3 Things to consider before you sign-up with a cloud services provider
3 Things to consider before you sign-up with a cloud services provider More and more SMBs are migrating to the cloud and that is not a surprise considering the numerous benefits the cloud can offer them. For a SMB, the cloud is a cost efficient and secure answer to their growing data needs and IT security requirements. The cloud grows with them and lets them scale their business without worrying about a corresponding rise in IT costs. Plus, with the cloud, the important aspects of security and backups are mostly taken care of by the cloud service provider. And then, there’s the convenience of any-time-anywhere data access. With all these benefits that the cloud brings, what’s there to think about before signing up with a cloud service provider? While are a lot of benefits of storing your data on the cloud, but your data is still yours, so there are a few things you need to know and be comfortable with before you jump onto the cloud. Data storage location Ask your cloud services provider where, (as in the location of the data center) your data will be stored. Ask them if they have multiple data centers and if yes, then, will they be backing up your data and storing them at different places. It is great if your cloud services provider does that, since that ensures higher safety of your data. How secure will your data be? Yes. When you hire a cloud services provider, a major chunk of your data’s security responsibility is passed onto them. You don’t have to really worry about your data security, but, you still need to know how they plan to keep your data safe. Ask your cloud services provider for details regarding their data security procedure. Have them share all policies, SOPs and data security frameworks that they claim to have in place. Past performance/data loss history Everyone talks about their best projects in a sales meeting. What you really need to know are the worst ones. Ask your cloud services provider to share with you their data loss/downtime trends for the past one year. Observe the trend. How often does their system give way and how long does it last? This is important for you to understand, because this metric translates into loss of business for you. And finally, don’t forget to ask for a client list. Like we said before, everyone highlights the good things about themselves in a sales meeting. If you really want to know how good your cloud service provider is, ask them for a client list–both current and past. Check how many of them are from your industry vertical. Try reaching out to those who are willing to talk. Find out what they like the most about your cloud service provider and what aspects they find negative. Find out why their former customers left them. Usually customers are pretty good indicators of the quality of service a business provides. Hope these tips help you finding a cloud service provider who fits in well with your needs.
Best Chrome extensions to install
Google Chrome is fast, clean, and versatile. It delivers a great browsing experience to users, so it’s no surprise that it has the widest user base out of all web browsers. It’s also expandable and customizable, thanks to the thousands of extensions available at the Chrome Web Store. It can be quite taxing to sort out every extension there is, so to help you save time, we’ve compiled a list of the best Chrome extensions you should install. StayFocusd As the name suggests, StayFocusd helps you stay focused. This is a perfect tool for people who work on computers all day to stop themselves from getting distracted by the many wonderful things on the internet. Essentially, it’s an extension that restricts your time on websites that can cause your productivity to dip, particularly social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Once you’ve reached the time limit, StayFocusd blocks access to those sites, reminding you to focus on your work. AdBlock AdBlock claims to be the most popular extension for Chrome. It has over 10 million active users, and for good reason. In a virtual world full of advertisements, AdBlock offers a break by blocking most ads from showing on Chrome. It’s also bound to improve your experience and increase the speed of your browser, since it blocks shady advertisements on the web, some of which are designed to trick people into downloading something that could harm their computers. LastPass Remembering passwords can be quite a headache; good thing there’s LastPass. While Chrome already has a built-in password manager, LastPass is a better option when it comes to password management. Instead of trying to memorize countless passwords for your online accounts, LastPass can generate new and secure passwords every time you log in to a website and sync your passwords whenever you need them. With LastPass, you can easily gain access to your accounts, enter credit card details, and fill out online forms with just a few clicks. Evernote Web Clipper Never lose anything on the internet again by storing web pages on Evernote. While you can mark sites by using Chrome’s built-in bookmarks option, Evernote is a more powerful option. The extension allows you to quickly and easily save web content from Chrome and transfer it straight into your Evernote account. With the press of a button, you can grab an image from the web page, make annotations, create summary links, and save a distraction-free version for later use. Pocket Pocket is another way to keep track of your favorite web content. With Pocket, you can save articles, videos, and any other web pages for later viewing. Simply hit the Pocket extension button when you come across something interesting and that page will automatically be synced to all your devices, so you can view it at any time, even without an internet connection. With Pocket, you can set things aside when you have important work at hand. If you can’t read the content now, Pocket it for later. Momentum Momentum is an alternative new tab page that replaces the default Chrome landing page. Equipped with a personalized dashboard that features a beautiful scenic background, a daily inspirational quote, the weather report, a to-do list, and quick links widgets for your favorite sites, Momentum could just be the dose of inspiration you’re looking for. Learn more about the different productivity apps the Chrome Web Store has to offer. Get in touch with our experts today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
