The Bay Area IT Experts

Data Redundancy

As a small business owner, you probably are aware of the importance of having a redundant copy of your company’s data. The cloud simplifies the backup process by incrementally updating your backup as you change files. By providing a copy of your data off-site, you also gain peace of mind should something happen to your in-house infrastructure.

Remote Working and Mobility

Since businesses gain the flexibility of accessing files and data from anywhere with an Internet connection by using the cloud, these platforms fit in perfectly for small businesses who have people working remotely. 

Collaboration

Whether your team works in one location or many, the cloud can really help fuel collaboration. Sending and receiving files is a snap, and many cloud-hosted applications provide the ability for multiple users to access one file and work together on it. 

File Storage

With the cost of a centralized server prohibitive for most small businesses, cloud computing can provide storage space and access for much less. The cloud also allows you to shift the storage of large files off of your local system if you already have one in place. This saves local storage for the files you need to access every day.

Scalability

Cloud computing is very scalable, making it a great platform for project teams that expand and contract rapidly. It also doesn’t come with large upfront costs, so when you need to add user profiles, your business isn’t on the hook for a massive upgrade cost.

Communications

Today, there are cloud-hosted communications platforms that can save businesses a lot of money. Solutions like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can provide a business an enterprise-level business telephone system, with mobile support, for a fraction of the cost using traditional services. 

The cloud is one of the most useful solutions for small businesses and startups. If you would like to talk about all the options you can gain by using cloud computing, call 415 IT today at (415) 295-4898.

Improved Efficiency

Every business wants to run efficiently. In order to do so there has to be a campaign to minimize obstructions. If your staff is forced to stop and start and wait for IT support to come, you are not only paying more that you should for IT support, you are paying for downtime. A help desk eliminates those problems by allowing staff to have direct access to around-the-clock technicians that can help mitigate any technical computer issue they may encounter. More than that, there is a record of all transactions to ensure transparency of what is going on with your company’s hardware and software. 

Seamlessness

For any customer of a service, consistent delivery is a key factor. With a help desk available to your staff, you get the same service delivery regardless of the issue. Not only is there a workflow that is maintained, the business gets guaranteed results in a timely manner across multiple platforms. Regardless if you are reporting a problem via a website, making a call to the help desk line, or you are working remotely and are contacting the service from a mobile device, you can expect the same diligent response to your business’ computer problems.

Improved Productivity

The better your business’ IT functions, the better your business will function. Our help desk uses cutting edge technology that prioritizes issues, making sure that the most pressing problems are taken care of first. Additionally, many help desk solutions integrate with a business’ management software, allowing for administrators and managers to set scheduled events quickly from the help desk dashboard. 

Resolution to Potentially Devastating Problems

Sometimes, IT problems can be just a blip on the radar and sometimes they can have a huge effect on the way your business is forced to function. If problems with your IT can be resolved quickly, operations can get back functioning as projected. Doing so creates a more productive environment for your staff to function in, and allows for more aggressive business tactics. A help desk allows trained technicians to troubleshoot problems remotely, resolving issues quickly that could normally cause long stretches of downtime. Additionally, all resolutions are documented so that everyone understands the root problem, helping people to resolve issues quicker. 

Library of Information

Building a knowledge base for all the IT-related problems your staff has encountered can be a major benefit in the way that those problems are viewed should they pop up again. Not only does it save time and money, it provides a solution that every staff member can count on when their IT is on the fritz. 

If you would like to know more about getting a help desk solution that works with your business’ digital resources, call the IT experts at 415 IT today at (415) 295-4898.

COVID-19 and Cybercrime

Here’s the hard truth: cybercriminals are nothing if not opportunistic. Therefore, it only makes sense that they would take advantage of any situation… even one that has caused as much pain, loss, and conflict as the COVID-19 pandemic has.

It also hasn’t helped matters that many more people are working remotely than ever have before. As people have tried to stifle the spread of the virus, social distancing has become a common precaution, so those who can still perform their job without spending time in the workplace have done so at a much higher rate. While this may be an effective way to limit coronavirus infections, it can have the unintended consequence of promoting malware infections and other cyberthreats.

For instance, many organizations have seen notable increases in the following threats:

Human Error

As more people than ever have been working from home, the likelihood of mistakes has increased considerably. People are less focused with their families at home, in addition to the many distractions that just aren’t present in the office. As a result, they are more prone to errors, which can commonly lead to security incidents. 

Take, for instance, Public Health Wales, one of the 11 member organizations that make up the Welsh branch of the National Health Service. On August 20, somebody in the organization mistakenly uploaded the personal information of 18,105 COVID-positive Welsh residents, where it remained for about 20 hours and was viewed 56 times.

Phishing and Ransomware

Again, while working from home, many people are relying on communication tools, particularly email. Historically, cybercriminals—specifically, phishers—have used email to their advantage as a threat vector to leverage phishing attacks and distribute various forms of malware. Phishing has commonly been used as a means of spreading ransomware in the past, and now that people are still seeking out news regarding the coronavirus, phishing is often easier than ever if related keywords are included.

Credential Hacking and Brute Force Attacks

Last year, businesses were already experiencing a considerable amount of data issues due to their credentials being either stolen, or brute-forced, by hackers. This year, cybercriminals have had even more success with these tactics, as many employees have been functioning outside of the office, its protections, and the heightened awareness that the professional workplace can bring.

Healthcare Organizations May Face the Biggest Risks

Figuring out why cybercriminals so often go after healthcare organizations is a bit of a no-brainer. After all, there are several factors that would encourage this trend:

• Healthcare organizations possess a significant amount of personally identifiable information and payment card credentials.
• Due to the strict consequences that a healthcare organization might face following a breach, they may be motivated to pay up just to get the situation over with.
• If not for that reason, a healthcare organization can’t properly care for their patients without access to their data, adding another motivation for it to comply with a cybercriminal’s demands.

Of course, the current crisis has added its own assortment of complications to many healthcare organizations in terms of their cybersecurity (in addition to the other operational stresses, of course):

• Telehealth has experienced a growing interest from hackers as more people exercise it as an option.
• Scrutiny of healthcare organizations and their policies has risen as other breaches are revealed.
• Contact tracing applications have raised concerns about patient privacy, as data is collected to help protect the public health. Even if these applications are built to be secure, these healthcare organizations will likely have a tough time getting many people on board.

While there are many factors and circumstances that all businesses, especially healthcare organizations, must consider right now, 415 IT can have their back. Give us a call at (415) 295-4898 to learn more about our IT and support options.