Webinar: Beating Burnout & Boosting Business Continuity

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It’s an unfortunate truth that many IT departments have recently faced cuts. Yet the expectations of keeping systems running and overall business continuity intact have not. In fact, it’s even more important today than ever before.

How do you balance this tug-of-war for time and resources, while spread so thin?

In this webinar, Rick Vanover, Senior Director of Product Strategy from Veeam Software, will leverage his 20+ years in data protection and business continuity to help you navigate this challenge.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The latest business continuity challenges you should be prepared for
  • How to do more with what you already have
  • How to provide extra levels of data protection and disaster recovery with ease
  • 6 best-in-class data protection practices
  • How ISG + Veeam help

Who Should Watch?

Business and IT leaders who are responsible for business continuity, disaster recovery and data protection.

ISG Named Veeam Accredited Service Partner

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Local technology provider recognized for excellence in technical knowledge

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Aug 7, 2020 – ISG Technology, a Managed IT Services Provider, announced its status as a Veeam® Accredited Service Partner (VASP) – a program that identifies, recognizes and promotes business partners for their excellence in technical knowledge and practical implementation skills. ISG is also among select partners with dual Platinum status as a Veeam Reseller and Veeam Cloud & Services Provider (VCSP) partner. The addition of participation in the VASP program makes ISG one of the deepest technical benches of any Veeam partner.

Veeam Software, the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management™, uses the VASP program to identify IT consultants who possess the technical skills to deliver value-added and reliable professional services for Veeam product portfolio implementations. The program promotes the expertise and technical competency of these partners at full benefit of their customer base – offering the best of breed in terms of service delivery.

At its core, the program is designed to:

  • Ensure that Veeam customers experience the full value and return on investment of Veeam solutions by working with highly skilled technical partners and professionals.
  • Ensure that Veeam customers receive high-quality professional services in accordance with Veeam’s current technical best practices.
  • Create an exclusive business differentiator for service providers that acknowledges their expertise and technical capabilities related to Veeam solutions.

To qualify for the VASP program, ISG demonstrated significant experience in delivering  professional services around Veeam solutions with an existing professional services department, and dedicated staff and company resources.

“We are honored and excited to become a Veeam Accredited Service Provider,” said ISG President & CEO Ben Foster. “With more companies moving to a remote workforce, and security threats on the rise, data protection has never been more important. Strengthening this partnership allows us to better serve the data availability needs of the market.”

In addition to enhanced marketing and enablement support, ISG as a VASP program member provides numerous benefits to help serve its customers:

  • Dedicated training opportunities
  • Enablement, advisership and delivery support
  • Priority and dedicated access to Veeam subject matter experts
  • Access to exclusive technical tools for implementations
  • Access to senior pre-sales resources for technical advisory
  • Access to the Veeam Technical Library of best practices
  • Veeam Partner Professional Services learning plan
  • Access to an exclusive Veeam consultant hotline during customer implementations

“With their certification in the Veeam VASP program, ISG has one of the most complete portfolios of Veeam products and services in North America,” said Nikki Jennings, Vice President of Americas Channel Engineering at Veeam.  “As a Platinum VCSP, a Platinum Reseller, and now an accredited VASP professional services partner, ISG is fully equipped to deliver all Veeam Could Data Management solutions, with any service necessary, to enable and support unprecedented data management outcomes for our joint customers.”

As a leading Managed Services Provider throughout the region, ISG Technology offers its clients strategic technology solutions with a local feel and a personal approach to IT. Now in the fourth generation as a family business, the companies boast Midwest roots with locations in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri – with clients from all over the nation.

Want to know more about how ISG and Veeam can help you take your business to the next level?  Contact us today.

Be sure to join our upcoming three-part webinar series, for technology visionaries who understand the importance of security and business continuity in the new world.

Webinar: Dominating The Data Explosion Dynamic

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It’s Time To Simplify Data Management

According to a 2019 Gartner report, enterprises will triple their unstructured data stored as file and object storage from what they have in 2019. This exponential growth makes it increasingly challenging to protect, manage, and gain insights from all of your data. 

How do you deal with this growing complexity? How do you manage the patchwork of infrastructure silos across data centers and clouds? And most importantly how do you eliminate the unnecessary business cost, risk, and operational burdens that come with this complexity?  In this webinar, our friends from HPE and Cohesity will address all these questions and much more.

