Your Business Is More Likely To Be The Victim Of Cybercrime

 

Though we’re in the midst of an unprecedented rise in high-profile cybercrime incidents, it’s easy to assume that our own much smaller businesses are safe. Sure, we think, hacking into the data stores of J.P. Morgan, the U.S. Government, or Virgin America can net hackers millions and millions of dollars.  Why would they bother with a small and medium business?

 

But unfortunately for all of us, hackers actually do bother with small and medium businesses across the country — these attacks just don’t make the news. By some estimates, including one reported in Media Planet, more than half of small businesses have had their data compromised. According to StaySafeOnline.org, these attacks, targeting small to midsize companies, now comprise over 70% of all data breaches. What’s worse, this digital onslaught shows no sign of slowing. In fact, ransomware attacks alone have increased 250% since 2016, accompanied by higher rates of malware, phishing, and other forms of cybercrime.

 

Once you see these numbers, it’s easy to understand why hackers seek the little guy. These days, massive corporations like Google or Citigroup employ incredibly sophisticated digital measures. Their digital vaults, though containing ludicrously attractive sums of potential money to grab, are located at the end of a virtual labyrinth covered in traps, with a final, inches-thick steel door protecting their assets for good measure. In contrast, the digital assets of smaller businesses are often hidden behind nothing more than a single, often weak, password. With thousands of businesses going about their day-to-day, utterly oblivious to their paper-thin IT services and security, the question turns from “Why would hackers bother with my business?” to “Why wouldn’t they?”

 

Though cybercriminals may come away with less than they might have had they targeted a Fortune 500 company, it certainly isn’t going to seem cheap to you. According to one TechRepublic analysis, an average cyber-attack on a small and medium business can cost as much as $256,000. Is that a sudden cost your company can weather?

 

Luckily, there is hope. Though small and medium businesses often assume that effective cybersecurity solutions lie far outside their budget range, robust digital security is now more affordable than ever. By investing in comprehensive protection, smaller businesses can deflect even the most persistent hackers.

 

Today, a cyber-attack on your business is almost statistically inevitable. And when that attack comes, you’ll definitely want to be prepared. If you haven’t needed a doctor for the past two years, does that mean you’re going to abandon your health insurance coverage? Of course not. What about car insurance? Does it become unnecessary in the absence of a crash? No, because even if you’re the best driver in the world, sometimes a collision is out of your control. What’s more, both your body and your car require regular upkeep and maintenance to remain in peak condition. It’s no different with your network security. As technology hurdles forward at an ever-increasing speed, the ways that hackers can infiltrate your network multiply. The best digital security platforms constantly update, enabling them to anticipate these shifts and prevent them from becoming liabilities. This way, you can be proactive prior to a digital crisis, ensuring that no matter what comes, your network is protected especially when you work with IT support Fayetteville NC.

 

Even as digital crime climbs at a staggering rate, and hundreds of small and medium businesses are forced to close their doors for good, thousands of businesses fail to notice, assuming they’ll somehow be spared from an attack. Don’t be one of them. Invest in regularly maintained, powerful IT Services Fayetteville NC, and ensure the future of your company.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now to know more about our cybersecurity solutions and how we can help protect your company from various kinds of online threats. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

What are the benefits of managed IT services?

 

Whether you’re a business executive or a seasoned IT professional, managed IT services simplify your work and make it less complicated so you could concentrate on the things that are more important.

Managed IT services Fayetteville NC offer several benefits including industry knowledge, dedication, as well as the expertise of the whole IT department, who are focused on delivering your core business.

Managed IT services lets you remain focused on expanding the core competencies of your business while a managed service provider could assist you with your daily tasks of more complex and time consuming projects like:

• End user support
• Cybersecurity
• Asset and computer system management
• Disaster recovery
•  Cloud computing

The managed service providers will boost the competitiveness and efficiency of your business by providing your firm with the advantages of managed IT services Fayetteville NC.

