With the advent of the always-on computers, live internet, PDA and cell phone, and mobile data, comes the risk of not knowing what is happening to that proprietary (or even sensitive) information stored on these devices.  If you were to lose access to that data for even a day or two, what would that do to your business operations?  How much income would you lose, and how long could your business survive such a productivity loss? Did you know that the FBI reports that more than 2 million laptop computers are lost or stolen every year.  97% of these are never recovered.  What if that were your laptop or office PC, or worse your file server?  What would you do without your information? Do you have a disaster recovery plan? What about a firewall to protect that information after hours when you are not in the office? We can help you protect your information, and give you a plan and peace of mind!

We wanted to share this with our loyal blog followers.  Very important that we pay attention to this and address it within your organizations. http://www.krebsonsecurity.com/2010/03/online-thieves-take-205000-bite-out-of-missouri-dental-practice/ If you have questions please let us know.

As a business owner you naturally want to be sure that the infrastructure of your computer network is protected from any unauthorized access.  In conjunction you want to insure that your computers, peripheral devices, network connectivity and so forth are continuously monitored for stability and staff productivity.  Unfortunately many people have no idea where to start or how to achieve any of this.  Fortunately, however, this is where your experience managed services provider (MSP) can help.   The following is a list of areas your MSP should be covering in order to insure your and data is secure and your network continues to run smoothly.

• A commercial grade security appliance (firewall) will make sure hackers, malware and infections don’t get into your infrastructure. iServPro works with a number of industry vendors.  One of these is Fortinet and their Fortigate series is the solution we recommend to our clients.     
• A quality endpoint security, like Trend Micro’s Worry Free Business Security Product, will ensure that viruses and spyware don’t infect your computers and servers.
• Your MSP should also implement policies on the servers which allow permissions based on job functions of the employee to access different areas of the network and internet. 
• If you have a wireless network your MSP can encrypt your passcodes for the highest level of security so unauthorized users/hackers cannot access the network wirelessly. 
• Your MSP should continually be applying the latest critical security patches to your Windows desktop PC’s, laptops and Windows servers.
• All corporate e-mail should be run through a system that checks for spam, viruses and phishing attempts.
• In addition to all these tasks, your MSP should regularly verify that your back-ups are complete and that a disaster recovery plan is in place.

If you are unsure if your current provider is meeting these requirements, please feel free to contact iServPro.  We will be happy to conduct a third-party review of your infrastructure and policies.

Is your current IT provider meeting or exceeding your expectations?  As the small business owner have you even set the expectations for that relationship? Obviously when you purchase a service, especially IT support services, it is because it’s not your area of expertise.  You now have to rely on someone else to set up, fix and manage these systems.  You have invested in these technologies so that you can improve your business.  Does your current IT provider partner with you to help you achieve your business goals?  If your systems aren’t running smoothly and your vendor isn’t being effective it will negatively impact the quality and level of services you provide to your clients.  But how can you be sure you are getting what you are paying for? Here are some things you need to have proof of from your IT support:

• Are they qualified to do what you are paying them to do?
• Are they monitoring your system?
• Do they alert you to problems before it affects your business?
• Are they keeping your systems and antivirus software current?
• Are your business critical systems being backed up daily?
• Have they provided you with a disaster recovery plan?
• Have they implemented security policies and hardware to keep your business, employees and data safe?
• Are they a true “partner” to you and your business?

If you unsure if your current “computer guy” is providing these services so that you ARE getting what you are paying for, you can find the answers for a reasonable price.  We at iServPro will be happy to conduct an independent, third-party audit of your systems to put your mind at ease.

As small business owners we often say, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”  But when it comes to technology service, when something breaks your business can bleed money rapidly.  Being proactive in managing your business’s   technologies will not only save you time -- it will increase the productivity of your staff, as well as boost your over all profits.   

Unfortunately, many business owners wait until there is a major problem before they think to ask for help from their “computer guy.”  This tactic will most definitely leave them with a much higher cost to get back up and running than had they been proactive.  Here’s an example, a $1 million company will lose nearly $500 per hour for every hour during a technology outage.  You can add to this the hourly rate from the “computer guy.”  And, if he isn’t qualified to do the work they will have to wait even longer for a resolution.  As they say, “time is money.” 

Another common mistake business owners make is to assign their most computer savvy staff member to be their “in-house” IT technician.  This just takes this employee away from their other duties and can put the business at risk from a poorly maintained and unstable technology environment.

By being proactive and utilizing your trusted IT services provider you can stay a step ahead of disaster.  Through iServPro’s Proactive IT Services  (Bronze, Silver and Gold packages), your business will be maintained and monitored so you and your staff can remain productive and profitable while saving the cost of a full-time IT employee.

iServPro specializes in cost-controlled IT services and solutions for small to medium businesses in the Indianapolis area - whether or not you have in-house IT staff. We can also offer enterprise-level solutions for large organizations. From a one-time project to ongoing fully-managed services, we can help lower your IT costs and improve your level of service and security.