Financial Benefits of Managed IT Services

Managed IT services are considered as a significant investment. Having said that, it’s only natural to think about its return. And when it’s about managed IT services, there are several benefits that will immediately translate into cost savings.

Before anything else, do you have any idea how managed ITservices Columbia SC can help your business reach different corporate efforts? Here are a few things you need to know.

Money Benefits of Managed IT Services

Managed IT services can help companies in many ways. They ensure that the right resources and people are allocated in the best way possible, which results into financial benefit. Another common way managed IT services help organizations include investing in new resources, boosting customer satisfaction, and optimizing the utilization of current resources, as well as refining the agility of a company. Here are a few financial benefits of managed IT services.

User Productivity

As IT directors and business owners, you turn to technology to boost your productivity and improve how you do business. If your technology doesn’t do that, then there is a problem. You lose money whenever your employers can’t work. Unplanned downtime can cost companies more than $50,000 per 100 users. By having managed IT services, you can cut back on your server and network downtime by over 85%.

Infrastructure Expenses

By working with a managed IT services provider, you can lower your infrastructure costs in many ways. When an IT support Columbia SC provider takes over your infrastructure, you can downsize the amount of your on-site infrastructure through their data centers. You will save on the hardware cost and on the energy that it uses as well as the space needed to house it.

You will also see more savings related to consulting, training, and licensing. All of these requirements will be covered by one monthly investment. IT services are better managed and streamlined through one provider. In general, companies can save more than $100,000 per 100 users only on the cost linked to infrastructure.

IT Staff Productivity

This advantage is directly related to the productivity of your staff, especially your IT department. In many cases, you see an IT staff consumed with fixing malfunctioning equipment or user problems. These tasks will remove their focus from their main responsibilities. IT outsourcing will help your staff stay focused on their priorities.

Minimal Initial Investment

Managed IT services offered by SpartanTec, Inc. can help you offset the cost of the initial investment. Instead of spending a lot of money on software and hardware upfront, you will be paying for the professional service through affordable monthly payments. Since the service is considered an operational expense rather than a capital expenditure, you do not have almost as much resources linked to the management of your business technology. Additionally, updating to a brand new software will be included in your service and that means you don’t have to pay for extra cost just to keep your technology updated.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now for more information about our managed IT services and to learn how our IT solutions can help your company. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Weighing the Pros & Cons of Managed Security Services Providers

 

Organizations today are increasingly moving towards managedIT services as an alternative to on-premise and in-house implementations. Working with a managed security services provider can help organizations benefit from best-in-class technologies at a reduced cost and with less overhead.

This offers substantial value to organizations in the SMB sector that don’t have the IT infrastructure or budget to create a modern, comprehensive cybersecurity solution. A cybersecurity managed services provider (MSP) can bridge this gap by delivering services such as network monitoring, patches and updates and responding to service requests—freeing on-premise IT to focus on value-added tasks and innovation.

Three top advantages an MSP can provide include:

1. Specialized, skilled technicians. To SMBs that rely on a few generalists to keep networks and systems functioning, a cybersecurity MSP provides immediate access to a complete security team with no ramp up time.
2. 24/7 support and monitoring. Unlike most SMBs, cybersecurity MSPs have the infrastructure and personnel in place to sustain 24/7 IT support and monitoring. This is critical when you consider that many data breaches and security issues occur during off hours. A cybersecurity MSP will notice any suspicious activity and react accordingly.
3. Best-in-class technology. A managed security service can be instantly deployed without any additional investments in equipment or infrastructure. Cybersecurity MSPs have best-in-class technologies supported by cloud resources. More often than not, what SMBs can afford is no match for what an MSP can deliver.

Factors to Consider When Working With Cybersecurity MSPs

When considering switching to an IT services Columbia SC provider, there are several factors SMBs need to be aware of to minimize risk. One is the on-premise placement of third-party equipment that can add to the vulnerability of a network.

Typically, an SMB connects directly to an MSP through the Internet, but the placement of some necessary on-premise equipment can sometimes interfere or interrupt the connection. Organizations are advised to work with MSPs that have measures in place to prevent and mitigate these risks.

The very nature of entrusting a 3rd party with valuable customer data, intellectual property and other competitive information is risky in itself. Organizations need to carefully vet IT outsourcing companies and make sure their claims of reliability and integrity stand up. Reviews, word-of-mouth, and testimonials can all be used to find an MSP that can be trusted with the protection of your data, brand and business.

In most cases, the advantages of working with a reliable MSP with a proven reputation for integrity and success far outweigh the potential risks. A trusted, experienced MSP can identify issues relating to infrastructure, third-party systems or on-premise technologies that can turn into problems, and cost-effectively deliver a comprehensive cybersecurity solution to address them.

SpartanTec, Inc. works with best-in-class technologies to provide comprehensive and trustworthy protection for organizations’ specialized network security challenges.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

 

Creating Your Dream IT Team For The New Cybersecurity Era

If every member of your IT security team concentrates only on a single small slice of pie, then it’ll be very easy for your enemies to infiltrate all the cracks they could find. How can you stop them?

Nowadays, businesses are comprised of complex interlinked environments that consist of different servers, infrastructure devices, mobile end user devices as well as a range of applications that are hosted in the cloud and on-premises. Unfortunately, conventional cybersecurity teams were not made to deal with these concerns. Cybersecurity teams were initially developed with traditional IT in mind, which includes a certain group of people who are dealing with a certain set of projects and tools.

The enterprise environments have evolved significantly, the siloed method of dealing with cybersecurity is no longer effective. You won’t be able to stop intruders if your security team is focused only on a single aspect of cybersecurity. Listed below are some important steps that need to be taken if you wish to create your own dream team that would usher your business towards the new age of cybersecurity.

 

 

Talent Inventory

Before hiring new employees, the chief information security officers have to assess their existing cybersecurity talents and identify the gaps and competencies of every member of their existing IT security team. You need to have people who are creative including those who knows how your enemies think. Successful cybercriminals are inventive and resourceful, and they know how to search for ways to go around your company’s standard security controls. In case the members of your existing security team are just focused on making sure that your current controls are working correctly, then you will eventually suffer a data breach. The attack surface is already massive but still continue to grow every day. Your IT team must always search for any new vulnerability that hackers may try to exploit so they could also create strategies to address problems once they come up.

Consider IT Outsourcing

Retaining or hiring only the best for your cybersecurity team is important in boosting your company’s cyber-resilience. This can be quite difficult especially since the shortage in cybersecurity skills is worsening. You also have the option to train your current staff members on various security skills and providing them with tools that make the most out of artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning. IT outsourcing is another option. It doesn’t matter how you want to assemble your IT team, what’s important is for IT team to understand the needs of your network and business context and help improve your cyber-resilience. They should also have the required tools and skills to protect the company assets while improving their security posture.

Companywide Buy-In

These days, cyberrisk is no longer managed only by the security team. Gartner said that at least 95% of the failures in security until 2022 will be due to human error. This could possibly come from anybody in the company. Every stakeholder in a company including vendors, partners, customers, employees, and C-suite, negatively or positively affect the company’s security, and how the company’s success lives and dies with its cyberresilience.

Cybersecurity is not only a technology issues but also a business concern and that’s why everybody should do their part, according to IT services experts. The CISOs will take on the primary responsibility of making sure that everybody is aligned with their security goals. They must also engage with the company’s board of directors, inform them about the cybersecurity challenges, and make sure they agree and follow with the approaches and objectives to boosting cyberresilience.

Be Proactive and Prioritize Accordingly

Different security approaches concentrate on reactively identifying and addressing attacks. IT teams are oftentimes overwhelmed when attempting to go through alerts. If this is what you do, you’ll always fall behind and you won’t ever get ahead of your enemy. Instead of concentrating more on the efforts on proactively avoiding and predicting data breaches. Your CISOs must allocate a budget as well as team resources that concentrate exclusively on the proactive efforts to boost your company’s security posture. It’s also crucial to install programs that will deal with cybersecurity posture strategically like bastion hosts and two factor authentication.

Add AI to Your IT Team

Humans are unable to go through the countless vulnerabilities to prioritize and monitor for threats. Even the largest IT security team that is comprised of the most skilled IT experts cannot achieve this effectively without the help of artificial intelligence. These tools have become increasingly important for keeping up with the ever changing attack methods used by cybercriminals and the ongoing digital transformation of companies.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our IT professionals protect your business against the online threats in today's ever changing cybersecurity landscape.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

3 Scary Tricks Hackers Pull to Weasel into Business Networks

The modern cyber threat landscape is a frightening place. What better time than Halloween to assess the threats in your environment and your ability to thwart them with the help of a reliable IT service. Modern hackers have an arsenal to trick unsuspecting individuals and computers into giving them access and information. Some schemes — like phishing — prey on people’s trust.  But an educated workforce, combined with strong security solutions, can help you stomp out these wicked plots before they take traction.

Phishing

Phishing relies on deception.  Cyber criminals don a costume of sorts — by cloaking themselves in the guise of a legitimate, trusted entity. By using elaborate emails and fake websites, they fool their unwitting victims into volunteering sensitive information — and even money. Half the battle is recognizing where these threats are coming from. Here are some types to watch for:

• Deceptive phishing involves sending a message pretending to be from a trusted source. The message often makes an urgent request for a payment or asks to verify account information.
• Spear phishing is more personalized and targets someone specific, using information gleaned from places like social media.
• Pharming involves creating a fake website, hijacking another website’s domain name, and sending unsuspecting visitors to the fraudulent site.

 

 

Whaling

Some cyber criminals aren’t content to feast on little fish, so they go after the biggest creature in the sea. With these so-called whaling scams, criminals use extensive surveillance and research to learn about company culture and use customized emails and websites to target a specific end user. One tactic is to create an email that looks like it’s coming from the CEO’s account and make a request for funds or information. Whaling scams are lucrative and widespread.  According to the FBI, between October 2013 and February 2016, there were 17,642 reported victims, which amounted to $2.3 billion in losses.

Evasive Malware

Malware is often spread through phishing emails. To survive, malware needs to avoid detection, and a new sophisticated strain does just that. It’s able to identify when it’s in a cybersecurity test environment and not look suspicious until it’s deemed safe and released into the network.

Prevention

Employees are a crucial line of defense, so set clear rules to govern online behavior.  Experts at managed IT services say that employees should:

• Be careful what they install.
• Follow good password practices.

• Watch out for suspicious links, tweets, posts and attachments.
• Backup work.
• Speak up if they see something unusual, or receive an odd request—even if it’s from someone in the C-suite.

Of course, scary cyber attacks aren’t solely linked to human error. People and technology need to work together to fight the nefarious tricksters. In addition to a diligent workforce, you need behind-the-scenes security solutions to prevent, detect and mitigate phishing and malware threats. IT services Columbia SC utilizes a security framework uses a combination of technologies such as firewalls, secure email gateways and sandbox technology to detect and block threats and respond if there’s a breach.

Get deep insight into your security posture and network activity to decrease your vulnerability to even the trickiest of modern cyber threats. Contact SpartanTec, Inc. to learn about the advantages of performing a cyber threat assessment.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs IT Outsourcing

Support. Security. Strategy. Expertise. IT or information technology is a primary support function for your business. But more often than not, small to medium sized firms overlook information technology as a crucial component of their company due to the cost to create and keep an IT department. However, the trend of IT outsourcing has become more rampant over the years and it has slowly bridged the gap. As a matter of fact, analysts are expecting global IT outsourcing to reach a compound yearly growth rate of nearly 6%. Some reports showed that about 60% of IT function will be outsourced and the spending for managed IT services will reach 10.2% of the average IT budget. Firms investing in IT services enjoy a lot of benefits that assist them in operating their business more effectively and efficiently without the need to invest in an in house IT department.

5 Reasons IT Outsourcing Is Essential For Businesses

 

 

1. Reduce Spending

Reduced spending is one of the many reasons why businesses outsource their IT. They enjoy significant savings of as much as 40%. It does not take that much to know how much can be saved thanks to IT outsourcing Columbia SC. You will reduce both your operating and capital spending. There is no need to buy computer hardware or to dedicate costly square footage to build a data center. There’s no need to hire employees to do IT functions; all of the work of the internal IT team, from hardware installations to application development to end user support could be outsourced. You’ll also realize reduced expenses for benefits and trainings.

2. Increase Focus on Core Business

For many firms, IT is not a core competency but a support function. Developing and supporting your data center won’t provide you with a competitive advantage. Since your business is not technology, it will be hard to hire and keep an in house IT team with top quality skills so your team might not have the skills needed to make software that could give the edge you need. IT outsourcing allows your management to concentrate on your business development and core competencies instead of having problems with technology concerns. Apart from that, outsourced IT services provide 24/7 support and work guarantee that go well beyond what your in house team can offer, allowing you to complete more work with fewer operational problems.

3. Access to The Pros and Latest Experts

Since IT is the core competency of the vendor like SpartanTec, Inc., they will ensure that their staff are certified and trained in the field they support. They have a team of experts in different IT technologies, you could ask their IT team for advice in order to help you come up with the most appropriate decision. You’ll be able to access support and the latest technology from a reliable IT team.

4. Reduce Risk and Improve Flexibility

Technology can be costly and that includes making wrong decisions. A company that offers IT consulting services possesses a solid base of experience that can help in making the appropriate technical decisions. In case you decide to alter your technology method, your managed IT service provider will have the services and the tools to assist you in your transition. IT outsourcing can reduce the risk of losing data. Did you know that hundreds of malware are created every year, and companies of different sizes face significant losses in case a data breach happens? Companies offering managed IT services make sure that data centers have the right defenses like event monitoring software, security information, and firewalls.

5. Better Employee Morale

You’ll end up with unhappy employees who constantly worry about their job security if outsourcing is implemented poorly. However, if it is handled correctly, managed IT services can boost their morale. With IT services, your staff can concentrate on the jobs that you hired them to do while reliable systems offered by your managed IT service provider can help them get more done. Since your staff don’t need to do tasks that they don’t know that much about and can focus more on their core tasks, they will feel more satisfied and less likely to feel burnt out.

For reliable IT outsourcing, call SpartanTec, Inc. now.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence