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Leveraging the Cloud in the Modern Workplace

If you feel a bit “hazy” when it comes to understanding “the cloud,” you’re not alone. While many businesses have adopted cloud solutions in recent years, some leaders still have questions about what the cloud actually is and why they should use it.

In simple terms, the cloud refers to servers accessed over the internet that host applications and store data. Rather than storing data on local servers or personal devices, cloud computing allows you to access these apps and files from any internet-connected device.

There are a few types of clouds:

  • Public clouds that serve multiple customers (e.g. Microsoft 365, Dropbox)
  • Private clouds used by a single organization
  • Hybrid clouds that combine public and private elements

At Now Micro, we help clients implement cloud infrastructures to give them greater access, robust security, and more control. Moving to the cloud gets technology out of your way so you can stay focused on business priorities.

Other ways cloud technology is beneficial include:

  • Increased accessibility: The ability to access files and tools from anywhere on any device not only accommodates a hybrid work schedule, but also increases collaboration.
  • Scalability: You can easily add/remove features and users based on needs, rather than overpaying for unused capacity.
  • Enhanced security: Reputable providers invest heavily in security measures and best practices. Our team helps configure tools properly to keep your data safe.
  • Greater efficiency: Cloud providers handle maintenance and updates, freeing up your IT staff. Solutions also tend to be more user-friendly.

Now Micro helps you implement a cloud-based infrastructure, giving you unparalleled access, robust security and greater control in your environment. Moving the infrastructure to the cloud pushes technology out of the way so you can focus on your job.

If you have questions about moving infrastructure or workloads to the cloud, Now Micro has the expertise to help. Our core competencies around implementing cloud solutions include Office 365, Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, Power BI, Cloud PBX, Intune, and more.

With the right guidance, you can transition smoothly to the cloud and gain all the advantages it offers. Contact our Professional Services team to get started!

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Streamlined Device Refreshes with Now Micro

Leveraging Customized Services to Simplify Purchasing, Provisioning, and Management.

Device refreshes allow organizations to take advantage of the latest technology and improve security, productivity and user experience. But for many companies, going through the process poses numerous hurdles.

At Now Micro, we understand those challenges and offer a partnership to make the process easier for our customers. We make device refreshes easy through our customized purchasing, provisioning, and ongoing management.

Tailored Purchasing

We start by understanding your specific needs and goals. Do you need laptops? Tablets? A mix? What applications and software will be required? Any specific security protocols?

Armed with this knowledge, we curate the ideal mix of devices purpose-built for your organization. Our experts handle procurement, leveraging our strong vendor relationships to get you the best pricing and products.

Streamlined Provisioning

Getting new devices deployed can eat up IT resources. We direct ship configured equipment right to your end users, ready to go out of the box. This includes imaging, software installation, security protocols, and any other customization.

Our imaging services save you time and effort while ensuring your new devices are optimized for your environment.

Ongoing Management

We also offer ongoing asset management to keep your technology up to date and secure. This includes order and device information, warranty lookup, open API, device monitoring, user editable fields, geotracking, IoT device management, and more.

With Now Micro as your device refresh partner, you get a tailored, turnkey experience. We handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on your core business. Contact us today to learn more!

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Mastering Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Business from Evolving Threats

In today’s digital landscape, protecting your business from cyber threats is essential. Here are 5 efforts that will significantly enhance your cybersecurity status and minimize the risk of attacks. Let’s explore practical advice and best practices to safeguard your business against malware or other cyber-attacks.

  1. Strong Access Controls: Control access to systems and data with strong passwords, regular password changes, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Apply the principle of least privilege to limit access. Regularly review and revoke access for employees who no longer require it.
  2. Up-to-Date Software and Systems: Keep operating systems, applications, and firmware updated with the latest security patches. Enable automatic updates and maintain an inventory of software and hardware assets to promptly address vulnerabilities.
  3. Robust Security Solutions: Invest in comprehensive security solutions, including firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, antivirus/anti-malware software, and email filters. Configure and update these solutions to match evolving needs.
  4. Employee Education and Training: Educate employees on cybersecurity best practices, such as identifying phishing emails, safe browsing habits, and password security. Foster a culture of accountability and encourage prompt reporting of suspicious activities.
  5. Incident Response Planning: Develop an incident response plan to minimize the impact of a cyber-attack. Define roles, establish communication protocols, and regularly test and update the plan to align with emerging threats.

Protecting your business from cyber threats requires a proactive and multi-layered approach. By implementing these efforts, you can significantly enhance your cybersecurity position. Remember, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and staying informed and proactive is essential to safeguarding your business.

