Cloud Computing – 4 Things Every CIO Needs To Consider

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CIO Needs To Consider

When adopting cloud technology in a business, every CIO needs to consider four important factors.

We know CIOs still have concerns when it comes to the cloud. However, with the right preparation and understanding of how the technology fits with the business, the transition is smoother than one might believe.

1. Migration Costs

We’ve heard from businesses that backtrack on their decision to adopt cloud computing simply due to migration costs. While the cloud is a cost-saving measure, the cost savings don’t begin from day one. As with any technology investment, the upfront cost is often surprising.

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The Reason Outsourcing Improves Network Stability

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Outsourcing Improves Network Stability

Network performance can make or break a business. A company with superior products and services could easily fall to the competition if they consistently experience network outages.

We rely on our networks for communication, accessing applications, interacting with consumers and more. This reliance is why IT outsourcing is becoming more common.

Downtime Costs Businesses

We realize that network downtime can’t be prevented 100% of the time. For instance, a natural disaster could knock out power and telecommunications throughout a large area.

However, downtime from an unstable network is 100% preventable. While it might not seem like 15 minutes here or there is that bad, imagine how many customers get cut off during conversations or how much downtime businesses experience from employees sitting around unable to access email or cloud apps?

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Best Practices For Regulatory Compliance

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Regulatory Compliance

Businesses aren’t allowed to operate without following specific rules. For some businesses, those rules are stricter than others. For instance, financial companies have stringent regulatory compliance guidelines to follow to keep user data safer.

Managing compliance isn’t always straightforward and we understand this issue. After all, we have our own rules to follow. We utilize a few best practices to help ourselves and clients stop struggling with compliance.

Know The Industry’s Regulations

The first step is the easiest. We recommend creating a clear list of all regulatory compliance rules. It’s also important to review this list on a regular basis.

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This Is Why You Need A Disaster Recovery Plan

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Disaster Recovery PlanBusinesses face the risk of disasters every single day. However, many don’t have a disaster recovery plan.

We’ve served as a witness to the nightmare that happens when a natural disaster, cybersecurity incident or equipment failure renders a business helpless. We can’t stress enough how important it is for every business to have a clear plan in place.

Downtime Costs Money And Reputation

Every minute a business is down is lost revenue. For instance, if our systems were to completely go down, we wouldn’t be able to receive calls or emails from clients and potential customers. Our clients rely on us to be there for them. If we’re not, we could lose them. The same goes for potential clients.

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Don’t Give Hackers The Opportunity

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Hackers

Cybersecurity should be a top priority for every business, but we also know that IT budgets often lead to compromises.

The problem is hackers constantly look for any vulnerability. We’ve all seen businesses ruined from a cybersecurity attack that could have been prevented.

Cybersecurity Statistics

Some experts believe the cost of cybercrime attacks will cost $6 trillion annually by 2021. In 2016 alone, ransomware attacks earned hackers $1 billion. These numbers alone are proof that hackers aren’t about to give up on their nefarious activities anytime soon. It’s too profitable. This means businesses must take cybersecurity seriously or potentially become hackers’ next target.

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The Benefits Of Mitigating The Risks When Outsourcing

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Mitigating the Risks

Mitigating the risks when outsourcing gives businesses the support they need without the fear of everything backfiring.

We know it’s difficult to trust someone else when it comes to IT support and consulting, but picking the right partner makes all the differences and removes the risks. We recommend carefully researching any provider to ensure they’re actually the right choice.

Stay In Control 

A common fear we hear from clients is the fear of losing control over their systems, projects and files. Mitigating the risks in this area is easy. A reputable outsourcing partner doesn’t take over.

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Why Outsourcing Tech Support Gives You A Better ROI

Posted by & filed under Outsourcing.

Outsourcing Tech SupportWe can’t count the number of times businesses have told us that outsourcing tech support wasn’t in their budget. Ironically, it could be what helps their IT budget.

In many cases, outsourcing IT provides a better ROI than hiring part-time or full-time employees.

No Salaries Or Benefits

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for IT Tech Support employees is $39,743 per year. Of course, that varies based on the business and location, so some may earn over $80,000 per year. However, this doesn’t include healthcare, vacation time, 401K and any other benefits.

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Why We’re Obsessed With Not Letting Go Of Our IT

Posted by & filed under Outsourcing.

Letting Go Of Our ITLetting go of our IT gives many businesses the same stomach dropping feeling as standing on a high ledge.

Let’s face it. We’re obsessed with not letting go. Even when outsourcing could be more cost-effective, businesses hold tight to their trusted in-house IT departments. But it could be time to just let go.

Loss Of Control

Despite IT outsourcing spending rising to its highest point in five years, many businesses are still hesitant. Outsourcing in 2017 accounted for 11.9% of IT budgets. This shows that outsourcing is growing, but we’re still not letting go of our IT in-house.

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Why It’s Important To Choose An IT Partner That Skips The Geek Speak

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Geek Speak

We all expect to hear geek speak at tech events like hackathons, but we prefer to keep the jargon out of client conversations.

We’re an IT partner that realizes just because we know the terminology, doesn’t mean everyone else does. It’s our job to help and that means explanations versus technobabble.

Geek Speak’s A Foreign Language

As this BBC Capital article explains, geek speak is like a foreign language to someone who’s never learned it. It’d be the same as speaking French to someone who only speaks Spanish and expecting them to fully understand us.

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A Look At Amazon Web Services Through 4 Case Studies

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Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a powerful set of services that provide the infrastructure necessary to run a business in the cloud.

We know it’s sometimes difficult to figure out if a service is right or not, but these case studies show exactly how AWS helps businesses thrive and grow via the cloud.

1. GRAIL

GRAIL is a life sciences company seeking to study cancer and find better ways to detect it early. The company wanted to run one of the largest genomic sequencing studies ever.

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