Group 64

What is Enterprise Cybersecurity  ~ GroupOne

What is Enterprise Cybersecurity 

Is there a difference between standard cybersecurity and enterprise cybersecurity? The difference lies in the way technology and cyber threats have evolved. Standard cybersecurity may have been enough ten years ago, but the virtual world has since become more complex. Thus, requiring a complex solution

 Almost one-third of businesses will experience a breach this next year. Those breaches set a company back for months. Simply identifying major data breaches may take months if you don’t have proper enterprise level cybersecurity. In order to protect your business, you need to face potential problems from many angles. 

 Basic security precautions protect a company’s data locally. Enterprise cybersecurity extends from on-premise servers to their cloud-based infrastructure. As well as securing endpoints with third-party vendors and network security monitoring. It also involves training employees and establishing rules and protocols to minimize incidents with careless employees

 Why Do I Need Enterprise Cybersecurity?

Cyber attacks are on the rise. The more complex our technology systems become, the more places criminals have to find a weak point. Businesses are constantly growing their data and devices within their company. This causes them to need advanced security software.

These changes can create vulnerabilities in a company. When a breach happens, the results are very expensive for a company. The areas that need protection are not always cut and dry. The technology additions that companies include as they grow make for a greater need for enterprise cybersecurity

 Protecting a Company’s Reputation

Data breaches are reported all the time. Every week you can read about another major data breach. Many breaches aren’t reported. When a company experiences a breach, their customers and clients no longer feel safe having their information with that company. 

 A reputation is everything for a growing business. Enterprise security solutions give a business the best shot at protecting that reputation and growing with long-term customers and clients. 

 What does an Enterprise Cybersecurity Strategy Include?

In order to establish advanced security solutions, you need to first get very specific with what you have so that you can be specific with what you need. You can then put in place exact applications and procedures to ensure that those areas are safe. With the arrival of cloud computing, a cloud protocol is essential for a comprehensive secure business environment.  

 Boundaries Around Your Digital Assets

You need to have a set of boundaries at both the local level and virtual level. Cloud servers make establishing these boundaries even more important. You may hire IT staff to manage the storage, backup and transfer of your company’s data. 

 With cloud computing, you need to keep in mind the information that passes onto third-party servers. Transferable data needs a boundary as well. When you have employees that can open up company information from mobile devices, those devices need protection. 

 Establishing Your Software Environment 

Your company may use many different types of software. You need to define the purpose and policies around these programs. When you have employees connecting to these programs from a wide range of personal devices, you may open up your programs to any threats existing on the devices. 

 Your employees‘ devices may have other software that could be problematic for your company’s programs. This is why it is important to establish boundaries and rules. You need to have set rules about what kinds of software can come in contact with your company software. 

 Sealing Your Assets

Any hardware or software that connects to your system needs to be sealed off from possible data leaks or unauthorized access. To do this, you need to have each component inspected and tested for strength. If there is a device with vulnerabilities that could compromise the entire company’s system, these need to be removed or reprogrammed. 

 While securing the assets, you need to keep in mind the functionality of your company’s workflow. Make sure you’re not sealing off information from employees who need it. You don’t want to have any connectivity issues with business activity after restricting company systems for maximum safety. A security company can help you maximize security while keeping your business models and business purposes working efficiently. 

Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation Plans

Cyber thieves are always looking for holes in the latest program updates. This is why you need to stay ahead of the vulnerabilities with regular testing. As soon as you detect a hole or weak point, you need to have a plan in place to fix that issue as quickly as possible. 

 A company’s data could be exposed to hackers for months before employees are made aware of the problem. This causes huge damage to a company’s finances and reputation. With proper testing and remediation plans, you can ensure the time that your company is left vulnerable is minimal. 

Review Access Privileges 

Administrative access is the point that poses the biggest security threat. This is where hackers target their efforts the most. This is why it’s important to review who has administrative access and make sure that they should have that access. This is essential for any complex security infrastructure.

Review all of the individuals in your staff and the duties they have. Determine who needs access and who doesn’t. You can also make policies around when someone can be logged in even if they do have access. They should be logged in only to complete critical administrative roles and not for any other reason. 