3 Things to consider before you sign-up with a cloud services provider
3 Things to consider before you sign-up with a cloud services provider More and more SMBs are migrating to the cloud and that is not a surprise considering the numerous benefits the cloud can offer them. For a SMB, the cloud is a cost efficient and secure answer to their growing data needs and IT security requirements. The cloud grows with them and lets them scale their business without worrying about a corresponding rise in IT costs. Plus, with the cloud, the important aspects of security and backups are mostly taken care of by the cloud service provider. And then, there’s the convenience of any-time-anywhere data access. With all these benefits that the cloud brings, what’s there to think about before signing up with a cloud service provider? While are a lot of benefits of storing your data on the cloud, but your data is still yours, so there are a few things you need to know and be comfortable with before you jump onto the cloud. Data storage location Ask your cloud services provider where, (as in the location of the data center) your data will be stored. Ask them if they have multiple data centers and if yes, then, will they be backing up your data and storing them at different places. It is great if your cloud services provider does that, since that ensures higher safety of your data. How secure will your data be? Yes. When you hire a cloud services provider, a major chunk of your data’s security responsibility is passed onto them. You don’t have to really worry about your data security, but, you still need to know how they plan to keep your data safe. Ask your cloud services provider for details regarding their data security procedure. Have them share all policies, SOPs and data security frameworks that they claim to have in place. Past performance/data loss history Everyone talks about their best projects in a sales meeting. What you really need to know are the worst ones. Ask your cloud services provider to share with you their data loss/downtime trends for the past one year. Observe the trend. How often does their system give way and how long does it last? This is important for you to understand, because this metric translates into loss of business for you. And finally, don’t forget to ask for a client list. Like we said before, everyone highlights the good things about themselves in a sales meeting. If you really want to know how good your cloud service provider is, ask them for a client list–both current and past. Check how many of them are from your industry vertical. Try reaching out to those who are willing to talk. Find out what they like the most about your cloud service provider and what aspects they find negative. Find out why their former customers left them. Usually customers are pretty good indicators of the quality of service a business provides. Hope these tips help you finding a cloud service provider who fits in well with your needs.
Cloud security: Everything you need to know
Cloud technology is becoming more pervasive every day. A Forbes report found that 77% of enterprises have at least one application or a portion of their enterprise computing infrastructure in the cloud. But somehow, myths about its lack of security remain. Hands-on management Unless you have an overinflated budget, relying on local copies of data and software means your IT staff is forced to spread themselves across a bevy of different technologies. For example, one or two in-house tech support employees can’t become experts in one service or solution without sacrificing others. If they focus on just cybersecurity, the quality of hardware maintenance and help desk service are going to take a nosedive. However, cloud service providers (CSPs) benefit from economies of scale. CSPs maintain tens, sometimes thousands, of servers and hire technicians who specialize in every subset of cloud technology. Fewer vulnerabilities Cloud security isn’t superior just because more technicians are watching over servers. When all the facets of your business’s IT are in one place, your technology is more susceptible to a slew of cyber incidents. For example, a server sitting on the same network as workstations could be compromised by an employee downloading malware-infested files. And this exposure extends to physical security as well. The more employees you have who aren’t properly trained in cybersecurity, the more likely it is that one of them will leave a server room unlocked or unsecured. CSPs exist solely to provide their clients with cloud services. There are no untrained employees and there are significantly fewer access points to the network. Business continuity The same technology that allows you to access data from anywhere in the world also allows you to erect a wall between your local network and your data backups. Most modern iterations of malware are programmed to aggressively replicate themselves, and the best way to combat this is by storing backups in the cloud. In the cybersecurity world, this is commonly referred to as data redundancy, and nowhere is it as easy to achieve as in the cloud. The cloud doesn’t only keep your data safe from the spread of malware; it also keeps data safe from natural and man-made disasters. When data is stored in the cloud, employees will still have access to it in the event that your local workstations or servers go down. The cloud has come a long way over the years. It’s not just the security that has gotten better; customized software, platforms, and half a dozen other services can be delivered via the cloud. Whatever it is you need, we can secure and manage it for you. Call us today! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why is HTTPS important?
