we look at the things you should consider before signing on the dotted line. (more…)

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September 4, 2019