At Now Micro, we offer a variety of solutions to help you achieve cyber security and tackle the 5 tips above. Reach out to see how we can help!

Stay secure, stay safe!

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Saving Money with a Managed Service Provider – By the Numbers

In previous blog posts, we have explained that working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can help your company save money. But what does that mean? Below we will prove how MSPs will help your bottom line by the numbers.

  1. A recent IBM research report states that almost 27% of organizations outsource to reduce costs. 
  2. A McKinsey Global Institute study states outsourcing IT services reduces costs by 60% in the US. 
  3. An MIT Sloan Management Review study witnessed a drop of $121.14 million in non-IT operating costs as IT outsourcing increased to $96.14 million
  4. As per a Deloitte study, 64% of the companies consider cost-savings as the primary factor driving them towards outsourcing.

Outsourcing is the way to go if reducing costs is on your mind. But, you must be clear that it is more than just that. A cost-saving-focused approach to outsourcing is good, but you cannot disregard the other pros of outsourcing. It can save time, offer you the latest tech stack, let your managers focus on the core functions, and much more.

Outsourcing is undoubtedly the future, and if you need to stay competitive, working with Now Micro can take you to new heights. Now Micro’s goal is to provide services and solutions for every aspect of your technology needs. We have got you covered from end-users to enterprise data centers and up to the cloud.

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6 Benefits of Moving to a Cloud-Based Infrastructure

What is the cloud?  

The cloud refers to servers that run on the internet rather than a local physical server. This system allows you to access data remotely. A few examples of cloud services are Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and Microsoft OneDrive, to name a few.  

What is a Cloud Infrastructure? 

A cloud infrastructure is much like a physical/on-prem infrastructure. A Cloud infrastructure mimics things like servers, switches, storage, etc. Computing, networking, storage, and virtualization make up a cloud infrastructure.  

What are some of the benefits of a business moving to the cloud? 

  • Increased Security 
  • Cost Savings 
  • Disaster Recovery 
  • Reduced Risk 
  • Collaboration across teams 
  • Better Accessibility 

Increased Security 

One of the most beneficial aspects of the cloud is security. Unfortunately, no matter who you are, you are at risk from hackers, malware, phishing, and other cyber-attacks. Moving to the cloud can add an extra layer of support for your important data.  

  • When you store a file in the cloud, your files are encrypted, which means the files are difficult for cybercriminals to access.  
  • The cloud provides consistent and regular patches, reducing malware infection risk. 
  • When a business has critical data, it is far safer to keep that information off-site.  
  • With the cloud, it is easier to maintain compliance requirements. 

Cost Savings $$$ 

Cost is a significant factor when businesses decide to move to the cloud or not. Therefore, looking at the initial cost of making the migration and all the benefits of a cloud-based infrastructure is essential. For example, 98% of organizations say a single hour of downtime costs over $100,000 https://www.the20.com/blog/the-cost-of-it-downtime/#:~:text=According%20to%20Gartner%2C%20the%20average,hour%20at%20the%20higher%20end.  

Disaster Recovery  

Disasters happen; we all know that. Unfortunately, downtime for a business can be one of the most costly challenges a company faces because it leads to a loss of productivity, revenue, and reputation. With a cloud-based infrastructure, your business can recover far quicker than you can if a physical server fails. 

Reduced Risk 

When your data is stored in physical hardware like a computer or server, it is at a greater risk of loss. For example, if the server fails or the computer dies, you might not be able to get your data back. Things like viruses, age, and natural disasters can all cause hardware to malfunction. In addition, they can also be lost or stolen, posing a security risk.  

You can access your data from any computer anywhere when you store your data on a cloud-based server.  

Collaboration across teams 

The cloud allows employees within the same organization to share information and collaborate on documents or other important company data. For example, with SharePoint, four employees can be working on the same document simultaneously, and the most recent version will be saved and accessible to all employees who have access.  

Better Accessibility 

Since the start of the pandemic, many businesses have decided to allow their employees to work from home part-time, if not 100% of the time. The cloud enables employees to access their company’s network from anywhere. In addition, they can access critical files and data from anywhere, increasing productivity and efficiency.  

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How to Equip Your Office for Hybrid Work

The ongoing pandemic is changing the way companies are structured. Remote work adds flexibility to workers’ lives and protects them from COVID-19, while in-person work allows staff to communicate nuances and socialize. Companies are now offering their employees the best of both worlds: a hybrid office. Read our top 4 tips on providing the right technology for a smooth transition into hybrid work.