Many internet users still do not understand what the padlock icon in their web browser’s address bar is for. It represents HTTPS, a security feature that authenticates websites and protects the information users submit to them. This is an important feature that lets users know whether the site they are visiting is secure or not. HTTPS Encryption When you visit a website that doesn’t use HTTPS, which is common with older websites that have been left on its domain with minimal intervention, everything you type or click on that website is sent across the network in plain text. So, if your bank’s website doesn’t use the latest protocols, your login information can be decrypted by anyone with even the most basic tools. HTTPS Certificates The other thing outdated web browsing lacks is publisher certificates. When you enter a web address into your browser, your computer uses an online directory to translate that text into numerical addresses then saves that information on your computer so it doesn’t need to check the online directory every time you visit a known website. The problem is that if your computer is hacked, it could be tricked into directing www.google.com to the address 8.8.8.255, for example, even if that’s a malicious website. Oftentimes, this strategy is implemented to send users to sites that look exactly like what they expected, but are actually false-front sites designed to trick you into providing your credentials. HTTPS creates a new ecosystem of certificates that are issued by the online directories mentioned earlier. These certificates make it impossible for you to be redirected to a fraudulent website. What this means for daily browsing Most people hop from site to site too quickly to check each one for padlocks and certificates. Unfortunately, HTTPS is way too important to ignore. Here are a few things to consider when browsing: If your browser marks a website as “unsafe”, it is always best to err on the side of caution; do not click “proceed anyway” unless you are absolutely certain nothing private will be transmitted. There are web browser extensions that create encrypted connections to unencrypted websites (HTTPS Everywhere is a reliable Firefox, Chrome, and Opera extension that encrypts your communications with websites). HTTPS certificates don’t mean anything if you don’t recognize the company’s name. For example, goog1e.com (with the “l” replaced with a one) could have a certificate, but that doesn’t mean it’s a trustworthy site. Many unscrupulous cybercriminals utilize similar spellings of legitimate websites to fool people into thinking that they are in a secure site. Always be vigilant. Avoid sites that don’t use the HTTPS protocol — it can be as simple as that. When you’re ready for IT support that handles the finer points of cybersecurity like safe web browsing, give our office a call. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
The dangers of the web and how to stay safe
You probably go to great lengths to keep yourself safe, whether at home or in public. But what happens when you get online? Learn more about how you could be exposing yourself and your personal information over the internet so you can stay safe. With the headlines about data breaches and cyberattacks greeting you every time you go online, it seems impossible to have a surefire, foolproof way to keep your information secure. Sometimes cyber predators are relatively harmless, but oftentimes, their goal is to steal identities and financial information. Virus scanners and firewalls can definitely help, but here’s an added layer of protection when you go online. What is private browsing? Your web browser — whether it be Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, or Opera — stores the addresses of the sites you visit, cookies that track your activity, passwords you’ve used, and temporary files you’ve downloaded.This can be convenient if you frequently visit certain pages, can’t remember your login details, or if you’re trying to recall a website you visited a few days ago. But if someone else uses or gains access to your computer, your most private (and embarrassing) internet activities are exposed for anyone to see. With private browsing — also called Incognito Mode in Chrome and InPrivate Browsing in Edge — all the information listed above does not get recorded. In fact, all the websites and information you accessed during a private browsing session is discarded without a trace as soon as you close the browser. This can come in handy when you’re using a public computer because you’re instantly logged out of all the accounts after closing the window. Private browsing also prevents cookies from being stored on your computer. In a normal browsing session, sites like Facebook will inundate you with highly targeted ads based on the sites and pages you’ve visited. But in private browsing mode, your internet activity won’t be used against you by marketing companies. Another benefit of private browsing is you can use it to log in to several accounts on the same site, which is useful if you need to log in to two different Google accounts at the same time. Limitations of private browsing Although private browsing does prevent your web browser from storing your data, it doesn’t keep your online activities 100% private. If your computer is connected to the company network, system administrators can still keep track of what you’re browsing, even if you’re in Incognito Mode. Also, if spyware or keylogger malware is installed on your computer, hackers will still be able to see what you’re doing online. A keylogger malware records every key you punched in and may send this information to a predefined email address without you knowing. This means passwords, answers to verification questions, account numbers, credit card details, or even the words you type in a chat can be emailed to someone spying on your online activities. Even though private browsing has quite a few benefits, you shouldn’t solely depend on it for online privacy. Your computers and mobile devices must be equipped with Virtual Private Networks that encrypt your internet connection and prevent anyone from intercepting your data. And don’t forget to scan your computer for viruses with a strong anti-malware program to keep spyware and other malicious web monitoring software at bay. If you want to know where you can get these solutions or learn more about web browser security, call us today. We have the tools and expert advice you need to prevent anyone from snooping on your internet browsing. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Virtualization is different from the cloud