Benefits of Managed IT Services

Scalable and Predictable Spending (OPEX)

Investing in IT infrastructure and systems can be very costly. If making such investments require predicting and upfront operating expenses, it would be hard on your company once it starts growing. With outsourced IT services, these expenses will be consolidated into a fixed and single set of operating expenses.

Since the providers of IT support Fayetteville NC generally operate with fixed monthly rates, repairs, maintenance, and hardware breakdowns are factored into the operational budget and will not put a strain in your budget once they happen unexpectedly.

Avoid Sunk and Operational Expenses

Having an in-house IT team means you have sunk costs including office upkeep, insurance, benefits, and monthly salaries. Aside from that, it will take time and money to train the employees so they can familiarize themselves with the existing processes and systems. With IT outsourcing, you will cut back on your significant capital expenditures that are associated with the management of in-house systems that add little to almost no value to your company.

IT outsourcing also helps you save on emergency repairs, training, licensing, and consulting. You will also benefit from the lower labor costs once you sign the managed services agreement, which will help you save time, too.

Faster Response Time

Nowadays, businesses can’t afford to experience any kind of technical difficulties or have their staff do nothing because of system or network problems. You will lose a lot because of a downtime and that is why you need round the clock customer service. With a managed IT service provider like SpartanTec, Inc., you can be assured that someone will help you whenever you need it.

Expertise and Experience

Working with a managed IT service provider gives you access to a team that has the experience, certification, training, and qualifications that are specific to the industry you belong in. You will also have access to the most recent technology on the market and it could be implemented smoothly and quickly.

Proactive Monitoring and Repair

Aside from getting access to IT experts and their skills, you will also receive proactive solutions once you work with a reliable managed IT service provider. Monitoring and the management of your IT will help catch problems before they turn into serious issues. Managed IT service providers are quick to respond and also promotes business continuity because of the minimal downtime.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you're looking for a managed IT service provider that offers 24/7 IT services for a reasonable price. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

4 Questions to Ask When Evaluating MSSPs

 

The growing threat landscape coupled with a shortage of cybersecurity talent is attracting more organizations to outsourced IT security. Managed security service providers (MSSPs) are becoming part of a sound cybersecurity strategy — especially for organizations with limited budget and in-house support staff.

Global researcher Research and Markets estimates the MSSP market size to grow from $17.02 billion last year to $33.68 billion by 2021. At the same time, PwC found that 62 percent of surveyed companies use cloud-based managed security services for initiatives such as threat intelligence, authentication and real-time monitoring and analytics.

Managed IT services Fayetteville NC have many advantages. However, no two MSSPs are alike and it’s important to conduct your due diligence before choosing a vendor.

Trends Driving MSSP Market

The scarcity of information security professionals has been growing. Frost & Sullivan estimates that by 2022, the gap will be 1.8 million workers — a 20 percent increase from last year’s forecast.

Clearly, the dial isn’t moving fast enough to attract new generations to the industry. And the underground economy is booming. Better tools are making it easier for bad actors to breach companies regardless of size.

The Benefits of MSSP Outsourcing

Organizations are finding that outsourcing cybersecurity to an IT services Fayetteville NC offers benefits beyond just closing the IT security talent gap.  These include:

• Cost efficiency: There is a reduced operational cost because you can upgrade infrastructure only when needed and operate with a leaner in-house security team.
• Expertise: You can access top security talent, yet you don’t have to worry about the challenge of drawing from a small pool of workers.
• Compliance: MSSPs typically specialize in specific areas of compliance, and they stay current with new regulations.

Outsourcing may not be for everyone, but if your company is consistently struggling to keep the data secure and the infrastructure current, you should give this option a serious look.

