The Cost of Outsourcing IT Support and Services

Some businesses choose outsourced IT, which helps to save money. For example, outsourcing IT services Managed Service Provider can significantly benefit the bottom line.

Managed IT Services offer strategic technology expertise which would not have access to. But, unfortunately, things like disaster recovery, IT infrastructure, and cybersecurity can fall by the wayside when an internal IT team is overcome.

Let's give a look at what is outsourced IT.

Define outsourced IT

When you get services regarding your business, a technology from a full-time third-party technician is known as outsourced practice. With outsourcing, you can get a lot of options depending on your specific contracts.

IT support services provide thousands of sizes and benefits so; you can easily choose one of the best services for your business that make you feel can be confirmed and essential for your organization.

There are two forms of outsourced IT services: fully outsourced IT and co-managed IT. The cost of managing the services mainly distinguishes them.

In fully-outsourced

There is no need for the staff to be available on-site in fully outsourced. Everything such as troubleshooting, security monitoring, backups, updates are managed off-site by the services provider.

Co-managed IT

With co-managed IT services, the organization has existing information technology for staff; however, it is also looking for assistance. For example, it could include unpacking routines to system work as updates, back-ups, security monitoring, and help desk for inner resources. On the other hand, the primary staff in place is to run the daily work and need some specialized talent available for in-house.

In addition, the outsourcing IT-managed services cost is low and high efficiency. The benefit of access to technology experts who are in the trenches day after day with the organization and the best position is that our experts give the proper guidance.

Outsource for your entire IT department

The outsourced IT can be huge; with the help of remote assistance software, the most common problems such as a broken printer, slow computer, or forgotten password, can be quickly taken care of within a minute.

These issues do not need anyone on-site who can save your money and time, which immediately has a remote technician. But, on the other hand, you can pick the phone and be connected with the help desk, no matter where the world is for any reason.

You may need in-house IT consulting services and support; it can easily arrange your needs and weekly help. Also, occasionally visit the unique project when cannot remotely fix any issues.

The one reason is to move the business to outsourced IT, which needs excellent technical expertise if the technology becomes complex or changes faster.

Keep IT team In-house

The internal IT department looks like it is the best option to keep your business running. With someone's help, always be available in the office to support the printers running and update the password regularly. However, this method often comes at a severe cost, and it depends on where your business is located.

The desktop technicians generally give commands and average salaries per year. The primary role of the IT workers is to constantly be elevated and maintain the hardware and software while managing minor troubleshoot problems.

If you charge your IT managers with more accountability, they can likely handle some undesirable shocks.

Pros: IT staff are visible and easily accessed and are intimately familiar with consulting network layout as an existing application.

Cons: High costs are usually understaffed for the number of employees. The high-level IT consulting technicians cannot concentrate on business strategy and are bogged down to troubleshoot daily.

In conclusion

The respectable IT consultant service provider will work with your organization's vision. Current IT infrastructure gives a competitive advantage and provides the best possible service per the user's price.

If you are a large organization, the combination of an in-house IT manager may propel your business, which is more significant and highly reduces the cost.

If you are interested to learn more, contact the LayerOne team who helps to keep your business updated. If you want to check how you can balance your operating cost for future growth, contact us and learn more about Outsourced IT.

5 Ways to safeguard your business from spear phishing

Your business is endangered by phishing attacks, no matter what size it is. As per the 2016 State of SMB Security Report, half of the 28 million small businesses in the US have been ruptured. And the strange part was most of these attacks begin with an email with a venomous link or attachment. 

Last year, one of the renowned examples was a scam that sent phony "shipping information" to 3k small businesses. Pretending to be from UPS, an email had a link that claimed to be tracking information; but it accommodates malware that contaminates many computers. 

A small business likely does not have an IT department or a big budget, and it can be hard to make out precisely what to do about phishing susceptibilities. But do not bother. An IT consulting firm provides the best and up-to-the-mark ways to safeguard your small business from phishing attacks.  

