Category Archives: business computing

backup, business computing, cloud computing, Data Protection, IT Security, mobility, remote access

Safeguarding Your Laptop

In today’s fast paced world, business is always on the move. If you are like many businesses today, this means more than just some glossy metaphor. With lighter, more powerful laptops, your office can travel with you. You don’t have to be out of touch with your critical information simply because you’re “on the road”. With cloud computing and virtual desktops, every aspect of your business can be available to you at the tips of your fingers.

But what happens when you lose the ability to use that laptop? What happens when you have information stored on your laptop that you just can’t afford to lose? Perhaps it’s that latest details of your next major project or the start of a presentation you’re planning on delivering. Perhaps it’s a copy of an agreement or revision notes you’ve taken while you were speaking with a client. Can you afford to lose that work?

As we’ve discussed before, information is one of the most valuable assets of your business. Losing it can cost you and your business a lot.

There are many ways you could lose your laptop, including but not limited to:

  • theft
  • hardware failure
  • damage or dropping your device
  • hard drive corruption

Is the information on your laptop safe from these situations?

According to FBI’s Computer Crime Survey, the estimated cost of computer security incidents is $67.2 billion annually. And based on a recent study by Ponemon Institute, organizations lose up to $7.2 million each data breach and an average of $49,246 of data per lost laptop.

If you are concerned at all, consider the StaySafe Protection program. The Protection program is the newest member of our StaySafe suite of services all designed to help keep your most valuable asset, your data, safe. What makes StaySafe Protection unique is that is has a laptop specific component, Mobile Vault, designed for the “on-the-go” business person.  Mobile Vault provides your laptop will receive industry leading business-class backup service, fully encrypted data transfers, IP tracing and remote data removal. Compare this with traditional backup strategies.

Traditional Backup Plans StaySafe Protection Mobile Vault
Business-class backup of data ✓ ✓
AES 256-bit encryption of data ? ✓
Load balance/silent data transfer ? ✓
IP Tracing of devices ✓
Remote data destruction ✓

Business-class backup of data

Let’s face it, not all backups are created equal. Business-class backup comes with a level of integrity that you can’t get from at home versions of backup. Business-class backup includes:

  • redundant systems to ensure optimal uptimes
  • professional level software enabling greater level of control over data
  • ability to apply policies and create procedures the increase compliance of data

AES 256-bit encryption of data

One of the greatest dangers of working with data over the Internet these days is the fear the information can be stolen. Without proper encryption, your business intelligence and competitive advantage is just floating out there for someone to pick up and steal. AES 256-bit encryption is the latest and greatest in industry techniques.

Load balancing and silent transfer of data

Most traditional backup plans will require you set a time to “run” the backup. It utilizes all of your system’s resources to upload the computer’s information into a remote location. This process can take hours to complete and tie up critical systems, slowing down the internet and any other operations on that system. As such, most businesses schedule traditional backup plans to run late at night, when they expect low traffic on their network.

But with remote systems, you can’t always predict when you’ll be hooked up to the internet and available to do this backup. Under the traditional backup plans, that could mean your computer will miss these critical backups. Or worse, your already slow remote connection will move even slower because you’re trying to share the bandwidth with your backup process. Many times, you’re not connected to these remote internet services long enough to truly perform a full backup, thus potentially corrupting your backups and losing your critical data.

Under Mobile Vault, the service is intelligent enough to perform data transfer in increments, transferring small packets so it not only using less bandwidth but can optimize on your limited remote access. If you lose connection to the internet, it will simply resume where it left off and thus prevent data corruption.

IP Tracing and Remote data destruction

One of the scariest things that can happen to any business person is losing their laptop. Not only is it a physical asset loss, it could also mean the loss of critical information and compromise of the business. With Mobile Vault, businesses are now able to track and remove critical information even if the computer is physically lost.