GroupOne provides companies of all sizes with enterprise security at affordable prices. Our security professionals will take all of these security concerns and provide you with the enterprise risk management you need. With our business analysis, we can create a custom security solution for your company.

Our experience goes beyond common attack methods. The best way to prepare for any disaster is to work with people who have faced almost any issue you can imagine.  

Don’t wait for disaster to get your security standards where they should be. Security needs to be woven into all of your business strategies. Your company is not worth the security risk.

Importance of Computer Network in Business ~ GroupOne

Importance of computer network in business

As a business grows, so does its equipment. The more computers and devices a company has the more spread out the programs and information become. Unless you have your computers networked together.

Computer networking is a group of computers that are configured together while not necessarily in the same physical location. When your computers are connected, the transmitted data between the computers make for more seamless communications and operations across the company. 

It’s also very cost-effective as it allows computers to share hardware and software licenses, cutting back on those company expenses. 

Benefits of Computer Networking in Business  

File sharing allows for improved communications on a cohesive network. Consistency across individual computers with a central database creates cohesive operating systems. The benefits for business are larger storage capacity, effective communication, flexibility, and saving money on the costs of software. 

Large Storage Capacity

With computer networking, your critical files are all a part of central file servers. Your employees can access these files and learn from the data for improved business operations. A central server lowers the number of storage systems you need for the company’s data. You gain storage space with an increase in employee productivity with access to files. 

Improved Business Communication

Information is the basis of communication. Modern networking allows the transfer of information in real-time anywhere with internet access. When your team has access to network files from any device you have more flexibility with remote workers and employees that need to work outside of the office.

The more information available to employees, the more independently they can work. Downtime is a revenue killer. Network access to employees creates the company growth needed to reach long-term business goals.  

If you have any issue with one device, you can access your information when you log into another device. This creates network security where you don’t have to worry about losing critical files

Flexibility and Convenience

Access to information through the network cuts down on steps that employees take to get the information they need for their daily tasks. When computers aren’t connected you need to transfer files through a USB drive or messages. 

With computer sharing employees can take files from any other connected computer as if it were on their own. This speeds up the daily tasks of your employees and creates a very functional workflow. 

Cost Benefits of Computer Networking

A quality computer network allows for resource sharing across devices. You will need less hardware when your computers are connected and hardware is pricey equipment. Employees won’t need separate printers or backup storage when their computers are connected. 

You won’t need to install as many software updates and employees can share document scanning software. The ability to share technology assets among employees is one of the biggest cost benefits of this networking solution

Networked Versions of Software

Buying software for every computer and device isn’t the most cost effective way to get your employees the tools that they need. Many software companies offer versions of their software that were made for networks. This way you can purchase a single license for the product you need. You can then have it running on the central server that the individual computers are connected to.

This puts an end to carrying around a USB drive and trading it with the next employee that needs the license. When you have a team of people with access to the tools they need, you have an efficient team of self-starters.  

Improved Customer Service

When your employees have access to company information they are better able to serve customers and clients. They can pull up all the information they need on the customer and provide answers to their questions quickly. They can also add information about the customer into the system so that other employees can be updated in real-time. 

The Perfect Network Needs to Be Done Right

There are many benefits to computer networking. There are also areas of this network type that need attention to make sure your systems are safe and promote business growth. 

Choosing the Best Computer Networking Method

There are a lot of options for your networking system and an IT provider can help you make the best decision for your individual company. More freedom comes with modern computer networking, and you no longer have as many restrictions over what hardware is compatible with the network.

This way you can have different operating systems across a variety of devices. You can have equipment from different providers working together with one central server

Network Security

When your computers are connected they could be open to more cyber threats. When you have one computer that has an issue it can spread to the rest. Corrupt files are not isolated when you have computer networking. 

This is not a problem when you have IT support to keep your system as a whole safe. IT consulting will give you all of the information you and your employees need to keep your company data safe. Employees may exchange corrupt files when they don’t know how to recognize and avoid these incidents. 

Proper training of employees will keep your company data safe while remaining accessible to promote employee productivity. Company security policies are crucial for a company of any size.  