Hoteling Stations

The new hybrid office system can look different for every company or for different departments within one company. For example, not all employees work on the same day in many companies, so to save space, a company could opt to have unassigned desks, also known as hoteling. Pairing hoteling with seamless workstations makes for a great hybrid office that saves space and money.

Invest in seamless workstations

After working the last two years at home, many employees have perfected their home technology to be able to work exactly how they want. However, with hybrid schedules, going back and forth between home and the office can be quite the hassle if you’re bringing things like laptops, headsets, and charging cables back and forth. A way to solve that challenge is to invest in seamless workstations for assigned desks or hotel stations. The arrangement can look different depending on each company’s needs. The setup used at Now Micro allows staff to bring only their laptops and plug them into monitors, which connect the laptop to charging, a wireless keyboard, and a mouse.

Conference Room AV Setup

Some days employees may choose to be in the office, while others work remotely. However, that doesn’t mean meetings have to only occur in person on only by video. Simply adding a small media player, a display on the wall, a web camera, and a speaker/microphone can equip conference rooms to help teams collaborate no matter where they are working.

Borderless Data Center

Storing company data can be challenging when employees are based in many locations. A solution to this is the borderless data center. The borderless data center is a hybrid cloud concept that brings the basic tenants of cloud computing to the brick-and-mortar data center for seamless application operation. Disaggregating the traditional physical infrastructure through a cloud-enabled Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) facilitates a software-defined, unified system combining all the elements of a conventional data center: storage, compute, networking, and management into a cloud infrastructure on-premises with lower costs, more control, and improved security.

Office setup and workplace culture are not going back to the way things were before. Therefore, it is essential to adapt to the times and equip offices that push us towards a more innovative future. Now Micro and its partners are here to help your office transition to a hybrid office. To learn more, visit nowmicro.com or email sales@nowmicro.com.

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Five Reasons Why SMBs will invest in an MSP in 2022 

As times change, business owners need to adapt. Here are some reasons why an SMB may be considering an MSP

1. Modernizing IT 

As SMBs move to modernize their IT, they don’t have the expertise to keep up with the complexities of managing and maintaining their IT environment.

2. Employee Growth

Despite the pandemic, many organizations are growing rapidly. But unfortunately, some can’t keep up with the growth. For example, they can’t continuously upgrade and install the number of endpoints, onboard new employees, or educate them on the best security practices.  

3. Not enough IT support

Many SMBs do not have an internal IT employee, and one of their employees must take it on as an extra job responsibility which decreases productivity. If they do have an IT employee, they often are faced with more pressure than they can handle alone.

4. Outside threats

 Over half of businesses have faced some type of financial cyberattack in the last year; most SMBs don’t have the resources to combat these risks internally.

5. Compliance

Compliance is a tricky concept for most SMBs. Working with an MSP can help them adhere to the often changing regulations.

Since most businesses rely nearly entirely on the internet to perform their day-to-day operations, an important goal for SMBs is to strategize and prioritize digital transformation. Unfortunately, this is no small task and can be very overwhelming for SMBs. However, a Managed Service Provider can take on the entirety of IT management, allowing them to mitigate risk, get the best return on their technology investments, and educate their employees.

If you are interested in learning more about how Now Micro can help you manage your IT more effectively, or you’d be interested in receiving a free network assessment, reach out to Sydney Ellison at sydneye@nowmicro.com or check out our website.

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The Consequences of a Cyberattack on SMBs

Nearly every company relies on the internet for its business operations, which means almost every company is at risk for a cyber-attack. In last week’s blog post, we discussed why Cybercriminals are targeting SMBs, but what are the consequences of falling victim to a cyberattack or data breach for SMBs?

Downtime

After a cyberattack, an SMB is likely to face significant downtime, which means their employees cannot do their jobs. While one can expect revenue to take a substantial hit from downtime, employee productivity usually is the most significant consequence. Employers are still required to pay their employees, they may be missing deadlines, and downtime may cause excess stress on their employees.

The cost of downtime = minutes of downtime x cost per minute.

Damage to hardware 

In the event of a cyberattack, malware, or data breach, not only is your data at risk, but it can also cause damage to your hardware such as PCs, Servers, and more. In addition, the repair or replacement of hardware can be very costly.

Fines and penalties

Legal and regulatory requirements seem to be constantly changing, which can be very overwhelming for a business owner. However, business owners must comply with these rules and regulations, and when they don’t, they are subject to fines and penalties costs.

Damage to reputation and loss of customers

When a company falls victim to a cyberattack, their customer data is often compromised, leading to a loss of customer trust, which leads to customers taking their business elsewhere. Data breaches also hurt attracting and obtaining new customers when the news is public.