Using the administrative interface, Mobile Vault can put a listener out on the Internet. As soon as the computer tries to connect to the internet again (which is a standard process triggered when most computers turn on), the system will retrieve the location of the computer via IP address. From here, the lost device can be located and any critical information removed remotely from the system.

Interested to learn more about what StaySafe Protection or any services under the StaySafe line can offer your computer? Just give us a call or email today. We’d be happy to assist you further and help evaluate if this service is right for your business.

business computing, cloud computing, IT Security, remote access

Location Matters Even in the Cloud

The idea of going to a Cloud system (aka remote computing) for businesses can either be scary, exhilarating or a mix of both. If you’re moving your business to a clouded solution, there are many things to consider to make sure your most valuable business asset, your data, is safeguarded.

With that in mind, one of the most overlooked but critical criteria that business owners review when considering a clouded solution is the data location.

Here at Solve-IT.ca, we ran into just such a situation while working with a client.

What is Data Location?

When we speak of data location, we’re now moving out of the “cloud” world and into the real world.  We’re talking about the actual physical location where the servers that hold your data sit.  When you deal with a virtual environment, your data could sit literally anywhere in the world.  With most clouded servers you buy these days, that data will probably sit to the south of us in the United States.

Why does physical location matter?

Because most of these remote servers actually sit in the US, we have a unique situation here in Canada that our southern counterparts don’t necessarily consider.  Whenever we store data in a virtual environment where the physical server is located in the US, we are sending our data out of the country.  Depending on the type of data and level of privacy it falls under, legally, the information should not cross the border without the person’s consent.

Furthermore, because the server resides in a different city, province, and country, the data falls under the jurisdiction of the local municipality of that server.  Thus, if there are additional rules or regulations that are applied at the local level, the data must comply with those standards as well.

To further make the situation difficult, Internet laws are becoming more complicated because data actually can pass through multiple countries and locations as it “jumps” from server to server to its final location. Certain countries are putting in regulations that govern data that passes through their countries.  For instance, Canada will be implementing CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation), which governs the use of certain personal data for business anywhere online.

The Situation

We were approached from a client to resolve this very complicated situation.  Because this client retained medical information which needs to stay within this country, we had to investigate solutions from a higher level of consideration.

We worked with many companies and server solutions, questioning them on their server location, backup locations, mirrors and safeguards such as firewalls that they had in place. Using our understanding of remote desktop support and ability to delve deeper into the technical details of the provider’s systems, we found a provider that meets all security requirements AND all their servers are located in Canada.

Conclusion

In today’s technological world advances such as cloud computing are ideal for helping small businesses expand at a pace that is reasonable to them without a large initial investment.  Tackling cloud computing for business is different than simply utilizing iCloud or SkyDrive or the like for your personal needs.

When done correctly and with the right level of technical considerations, cloud computing can be the solution that propels your business to the next level.

Are you ready to take the next step?  Need help?  Give us a call here at Solve-IT.ca and let our experts assist you in picking the right solution to fit your business and industry needs.

backup, business computing, cloud computing, Data Protection

Get Your Data in Order

In today’s business world, information is your most precious commodity.  Data you keep on your computers can make or break your company.  That is why it is so critical to safeguard the data you store on your network.

There are many solutions these days for you to consider such as remote and local backup systems, ghosting, cloud storage.  Before you can consider any of these options, you really need to take a moment and consider the most critical non-technical decision you will need to make:

How is my data organized?

Organizing your data on your computer is about having a system and sticking to it.  It is the filing system of today and should be taken with as much integrity and seriousness as maintaining critical business records in any other form.

When we talk about data organization on the computer, obviously we’re talking about files.  All too often, I find people putting files everywhere, mixing types and using names that aren’t Windows friendly.  These all lead to complications down the line, difficulty in backing up and recovery, and increased storage costs.