Before jumping to ways to prevent spear phishing, let us understand more about spear phishing with a real-life example.

A real-life example: 

A CEO gets an email that looks like it came from the CFO. It was showing CFO's signature block at the middle of the email and the CFO's name recognized as the "sender." The email asks the CEO to transfer $100,000 to a bank account. 

Thinking that this is the rational request from the CFO, the CEO transfers the money. Later, he learns that he has moved the money into a cybercriminal's account and is not able to recuperate the funds.

Spear phishing may also ask for liable or intimate information, such as account numbers, passwords, and access codes. With it, they can ingress your company's bank account, use your credit cards and develop a whole new identity using your information.  

It is high time now safeguard your business from spear phishing with the five proven ways: 

Keep your software up-to-date

It is also essential to ensure every computer you are using has the upgraded version of all the software, including Internet browsers. This is because many worms and other types of malware exploit susceptibilities that the new updates fix. 

However, you need to be very circumspect of fake update warnings cleverly feigned by the malware. Therefore it is advisable to update the software timely and keenly.

Apply stronger procedures

Develop company policies and procedures to fight shy of being the victim of spear-phishing attempts. This may include: 

• Incorporates strict internal processes that would catch fraudulent requests. For instance: Before transferring funds, require a two-factor authentication process. Contact the CEO who is asking for the fund transfers and ask for the secondary verbal communication of the request before proceeding. 

• Working with your bank that only certain people access accounts. Also, requiring a bank to do a validation check on requests requires two people to sign off on account-related activity. 

Along with that, keep the reliable security service Corpus Christi in place so that you can have the best possible outcomes in no meantime.

Provide accurate training to your employees

When the employees are not aware of the actual dangers and think that it is not vulnerable because the business is small. The best way to do this is to organize educational seminars or use an existing one that can teach how to identify and avoid clicking on suspicious emails and other critical and practical tips relating to such malware attacks. 

A piece of advice :  Understand Ransomware vs malware what is more dangerous  

Filter your emails frequently

Having a system that filters incoming emails enables you to block obvious spam automatically, and phishing emails are a must. Here also opt for the backup as a service as it will create a copy of your data that can be recovered in the event of a primary data failure such as { Viruses or Malwares } or accidental deletion of data.

Contemplate the content of emails

Scammers often run phishing attacks from other countries. While many phishing scams are quite knowledgeable and smart, many make mistakes that are easy to catch if you pay close attention to the grammar, spellings, and content, and images that are not "right" are common red flags. 

Enhance your email protection and cybersecurity with LayerOne Networks 

Data security has become a serious matter of concern for all the businesses out there. The malware attacks are rising day by day. It is impossible to place the things intact that's why the IT consulting firms are there to rescue. The experts from IT consulting firms provide you the best and most effective services that can help you protect your business from any suspicious attacks.!

Why small business needs IT consulting service today

Small businesses have the provocation of creating their niche while being competitive in the industry. To do this, having the most upgraded and on-point technologies and systems in place is the key. Unfortunately, that usually means having a staunch IT staff to keep things up and running. While this sounds exceptional in concept, many small businesses do not have the resources to handle a fully staffed IT department. So in such cases, utilizing the expertise of an  IT consultant can help you take the edge of the problem.

It is normal to seek outsourcing help to fulfill your goals and objectives, especially when you and your team do not have the expertise needed. So come,  let us see the significant benefits of IT consulting services in small businesses.  

What is IT consulting? Explain

Is IT consulting as an industry proliferating? Yes, it is true! But before we dive into the grounds behind this demand and why we're seeing the escalating number of businesses outsourcing their IT work, let us formulate some definitions of IT consulting first.  