Factors to Consider in Choosing a Provider

When you’re evaluating the capabilities of the IT support Fayetteville NC provider, ask these key questions:

1. Do you provide an end-to end solution?

Even when point solutions work with each other, they don’t necessarily provide a seamless integration and often issue competing alerts increasing the chance that something will fall through the cracks. Ask potential MSSPs if their solution includes an architecture that provides both comprehensive detection and coordinated defense and intelligence sharing across the enterprise.

2. Do you have the right capabilities?

The IT service provider should have highly trained, highly skilled security professionals with experience in your sector that are consistently being trained on the latest threats and technologies.

3. Does your solution scale?

Even if you’re not using the cloud or integrating IoT devices now, choose a provider that can scale services to protect data outside the network perimeter. A vendor that uses a multi-device management strategy will easily adapt as your needs grow.

4. How do you use threat intelligence?

Threat intelligence is ineffectual if it’s not actionable. Take the time to understand how the MSSP applies threat intelligence to its defense strategy — shared threat intelligence across the entire enterprise mitigates risk faster and more effectively.

A partner of Fortinet and managed security services provider, SpartanTec offers comprehensive security services with advanced, independently validated technology designed to adapt to emerging threats. Contact us to learn how partnering with us for your managed security can help you improve your security posture.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

5 Ways To Prevent Data Breaches

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Businesses need to prioritize data security especially these days when high profile information security breaches are almost always making the headlines. Organizations today face a one in four chance of having an information data breach that would cost about $2.21 million over the next two years. The aftermath of a data breach includes distrust, revenue loss, decreased loyalty among customers, and a negative reputation for your brand.

Prevent Information Security Breach

Asset Inventory

Visibility of what software and hardware assets you have in your network, as well as physical infrastructures, would help you get a greater understanding of the security posture of your organization. An asset inventory could also be used to create ratings and categories around the vulnerabilities and threats your assets may come across with. Ratings and categories for these vulnerabilities could assist you in prioritizing the remediation efforts that would occur on these assets.

Information security breaches add emphasis to endpoint protection. It’s not enough to have an antivirus installed to prevent a major breach. As a matter of fact, if you depend only on your antivirus software, you’ll be leaving your endpoints such as your laptops and desktops, widely exposed. Your devices would become the entry points for breaches.

An in-depth endpoint solution would utilize encryption to stop data leaks and loss, implement unified policies to protect data across all your endpoints, networks, servers, thereby lowering the possibility of a data breach.

Vulnerability and Compliance Management

Using a VCM or vulnerability and compliance management tool or at least completing a vulnerability assessment can help you pinpoint weaknesses, gaps, as well as misconfigurations in the security within your virtual and physical environments. VCM could check your IT assets and infrastructure continuously for compliances, vulnerabilities, as well as configuration best practices. An effective VCM lets you develop an action plan for remediating such vulnerabilities and designate them to the appropriate employees.

Audit Security Posture Regularly

Undergoing audits on a regular basis to determine potential new openings in governance and compliance would help in your security posture validation. A security audit would be a more comprehensive assessment of your business’ security policies compared to the penetration testing or vulnerability assessment. A security audit will take into account the dynamic nature of the business and how the company deals with disaster recovery as a service.

Common Questions During A Security Audit

• Does your business have documented policies about information security?
• Did you set up escalation profiles, management processes, and processes document and monitored, and a playbook in case there’s a breach?
• Did you prepare network security mechanisms?
• Did you set up a log and security monitoring?
• Did you come up with a Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan?
• Did you test your applications for security flaws?
• Do you have a change management process set up at each level within the IT setting?
• How do you back up your files and media? Who can access the backup? Have you tested your restore procedures?
• Have you reviewed the auditing logs? When do you review them?