The best organized data has the following characteristics:

  • Information is easy to identify and locate
  • Files are all consolidated into one main area/folder
  • Different types of files are separated where appropriate
  • Files names do not exceed 256 characters (this includes the folder tree and filename itself)

Information is easy to identify and locate

The best test for a good system is when you’re out of the office and you need to send someone instructions on how to find the files to a particular project.  If you can direct someone to locate the necessary file within a sentence or two, your structure is probably good.  If you have to hunt and peck, trying to pick different folders across the network, then you may want to consider spending some time in harmonizing your file structure.

Consolidate files into one folder

Often, people are in a rush and decide to put something up on their desktop so they can access it quickly.  This is fine for the one-off solution but if it’s a file that you need to retain, you should have a designated location for this file.  Having everything in one folder, such as “My Documents”, makes it easier to locate and easier to establish a backup procedure.

Separate file types

In some businesses, projects are run with a large number of different types of files, such as music, video, and images.  These types of files tend to be very large and can be costly in terms of storage and backup.  But if you can isolate them to specific folders, it becomes easier to identify these files and isolate them for different, less expensive forms of backup.

The other key is to separate personal files from business files.  Many people maintain personal data, such as iPod music, downloaded pictures, and personal documents.  While these may be important to the individual, they have no place on your business’ network.  If they are mixed in with business data, you’ll be wasting backup space to these “other” types of information.

Smart file names

When Microsoft allowed the use of long file names they created an annoying “Catch 22”. This was a great boost for many companies who wanted a more descriptive file name.  Unfortunately, one item that many businesses are not aware of is that most backup applications (and other operational programs) don’t like these logical file names.  They end up truncating the filesnames and folder paths making it a challenge to restore.  Best case, they cause you to have to restart the application. In the worst case scenario, they can corrupt your information, making it unreadable and unrecoverable by any program.

Rather than trying to fit everything in the file name, use detailed file structures.  If you’re working in Microsoft Office, you can also use file attributes such as title or subject instead to extend the information you have on the document.

Choosing a good file structure before you move on to implementing a backup solution will save your company a great deal of time and money.

business computing, green computing

Green Computing IS possible and Good Business

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m the furthest from being green that could possibly exist.  If I could install more light bulbs and electrical gizmos in my backyard I would and, yes, I proudly use power tools, especially those that are gas-powered, all the time.

The reality is most “green” solutions out there are a bunch of hype by marketers to make you pay more for their product.  They work half as effectively as their non-green solutions and you end up doing twice as much work.

So why am I talking about green computing being good here?

Well, oddly enough, in some cases there are “green” solutions that do make sense.  They make business sense and end up providing greener answers to common computer issues.

Virtualization of Desktops and Servers

This one is probably the biggest in terms of being a “green” solution.  Virtualization is a technology that has been around for ages but only recently has it really started to come to a stage where it’s more than just a toy.

Virtualization of the desktop involves things like Cloud computing, where the actual desktop sits physically in another location.  There are several green advantages to this solution:

  1. Reduced commuting.  Everyone talks about getting a hybrid car for better mileage and less emissions.  What better way to generate less smog and get better mileage than to not driving at all?  Being able to support remote work can help with employee retention and provide an appealing job benefit.
  2. Better connected organization.  If you have any personnel who need to be on the road, having the ability to access the company remotely can solve many urgent issues and cut down on undue stress if someone were to be on vacation or away at a particular client’s site.
  3. Better utilization of hardware and licenses.  In many companies, employees aren’t physically at their computers all day.  They may not need their computer on a regular basis.  In particular, if you’re working in a plant, you may find your employees on the floor more than in the office.  Providing virtualized workstations allows them the flexibility of using centralized computers. You do not need to provide each employee with their own station.  Obviously, one computer uses a lot less energy than hundreds, so not only  are you saving in expensive hardware and licenses, you’re also saving in electricity and floor space.