An IT consultant helps a company gauge their current or embryonic technology, seeing if these strategies marshal with the goal and needs of the business. These services may incorporate one or both of the supports on any of the hardware issues through:

• A tactical phase
• A compositional phase 
• A functional phase 
• An executional phase

Every business is different. With that, every business has its agenda, wants, summons, and ways of doing things. The main aim of an IT consultant is to offer ethical and knowledgeable advice tailored to every component of your business, and this usually comes in the form of  IT consulting services.

The benefits of IT consulting services to small business

• Dwindles downtime

As a small and developing business, the last thing you ever want is downtime. The moment your system fails, it takes only a few minutes for all your projects to start straggling behind. Technical errors can put a thwart stop to a bout of productivity, disrupting the glide of a fast-paced workday.   

For the small business, time is money - whether it is slow internet or a virus, IT issues can eat up your precious time. So now is the time to outsource your IT services.

The IT consultants offer you multiple solutions for your business without a doubt. 

But with that, it provides the solutions of security as well. For more read: Importance of zero-trust security for your business.

• Lower downs the expenses

An in-house IT department may incur unpredicted expenses at any given time. However, you will have noticeable IT costs with a small business IT services firm, including software updates, systems monitoring, and more. The good part? You won't have the overhead expenses kindred with headcount and management. 

The great part is that it will allow a smooth transition into planned budgeting of the year.

• As and when required, resources

Let's face it: Good resources are tough to find, maintain and retain. So even though the intent is genuine when hiring an IT staff, challenges in the industry may need to scale back from time to time. This means adjoining or lessening expertise functions or both. Could this be problematic? Yes! The last thing businesses want to have is a reputation of not being able to keep their business.  
A small business IT consulting services firm can diminish that by providing the resources and flexibility you need without being concerned with additions. 

• Enriched productivity

Your small business should always work like a sufficient-oiled machine. That memo should go precisely where it needs to, everyone should be more precise about what they need to do, and tasks should be, for the most part, fulfilled without a hitch. 
If this is not your business right now, know that it is possible with an outsourced IT network. Your employees will feel the benefits. The communication will grow more evident, and your team will collaborate with ease, sharing insights throughout the day. For that, all you need is a plan in place for a cohesive structure with that IT specialist support.

Conclusion

It is a challenge for small businesses to handle the IT needs and the progress of their business hand to hand. But with the help of an IT consultant from a well-known IT consulting firm, you can hire experts that can handle your infrastructure in the most authentic way.

Difference To Know About: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure vs. DaaS

2020 is the launching point of desktop virtualization. Don't you think? 

On account of the present crisis, enterprises are turning towards the WFH model exponentially. It is not that it is new in the market. The increasing mobile advocacy and a need for a consolidated virtual workspace have highly affected the past year of local VDI and DaaS implementation. Now the good part is it is increasing at a very high speed this year.

This leads enterprises to make all required resources. And applications available to the workforce. So that they can conveniently work from anywhere.

VDI and DaaS are the two industry-leading desktop visualization solutions shining high to help the IT workforce. And other ventures as well. Herewith the help of the best IT consulting services, you will get the sure-shot solutions. That will share the goal of providing users with access to their desktops on their choice of internet-enabled devices from any location. Luckily this is what end-users need - the excellent way to get their work done effortlessly.

Meanwhile, the debate on VDI and DaaS is never-ending. Even though they serve the same functions, the enterprises still scale their requirements. And then select a solution that suits them the top and best results. But yes, no matter how flexible both the solutions are [VDI and DaaS], the question of security haunts the enterprises. But with the help of Security service corpus Christi, that matter of concern is solved.! 

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure [VDI]

VDI enables the creation of virtual desktops on the remote server infrastructure, hosted on-premises. To dig into more, it is the desktop visualization method that drains the provision of physical desktops scenarios. And relies on the digital desktop era.

