Information security is a key component of keeping your organization’s data secure. Without proper information security, your company could be vulnerable to cyberattacks, data breaches, or leaks of company-sensitive information. Security policies include processes for accessing and handling information, whether on-site or remotely.
Microsoft Exchange is a high priority for organizations that rely on email communication internally and externally. IT teams have been anticipating the end date for Exchange 2010 support; similar to other Exchange versions, the support period typically occurs 10 years after the product release. Originally, Microsoft was planning for the extended support end date for Exchange 2010 to be Jan. 14, 2020—the same as Windows 7 and Server 2008. However, the extended support for Exchange 2010 has been pushed back to Oct. 13, 2020.
More and more businesses are turning to managed service providers (MSPs) to handle the complex IT solutions required to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. However, some still view the MSP as the guy who fixes the computers when they go down. The role of the MSP has evolved since the days of the single consultant who would come in and reconnect the printer or remove a virus from your computer.
Businesses are increasingly feeling the need to re-architect their enterprise networks in order to accommodate the rapidly growing demand for wireless connectivity. Many of them are now compelled to build their own enterprise wireless network to support the influx of mobile devices, Internet of Things, and cloud-based applications, as well as increased adoption of WiFi-hungry practices like BYOD.
IT budgets continue to increase each year as business needs evolve, requiring more digital needs and larger infrastructure—according to Spiceworks, 88 percent of organizations expect their IT budgets to stay the same or grow in 2020. Businesses are looking to replace older operating systems by providing hardware such as laptops and to improve security setups to protect sensitive business and personal data.
Over the years, businesses’ mission-critical technology has expanded at a rapid pace. A network no longer consists of only servers, client computers, and basic networking equipment. Cloud computing has been introduced to host “X as a Service” solutions and applications that rely on big data, allow mobile and remote endpoints, network shares, and multiple communication applications, just to name a few. Even the solutions meant to secure the network and endpoints have grown complex to the point where a misconfigured security solution could leave an organization vulnerable.
This is why many organizations turn to outside partners to conduct a network security assessment. Having one performed by a trusted partner lets you know not only where your organization's security posture currently stands, but also what you can do to better protect yourself from the current threat landscape.
As with most emerging technologies, BYOD (bring your own device) is now something that is accepted among most businesses. BYOD policies benefit both the workers who bring their own personal devices into the workplace and the businesses that allow for it.
Ransomware has quickly become one of the most troublesome issues that businesses deal with nowadays. In the US alone, ransomware attacks cost organizations more than $7.5 billion in 2019, and there are no signs of them slowing down in 2020. Multiple city governments, hospitals, and businesses have all been victims of ransomware attacks.
The threat landscape has grown so large that attackers can now buy and sell ransomware as a service. Couple this with the fact that new strains and variants of this type of malware are added on a frequent basis, and it becomes evident that ransomware is a threat you have to take seriously. And you must do so immediately.
If you are unfamiliar with the term operational intelligence, you may think it is another aspect of the data-driven decision-making bandwagon. At a high-level view, you would be correct; operational intelligence relies on data to help you make better decisions. However, unlike business intelligence, which measures data with a lag of hours and sometimes days, operational intelligence is measured in real time so you have an accurate look at what is going on at any particular moment in time.
Businesses rely on data for just about everything they do. No matter the industry, access to real-time data is necessary to make decisions, identify patterns of behavior, determine root cause analysis, and so much more. So as a business leader, you need to ask yourself where will all of this data will live—in the cloud or in an on-premises data center? Both options have their advantages, and they both have their drawbacks. The question can only be answered by looking at the pros and cons of each to determine which is best for your specific scenario.