Virtualization of a server has a far more technical advantage that you may not immediately see.  By having your servers virtualized, you can:

  • Save on physical space needed for additional hardware
  • Save on electrical expense for maintaining a server, a server room, and the appropriate conditions to keeping the server healthy
  • Save on having to purchase additional hardware and save on potential software expenses as well
  • Reduce maintenance costs

 Regularly update and properly size equipment

There’s nothing worse than seeing people struggle to work with antiquated equipment.  Many companies believe that if they don’t upgrade their computer systems, they are saving the company money.

Unfortunately, having old or wrong equipment installed can waste your employee’s valuable time.  That’s time you’re paying for as a business owner.  While it may not be as tangible as the cost of having new equipment, I’m sure the cost of a new computer is far less than the time an employee will waste in any given year.

Having older equipment is also environmentally unfriendly.  As the years have progressed, computer companies have developed more efficient hardware that perform better with less power.  They generate less heat, thus requiring less cooling. Equipment, such a monitors, no longer emit as much harmful radiation.

Having a computer work beyond what it is physically capable of doing will cost in terms of both employee time and higher failure rate.

Regularly scheduled maintenance

A regularly scheduled maintenance  contract  will  keep your equipment performing with the latest patches helping to safe guard one of your most expense purchases for your business.  In addition to keeping your data safe, many of these patches include changes, such as battery utilization on laptops that can make energy and environmental differences.

So I may not be jumping on the “green” bandwagon, but there are many things that can be done that make green sense and good business sense.  If you’re interested in what options may apply to your company, please give us a call at Solve-IT.ca.

business computing, IT Security

The Nasty 5-letter Word

In the business world, the term “audit” is a nasty 5-letter word.  It often refers to financial auditing and is wrought with anxiety and countless lost hours of production.

Did you know that when it comes to technology, auditing can actually save you money and, in some cases, help you propel your business to the next level?

Not many people think about auditing their IT systems.  Computers tend to be a “put it in place and forget about it until it breaks” component of business.  The reality is you could be wasting a great deal of money by not regularly performing audits on your IT environment.

We equate this leakage to the same as a bad sealant on a window.  Sure, the window is in place and is functioning (for the most part).  On the surface, unless there’s a major crack, you don’t really see any issues but over time, you will notice your heating or cooling bills rise.  You may find water seeping in during bad storms and causing damage to the building structure.  Eventually it will cost you more to keep your current windows than to have them properly switched out and replaced.

So too is the slow leakage that comes with a business IT infrastructure that doesn’t have a proper monitoring and auditing system behind it.

The slow leak of your hard-earned profit…

As mentioned previously, it isn’t immediately apparent how you can lose money from an improperly maintained IT system but here are some common issues we run into that can easily be caught by a proper audit.

  • Outdated software that requires patches or upgrades
  • Equipment on the verge of failing and degrading in performance
  • Holes in your security that have allowed malicious software to enter
  • Loss of productivity from employees spending time on unauthorized websites
  • Missing or incorrect license keys which put your company at legal risk

Ignoring the issue…

Over time, the infrastructure can break down around you and suddenly you find yourself in an emergency situation.  Your hardware or software is failing.  You don’t know how or what to replace the equipment with.  You scramble to stop the incoming “seepage of water” that can cause permanent damage to the infrastructure of your business.

Audits to the rescue

Luckily, you can avoid a lot of this pain by having an IT audit performed.  Unlike its financial counterpart, IT audits can be relatively painless and cost you minimal time.

A well run audit

Obviously, there are many programs and people out there who claim they can perform IT audits.  If the audit is to be of value, it must contain some key points:

  • Inventory of all hardware and software connected to your IT system
  • Detailed listing of licenses for each critical application and serial numbers for hardware
  • Information around warranty status on each piece of hardware
  • Listing of firewall or security measures and ports open
  • Information on users and mail accounts (if hosted internally)
  • Information on server utilization and storage device space

How long does an audit take?

