Managed IT Services Blog

Virtualization technology is nothing new. Popularized in the early 2000s, the technology that virtualization is built upon actually dates back to the 1960s, when IBM aimed to increase the efficiency of computers through time-sharing. 

Time-sharing, a process of sharing computing resources, laid the groundwork for modern-day virtualization where resources from a single computer are divided into multiple virtual machines. For example, a single server may be split into three separate servers, each one utilizing a third of the CPU, storage, and other resources.  However, modern-day virtualization allows for much more than that. Hypervisors, the software that enables virtualization, help organizations rely on virtualization for data, desktops, servers, operating systems, and network functions.

When it comes to choosing a partner for managed IT services, companies may run into issues finding the right partner because of the overwhelming amount of noise in the local Boston market. There are a number of companies fighting for market share, and with the global market share expected to rise to 296.38 billion dollars by the year 2023, you can expect even more companies to start vying for your business. 

To think that IT security is only a problem reserved for large enterprises is to put your business at a serious disadvantage. In fact, more and more small to medium-sized organizations are investing more in IT security because they understand that they are at risk. According to the 2018 State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium Size Businesses study published by Ponemon, 67 percent of respondents experienced a cyberattack in the year 2018, and 58 percent of those attacks resulted in a data breach. 

 IT security remains a challenge for organizations of all sizes, but there are steps you can take to reduce the risks. Adhering to these three key IT security strategy pillars is the first step you should take. 

Since the early days of the computer virus, cybersecurity professionals have developed new ways to address the threat landscape. However, just as the good guys find new ways to defend against these attacks, the threat actors responsible are also evolving their methods to bypass these security controls. 

When you are vetting a new vendor, there are certain questions that you need answered before you do business with them. Although these questions differ based on the service or product you are purchasing, the vetting process itself is no different whether you are looking for IT services in Boston, the northeast, or anywhere else in the country. There are specific questions that you should ask to make sure that whoever you choose as a managed services provider for your business’s IT is a match for your individual needs. At a very minimum, any IT services provider should be able to answer the following questions for you. 

Recently, one of our clients expressed concern because they noticed that personal information was showing on users’ profile cards in Office 365. This information included users’ home addresses and personal phone numbers, among other information. 

No one should be surprised that when systems go down, businesses lose money. What might be surprising is just how much money is lost because of downtime. According to Forbes, businesses averaged a loss of $100,000 for one hour of downtime in 2017. A small business in the Boston area may not lose numbers like that, but any amount of loss could have devastating effects. For this reason alone, many small to medium-sized businesses turn to managed IT services. Managed service providers (MSPs) provide your business with a talented and experienced team of IT professionals who offer around-the-clock coverage to help prevent system outages from causing your business to lose money.

In 2017, The Economist made the statement that data had surpassed oil as the world’s most valuable resource. This statement came 11 years after mathematician Clive Humbly said, “Data is the new oil,” and echoed others who have also made comparisons to show just how important and valuable a company’s data is. 

Data loss can cost a business operational downtime, lost sales, and unexpected expenses to get the data back. Many data loss incidents are the result of cyberattacks, which can expose your business to other vulnerabilities. 

According to Spiceworks’ 2019 State of IT Report, 58 percent of companies that were surveyed expect to increase their IT budget from last year. An additional 27 percent expect no change in their budget, and only 7 percent expect the amount they have to spend this year to decrease. 

More organizations are realizing the benefits of using cloud storage services for their data. The embrace of cloud storage for data is so dramatic that in the most recent Cisco Global Cloud Index, it was predicted that by 2021, cloud data centers will process 94 percent of all workloads.