GroupOne provides custom IT security plans to protect your company. We get to know you and your business goals to create technology strategies for the growth stage of your company. We know how important company efficiency is and we help provide you with the most cost effective computer networking and support needed to grow a successful business.

GroupOne_Cloud_Whitepaper_Hero

Why is Technical Support Important ~ GroupOne

Why is Technical Support Important

As your business grows, so do your technology needs. The more business processes you have automated, the more efficient your employees’ workflow is – and the more you depend on technology. 

Technology fuels efficiency, but only if you have the right experts to make sure it keeps running smoothly. When a business relies on technology, when those technical servers are down, the business is down as well. 

Keep your business up and running with a technical support engineer to support you when issues come up. You will improve organization, product knowledge, workflow, and quality of tech with a well-structured tech support system

Technical Support Fuels Efficient Business Processes 

GroupOne provides technical support to fuel business efficiency. With GroupOne, you are never left researching solutions while your company chaos builds up. Just one call, and you can have a technical support team ready to work with you and your technology. 

With the complexity of tech issues and the variety of tech applications that are available today, tech support managers are crucial. One employee cannot keep up with all of your core business needs as well as all of the new and changing technology. GroupOne’s customer support team has years of experience and all the resources needed to stay up to date on new technology trends and tech issues. 

Quicker resolution times for critical issues keep business growth from slowing. The operating costs of your business stay low when you don’t have tech issues slowing down your employees. Technical support services increase your revenue by creating smooth company processes both when business environments are working as planned and when a challenge with tech arises. 

Tech Tools for Crucial Business Decisions 

Critical business processes are created with technology. A technical support team can help you analyze your business processes and help create a guide to tech in your workplace. You can be sure that you are making the best business decisions for your company if you have all the expert knowledge to create a user experience for your employees that feeds business growth.

We get to know you and your company to understand your unique needs. We then create custom solutions for businesses that will positively impact your business growth for years. 

Efficient Communication Between Employees 

Organization of your business projects and company data online allows your employees to work from anywhere. This makes for even fewer situations where they are unable to work. The more access they have to information, the less time spent waiting to get started on work. 

Cloud services allow more types of organizations and workflows among your employees. Employees can work together on projects using a shared document that displays changes in real-time. This keeps everybody on the same page with any changes in a business project. 

The goal of any business is to keep progressing. Not having access to accurate information is what slows business processes and keeps downtime a daily part of your employees’ workflow. GroupOne can help you set up the best tech applications that work for your company’s individual processes so that you are increasing revenue from decreased labor costs.  

Safety from Data Breaches 

The more information shared online, the more efficient your employees can be. However, this also means you need to have a good understanding of cybersecurity so that you aren’t putting your information at risk. 

A technical support team can analyze your infrastructure to check for any weak points where your information isn’t secure. Technical support services allow you to make technology decisions with the safety of your company as a top priority. 

Keeping your customers happy with your customer service is easy with efficient processes. With proper tech support, you don’t have critical issues arising with the safety of your customers’ information. Customer satisfaction doesn’t stand a chance against a security breach. A technical support engineer helps you protect your company’s reputation. Without that, nothing else really matters. 

Peace of mind goes a long way with a company. You have a lot of business needs to worry about, and putting your tech support in the right hands takes a load off your back. 

Tech Support Services to Reach Your Goals 

A tech support team eliminates the need to come up with solutions on your own during stressful events. Having dedicated people to turn to for all of your technical issues keeps your employees from needing to problem solve on their own without an expert approach. 

You have company processes and employees with specific tasks that need to stay in motion for company growth. When technical issues come up you can call a tech support team rather than interrupting their workflow. Paying employees to work on technology that they do not have quality tech knowledge of, just gets you paying for something to not be done right. 

Tech support calls get the problem taken care of quickly. GroupOne has an easy-to-use ticketing system for resolving IT concerns quickly. Our technical support team will help you get your business back on track quickly. You also have the peace of mind that you are doing everything you can with access to expert knowledge of an effective solution. 