Virtualization and cloud computing can be confusing, especially to business owners who are not familiar with them. But when you understand their differences, you’ll be able to best take advantage of these technologies. Virtualization Imagine a company with five servers, each assigned a single task such as storage, email, etc. If there were a spike in email traffic, it would overwhelm the email server, causing it to slow down. Adding another server would solve this problem, but it would be expensive and inefficient on days with less traffic. With virtualization software, you can combine the resources of all five servers in our example. So if the email server gets bogged down, it can borrow resources from any of the other servers with extra capacity. The process is not as simple as it sounds, and businesses often turn to an experienced IT service provider to set up a virtualized environment. Because virtualization software can be installed on a server in your office, it is totally independent of cloud technology. Sometimes, people misunderstand the difference because the vast majority of cloud solutions use virtualization to improve their services. Cloud computing With cloud computing, users can edit documents, save files, and interact with apps that aren’t actually on their computer. Instead, they access these items by connecting to a server via a network or internet connection. To carry out its purpose, a cloud platform sometimes uses several virtualized servers to provide users with a simple system that appears to be on its own, even though it’s actually shared with several other users and servers. There’s no need to purchase additional servers, and you can also save valuable office space by not having to deploy bulky equipment. Obviously, scalability is critical in today’s ever-changing business conditions. Cloud computing makes it easier to manage business tasks to maximize productivity. And it helps streamline operations, as more cloud services are integrated. Businesses don’t have to worry about infrastructure maintenance because it is covered by the cloud service provider. Virtualization and cloud computing are both economical technologies that small businesses should take advantage of. If you want to see what they can do for you, call our experts today! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Single Sign-On: The key to user management
Making passwords can be tedious. From complexity requirements to minimum lengths, creating a password for each new account brings its own set of headaches. If this problem is reaching a boiling point, Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions can help. These techniques are secure, easy-to-manage, and do away with the need to manage a long list of usernames and passwords. What is SSO? Single Sign-On solutions allow you to create one username and one password that thousands of websites will recognize. If you’ve ever clicked “Login with Google” on a non-Google website, you’ve already enjoyed the benefits of SSO. It’s faster, simpler, and more secure. Now, small businesses can accomplish the same level of efficiency between their employees and cloud platforms. Instead of asking everyone in the office to track separate accounts for Office 365, Slack, Quickbooks, and whatever other cloud apps your company relies on, you can give them one set of credentials and manage what they have access to remotely. Employees come to work, enter their designated username and password, and they’re all set for the day. Why is SSO more secure? There are a number of ways to set up a small business SSO solution, but most of them focus on removing login information from your servers. Usually, you’ll provide your employees’ logins to an SSO provider (sometimes referred to as an Identity-as-a-Service provider) and each employee will receive a single login paired with a secondary authentication — like a fingerprint or an SMS to a personal device. Every time one of your employees visits a cloud platform, such as Office 365 or Google Apps, the SSO provider will verify the user’s identity and the security of the connection. If anything goes out of place, your IT provider will be notified. Should your network or any of its devices be compromised, hackers would find nothing but logins to your SSO accounts, which are meaningless without fingerprints or mobile devices. How to get started with SSO The first step when setting up a Single Sign-On solution is making sure you have a healthy and responsive IT support system in place. You need a team that is constantly available to review suspicious alerts and troubleshoot employee issues. If you don’t currently have that capacity, contact us today and we’ll help you out! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Make Google Chrome faster with these easy steps
