We just wanted to write a quick blog entry today to let everyone know how much it meant to us to have such a great turnout at our open house last week. In all, we had over 100 people show up, including the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, to whom we are extremely grateful for the wonderful ribbon cutting ceremony. We were truly honored and overwhelmed by everyone's attendance.
If you were able to come to our event, you know that cloud85 is coming very soon. It's been in the works for some time and we're just around the corner from being able to offer a Cloud solution to everyone. In the meantime, check out our sister sites, www.85under.com and www.cloud85.com.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
The 5 Biggest Gaps in SMB IT
Let's face it: when it comes to IT, your business is going to be good at some things and bad at others. So what are some of the most glaring gaps in IT for businesses like yours? Take a look at this list and see how you stack up.
1) Backup and Disaster Recovery
Joshua Liberman, president of a systems integrator in Albuquerque tells a story of a $10 million company who had a server crash and they lost everything. Their goal was to save on the $150/month backup contract that they were running and, since the crash, they've gone out of business. This is a little close to home for all of us living in the Joplin, MO area. What is backup / disaster recovery worth to you?
2) Security
The typical employee today has a relatively large amount of access to their own computer, making an easy path for viruses. Unfortunately, many businesses today don't get security for their computers or the security they do have isn't very high quality. The difference between a $40 Linksys router and a $4,000 Cisco firewall could mean the difference between uptime and downtime. How secure is your business?
3) Old Equipment
We at PCnet are somewhat frequently recommending new PCs to our customers. Many businesses these days are running on 7-10 year old computers with old software that has long since been replaced by new and better technology. A $2,000 CAD workstation nowadays has the possibility of finishing a job in 10 minutes that could take as long as 48 hours on an older machine. Work performance isn't just based on your personnel - it also has to do with your IT. How can you improve your performance?
4) Mobile Devices
It used to be that a typical SMB would have 1, maybe 2 smartphones in the office. Today, smartphones are prevalent and they can store a lot of business-related data. As harsh as it sounds, many businesses today are having their employees sign an "acceptable use" policy and considering a remote wipe option when necessary. When you have a worker leave, do you really want him taking your customer data to the next job?
5) Strategic IT Thinking
Many of our customers don't see their network holistically. When an old PC dies, they buy another one; when new software comes out, they replace the old one. We ultimately want to help you save money - please let us consult you on your next IT decision and help you see the bigger picture in your computer network. We can be your trusted advisor.
So how'd you do? Give us a call today if you have any concerns - we're here to help!
1) Backup and Disaster Recovery
Joshua Liberman, president of a systems integrator in Albuquerque tells a story of a $10 million company who had a server crash and they lost everything. Their goal was to save on the $150/month backup contract that they were running and, since the crash, they've gone out of business. This is a little close to home for all of us living in the Joplin, MO area. What is backup / disaster recovery worth to you?
2) Security
The typical employee today has a relatively large amount of access to their own computer, making an easy path for viruses. Unfortunately, many businesses today don't get security for their computers or the security they do have isn't very high quality. The difference between a $40 Linksys router and a $4,000 Cisco firewall could mean the difference between uptime and downtime. How secure is your business?
3) Old Equipment
We at PCnet are somewhat frequently recommending new PCs to our customers. Many businesses these days are running on 7-10 year old computers with old software that has long since been replaced by new and better technology. A $2,000 CAD workstation nowadays has the possibility of finishing a job in 10 minutes that could take as long as 48 hours on an older machine. Work performance isn't just based on your personnel - it also has to do with your IT. How can you improve your performance?
4) Mobile Devices
It used to be that a typical SMB would have 1, maybe 2 smartphones in the office. Today, smartphones are prevalent and they can store a lot of business-related data. As harsh as it sounds, many businesses today are having their employees sign an "acceptable use" policy and considering a remote wipe option when necessary. When you have a worker leave, do you really want him taking your customer data to the next job?
5) Strategic IT Thinking
Many of our customers don't see their network holistically. When an old PC dies, they buy another one; when new software comes out, they replace the old one. We ultimately want to help you save money - please let us consult you on your next IT decision and help you see the bigger picture in your computer network. We can be your trusted advisor.
So how'd you do? Give us a call today if you have any concerns - we're here to help!
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Exploitation of Trust: Cybercriminals’ Most Powerful Weapon
People by nature are inclined to trust others, and criminals use this to their advantage again and again. Take the case of the fake social networking profiles established earlier this year for “Robin Sage,” supposedly a young, attractive woman working in the national security arena. A security expert created the fake profiles as a test to see how many security professionals might be fooled by Sage’s persona and share information with her. About 300 people within the United States military and government, as well as security companies, connected with “Robin.” If even sophisticated security experts fail to think twice before exposing personal and corporate information to strangers, imagine what the average employee might do with your proprietary data.
The lesson of this experiment for security experts and all employees is that within social networks, even users who think they are exercising caution by locking up information against people who aren’t members of their social networks can be put at risk by the careless acceptance of connection or friend requests.
** Excerpt from Cisco 2010 Annual Security Report
The lesson of this experiment for security experts and all employees is that within social networks, even users who think they are exercising caution by locking up information against people who aren’t members of their social networks can be put at risk by the careless acceptance of connection or friend requests.
** Excerpt from Cisco 2010 Annual Security Report
Monday, June 13, 2011
PCnet expanding corporate office
PCnet is in the process of expanding our office. When all is said and done, we'll have about twice the space that we've been using and everything will be updated and improved. You'll love the look of our new office!Thanks to Williams Construction, American Glass and Pinnacle Sign for helping us with our major facelift!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
April Newsletter
We just put out a new edition of our PCnet newsletter.
In it, you'll learn how we've been bowling for kids' sake, attending conferences to get ready for our new Cloud85 offering and getting excited about products like the Barracuda Web Filter. Also, meet some of our new staff and learn how one of our own is in the running for a NASA competition!
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