As being one of the best end-user solutions. It provides users the potential access to their desktops, applications, resources. And data from any device and from anywhere {sounds convincing }. Let us see what exactly VDI covers: 

• Advanced administration 

• Amalgamated management

• Convenient approach 

• Efficient security 

• Workforce portability

Desktop as a service [DaaS]

Desktop as a service provider is very much similar to the VDI solution. Except that it is cloud-based desktop virtualization. It favors virtual desktops and delivers to end-users remotely. Generally, IT enterprises outsource their desktops to outside cloud service providers. And also, the desktops are positioned from there only. 

Likewise, being the cloud solution, DaaS is more authentic and cost-effective. Since there are no hardware investments. Repeating with VDI is also termed as user-centric detain. That allows the end-users to access their desktops, applications, and data. A question to be asked, Desktop Virtualization ROI - Is DaaS worth it?  The answer is YES.!

The DaaS embraces: 

• Abolishing desktop challenges

• Easy and convenient management 
  

• Business consistency

• Vacant of hardware investment

Take a note:  Believe it or not, relying on IT services will help take your enterprises from functional to exceptional. With that, it will increase your enterprise's productivity, reduce risk. And also provide high customer satisfaction. 

Which one works the best: VDI or DaaS?

VDI and DaaS are flexible solutions. That offers high-performance desktop experiences to users working remotely. If you want to choose between the two, you will have to scrutinize the type of business you're into. The time duration you are visualizing to execute the solutions. And the size of your company, and many other related things. 

If you want to give it a try to the features of VDI for a limited amount of time. It is suggestible that you should try the DaaS service, which is usually VDI outsourced by a third-party provider. And, if the planning is for the long term, you can conveniently install in-house VDI.

Remember, the size of the workforce is also a deciding tool. Therefore, VDI is not at all recommended for small and medium-scale businesses. As the number of employees is not sufficient enough in considering the costs concerning the VDI. On the other hand, VDI is proven to be a good fit for large enterprises.

The Desktop as a service provider can deliver effective and beneficial results for all types of businesses. Particularly the small and medium-sized one.

Over To You,

Now the stage is all yours. Looking at the points mentioned above of VDI vs. DaaS, despite having room for similarities. They're both pretty different from each other. Ask for help from an IT consulting firm. And then come to a conclusion.

Hiring an IT Consultant? Ask These 5 Questions!

Companies are now focusing more on IT consulting companies. It doesn't matter what you have decided, an onsite IT team, or you would work remotely with offsite services. You need to put the same energy into hiring the proper IT staff. 

So what to look for while you are hiring an IT consultant? Many advantages come while building a relationship with an expert to handle your network and IT solutions. Saving resources, growing your business and having 24/7 IT support are only a few advantages. 

Before hiring them, you want to know that whoever you will work with provides your organization's needs. Consultants should make sure they align with your business goals. So here we are with a few questions to make sure you choose the right IT consulting firm for your business.  

Do you have any specific experience in our industry?

What does your company do? Do you work in a specific niche or a generalized industry? Before hiring an IT consultant, you need to make sure they have experience in your industry. 

To know about their experience they have familiar to your business is the most important thing. If you are in the network field and a consultant has worked with large account management firms, they will not be updated on the best technology for your business. An IT consultant should be well versed in the requirements of your industry and business size. To measure this, ask them how they have tackled different obstacles. If you find something similar to your issue you are looking to solve, it's a great start. 

How will we communicate?

An absence of communication is not a good sign. There are some common mistakes you need to avoid that occur while hiring. You want to be involved in the planning and want to know the updated status and changes while adopting new IT.

You need to understand how they had communicated with clients previously and at what level their clients were involved in the decision-making process. Make sure to maximize that you need open communication if this partnership is going to work. 

How do you select your team?

An IT consultant you meet during your initial consultation may lead, but they have a skilled team to back them up. They cannot do it all by themselves, and you also don't want to rely on one person for any major project. Huge projects require input from various roles to plan and complete successfully. So access to a variety of talent, experience, and knowledge means you will get the experience for your business that you deserve. 