As one of the fastest browsers in the market, Google Chrome is the perfect match for quick-paced internet users of the 21st century. But like any technology that stores information, Chrome’s performance can slow down and frustrate its users. It can also affect their productivity and lower their motivation. If you’re using Chrome and finding it sluggish, don’t fret. Simply follow these troubleshooting methods to improve your browser’s speed again. Clear your browsing data Chrome stores a cached copy of a website you visit, so it can load the page faster when you visit it again. It also keeps a database of your browsing history and cookies for the same purpose. As you visit more and more websites, these pieces of data accumulate in Chrome and can slow the browser down. Thankfully, the solution to this is easy: clear your cache. To do this, simply access your browsing history by entering chrome://history on your address bar. From the left panel, select Clear browsing data. Choose which data will be deleted by clicking on the checkboxes of all items you want to delete, like cached images or cookies. You can also select the time range that will be affected by the deletion. You can delete your history for the past hour, the last 24 hours, the last 7 days, the last 4 weeks, or from the beginning of time. Once you’ve selected the files you want to delete and their corresponding time range, click Clear data. Disable extensions Extensions are downloadable programs from the Chrome Web Store that you can add to your browser to give it more functionality and a personalized touch. For example, you can add an extension that blocks ads, one that shortens URLs, or one that shows you your most important tasks of the day. While these extensions are useful, they can slow Chrome down when there are too many installed at once. Most extensions will show on Chrome’s address bar, and you can quickly uninstall them by right-clicking on their icons and selecting Remove from Chrome. You can also manage all extensions by typing chrome://extensions on your browser and hitting Enter. From there, you’ll find a list of all the extensions you have (even those you don’t remember installing). Simply scroll through the list and click Remove to delete the extensions you don’t need. Remove ads and malware Sometimes, Chrome slows down because of malware or adware extensions. Extra toolbars, recurring pop-up ads, and web pages redirecting to other addresses are clear indications of these. Google once had a downloadable app developed for Chrome that scans and removes unwanted programs called the Clean Up Tool. In 2018, Google discontinued that app and made malware scanning even easier. Just go to chrome://settings/cleanup on your browser, and click on Find to find and remove harmful software on your computer. A top-performing web browser benefits your business in many ways, including upping employees’ productivity and speeding up communication processes. It’s therefore critical that yours is fast and reliable. If your web browser is performing poorly or takes forever to load a page, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us so we can identify and fix the problem right away. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why SaaS is right for your business
Almost every business relies on software to operate, but most SMBs find lifetime licenses painfully expensive. What can you do to harness the power of software without breaking the bank? One good alternative is software as a service or SaaS. Read on to learn more. What is SaaS and what makes it appealing? SaaS is a software delivery model that allows the user to access software from any device via the internet. This gives you more flexibility since you don’t have to come to the office to use the software. You can work from anywhere as long as you can go online. As opposed to a traditional on-premises setup where software is stored locally, SaaS is hosted in the cloud. By transferring software hosting to a third party, you’re outsourcing all the responsibilities that come with maintenance, such as upgrades and troubleshooting. In a way, getting SaaS is like renting a car: Somebody else owns the vehicle, but you get to drive it. Shifting software ownership away from your business also changes how much you pay for it. With on-premises software, you purchase a license and pay yearly support fees, which can amount to 22 percent of the price of license fees (ouch!). With SaaS, you pay a monthly or annual subscription fee that covers licenses, support, and other fees. This is better since it allows you to spread out costs on a monthly basis, instead of purchasing expensive licenses outright and ending up with a huge maintenance bill every year. Will my data be safe? One of the issues that make companies reluctant to switch to SaaS is data security. Who will own my data? Will my data be safe? What if the vendor goes out of business? For your peace of mind and safety, when you’re outsourcing your software to a SaaS vendor, you have to sign a service level agreement (SLA). This should specify that you own the data and that the vendor is obliged to provide access to your data even if it goes bankrupt. Data hosted by your SaaS vendor will be more secure than when it’s stored on your average SMB’s network. That’s because SaaS vendors have to undergo strict security audits, forcing them to invest more in security, backup technology, and maintenance than a typical SMB. Should I switch to SaaS or stick to on-premises? SaaS is an ideal solution for small and medium-sized businesses that are looking for a way to reduce upfront costs. But if your business is large or has complex processes, a traditional on-premises solution might be better since it offers more functionality and allows for full customization. Still unsure about whether SaaS is the right answer for your organization? Want to know more about SaaS before making the transition? Call us today! Our experts are ready to answer any questions you may have about SaaS. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.