It’s that time of year when ghost stories, costume parties, and pumpkins abound. But in the IT world, horror stories aren’t limited to the Halloween season. Every day, IT departments face a variety of challenges, some more daunting than others.
But you don’t have to confront these terrors alone. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can help you streamline your IT processes and protect your business from the evils lurking in the dark.
1. The Mist aka Cloud Outages
Something’s out there in the mist.
Many organizations already enjoy the advantages of cloud computing, and more businesses are switching to the cloud every year. According to Skyhigh, the average employee uses 36 cloud-based services in their daily routine.
But like any solution, the cloud isn’t invincible. At some point, you’ll probably experience a cloud outage, leaving you feeling like you’re wandering in a mist of threats and uncertainty.
Solution: Prioritize Redundancy and Preparation
- Choose a cloud vendor who offers redundancy and automatic backups to keep your systems running in the case of an outage.
- Test regularly for failure so you can prepare to respond to a variety of situations.
- Isolate your communications from your service platform.
- Run on your backups every once in a while to keep them robust.
2. Poltergeist aka Data Loss
We’re on a journey to another dimension.
Like cloud outages, data loss can happen very suddenly. Like ghosts hidden in another dimension, it can be difficult to determine how to retrieve your data, or to learn how it became compromised in the first place.
Solution: Backup and Disaster Recovery
But data loss doesn’t have to be permanent.
Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) can help you keep your data protected so you never have to fear again.
At CR-T, we offer a comprehensive BDR solution that includes automated cloud backups, instant test environments, and ransomware detection. You can rest assured that your data is safe with us.
3. It aka Phishing Scams
It’s every nightmare you’ve ever had. It’s your worst dream come true.
Phishing scams are especially dangerous because they try to trick users through social engineering. Like the clown, Pennywise, who takes the shape of your worst fears, phishing scams might appear to be legitimate, when really, they are monsters in disguise.
Solution: Employee Training
Employee training is one of the best ways to prevent phishing scams since your employees are usually the targets of these malicious attacks.
Additional security measures, like firewalls and spam filters, can also help prevent phishing emails from entering your network in the first place.
4. Jaws aka Overworked IT Staff
It’s a beast that will swallow you whole.
For many small and medium-sized businesses, hiring a fully-managed IT just isn’t realistic or possible. But that can leave your employees overworked, as they battle a leviathan that’s just too big to handle.
Solution: Managed Service Providers
When your IT staff is overwhelmed, it’s time to call in for backup.
Managed Service Providers help offload the pressure from your IT department by providing 24/7 support for all of your IT needs.
This gives your IT team more time to handle business-specific tasks. After all, you have bigger fish to fry.
Managed services will give you back the time you need to focus on your business instead of your technology.
5. Ghostbusters aka IoT Attack
Is there something strange in your neighborhood (or your IoT devices)? Who ya gonna call?
While the Internet of Things (IoT) means greater versatility, it also comes with greater security risks.
IoT devices create an abundance of data and complex environments that can overwhelm your system if you’re not careful. The Internet of Things also widens your attack surface area.
Solution: IoT Security
Through a managed service provider, you can more easily account for and secure your IoT devices.
At CR-T, we offer a free security assessment that will help you identify any potential security gaps. We’ll also guide you through developing a security strategy that will prepare you to respond to any compromised IoT devices.
Managed Services to the Rescue
With a managed service provider, you don’t have to face the demons and ghouls on your own. MSPs will help you fight the dangers that haunt you so you can focus on what matters most: your business.
Here at CR-T, we take pride in providing enterprise-level IT services at prices that work for small businesses. Our team of experts can become your IT support department, responding to issues quickly, often before you even know about them. Covering everything from your servers and network infrastructure to your computers, workstations and mobile devices, we provide end-to-end solutions for all your technology needs.
Time and experience have helped us develop best practices and workflow procedures designed to keep your focus on your business, not your technology.
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