Normally, an initial audit should take no more than a couple of hours.  There is minimal involvement from your staff.  Rather, the IT technician should be able to perform the investigation with just access to your system.

How often should it be done?

The frequency of audits depends upon if you have another monitoring system in place to watch day-to-day activity.  With a monitoring system, you should only have to perform or update your audit when major system changes like across-the-board upgrades or new servers go into place.  Without a monitoring system to watch day-to-day traffic, you may want to consider a minimum of a yearly review of your systems to ensure all is still operating as expected.

Need help?

If you need more help or have further questions about IT audits, please don’t hesitate to give us a call here at Solve-IT.ca.  We’d be happy to answer your questions and work with you to provide you the best solutions to maximize your IT budget. 

business computing

4 Considerations in Selecting Business Computer Systems

From time to time I get asked by people who don’t work regularly with me as to why I choose to deploy brands such as IBM and Lenovo. The price tags on these devices are often higher than some of their off-the-shelf counterparts. (Let’s not mention the bad 4-letter word please!)

I’m often surprised by this question because I don’t understand why anyone would want to go with something different for their business. Sure, in your personal life, you can get away with using just about anything. In fact, in my lifetime, I’ve built several thousand clone computers personally.

But as a business owner, I have to ask some critical questions that make my business decisions clear:

  • Do you care if your computers work every day?
  • Do you care about standardized platforms and reduced service costs?
  • Do you care how customer service treats you if something goes wrong?

As wonderful as computers are, the reality is there will always be situations where something can (and as Murphy states often does) go wrong. That’s where having a tried and true brand makes the difference.

Here are some of my real life examples of how these two particular brands made a real difference to my customers:

In-person and onsite support even on holidays

Anyone who knows me knows about the Christmas from hell. If you don’t, just ask me some time. Short story, even at Christmas Eve there was someone we could talk to from IBM who could assist us in bringing the system back. On top of that, they were willing to bring someone either that night or the next morning down from the main Toronto office to be onsite to resolve the issue.

Technical support that knows they don’t know everything

Another company, who I was not supporting at the time but had worked on the architecture of their environment, had a critical application go down because their current support decided to mess with the delicate setup in a vain attempt to optimize their environment. The end result is that the company called in IBM to get them back up and running. The IBM technician was told by this other support to basically wipe the whole server clean and rebuild the system from scratch. Having enough common sense, this technician was wise enough to stop and actually ask more questions. End result was the actual solution was a completely different problem and by not blindly following what he was told to do, he saved the company countless hours and service dollars to get the server data back.

Simple support at the convenience of the customer

A client of mine recently had a Lenovo laptop which had a video screen that started displaying a weird black band. With no fuss, I simply called technical support and reported the issue. Because the computer was a Lenovo T-series, it had a 3 year warranty upgraded to next business day onsite. The client was about to go on an extended business trip and Lenovo was willing to have the computer picked up and dropped off wherever was necessary for him. Fortunately, the issue wasn’t so critical that he had to have such an immediate response. But after he returned (nearly a month later) with the laptop, Lenovo still honored the claim and handled the laptop with ease.

Easy recovery and factory restore

Seems lately I’ve had the luck of dealing with several computer virus attacks. Many of them were on systems without a proper recovery media. A recovery media is important in ensuring the operating system (normally Windows), all drivers, and all default programs are restored properly onto the computer. In comparison, Lenovo offers the friendliest recover mechanism to ensure a clean restore to factory. This means less cost and less time until the computer is fully functioning again.

The above are extreme cases. It’s the hope that you never run into any of these problems. But do you really want to chance something as critical as your business computer systems? Isn’t your business important enough to you to go for the best?

At the end of the day, if you can’t afford a branded platform, can you afford to loss your critical business data instead?

If you’re interested in moving to a more standardized platform and want to know how your business can benefit from using branded products, please drop us an email here at Solve-IT.ca, a leading IT support for Southern Ontario.