High costs

In the event of a cyberattack, an SMB is likely to experience downtime, damage to hardware, fines and penalties, damage to reputation and loss of customers, and more. Each of these consequences has its own cost, and sometimes it is enough for a business to close its doors for good. Forbes states that the average cost of a single data breach on an SMB is $149,000. Additionally, 76% of SMBs have experienced a cyberattack in the last 12 months.

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: It is no longer a question of if your business will be the target of a cyberattack, but when. Can you afford the consequences of a data breach?

Working with a Managed Service Provider can help you better secure your network and prevent cyberattacks from happening. To learn more about our managed services, visit our website or reach out to Sydney Ellison at sydneye@nowmicro.com.

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Why are SMBs being targeted in cyber-attacks?

Did you know that small to medium-sized businesses are potentially more vulnerable for cyber-attacks than large businesses? With the growing complexity of IT challenges, it’s crucial to stay up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats and how to protect your business.

A Foot in the Door

Cybercriminals target SMBs because they are often a foot in the door to hacking into larger companies. SMBs are often vendors for larger entities and may have access to online portals and the banking information of these companies. Cybercriminals go for SMBs because they are likely to have weaker cybersecurity practices, making their vulnerable information, customer data, intellectual property, and financial data easy to compromise.

What to look out for

Every year, cybercriminals are advancing how they target their victims, which can be tricky to spot. Below are the leading causes for security breaches:

Weak and Stolen Credentials/Passwords

Hackers will take any opportunity to steal weak passwords from organizations. The key is to have a policy that requires strong passwords that include eight characters, at least one upper case letter, one number, and one special character.

Back Doors & Application Vulnerabilities

Sometimes software applications are poorly written, or network systems are poorly designed. These may have holes that cybercriminals can easily exploit and get your data directly without needing a password. The way to prevent this is to make sure software and network systems are up to date and properly patched.

Malware

Malware is software loaded unintentionally that a hacker can open up and exploit a system through. The key to avoiding malware is never downloading anything from questionable websites or opening suspicious emails.

Social Engineering

Have you ever received a fake email saying you’ve won a million dollars? That’s what social engineering is. It’s easy to evade cyber-attacks from this tactic as long as you know that if something looks too good to be true, it is.

Insider Threats

An angry employee or unaware employee can cause harm on your networks if given access to data. The simple solution to prevent this is to ensure that you keep your data backed up and your permissions up to date.

Physical Attacks

Hackers don’t always sit at home to commit cybercrimes. They can break into your building and use your computers to find secure data. Make sure your physical structure is protected to prevent a security breach.

Improper Configuration

Sometimes mistakes can be made when configuring systems, so it is essential to triple-check and have multiple people look at the work to keep errors minimum.

There are plenty of resources out there to help you get started on securing your company’s data. One of them is working with an MSP, like Now Micro. To learn more about our managed services, visit our website or reach out to Sydney Ellison at sydneye@nowmicro.com.

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The Future of SMBs

Modernizing technology and increased cybersecurity practices will be top of mind for small to medium business (SMBs) owners moving forward. Despite the pandemic, many SMBs expect growth over the next few years, which means an increase in employee headcount and revenue. This news is great; however, as employee headcount increases, so does IT usage and complexity.

According to ConnectWise, 48% of SMBs plan to upgrade their IT systems in 2022. In addition, over half are looking to make collaboration easier for employees working in the home and the office. While most companies are not shifting to a 100% remote policy, many are adopting a permanently hybrid business model. These policies include implementing new in-office practices to increase productivity and collaboration.

One of the biggest trends among SMBs is cybersecurity and migration to the cloud. Benefits of the cloud include limited downtime, delays, more flexibility, and an additional layer of security. In addition, cybersecurity and migration to the cloud help create a seamless hybrid work environment.

Here are six reasons for SMBs to invest in cyber security:

1. Protecting company data and intellectual property

2. Protecting customer privacy and financials

3. Compliance with rules and regulations

4. Growth of mobile users

5. Protection of physical assets

6. Digitalization of business operations

SMBs face more challenges than ever, growing IT complexity, lack of resources, new working environments, cyber security threats, lack of IT knowledge, and compliance overload. Luckily, SMBs owners don’t have to take on all this pressure alone. Managed Service Providers can efficiently manage IT remotely while educating their clients on best practices. As a result, an MSP can ensure that SMBs get the best return on their technology investments.

If you are interested in learning more about how Now Micro can help your SMB get the most out of their IT, contact me directly at sydneye@nowmicro.com, or check out our website for a free network assessment!