What You’ll Learn:

  • What the explosion of unstructured data means for your business
  • How to consolidate storage infrastructures 
  • What smart, efficient, secure, data storage looks like? 
  • How to lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of your storage
  • The benefits of Cohesity SmartFiles in managing unstructured data

What SMBs Have Learned from COVID-19

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Whether it’s meant shrinking teams, updating processes, or temporarily halting the production of goods and services—among all of the businesses hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, SMBs have been hit hardest. 

One of the biggest changes that small and medium-sized businesses have had to face is the abrupt switch to remote working. This has been an especially difficult process for SMBs that didn’t have a proper business continuity plan for IT in place before the pandemic hit.

IT is the heart of many modern businesses, and any inefficient cybersecurity or technology setup can have a huge impact on business success. As SMBs have had to adapt to remote work culture and deal with IT inefficiencies, here are some of the top things they’ve learned during the pandemic:

You’re Only as Good as Your Business Continuity Plan

As the old saying goes, “If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.” This sentiment has never been truer than for businesses in the midst of a pandemic that has seen a massive shift to remote working. 

A business continuity plan for modern companies is critical to protect your digital assets and maintain productivity through the use of your technology. Without a solid continuity plan that has been simulated and revised over time, businesses are left scrambling to fill in the sudden gaps caused by an IT disaster such as the pandemic we’re experiencing.

If your business continuity plan didn’t quite succeed in helping to prepare for COVID-19, you’ve probably already felt significant impacts as a result. Whether it’s dealing with increased downtime, unnecessary costs, or security incidents, unprepared SMBs have found that neglecting their business continuity plans has not been worth the headache.

SMBs have started turning more and more to managed IT services as a result, seeking out expert infrastructure management and consulting to develop a stronger contingency plan. Your Managed Service Provider should work with you to constantly revise your plan to ensure it is able to protect your business and its rates of productivity, no matter what happens.

Your Team Needs Reliable Telecommunication Services

As many SMBs have discovered, a team that runs into challenges in communication will fail in their productivity rates. Lacking communication between coworkers and clients is a sure recipe for disaster in a remote work environment. 

Many SMBs have turned to VoIP solutions to remedy lacking communication, not only to boost productivity rates but also to cut down on costs. VoIP operates over an Internet connection rather than onsite wiring, making it an excellent alternative for remote working. Without all the hardwiring and equipment needed for a separate traditional landline service, businesses also find themselves saving hundreds of dollars a year on their phone bills. 

VoIP provides access to conference calling, chat, and voicemail features that even many smartphones don’t have, greatly improving the productivity of teams. These features can keep calls and information secure, further protecting your employees and customers. 

You Should Have Clear BYOD/Work-from-Home Policies 

Employees at SMBs are likely to use their personal or company devices while working remotely, which can be both effective and dangerous. While many employees have access to technology that makes remote working simpler, allowing employees to use their own devices can put your data at risk.

For SMBs now working remotely, there’s a significant need to have clear BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and work-from-home policies to protect data and to keep employees accountable throughout the work day. 

Policies should include how and where devices can be used, the types of Internet connections that are allowed, security protocols that must be in place, and any other issues that are applicable to the needs of your business. SMBs have found that clearly outlined BYOD and work-from-home policies are a key to business success and security by educating employees on the proper uses of personal and company technology for work.

Remote Network Monitoring Is Key 

To prevent security incidents and reduce costly downtime, SMBs have found that remote network monitoring is a necessity. 

Some SMBs have learned the hard way that an abrupt switch to remote working can cause severe damage without the correct security controls in place. The fact is, more and more hackers are now seeking out SMBs who haven’t properly implemented cybersecurity measures on their new remote networks to exploit their system weaknesses and steal their data. Businesses lose thousands of dollars as a result of data theft and loss, which can even put companies out of business altogether.

Having 24/7 network monitoring in place means your IT provider can detect and patch system vulnerabilities immediately to ensure that hackers can’t exploit them. As a result, the costly causes of downtime are also eliminated, adding both enhanced security and productivity to your operations.

A VPN or Cloud Solutions Are Worthwhile Investments

Not being able to securely access your data is a major issue for SMBs that have moved over to working remotely. Using open or public Internet connections to transfer data greatly increases the likelihood of a breach.

SMBs have found that a virtual private network or VPN is a viable solution to safely connect to their in-house servers. Employees can still access data with security controls in place—such as multifactor authentication and encryption—to protect it from unauthorized users.

