Guest Contributors

1. Intruder Alert: Secure Your Remote Access Tools From Cyberattackers 4/3/2020

   Recent large-scale hacks (like those on LinkedIn and Yahoo) have raised awareness about the risks of using insecure passwords. As a managed services provider (MSP) and trusted advisor to your customers, it’s more important than ever to consider the security options of the remote access tools you use to support your clients every day.

2. 18 Things To Make Your Remote Work Secure, Convenient, And Stress-Free 4/3/2020

   New to remote work? There are a lot of processes IT has put in place to make your lives easier and more secure in the office. If you’re transitioning to work from home, our checklist can help you put similar processes in place to make your experience more secure, reliable, and, ultimately, more enjoyable.

3. Why Technology Solution Providers Need To Focus Less On Features And More On Values 4/2/2020

   As technology continues to evolve and adapt to keep up with the demands of the future, one constant remains for businesses looking to grow and succeed: providing and maintaining excellent customer service and interactions. For technology solution providers (TSPs) who have historically focused on how to message and market their technology, shifting their efforts toward building relationships with customers and teams will lead to stronger bonds, greater trust, and more success.

4. Avoiding Tablet Hell: How To Manage A Client’s Third-Party Technology Woes 3/30/2020

   Your clients are using more third-party technologies than ever before to meet the needs of their customers. Here is the trick to use this obstacle to your advantage.

5. Why Not Offering A Full Business Platform Is Costing You Money 3/30/2020

   In today’s ultra-competitive business environment, you need to change your approach if you want to stay relevant. This means going beyond selling individual products and services to instead offer a full business platform.

6. Reducing Backup Failure Rates By 72% 3/27/2020

   An IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) supported their customers’ backup processes using native reporting from a variety of different backup products. Neither the MSP nor their customers were getting the level of reporting detail needed to effectively monitor the accounts. Without standardized, visual reports detailing backup success and failure rates, the IT Service Provider did not have continuous high levels of confidence that their customers’ backup processes complied with internal policies and industry regulations. 

7. Safeguarding IT Infrastructure Against COVID-19 Phishing Scams 3/27/2020

   Dealing with phishing scams is an everyday responsibility for IT operations professionals. Safeguarding an organization’s data from fraudulent attempts to obtain employee usernames and passwords to secure IT systems has become a core competency. After all, no organization wants to face the same crisis that retail giant Target did in 2013, a cyberattack exposing over 70 million customer records which all started from the email phishing of an HVAC supplier.

8. Safety First: How To Continue Delivering On-site IT Support 3/26/2020

   Ironically, as many workers go fully-remote, on-site support is often necessary to make remote work possible. Depending on the company’s IT maturity, many companies will have to configure VPNs, add remote VOIP capabilities, and set up an RMM system on-site before employees can work from home. Grocery stores need to be able to support an influx of visitors and maintain 100% uptime on point-of-sale and WiFi systems to manage inventory and purchases. Medical care facilities, hospitals especially, must have reliable, secure internet to serve patients.

9. Staying Cyber Resilient During A Pandemic 3/23/2020

   We’re all thinking about it, so let’s call it out by name right away. The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is a big deal. For many of us, the structure of our lives is changing daily; and those of us who are capable of doing our work remotely are likely doing so more than we ever have before.

10. How To Hire Technicians To Build The Ideal Team 3/17/2020

    Finding the right person to hire can be a challenge. According to Glassdoor the average U.S. employer spends about $4,000 and 24 days to hire a new employee/colleague. While it is essential to look for the right technical skills and experience that match the job criteria, a smart and effective hiring process should also involve digging a little deeper to assess whether the candidate fits your company vision and workplace culture.