Here are three infrastructure tools that you should consider to protect your business.
In the event of a power outage, will you lose data access? UPS systems are available to help keep your business operational in the event of a power outage. These solutions can run from very simple systems, to enormous battery supported systems that can keep very large hospitals operational. An MSP is an excellent resource for evaluating a UPS solution appropriate to your situation
Software as a Service SaaS.
SaaS is something we use quite a bit and may not even recognize. If you started your business 15-20 years ago, you may remember buying a business license for office products that included a word package, spreadsheet and presentation software. The license allowed you to download that software to x number of machines. Problem? The software itself, as well as the documents produced, exist on that particular machine. The machine fails, or you have a flood and cannot get into the office, or want to work from home, this model doesn't cut it. As a result, everyone is moving to SaaS. This means you are accessing both the software and your documents in a cloud somewhere far away from your physical offices. It also means your software and documents are protected from cyber criminals to a degree not possible on a local machine.
Voice over Internet Protocol
VoIP is the place to be for the most robust and flexible telephone system. If you haven’t done so already, it is time to migrate to VoIP. Unlike an old fashioned PBX or key system, (basically a small, office-based phone exchange that still relies on telco wires) VoIP handles voice communications via the internet. This means far more flexibility when using your “office“ phone. Now you can work using that number from the office, car, home or a tropical island. It also provides many more features beyond a simple v-mail box. Email, v-mail and text messaging start to blend together and whichever is most convenient at any one time, you can use.
In summary, protecting your digital assets should be a concern not just for the IT department. Because your digital assets are critical to your business's operations, strategies to protect them should be addressed, designed, and supported at the highest level.These are Board and C-suite level issues. For smaller businesses with limited IT resources, a managed service provider can become the ideal partner in working with your top management to develop a plan.