Cloud solutions are another excellent solution for businesses wishing to manage certain workloads within the cloud for secure access to remote files. With the proper hosting solution, your cloud operations are kept safe and continually backed up to prevent data loss.

Partnering with a Managed Service Provider

As cybersecurity and other IT provisions for enhancing productivity become more of a priority for SMBs, company owners are turning to reliable managed IT services for support. Managed Service Providers who have experience in remote networks can help your business thrive, even during a global pandemic, by strategizing unique solutions for remote data storage, file access, and communication.

At ISG Technology, our team is proficient in developing optimized work-from-home policies and solutions, including hosted VoIP, 24/7 system monitoring, and VPN. If you’d like to learn more about how our managed IT services can help your business, contact us today.

If you have questions about how to take advantage of our COVID-19 promotions, please don’t hesitate to contact the ISG COVID-19 Task Force.

5 Red Flags Your IT Provider Didn’t Prepare You Well Enough for COVID-19

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As businesses face the challenges of COVID-19, it has become obvious to some that their IT provisions weren’t as prepared as they should have been. Unfortunately, as businesses began working from home, security incidents, downtime, and other IT disruptions have been on the rise, putting them in even more precarious situations during this global pandemic.

Remote working comes with many challenges, but many of those can be avoided when businesses have the right level of support to protect their remote networks. With 58% of American knowledge workers now working remotely as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s important that businesses understand where their continuity plans can be improved and how to deal with at-home working challenges.

With that, here are 5 major red flags that your IT provider failed to prepare you properly for the COVID-19 pandemic and what you can do about it:

1. Your team is having trouble safely accessing files and programs.

Not having the right access to essential files and programs can be incredibly frustrating when working remotely, as well as slow down productivity. Not only that, but it can also be dangerous, as an improper server setup can often lead to employees sharing files through public or open Internet connections, putting your data at risk.

Your IT provider should have prepared you for at-home working by implementing a virtual private network or VPN for safe access to your in-house server data. If you don’t rely on in-house servers, they should have suggested cloud solutions that allow access to the data and programs needed to perform tasks on laptops or tablets remotely. 

If your IT provider didn’t prepare you to safely access your data, this is a sign that you are in need of more robust IT services that can help you achieve safe business continuity.

2. Your team is struggling to communicate or collaborate effectively.

There has never been a more vital time for employees to maintain reliable contact with co-workers and clients than when working remotely. Not having solutions in place to promote effective communication can have a huge impact on productivity, as questions that could be answered within minutes when working alongside fellow employees could potentially take several hours to gain a response.

Not to mention, if your communication software is lacking, your clients may also be left waiting for a response or solution to a problem. Failure to implement effective remote communication tools can cause significant damage to your customer relationships.

Simple remote telecommunication solutions such as VoIP phone systems allow your team to keep calls secure while also implementing instant chatting and video conferencing features to increase productivity. VoIP phone systems are also much cheaper than traditional landlines, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses who need to preserve their bottom line now more than ever.

Other collaboration tools for your team such as Microsoft Teams can allow your employees to easily cooperate on group tasks and projects by offering remote editing capabilities on documents. Tools such as these can also consolidate your applications into one managed platform, allowing you to cut back on separate programs or software and save money.

If your IT provider didn’t offer solutions in the way of remote collaboration tools as part of your business continuity plan, your business likely has already felt the effects of lower productivity and communication. To remedy this and prepare better for the future, look for IT services that offer collaboration tools such as these.

3. Your cybersecurity didn’t get upgraded at all.

Unfortunately, many remote workers are now accessing sensitive data from insecure locations or devices, which has made them more vulnerable to cyber threats since the outbreak. In fact, the World Health Organization has reported a five times increase in cyber attacks since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown. 

Your IT provider should have been thinking ahead and supporting teams to employ security solutions such as firewalls, spam filtering, and anti-malware that are adaptable to remote networks. Additionally, they should offer security training to employees and consulting on work-from-home policies to maintain data security at all times.

4. They failed to advise you on new tools and hardware.

One of the many challenges that companies had to face when transitioning to remote working was to ensure that all employees had the correct equipment to be able to successfully work from home. 

Some companies had to send employees home with equipment from the office while others began working from personal devices—which comes with its own security issues. Some employees even had to wait for equipment to be ordered and delivered before being able to begin working. 

The role of the IT service provider in this instance is to advise your business in accordance to what new equipment will be needed to maintain productivity and safety. Whether you needed new computers for your employees, a custom software to manage new administrative tasks, or cloud storage solutions, your IT provider should have already consulted you on these business continuity tools. 

5. They still haven’t updated your business continuity plan.

With the world around us constantly changing, business contingency plans need constant revision to ensure they are prepared for any changing situation. This is especially true for businesses whose continuity plans have failed them in some regard when it comes to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

IT service providers should be evaluating how your contingency plan has been working amidst the pandemic and amend any flaws in the plan that have caused issues. This will better prepare you for the future and ensure that the best solutions are in place while you deal with the challenges of remote work now. 

A reliable IT provider should offer its clients continuous support—especially during difficult situations such as the one we’re facing. They should have prepared you with the proper remote networks, tools, and cybersecurity to deal with the challenges you are now facing. If they didn’t and you’re experiencing one of the red flags listed above, it’s time to look for more comprehensive solutions.
At ISG Technology, our managed IT services are designed to prepare your business for anything. We work directly with our clients using a proactive approach to improve their systems continually. If you’d like to learn more about our managed services for businesses, contact us today.

If you have questions about how to take advantage of our COVID-19 promotions, please don’t hesitate to contact the ISG COVID-19 Task Force.

Webinar: Winning The War On Ransomware

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Let’s Declare War On Ransomware

Every day, organizations are at risk of losing data and damaging business reputation from ransomware threats. And now that the attack surface has increased exponentially with a remote workforce, the threat level has never been higher.

In this webinar, we will help you understand the latest threats to your data and how to overcome them with a comprehensive cloud data management strategy. From awareness of the threat, to implementation of backups, to the actions you take the moment disaster strikes and more, we’ll help you understand how to take your ransomware resiliency to a new level.

What You’ll Learn:

  • 3 timeless approaches to ransomware resiliency
  • How to develop a ransomware resiliency strategy
  • The most common ransomware attack vectors
  • The latest techniques in the fight against ransomware
  • Different methods to remediate ransomware threats

Business Continuity & Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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Like many companies across the country and around the world, ISG Technology is closely monitoring the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the people and communities we serve. We wanted to take this opportunity to help you understand how we are implementing our business continuity plan so we can continue to help you navigate this unique situation. Here are a few highlights.

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Staying Informed & Healthy

First and foremost, we are closely following and adhering to the World Health Organization (WHO), state agencies and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance to ensure the safety of employees, clients and partners.

Business as Usual (as Possible)

We are still providing onsite professional services for our clients within the guidelines of our government agencies and with respect to our clients’ policies. If services can be provided remotely, we are making this suggestion and working with each client to ensure effectiveness. In the event there is a mandated community quarantine, we will remain operational via the cloud-based communication and productivity tools we use on a daily basis.

All ISG employees are cybersecurity trained and prepared to use best practices when working from home.

Keeping You Informed

Because this situation is changing rapidly, we have assembled a COVID-19 Taskforce that consists of subject matter experts across our company. This team will be meeting daily to discuss the business continuity issues our clients are experiencing in a variety of areas including remote workforce productivity, security & access, policies & procedures, networks & infrastructure, etc.

We will be disseminating helpful information to you via email and our website in the coming days and weeks.

Remote Workforce Implementation

We are already working with a number of our clients to get the tools and best practices in place so they can continue to make a smooth transition to a remote workforce. This includes reviews and updates to critical business policies, procedures and relevant security assessments as well as ISG Help Desk, Office 365, Citrix, Cisco Security products and more.

If you are seeking guidance on the right solution for your organization, we are here to help. If you have questions related to your business continuity needs, contact us at taskforce@isgtech.com. Our team will see to it that they get answered quickly.

If there is anything we can do to help you or your organization please let us know. The entire Twin Valley Family of Companies is committed to helping you continue unlocking possibilities for the communities you serve during these challenging times.

Webinar: “Disaster Recovery Essentials For The Modern SMB”

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Watch & Download Our Free Webinar: “Disaster Recovery Essentials For The Modern SMB”


If you’re like many companies we talk to, you don’t have enterprise-level resources dedicated to your DR plan. And it keeps you up at night. That’s why we’re here to help. Watch our on-demand webinar focused on helping you get prepared for when data disasters strike.

5 reasons why you need a backup service, even if you’re using Office 365

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Enterprises around the world continue to move key applications to the cloud. But the speed and scope of migration presenting new challenges regarding data protection, service delivery, and compliance.

While most organizations have developed robust on-premises backup solutions, the failure to protect cloud data and ensure the availability of key services is widespread and incredibly alarming.

Contrary to popular belief, Office 365 and other software as a service (SaaS) models provide no real internal backup solutions.

While Microsoft has sound internal security and is capable of managing Office 365 infrastructure, third-party services are needed to ensure comprehensive data protection and compliance. Let’s take a look at 5 key reasons why you need a dedicated backup service when you’re using Office 365.

  1. Protection against internal accidents and threats

Regardless of how careful you are with your data, accidents can and do happen. Whether it’s the accidental deletion of a user, the incorrect merging of fields, or the failure of a key service, accidental deletion can be replicated across an entire network and lead to serious problems.

Simple accidents have been responsible for serious damage over the last few years, with an outage on Amazon Web Services costing up to $150 million dollars in 2017.

A backup service can restore data and services quickly and with minimum disruption, either to the on-premise Exchange or the Office 365 cloud network. In addition, dedicated backup services can protect you against internal security threats and manage the risk of malicious data loss or destruction.

  1. Protection against external security threats

Along with internal security threats, many businesses have experienced a rise in malware, viruses, data theft and other security threats from the outside.

Kaspersky blocked almost 800 million attacks from online resources across the globe in the first quarter of 2018 alone.

While Microsoft 365 and other cloud suites do have some security controls, they’re not robust or reliable enough to handle every case scenario. Having access to a high-grade, third-party backup service is the best way to reduce your exposure and manage the risks associated with data loss and destruction.

  1. Retention and recovery management

Cloud-based services are popular for many reasons, with Office 365 and other solutions featuring better integration between applications, more efficient data exchange and delivery, and the ability to utilize transparent services regardless of location.

Many of these benefits come at a cost, however, with enterprises losing control over data retention and recovery.

While Office 365 does have its own retention policies, they are ever-changing and difficult to manage. In fact, confusing and inaccessible data retention is one of the reasons why so many businesses refuse to move to the cloud.

You can have the best of both worlds with backup solutions that provide you with complete control over data retention and recovery management.

  1. Legal and compliance obligations

In addition to running a business and ensuring access to key data and services, organizations have a responsibility to meet certain legal and compliance obligations.

A cloud backup service allows you to retrieve important data instantly and with minimal disruption to critical business systems.

Whether it’s retrieving user data for law enforcement, accessing your mailbox during a legal action, or meeting regulatory compliance standards, dedicated cloud backup makes it easier to meet your responsibilities.

  1. Managing the migration process

With more businesses moving to the cloud all the time, the migration process is often presented as a seamless and natural transition.

While the benefits of SaaS are valid and well-known, managing hybrid email deployments and other critical services during migration can be more challenging than Microsoft would have you believe.

Whether you want a dedicated cloud solution or a mix of Office 365 and on-premises services, backup solutions like Veeam (our recommended solution) allow you to protect and manage your data during and after the transition in a way that makes the source location irrelevant.

The post 5 reasons why you need a backup service, even if you’re using Office 365 appeared first on ISG Technologies.

Source: my isg

Client Testimonial: Freddy’s Frozen Custard

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Technology partnership helps fuel the growth of Freddy’s Frozen Custard

Industry: Food & Beverage
Client: Freddy’s Frozen Custard

In Partnership with

THE CHALLENGE

Enlisted by Freddy’s, ISG was tasked with transitioning the client’s infrastructure to a more secure and flexible system. The initial findings highlighted a few opportunities:

  • Evaluated the health of the client’s network security to find at risk data. If a server were to fail under the original network system, data would have been lost and unrecoverable.
  • Discovered the company was poised for growth, but infrastructure was unable to keep up with needs and goals.
  • Determined the transition to the new network had to take place outside of business hours.

 

THE SOLUTION

  • Utilized leading backup solution to migrate the company’s data to the cloud
  • Migrated an aging small business server to a updated and upgraded exchange server
  • Provided an internal SQL consultation
  • Deployed Cisco Meraki Technology across locations

 

RESULTS

Freddy’s is now ready for tremendous future growth with the flexibility and security of ISG’s cloud solution with our straightforward approach to implementation and willingness to execute outside of business hours, ensuring both client satisfaction and business success.