Installing patches and updates across a large IT environment can be a challenging task. Fortunately, a variety of patch management tools exist to help with the process. Keep reading for tips on what to expect from a patch management tool, as well as what to consider when selecting a tool. Continue reading
While there could be many reasons why BaaS isn’t profitable for some MSPs, there are a few common pitfalls MSPs should avoid when selling BaaS. In many cases, these MSPs are not bundling BaaS with other services, contracted with the right vendor, or offering disaster recovery separately. Continue reading
“Bring your own device”, or BYOD, is a situation where a company's employees use personal devices to access corporate network resources or applications. These devices typically include mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. The BYOD approach can occur intermittently, meaning that some employees enter corporate resources from time to time, without notifying their system administrators. In such cases, ”bring your own device” can be a serious security issue for the company. Continue reading
Mergers and acquisitions, or M&A for short, is a great way to enter the MSP business or to increase your customer base. On the other hand, you might want to leave the business if you're tired of it or if you feel like there's nothing more you want to achieve. In this article, we will overview how to get ready for mergers and acquisitions, and where you can find a good deal. Continue reading
Data security management is a centralized approach that allows you to standardize and streamline your security operations, thus making them more robust and failure-resistant. In this article we overview exactly why you need to implement data security management, how it can be implemented and what kind of attacks you will typically be facing and, lastly, give you the best tips and tricks for building a failure-resistant data security solution.
According to a study by Varonis, only 5% of organizations’ folders and files are properly secured. Data security management allows you to mitigate potential risks and reduce the number of successful attacks on your business's data. Here are more reasons why you need to implement data security management:
Further reading Data Security in the Cloud: Best Practices for MSPs and Their Clients
Once you have persuaded the decision makers that you need data security management in place, it's time to define the types of attacks you will be protecting your business from. Here are the most typical of them:
Malware. Ransomware, worms, trojans, and other sorts of injected programs aimed at interrupting your normal business operations or stealing your data.
Further reading Ransomware Attack Scenarios
Phishing. Phishing is a popular way to distribute malware or steal data that will be used for injection later on, via emails sent to your users.
Network attacks. Any modern business has at least something in their network exposed to the Internet, which is full of malicious scanners trying to find a vulnerability in order to carry out an attack.
Further reading Network Security Best Practices
Internal attacks. A fired employee who had privileged access might steal or delete mission-critical data if their access to the network has not been not disabled promptly.
Outside of targeted attacks, there are more threats that you should consider when creating a data security policy and a disaster recovery plan:
Human error. Human error is one of the most common causes of data breaches, both large and small. It's advisable to perform training for end users to reduce the probability of data loss.
Equipment failures. While you can monitor the health of your equipment, there is always a chance of spontaneous failure. So your disaster recovery plan should include this probability.
Shadow IT. The IT inventory of every modern organization is pretty complex. There are dozens of pieces of hardware and types of licenses you acquire and manage. It is a challenging but necessary task to keep track of this.
Incorrect disposal of devices. Old data storage equipment should be recycled with extreme attention. A single old hard drive with sensitive information can lead to further security breaches or a compliance case.
Further reading IAM vs PAM vs PIM: The Difference Explained
Further reading IT Security Audit: A Comprehensive Guide
Further reading Password Management Best Practices
Data security is one of the most important pillars in modern-day organizational security. You should create a thought-through, complex, yet usable policy. Revise and test it regularly to ensure that it remains in line with your company's processual and infrastructural changes. In this way, you will reduce the probability of an expensive or even devastating data loss.
Major data breaches affecting more than 100,000 users appear in the news every week, and minor ones are countless. It’s not only cyberattacks that are to blame; sometimes data is left unsecured due to human error or simple carelessness. Considering this, it is vital to choose a backup solution that will keep your data safe. Continue reading
MSP360 Managed Connect (formerly Remote Desktop) is an easy-to-use remote assistance software tool for securely accessing and controlling desktops and servers. Continue reading
Most IT professionals perform ongoing security monitoring of their environments to catch security problems as they arise. But what happens if your monitoring tools don't catch a threat or vulnerability? Or, what if there are underlying configuration problems in your IT environment that invite security breaches? Continue reading
MSP pricing can, understandably, be a complicated affair – even for seasoned providers – since there is no standard pricing system that you could use as a guide. MSPs are now charging from as little as zero dollars for some services to as much as tens of thousands of dollars for selected packages. Continue reading
Ticket escalation is the cornerstone process of providing customer support. Improve your customers' experience by enhancing your ticket escalation procedures - and your customers will stay with you for years and bring you the referrals you need in order to grow and thrive. Continue reading
The “as a service” model refers to a solution, a platform, or a product that is provided and managed for an internal or external client by a third-party agent. This model is popular nowadays due to its flexibility and simplicity for the customer. You don’t need to find, test, and integrate the solution yourself; you just have to find a solutions provider, who will manage everything IT, leaving you with only the business-related tasks.
Needless to say, there is everything as a service nowadays, starting from analytics up to quality assurance. In this article, though, we will discuss why and how to implement backup as a service within an organization.
The backup as a service model, or BaaS for short, applies to backup management performed by a third-party service provider for its customer. Backup management typically includes:
The BaaS model allows an end user to delegate all data backup needs to a service provider, ensuring data safety according to service level agreements between parties. It's a perfect model for both small companies without an internal IT department, who can rely on a provider to perform IT routines for them, and for big companies who want to build an ITSM/ITIL-style relationship between their departments.
Further reading Backup as a Service vs Disaster Recovery as a Service: The Difference Explained
According to a study by the National Cyber Security Alliance, 37% of SMBs who have experienced data loss have suffered a financial loss, 25% have filed for bankruptcy and 10% went out of business.
With the number of cybersecurity attacks growing each year and IT infrastructures getting more complex, it is clear why organizations should employ the more user-friendly and convenient BaaS model. Here are more pros for it:
Further reading 6 Benefits of Backup as a Service
However, on the other hand, there are several challenges and concerns regarding the integration of the cloud backup as a service model within an organization. These factors need to be considered, so you can make a well-rounded decision:
At this point, you may be wondering how to find an external BaaS provider, or how to develop an in-house backup as a service solution?
If you are looking for a provider to do backups for you, contact several big companies on the market. They will be able to assess your budget and needs, define the proposition and outline the service level agreement. Together you should classify your data, and define the backup and recovery methods for the various platforms and operating systems you use.
If you are building an in-house BaaS solution, you should first define the needs of your business and establish your recovery point and recovery time objectives in order to find the appropriate software and, if needed, hardware. Thus, you also need to classify the data, choose the platforms for backup, and put together a backup and disaster recovery plan.
It's not always easy to choose a vendor that will provide you with backup as a service. If you are having a hard time picking one, here's a screening list that should help you:
If you have several candidates with greatly varying price points for a similar offering, find out why there is such a difference. Remember, the best choice is not always the cheapest nor, indeed, the most expensive solution.
Further reading 4 'Must-Have' Features of the Managed Backup Software
If you are looking for a ready BaaS solution for your own business, MSP360 Managed Backup will provide you with everything you need – a flexible cross-platform backup solution that is managed from a single pane of glass. You won't need to build a costly local infrastructure, as MSP360 is integrated with the biggest cloud storage providers out there and also provides you with local backup options for better data protection.
As convenient and user-friendly public cloud environments may be, they are hardly the place to store sensitive data or confidential communications. At the same time, secure cloud environments can come with a hefty price tag. This is why more organizations are turning to hybrid cloud computing, which combines the benefits of both private and public cloud computing. Continue reading