Employees Must Be Trained and Educated

Once you have completed your security policy audits, you can now implement a written employee policy that involves data security and privacy. You need to conduct security training regularly or hire an IT support Fayetteville NC expert who can do that so that all of the staff members know about these newly created policies since they won’t comply with policies they are not familiar with. When you are setting up your security policy for your staff, you should take into account training on these things:

• Using different unique passwords on devices that are used at work
• Enforcing a documented system for employees, contractors, or vendors who are set to leave your company (laptop access, key cards, passwords, etc.)
• Training staff on the importance of reporting data security leaks or information security breach
• Developing a policy that will describe how your staff should deal with, get rid of, restore, and even send data

Your staff requires training on the kinds of phishing attacks that take place these days. Phishing is a common method used by cybercriminals to spread ransomware in an organization. If you could train and educate your staff about the signs to search for in a dubious email, your business will be well served. Work with a reliable IT services Fayetteville NC that can help you achieve this objective.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts help you establish security measures and protocols to mitigate online security threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Disaster Recovery vs. Disaster Recovery as a Service

 

Several factors come into play when you’re considering whether on premises Disaster Recovery solutions are better than working with a Disaster Recovery as a Service provider. The primary consideration is always the cost. Do you have the budget to own and run your own DR solution? Are you capable of designing, implementing, or managing a DR solution effectively and make sure that it adapts to your company’s evolving computing needs? Does is it make sense, in terms of your finances, to handle Dr, rather than invest your money and employees in other aspects of your business?

A lot of companies are starting to realize that in-house DR solutions are unable to offer ROI on capital. They are searching for something else that’s more affordable and Op-ex-based services. The IDG research said that 77% of the CIOs claim that they would like to cut the overall expenses of DR solutions, and these executives prefer to work with disaster recover as a service providers to take care of this issue.

Are managed DRaaS solutions more affordable? You should first understand the architecture and management of your DR solution. Generally, your company’s DR solution must replicate the functions of your company’s production environment. A DRP solution, at a high level, will need IT support Fayetteville NC employees, facilities, administration, as well as the infrastructure. Such as setup will involve a substantial amount of capital to buy all the networking, data centers, software, and hardware, needed to support your DR solution.

The Costs of Disaster Recovery

Generally speaking, your DR solution becomes idle if there’s no returning value on your investment. The software maintenance, infrastructure, power, connectivity, labour, and data center are the ongoing costs that you have to deal with. Such elements mean making a large upfront payment as well as ongoing operating expenses linked with owning the solution. Compounding such expenses is required to make sure that your DR solution upgrades in line with your company’s production environment. This will double the price of every upgrade. To make things more complicated, new DR solutions cannot be taken in until the current purchased solution has reached its amortization.

DR Solution Vs. Monthly DRaaS Subscription

When comparing a DR solution to a DRaas Subcription, you should consider preconfigured hardware, enterprise-grade, maintenance, as well as support linked to your DR requirements. The burden of having to maintain the other site will be moved to the vendor thanks to the DRaaS subscription. This way, upfront costs are eliminated and the overall operating costs are reduced. Backup and managed DRaaS will reduce the capital as well as the labor intensive expenses of an on-premises DR.

Apart from the advantages in the cost savings that come with utilizing DRaaS instead of having your very own DR solution, you have to think about the downtime costs. It can be effective to implement your DR plan onsite but DRaaS that uses cloud computing can offer quicker recovery times when providers customize the process properly.

Service and Convenience Considerations

Users would also like the level of the IT service Fayetteville NC from the customer support of the DRaaS to meet or even exceed their expectations. Small providers that have a well managed customer support program have the highest customer satisfaction ratings. Meanwhile a large DRaaS provider with several clients may be at risk of becoming overwhelmed when their clients require customer support at the same time.

Even if the one time expenses associated with the DR hardware seem to be appealing compared to the DRaaS subscription fees, a real comparison will take into account the solution’s overall operational cost. If you take all of these costs under consideration, the results will tell you that DRaaS is the most responsible option.

 

Stop worrying about your business and client data when unexpected events happen. With our Disaster Recovery services, your company will be better equipped at handling unforeseen disasters. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now for more information.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence