Directive Blogs

Technology can be a fickle thing for small and medium-sized businesses, especially if they don’t have a dedicated staff whose sole responsibility is handling the maintenance and management of IT. It becomes much easier to simply outsource the responsibility to a managed service provider, but even choosing this has implications that should be considered before making such an important decision.

Your computer network is only as strong as its weakest link. One of the most overlooked links is your network switch, and if your IT infrastructure is becoming more dependent upon wireless technology, then you’re going to want to perhaps upgrade your network switches.

For your business’s IT, it’s important to consider both the short-term and long-term benefits of new technology solutions. However, which of these offers the greatest return-on-investment in terms of profitability and workplace efficiency? Some might argue that short-term IT (think break-fix IT) is more in line with a business’s immediate needs, while long-term IT (i.e. managed IT) considers longevity and proactive thought.

Since you run a business, you know that your business’s network requires a secure firewall in order to keep threats out. In fact, the firewall is the most basic of security protocol that you should be taking advantage of. Knowing what a firewall protects you from, and what it doesn’t protect you from, is an important first step toward improving your data infrastructure’s security, and in turn improving your business’s continuity.

Your business thrives when your technology is running smoothly, but when it fails to function as intended, it can have unforeseen consequences that reach deep into your IT budget. One of the best ways that your organization can optimize your IT is by taking advantage of outsourced services, but you don’t want to approach these “as a service” offerings uninformed.

The modern business is inundated with all types of threats, from people outside the organization phishing around for information, to employees that are aloof to their role in your network’s security. If your network’s security is like a levee, it is indisputably an IT department’s job to fill in the gaps to ensure a deluge of misfortune doesn’t swamp your company’s IT. So what happens when your company’s IT department is the biggest offender of perilous activity?

When it comes to your business’s technology infrastructure, the more basic it is, the better. Granted, a simple IT infrastructure isn’t always easy to install, especially when there are so many great solutions on the market that can be implemented to achieve optimal efficiency. Sometimes the best IT solutions are those that make your technology simpler to manage, and your network less complicated. That said, you’d think redundancy would complicate this formula, but it’s actually a necessity for your business continuity plan.

One sometimes-frustrating aspect about computer networking comes from the always-changing nature of technology. For example, let’s say that you have your network perfectly set up with everything running smoothly, then comes along some newfangled IT trend or mission-critical technology workflow that requires you to change everything. You can’t prevent this from happening, but you can stay on top of the latest IT trends so that you’re not caught off guard.

Vendors can be a hassle. You need their product or service to keep the gears of business turning, but sometimes, having to deal with vendors can be way too time-consuming. This is where our vendor management service comes in.

Most of the time, when it comes to cybersecurity, businesses tend to focus primarily on external threats rather than those that might be lurking in the shadows of their internal operations. Believe it or not, the most dangerous entities out there could very well be working for you, right under your nose.

Putting together an IT budget is an exceptionally tricky procedure. Every year presents unique technical challenges that need to be addressed, but the slightest miscalculation can be detrimental to an IT budget. Here are five tips to give your organization some breathing room when it comes to planning out next year’s IT expenses.

In order for an organization to maintain operations, a strong network that’s capable of handling internal traffic is necessary. These networks handle the deployment and access of mission-critical data, applications, and other important tasks that businesses depend on. Sometimes, however, a business can push their network too hard, which can have a profound effect on its functionality, and an even greater effect on that organization’s ability to continue operations.

If you don’t already have a backup solution put in place, no time is better than the present to consider what it would cost your business if you were to lose everything in one fell swoop. There are plenty of ways you can back up your data, but the reality of the situation is that if you were to lose your business’s information, you wouldn’t be able to continue operations. It would put the entire future of your company in jeopardy, so you need to be absolutely certain that your backup and disaster recovery solution is fool-proof.

One of the primary threats that business networks are trying to protect themselves from is malware. We’re all aware of how much damage a stray piece of malware can inflict on a business, as they can perform functions like lock down files, steal sensitive data, and distribute crippling viruses. In recent developments, studies are showing that malware is now involved in less than half of all reported hacking attacks, and that more sophisticated measures are now being taken to exploit unwary users.

You and your staff require certain software applications to get work done, whether it be your line of business app, your accounting software, or even Microsoft Office. This brings up a crucial question: do you know where all pieces of software you require came from, and are your licenses valid and up to date?

Mobile devices are changing the way that businesses look at the workforce, but one of the main draws (and possibly detriments) is how the industry continues to change rapidly as new solutions are made available. In order to maximize your business’s efficiency with mobile devices, it’s important to consider these three trends shaping the way that organizations handle modern mobile device management.

Anyone who uses the Internet has to be aware of the dangers involved. Beyond the safety of your network’s security solution, there lies a horde of malicious entities just waiting for you to let your guard down. All it takes is one moment to release the floodgate and allow dangerous viruses, malware, or even ransomware, into your network infrastructure. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen.

When searching for tech support for your organization, you might often wonder if what you’re paying for your current service provider is really worth the maintenance that you receive. At times, it might feel like you’re being charged an arm and a leg for a simple network audit, and you can forget about purchasing new hardware components in the event of a technology failure or disaster. Rather than pay for services that are extorting money from you, your budget might find that the price of managed IT services is just right.

Have you ever wondered which websites on the Internet are the most dangerous? Recently it’s been discovered that the majority of threatening websites on the Internet fall into some very easy-to-identify categories; or, more specifically, about 95 percent of all dangerous websites are found on ten top-level domains.

We all know the fleeting moment of fear as a computer slows to a grinding halt, taking forever to perform the most basic of tasks. At the same time, we also know the relief of when you find out there’s nothing wrong with your PC. Still, what if that relief never comes? What if you’re dealing with one of the most dangerous computer issues of all: a hard drive crash?