Do you have any vendor connections?

During your initial consultation, it is essential to ask what type of vendor connection an IT consulting firm has. Experts tend to be biassed when it comes to the tech type they prefer. So it is essential to understand the business recommendation based on their comfort level and experience. It will give you more insight into choices that are right for you. 

The consultant will have many experiences working with multiple platforms. You can offer your opinion on which is best for your organization.

What are the significant trends affecting the IT service industry that will affect my business?

It is a profound question. But by approaching this question, you can get an idea if the consultant can think broadly. You can get to know if they have ideas about what's happening in the industry today. If they can keep up with changes that take place within it. If they are diplomatic without specific examples, they are not the most reliable source you are looking for. 

If they cannot tell what's going in their field right now and what it means, how will they ensure you are getting the best technology for your business?

Conclusion:

It is quite a big decision to hire an IT consulting service. By asking the question, comparing the candidates will give you a clear image of what each IT expert does and how efficiently and conveniently. By hiring our IT consulting company, you can get the right solution implemented. We will make it as accessible and simple as possible. 

Cloud Security Trends To Watch In 2021

The cloud security market is in billions now. Cloud technology is already rising at an unmatched speed. However, security is the topmost concern of using cloud computing technology. The cloud statistics are only going to grow with time.

You should ensure that you are staying updated with technology. Let's talk about top trends to look out for in 2021. 

Top cloud security trends 

Now, data breaches are becoming more common. You are dealing with insecure APIs and vulnerabilities, and you need to also protect the cloud environment from threats like malware and phishing attacks.  

Security-first approach 

Security is a continuous and ongoing process, and its importance is going to increase in 2021. The IT consulting firm aims at real-time assessment of uncertainties and risks. Technologies are generating huge amounts of data, and due to that, data breaches are becoming more common. 

Companies are now investing in advanced security tools to deal with data breaches. You can use complex access management strategies. If lower levels of your network access are compromised, your entire network gets failed. So, organizations are using blockchain technology to deal with this issue. This will reduce the risks of external threats, and your network will automatically notify you. 

Attack threat landscape   

To attack organizations, attackers are using social engineering attacks. It is essential to ensure you are maintaining a security posture when using the cloud. Cloud-managed service providers are providing great security features to their customers. Their migration and implementation should be on the right path, which will help in securing your workload. 

If using the SaaS model, your cloud provider will help in managing your endpoint security. You can use APIs for tracking the status. It will help you get frequent updates. Companies also easily identify vulnerable hosts' environments.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

The concept of IoT and BYOD is getting more popular. But, these concepts come with their own complexities. These types of practices will help you increase the productivity of your employees. Also, you should deal with the security issues of these practices. If you are using technology with IoT devices, then you should use layered security protection. It helps you protect your IT infrastructure from threats. Attackers are also exploiting new technologies like AI, ML, IoT, and cloud computing.

Security compliances 

Most organizations think that security compliances are a commitment for them. However, your main aim should be regulatory bodies to ensure your organizations are protecting their data. Our IT consulting firm also follows compliances like HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS. 

These compliances will not protect your organization from every attack. But, it will definitely help you protect yourself from most of the attacks. You can't protect your infrastructure until you are following these compliances. Now every organization understands the importance of security compliance, and most are going to follow in 2021. 

Vulnerability management 

Vulnerability management is easy for those who are already using cloud services. The cloud providers like AWS and Azure automatically update their IT service infrastructure regularly. It will act as the first layer of defense. 

Cloud only disadvantage is it is vulnerable to security threats. You need to deal with remote work logging, DDoS, insecure APIs, and crypto-jacking. These are the main challenges for the modern organization. You need to identify risk by using automotive tools, and it helps you in making static and dynamic vulnerability assessments. 

It is hard to maintain the security of your containers and microservices. Developers will use containers to develop new applications quickly. Thus, organizations are moving more towards containerized applications. Also, polish up on your cyber hygiene strategies.   

Conclusion: 

Cloud computing can help you drive your business growth. You should also ensure that your cloud technology environment is protected from attackers. A data breach leads you to huge financial loss.

You should implement the best security tools to protect your data. If you don't have an IT security team, you can work with a managed IT service provider. An Experienced person from an IT consulting firm will help you implement the best security tools. It also helps you to protect your cloud environment from attackers.

How Many Layers Of Cybersecurity Do You Really Need?

Technology is evolving, and cybersecurity is an important aspect of this growing technology. With every passing day, as cybersecurity defense gets robust, cyberattacks also become sophisticated.

As your goal changes with technology, your business also needs to reevaluate its cybersecurity needs. Finding the layers of cybersecurity that will help you understand its state. And let you understand how it is aligned with your IT services technology goals and business future.

Layers Of Cybersecurity  

When it comes to developing a cybersecurity solution to keep your business safe, we have identified layers to consider for your business. Every organization is unique, and there isn't just a one-in-all solution that fits every situation. 

It's best to work with a cybersecurity service provider expert to ensure your company's solution meets your needs, goals, and budget. 

Have a Strong Firewall

It is an old cybersecurity standby. Businesses often assume that as they have a firewall, they're secured from everything. A firewall works to prevent incoming threats, intrusion prevention, and combining certain aspects like anti-virus. It helps you to keep the bad guys out. It is a significant layer of protection, but there are still gaps in advanced threats. 

Use VPN Connection

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secret and secure tunnel for off-network employees to access your company's resources safely. It will not let any door open behind to let a bad guy sneak into. A secure connection is important for companies with remote or hybrid employees to access company files and networks from outside the office.

Endpoint Protection and DNS Filtering 

Endpoint protections help you protect individual devices and servers from cyber attacks. It relies on both definition and behavior-based types of security to prevent any device attacks. With DNS filtering, you can restrict access to malicious or dangerous websites to secure employee's data security and equipment.

Endpoint Detection and Response 

EDR monitors behavior on your devices and networks in real-time to detect any cyberattacks. Once it detects, it alerts the administrator and separates the affected device to prevent any further impact on your business. Also, as a behavior-based solution, EDR fills many gaps that are left behind by anti-virus.

Email Security

How often emails do you send? How many you click on attachments and open them?

It is easy for hackers to make their way to systems. For most organizations, employees are the weakest security link, and email is a gateway. Email security gives an extra layer of protection to prevent users from interacting with malicious content. 

Patching 

The regular updates to hardware, software, security files, and operating systems that seal previously or newly identified vulnerabilities in the code are called patches. If you have a patch policy, reboot schedule, and plan that will integrate cyber resiliency into IT strategy. It ensures your equipment is receiving the patch daily. It will keep your system safe from all threats.

Multi-Factor Authentication(MFA)

If the person logging into your technology, multi-factor authentication ensures if they exist really. If anyone logs into your specific account with MFA, they need to verify their identity with additional code that is usually received through mobile device or notification. 

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

SIEM gives you a real-time analysis of your system even to detect and diminish threats through a combination of AI and eyes on the screen. It stores all your log files for references. By following a cyberattack, this layer supports system administrators in restoring data and information. You can prevent different types of cyberattacks in the future with our IT consulting firms by SIEM.

Anti-Virus 

It works like a flu shot. Anti-virus protects your technology against viruses. You are preventing viruses that you know exist, but there can be viruses that make their way into your system. For any cybersecurity solution, anti-virus is an essential layer. It prevents all types of emerging cyber threats. 

Data Backup

No matter what, you should backup your data regularly. In case of any human error, natural disaster, or system failure, data backup will have your back. 

We keep your business safe!

Our IT consulting firms work for business and employee data and system protection. We have experienced professionals with advanced tools to work towards your security. With our profound IT services, you can focus on your business goals without worrying about any cyber threats.