Having systems and processes that work is what creates a successful business. We are ready to help you grow, create something new, or just better maintain your current success. 

We know the value of human contact. We take the time to get to know you, your processes, and your goals. Our custom solutions make certain you’re getting everything you need and keeping you on budget. Reach out so we can answer any of your questions about our tech support services and talk more about what you need!

Why Cloud Hosting is Right for Your Small Business

Cloud Hosting is often one of those jargon words bandied about in cyberspace. But what is cloud hosting and why does it matter to your small business? Find out about the basics of cloud hosting services and why it’s right for your company.

One of the challenges of doing business in today’s fast-paced world is the temptation to stick with doing things the way they’ve always been done before. In years past, you called in an IT company, they installed a server in your office and set up your company website to be hosted in-house. However, today we have more options, and the cloud is a smart choice for the savvy small business owner.

7 Benefits of Cloud Hosting to Small Businesses

  • Fewer headaches. With cloud hosting, you no longer have to maintain your server and networking. All of your website data is stored online, in the cloud, and a separate company handles the headaches of making sure your website is up and operational.
  • More up-time. If you lose power at you business location, your website remains functional when you take advantage of the cloud. There’s no rush to restore power and reboot your servers to get your online business operational again.
  • Better quality. For many small business owners, cloud hosting provides a wealth of services that eliminates the need for an in-house IT team. Your cloud hosting service provider will often have expertise in cleaning up after hackers, securing your website, and making your site run at optimal levels.
  • Fiscal fortitude. Cloud hosting also offers easy payment options. You don’t have to fork over cash for expensive equipment to get your business website up and running. Simply subscribe to a plan, set up your account, and upload your website content and code. You can pay by the month or by the year, and if you need to cancel a website, you’re not locked into an expensive contract or loan. Cloud hosting makes it easy to try out several domain names, website styles, or content options and stick with the one that performs the best for your small business without the risk of losing the potential return on your investment.
  • Better service. Online hosting companies are plentiful, but it pays to go with a quality cloud hosting service. These services often offer supplemental perks like 24/7 technical support, assist with website migration, instructional videos, automatic domain name registration, and flexible billing options.
  • User-friendly. Most cloud companies utilize a user-friendly interface that assists account holders in managing their hosting and website services more efficiently. Need to install WordPress or Joomla? A cloud hosting company can make the process easier than sorting through the process on your server.
  • Mistake-proof. One of my favorite reasons for using a cloud hosting service is they make your website nearly mistake-proof. Accidentally deleted an essential line of code? Hit the delete button on the wrong website file? Your cloud hosting company can often restore a backup of your information from their servers if you call right away and explain your problem. Now that’s peace of mind for the savvy Twenty-First Century small business owner.

GroupOne can host and manage your cloud technology for a flat monthly rate. Contact them today to get your business started in the cloud.

Things to Do before Opting for IT Services in Sacramento

Do you wish to outsource the IT requirements to consultants providing IT Services in Sacramento? In that case just ensure you are well prepared for the move and you also need to take the required steps beforehand. You need to find the right partner who can understand your business dynamics and then suggest a solution. Look for IT consultants who understand your business well and offer quality services and also certain packages to choose from.

Firstly, it is very important to spend some time and brain storm on what you desire and what you expect from the outsourced provider. You need to be very specific and clear on every requirement that is needed so that the consultant can also understand the things you primarily need. This way they would be successful in delivering the project that meets your expectations and goals.

Another important thing to do before hiring an agency is to allocate a budget for the outsourced job. For this you need to conduct a good search and find out all the possible expenses that are in line with your requirements. This way you can establish a very realistic budget. Do not get carried away by those cheap offers given by agencies to attract new clients. These offers do not guarantee their service is quality. It is always good to ask detailed questions to the agencies providing IT Services in Sacramento. This will help you in making a better assessment of their work and making comparisons between service providers also becomes very easy for you. Have a look at their client portfolio and gain knowledge about how they render services to their clients. You can also go contact these references so you can hear directly from the client about how the outsourcing company had helped them.

It is not necessary that your service provider stays in the same city where you have your business. They may have their offices in some other part of the world. In such a case one has to identify a proper means of communication be it phones, emails or both. Such things will help you in identifying the most appropriate agency providing IT Services in Sacramento.

Group One Consulting provide data storage and virtualization along with cloud services, hosting solutions, business continuity planning and many other IT support services. You can contact us if you wish to outsource your IT needs.

Essential Small Business Tools: Cloud Backup

When juggling the daily responsibilities of managing your small business, it can be easy to overlook your networking and IT needs. But what would happen to your business if you lost your important data? Your client data, important files, invoices, tax information, resources, and small business website are all dependent upon regular backups to remain safe and secure.

The Benefits of Cloud Backup

Added Security

There are several types of backup services available, but cloud backups are the most popular- and for good reason. Cloud backup services allow you store your important data offsite, which also protects your business in case of fire, theft, or other natural disaster. Think of cloud backup as storing your valuables in a safety deposit box instead of keeping at your home. This provides a secondary layer of protection for your information and files.

Instant Availability

Cloud backups also increase accessibility of your data. For the majority of cloud back up services, you can access your information securely from any computer or mobile device, at any time. Forgot a file at the office? Need to gain access to a client’s contact phone number to handle a problem after hours? No problem. With the ease of cloud backups, your information is updated regularly and available online. With cloud back up, you may never need to go into the office to handle an after-hours problem again!

Read more

IT Management for Small Businesses: In-house vs. Off-site

If your company is new to IT management or if you are experiencing growth that requires a more sophisticated IT network, you may be wondering where to turn for help. All that Information Technology jargon can be quite confusing, especially for someone with little experience with business technology. To help you get a handle on the basics of IT networking for small business, we’ve put together a plain-English guide.

Small Business IT Computer Services

What is In-House IT Management?

In-house IT management occurs when a company has a person or team on the payroll who is responsible for handling all the IT issues the company may come across. This person (or team) reports to the office, solves technical issues on-site, and is often a salaried employee who receives a paycheck regardless of the number of IT issues dealt with each week. An in-house IT department may handle such things as setting up and maintaining a network or on-site server, keeping the company’s website(s) up and running, and trouble-shooting equipment such as routers, computers, telephone systems, and power sources.

What is an Off-Site IT Management Company?

An off-site IT management company is a company that deals solely with IT issues. They may supplement a company’s in-house IT department, or may serve as the company’s sole source of IT management. They are a separate entity from the businesses they serve.

These companies may come only when called upon, may do consultations with recommendations for managing a new or existing network, or may come to the office during routinely scheduled visits to perform maintenance or check for potential problems.

What Does an IT Professional Do?

An IT professional generally knows how to troubleshoot and repair software and hardware problems for Macs (Apple) and PCs (Microsoft). IT professionals also look at the business-end of a company’s IT network and can recommend or maintain applications that are useful for assisting the company in meeting its business goals. These types of applications may include Microsoft Exchange, Web-based applications, and server maintenance and monitoring programs.

This type of service may include setting up a security protocol to keep the company’s sensitive information safe, or to block employees from productivity-stealing activities like spending time on facebook or YouTube.

An IT professional can help set up a suitable back up procedure for the company’s information (files, programs, and databases), or may utilize a cloud computing service to store information off-site in an Web-based (Online) format.

This type of service can help you move your equipment to a new location safely, or set up a new branch in another area with an IT system that will meet your current and future needs.

Website management and maintenance, often referred to as Web mastering, is a very common service provided by IT professionals. Handling upgrades, performing Website maintenance, solving technical issues, managing  hosting, and ensuring Website security are all a part of an IT professional’s job. They can assist you in selecting secure login procedures and passwords, and in setting up regular back-ups of your Website to prevent IT disasters from resulting in a total loss of your company’s Website.

If you are expanding your company or just getting started, an IT consulting firm can help you choose the right computers, networking system, and software to meet your company’s needs. An IT service will also help you set up essential systems like secure file transfers, back-ups, and company-wide email to handle your company’s needs.

If you still have questions about IT management, computer services, or networking, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help sort through the confusion and get you on track to a well-managed small business IT department.

 

 

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net